Health Policy Resources

The Health Sciences and Human Services Library's Health Policy Resources web page links to selected web sites that may be useful to both the health care community and the consumer. See selection criteria.

Academic Institutions

• Columbia University: Researching Health Policy Legislation
  Compiled and maintained by the Social Work Library of Columbia University, this well organized site provides a list of links to current health policy issues and legislation in the United States. Although a few of the items are access restricted, the majority are not.
  
  
• Duke Health Policy CyberExchange
  Sponsored by Duke's Center for Health Policy, Law and Management, this site disseminates research findings to people who make health policy decisions, to faculty and students at the university, and to others interested in health policy issues. It contains a wealth of links to quality sites which are organized into "Policy-Oriented," "Provider-Oriented," and "Consumer-Oriented" categories.
  
  
• Penn State Health Policy and Administration Links
  Penn State's Department of Health Policy and Administration has compiled this list of favorite health policy websites arranged by categories.
  
  
• Rutgers University: Center for State Health Policy
  The Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University has created this excellent collection of health policy links. All links have brief descriptions and are arranged by category. National sites are broken down by the three branches of government and agencies.
  
  
• University of Pittsburgh: Health Policy Institute Links
  This website consists of health policy links selected by the Health Policy Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health. The links are to national government resources as well as to non-profit and educational sites.
  
  
• University of Washington Healthlinks: Legislation, Law & Health Policy
  The University of Washington maintains a list of healthlinks on "Legislation, Law, and Health Policy" at this site. The Federal Legislation section contains a link to the Congressional Directory including a "Repfinder" which permits users to locate their representatives by entering in a zip code. A link for Senate committees is also available.
  
  
• University of Wisconsin: Health Policy Information
  The University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension provides this list of health policy information links. Particularly useful are a basic vocabulary of health policy terms, a list of links for health policy updates, and a link to background on Medicare and Medicaid.
  

Advocacy

• American College of Physicians (ACP)
  The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, the nation's largest medical specialty society, maintains this site as a resource for its policies on public health issues. A Legislative Action Center at the site lists "Action Alerts" regarding important pending Federal legislation and an "Issues and Legislation" link allows searching for current legislation and recent votes.
  
  
• Children's Defense Fund
  This site is maintained by the Children's Defense Fund, a private, nonprofit organization which advocates for children. Its motto, "Every child deserves a healthy start," is reflected in a list of useful links provided for organizations, networks, and publications.
  
  
• Covering Kids
  Covering Kids was established in 1997 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to address the issue of providing health care for the approximately ten million children without it in the United States. Its purpose is to assist states and local communities to increase the number of children to benefit from Medicaid or other health programs for which they are eligible. There are currently projects in all 50 state. The Maryland Covering Kids Statewide Coalition is led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the President's Office.
  
  
• Families USA
  Families USA is a national non-profit organization which advocates for high-quality, affordable health care. It works on the national, state and community levels to protect and advocate health policy issues for consumers. It maintains links to a number of health policy issues sites by subject.
  
  
• National Coalition On Health Care
  The National Coalition on Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of over 90 groups whose goal is to provide more affordable health care for all Americans. It is comprised of small and large businesses, labor unions, consumer groups, and many other groups. Its current "For America's Health!" campaign seeks to educate people on how the health care system operates and how changes affect them.
  
  
• National Health Law Program
  The National Health Law Program is a "national public interest law firm that seeks to improve health care" for all disadvanted groups in America. Useful links are provided on Federal Statutes & Regulations, Health Policy, Reports & Analyses and others in the "Research Links and Resources" section.
  
  
• Project Vote Smart
  Project Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization whose goal is to provide free political and policy information so voters can make informed decisions. It includes an extensive database which contains candidate biographies, campaign finances, issue positions, special interest groups and voting records. Legislation status may be tracked and there are links to all three branches of government.

• Public Citizen
  Public Citizen is a national, non-profit advocacy organization for consumers founded by Ralph Nader thirty years ago to represent consumer interests in all branches of government. One of the organization's five divisions, the "Health Research Group," is dedicated solely to protecting health policy rights of consumers.
  
  
• The Southern Institute on Children and Families
  The Southern Institute on Children and Families is a non-profit, public policy organization whose focus is "to improve opportunities for children and families in the South." It brings together public and private resources to improve access to essential services.The Institue covers 17 southern states and the District of Columbia and is funded through grants and contributions. A number of useful health policy resources may be accessed from the "Resources" link.

Associations

• American Health Care Association
  The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is a federation of state health organizations which represents the long term care community. It includes both non-profit and for-profit organizations and provides impact assessments of current and proposed public policies. The "Sites of Interest" section of the website links to a number of additional resources by category, including "Health and Medicine Sites," "Aging Sites and Resources," and "Regulatory Sites."
  
  
• American Public Health Association
  The American Public Health Association (APHA) is an association of organizations and individuals whose mission is to prevent disease and provide equitable health care to all. It is the oldest and largest public health professional organization and provides links to a number of useful sites, including state and local health departments, environmental and occupational health sites and selected resources for health education and promotion.
  
  
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO)
  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is an independent, non-profit organization. It evaluates and accredites the majority of health care facilities in the United States and is governed by a board that includes representatives from a variety of areas. It provides links to its accreditation information and the accreditation process.
  

Clearinghouses

• Moving Ideas: The Policy Action Network
  This site is supported by the Policy Action Network, formerly the Electronic Policy Network or EPN. It is a network of policy and research institutions. They are arranged in categories such as "National Health Policy," "Public Health," "Managed Care," and others. The site's goal is "to improve collaboration and dialogue between policy and grassroots organizations, and to promote their work to journalists and legislators."
  
  
• Health Hippo
  This site is a guide to health policy and regulatory information and resources with well-organized links. The "Policy and Administration" section links to pending congressional bills by category (e.g., Managed Care Bills, Drug bills, etc.). "Hippo News" provides links to many news publications and newswires.
  
  
• HealthPathfinder - Health Law and Policy Institute
  Produced by the University of Houston Law Center's Health Law & Policy Institute, this site contains many useful annotated links to health law and health policy Web sites.

Federal Resources

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  This agency was previously the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). Beginning in 2000, legislation eliminated the agency's responsibility for developing clinical practice guidelines and instead mandated that the agency be a scientific research agency rather than a policy and regulations body. The audience for this site includes clinical decision makers (clinicians, consumers, health care institutions), health care system decision makers and public policy decision makers. The site has links to a number of useful resources, including Evidence-Based Practice Outcomes & Effectiveness, and links to research findings in a variety of healthcare areas.
  
  
• Bureau of Primary Health Care Center for Quality
  The mission of this federal government center is to strengthen and improve health care quality. It accomplishes this by external partnerships with private and public organizations with similar goals. The Center oversees the quality component of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) strategic plan. The site contains an extensive alphabetical list of "Quality Related Links" which connect to many useful resources.
  
  
• Census Bureau
  The mission of the Census Bureau is "to be the preeminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States." Its web site allows you to browse through a subject directory, "Subjects A to Z" or perform a "Search" using a word or phrase. Links are also provided for "American FactFinder" and "Access Tools." This latter section provides a variety of ways to gather and view information including maps. There area also sections on "People," "Geography," "Business" and "Special Topics."
  
  
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
  This agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, "serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States." Its web site provides access to health information, and statistics produced by the various entities within the organization. Sections include "Health Topics A -Z", Data and Statistics and Spotlights that highlight current issues. There are also links to the CDC Fact Book and the weekly MMWR.
  
  
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
  NCHS, part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is the Federal Government's principal vital and health statistics agency. Links are provided to its various surveys and data collection systems, and to initiatives such as aging. A link to "FASTATS A to Z" is also provided.
  
  
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - formerly HCFA
  CMS is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that runs Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS, in conjunction with the Health Resources and Services Administration, runs the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). CMS also regulates all laboratory testing (except research) performed on humans in the United States. Finally CMS, with the Departments of Labor and Treasury, helps millions of Americans and small companies get and keep health insurance coverage. Links on their web site include Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, HIPAA, Publications, Local Information, Stats & Data, Research & Demos, Laws & Regs and Public Affairs.
  
  
• Federal Register 1995-2001 (GPO)
  The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations. It also includes Executive Orders and other presidential documents. This site provides a browsing option as well as a search feature for locating information within the publication. Documents may be retrieved as ASCII text, PDF or in a summary format.
  
  
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
  The mission of the HRSA is "to improve and expand access to quality health care for all. Its web site provides links to its key program areas including HIV/AIDS Services, Primary Health Care, Maternal and Child Health, Health Professions, Special Programs and Rural Health Policy. A link is also provided to data and statistics.
  
  
• National Library of Medicine - Health Information
  NLM, the world’s largest medical library, provides a wide variety of resources related to the biomedical and health sciences. The “Health Information” web page links to databases and databanks including MEDLINE/PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, NLM Locator and Toxnet.
  
  
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)
  This office, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, “plays a vital role in developing and coordinating a wide range of national disease prevention and health promotion strategies.” The web site links to important publications including Healthy People 2010 and the Clinician’s Handbook of Preventive Services. It also links to other web sites that the Office supports, including healthfinder® and the National Health Information Center.
  
  
• Office of Human Services Policy
  This office within the Department of Health and Human Services focuses on welfare, poverty, service delivery issues, data for research, policies affecting children, youth, and families, and economic matters affecting the Department. These areas are reflected in their web site. Information about the topics is divided into three sections: publications, on-going work, and related topics.
  
  
• Thomas (Library of Congress)
  Developed by the Library of Congress, this web site provides access to the full text of Federal legislative information. There are three major sections: “Legislation,” “Congressional Record” and “Committee Information.” The history of a bill may be located by linking to the “Bill Summary and Status” file. Search features include word/phrase and law number searching.
  
  
• U.S. Government Printing Office - GPO Access
  GPO Access provides free electronic access to official U.S. federal government information. Links to all branches of the government are included. “Quick Links” provides access to the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Congressional Record, U.S. Code, Congressional Bills and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
  

Glossaries

• Glossary of Terms Commonly Used in Health Care
  Provided by the Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy, a nonprofit organization, this resource contains three sections: health care delivery and financing terms; epidemiological and statistical terms; and accounting and economic terms. Also available at as a PDF file.
  
  
• Glossary of Health Policy Terms - National Institute of Health Policy (NIHP)
  This glossary has been compiled by NIHP, a policy partnership of two large universities in Minnesota. It has been designed "to promote the creation of effective health policy" and is considered a neutral forum. One of its goals is to educate policy makers and the general public.
  

• AcademyHealth (formerly Alpha)
  This organization is the result of a merger in June 2000 of the Alpha Center and the Association for Health Services Research. Its purpose is to stimulate and disseminate the best available health services research and health policy information. One way of advancing that knowledge is through this website, which is constantly growing. Resources are divided into broad subject categories with links to many specific websites provided. An example of one broad category is "State Government" which is then further divided into "State Government Associations," "State Agencies," and "State Resources."
  
  
• Alliance for Health Reform
  The Alliance for Health Reform is a non-profit, non-partisan group with the goals of extending health coverage to all Americans and containing health care costs. A list of "Health Policy Links" are particularly valuable, especially "Federal Government Resources," "Health Consumer Groups," and "Health Professional Groups."
  
  
• American Enterprise Institute
  The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit organization with the goal of strengthening "limited government, private enterprise ..and political institutions." It provides an extensive list to other "Think Tank" organizations.
  
  
• Brookings Institute
  “In its research, The Brookings Institution functions as an independent analyst and critic, committed to publishing its findings for the information of the public. In its conferences and activities, it serves as a bridge between scholarship and public policy, bringing new knowledge to the attention of decisionmakers and affording scholars a better insight into public policy issues.” Sections on this web site of particular interest are “Research,” that includes the categories Economic Studies, Foreign Policies, Governmental Polices and Policy Centers, and “Resources,” that includes the categories Publications, Executive Education, Press Room, Video Clips, Multimedia and discussion lists.
  
  
• Cato Institute
  The Cato Institute is a nonprofit public policy research foundation. Its philosopy is one of a limited government role in individual lives. It produces a number of publications on public policy issues and has a section on its home page of "Hot Topics" with links to policies on a variety of issues.
  
  
• Center for Health Care Strategies
  The Center for Health Care Strategies is a nonprofit organization which provides a policy resource center to promote better health care services to underserved populations. The major audiences identified are "purchasers of publicly-financed health care, managed care organizations and consumer groups." It promotes improvement in managed care practices and assists consumers in utilizing health care delivery systems. It directs three Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiatives and provides resources to links to improve health literacy of consumers.
  
  
• Center for Studying Health System Change
  The Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) is a nonpartisan policy research organization funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Its goal is to provide objective health policy data and to serve as a resource on all sides of health policy issues. One major feature is an extensive list of health policy "Resources" arranged by categories.
  
  
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities conducts research and analysis in a number of areas, including health policy. It primarily deals with issues affecting low and moderate-income individuals and families on both the state and federal levels. Recent concerns have included expanding health coverage for low-income working families and amendments to the Patients' Bill of Rights.
  
  
• Commonwealth Fund
  The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation supporting "independent research on health and social issues." Its mission of improving the common good is realized by awarding "grants to improve health care and enhance public spaces and services." Its two major program areas are to improve health insurance coverage and access to care and to improve the quality of health care services. Recent publications have included topics on managed care, medicaid and quality of care for underserved populations.
  
  
• Kaiser Family Foundation
  The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent philanthropy that focuses on three main areas: Health Policy, Media and Public Education, and Health and Development in South Africa. Topics highlighted on their web site include Entertainment Media, Health Care Marketplace, HIV/AIDS, Media Partnerships & Studies, Medicaid, Medicare, Minority Health, Public Opinion, Reproductive & Sexual Health, State Health Facts, Uninsured, and Women's Health Policy.
  
  
• Mathematica Policy Research
  Mathematica Policy Research is a company recognized for its objectivity and quality in health policy research. It serves both governmental and private clients.
  
  
• Public Agenda Online
  Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen education and public opinion research organization. Its mission is to help public officials understand the public's views on policy issues and to help citizens make well-informed decisions. A list of "Issues" links on the home page indicate a number of health care policy issues. Two particularly useful links are in the "Health Care" section. "Quick Takes," reports public opinion survey results and "Sources and Resources," provides an extensive list of various organizations, studies and more.
  
  
• Public Health Foundation
  This foundation is a non-profit, national organization whose goal is to work towards healthy communities "through research, training, and technical assistance." It provides many useful links to public health organizations and online resources and the "Tools and Resources" section displays individual links by state to "Healthy People 2010."
  
  
• Rand Corporation
  RAND (a contraction of the term research and development) is a nonprofit organization originally developed for the U.S. Air Force. Its goal is "to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis." Research areas include child policy, health, and social welfare. Current health research includes "The Center for Healthcare and the Internet," which is developing standards for electronic prescribing systems and "The Center to Improve Care of the Dying (CICD)," an organization that works to educate policymakers and the public on providing quality care at the end of life. Recent research projects in child health include "Child-Well-Being and Public Policy," "Community Effects on Child Health," and "Effects of Alcohol Advertising on Underage Drinking."
  
  
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a national philanthropy which is currently the largest foundation in the United States devoted to improving the health and health care of all Americans. It was founded by the founder of the Johnson & Johnson Corporation. The Foundation provides grants on a wide variety of health care issues. Recent programs include "What Teens Understand about Smoking" and "Promoting Exercise to Seniors."
  
  
• Urban Institute: A Nonpartisan Economic & Social Policy Research Organization
  The Urban Institute is a nonprofit policy research organization. Its goals include improving government decisions and increasing citizens' awareness about major public choices.

State Resources

• American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
  APHSA is a well-established, nonprofit, bipartisan organization of agencies and individuals concerned with human services. It includes all state agencies and many local agencies and its mission is "to develop, promote, and implement public human service policies that improve the health and well-being of families, children and adults." One valuable section that can be accessed from the home page, "Links," opens a "Gateway to the Human Services" consisting of many useful resources arranged by category, with the primary emphasis on state issues. A second section on the home page, "State Contacts," opens a map of the United States. The selection of a state automatically directs the user to that state's social service or human service agency.
  
  
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
  ASTHO is the national non-profit organization that represents state and territorial public health agencies of the United States and the U.S. Territories. Its purpose is to propose sound public health policy and to assure "excellence in state-based public health practice." Areas of interest include access to care, environmental health and prevention. A map of "State/Territorial Links" opens a map of quick links to state departments of health. A quick link on the home page, "Public Health Resources," lists a number of useful sites.
  
  
• Maryland: At-A-Glance
  State Health Facts from the Kaiser Family Foundation
  
  
• Maryland Covering Kids & Families Initiative
  
  
• Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
  This is the web site for health issues for the state of Maryland. In addition to such activities as promoting and providing quality health care and support services, its mission is to provide "…leadership in the development and enactment of responsible and progressive health care policy." It contains the expected information for a state web site (public health alerts, licensing information, etc.). It also provides a link to the CDC State Health Department Search site that allows searching for health information by state. The "Hot Issues" link on the home page opens a list of links on current and recent health issues (e.g. Bioterrorism, West Nile Virus and 2001-2002 Flu Vaccination Program).
  
  
• Maryland General Assembly
  The Maryland General Assembly web site provides a wealth of information about the Maryland state government. Bills may be searched by number (HB245 for House Bill, or S for Senate Bill) and Senate Synopsis or House Synopsis links provide information about most recently introduced bills and resolutions. "Prior Session Information," contains information on sessions back to 1996. The Maryland Code may be accessed under "Statutes." Additional features are links to House and Senate Proceedings, Hearing Schedules and a category called "Everything Else," which includes Official Dates of Interest for the current session.
  
  
• Medicaid Programs in the 50 States
  This site is one compiled and maintained by a collaboration of the Medicaid Consumer Network of Massachusetts and the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition. The stated purpose of the site is to provide "selected links to information about existing Medicaid plans and reform proposals within individual states." In addition to an alphabetical list of states with links to state agencies, an additional section, "50-State Comparisons & Summaries" provides information from a variety of sources. All links have been published by state agencies or by state-based research and advocacy organizations.
  
  
• NACCHO - National Association of County and City Health Officials
  NACCHO is an organization of all county and local health departments that was formed to address local public health issues. It is a nonprofit organization, which provides information, promotes national policy, and provides resources and assistance to local health departments. It promotes concerns of local public health officials to Members of Congress and other policymakers, disseminates legislative alerts and provides updates on key public health issues. The "Programs" button at this site is particularly useful as it links to documents, which NACCHO has produced on a variety of subjects.
  
  
• National Academy for State Health Policy
  The National Academy for State Health Policy is a non-profit organization for state health policy leaders, and is funded by both public and private grants. Links to current programs and research are listed, as is a list of publications which may be either purchased or downloaded.
  
  
• National Conference of State Legislatures
  The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)'s mission is to improve the effectiveness and cooperation of state legislatures. It also works to ensure a cohesive voice in the federal system. A bipartisan organization, primarily established for lawmakers and their staffs, it does provide limited access to the public. State legislators and their staffs have access to NCSL information and reports. They can also search over 500,000 state documents dealing with policy reports, legislation, and 50-state surveys. Some current policy issues being addressed are those dealing with health, human services, and environmental protection.
  
  
• State and Local Government on the Net
  This is a directory web site of links to government sponsored state and local resources on the Internet. Although provided by a commercial publishing firm, it brings together in one place a quick way to access state and local resources. The home page always displays the most recent revision dates for each state site link and state links lead to more specific information.
  
  
• State and Local Governments (Library of Congress)
  This list of state and local government information resources has been collected and maintained by the Library of Congress. Some of the most useful links are listed under "Meta-Indexes for State and Local Government Information." "State Statues" provides links to sites that contain full text of state statues and other legislative material and the "National Association of Counties" provides links to individual state counties.
  
  
• State Coverage Initiatives
  State Coverage Initiatives is a program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with the goals of improving the capabilities of state governments to plan and sustain health care coverage to the uninsured and to improve the availability and affordability of health care. It is administered by the Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy. The "Research Tools" button on the home page opens to five very useful sections. "Coverage-Related Websites" includes a thorough list of categories with links, including "Advocacy," "Children's Health" and "Managed Care Resources."
  
  
• State Health Facts
  The State Health Facts site is a resource provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation. It contains the "latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation." Easy to use, information can be selected using individual state health profiles or by examining state comparisons.
  
  
• State Policy Documentation Project
  This is a joint project of the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that tracks Medicaid and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families in all of the states. The goal of this project is to provide information on state policy choices by providing state policies, statutes and regulations. The data provided is collected by independent surveys which are verified by state agency staffs. Two valuable sets of data available from the home page are "Child Care Assistance," which includes state reports on "Child Care for Low Income Families" and "Child Care Provision After Leaving Cash Assistance." "Medicaid," another major data set, provides a summary of Medicaid issues with nine tables of "50-State Policy Comparisons."
  
  
• Virginia Center for Health Statistics