Health care policy and issues can affect providers and the patients they serve at different levels and in many different ways, some critical. Staying on top of current health care concerns and legislative issues will help you become what this country desperately needsinformed, caring and socially conscious health care professionals who understand the issues and are willing to advocate for their patients.
With your help, we can improve health care for all Americansnot just those who can afford it.
To help you stay informed, we have listed websites that address health care policy topics. Please keep in mind that these are only some of the websites addressing some of the current issues. We encourage you to continue researching these and other health care-related topics on your own.
Quick Links
- Aging of America
- Global health
- Health workforce shortages
- Uninsured/medically underserved
For links to resources on health issues related to diversity, health disparities and cultural competence, see Diversity Matters.
To take action on these or other health care issues, see the Service and Volunteerism section of Humanism in Health Care.
More Information
- Academy Health
- Ethics in Medicine University of Washington School of Medicine
- Health Affairs journal
- Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
- National Center for Health Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Health Council
- RAND Health
- State Health Facts Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
- State Health Policy and Medicaid Commonwealth Fund
- Topics section Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
- Washington Highlights Association of American Medical Colleges
The Aging of America
Recent research indicates that between now and the year 2030, the number of people who are 55 or older in the United States will almost double while the number of those 65 and older will more than double. In the near future, there will be nearly 178 million older Americans, or over 41% of our total population.
What does this mean, in terms of the health professions? Now and over the next few decades, there will be a high demand for health professionals who are skilled in geriatric care.
- Aging Statistics Administration on Aging
- Changing Demographics: Implications for Physicians, Nurses, and Other Health Workers booklet Health Resources and Services Administration
- Global Health and Aging National Institute on Aging
- Growing Older in America: The Health and Retirement Study National Institute on Aging
- National Council on Aging
- National Institute on Aging
- The State of Aging and Health of America, 2004[PDF] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Global Health
We live in a global community, where news and disease can span the globe in hours or even moments. Our actions and choices can have far-reaching consequences for our own and others health. Whether it is a tsunami or bioterrorism, greenhouse gases or avian flu, global health has the potential to affect every one of us.
- American International Health Alliance
- Clinton Global Initiative
- Fogarty International Center National Institutes of Health
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- G8 Muskoka and G20 Toronto Summits Health and Development Outcomes Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
- Global Health TIME magazine
- Global Health Council
- Global Health Policy Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
- Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator U.S. Department of State
- Rx For Survival Public Broadcasting Service
- Rx for Survival The Heroes Public Broadcasting Service
- U.S. Agency for International Development [USAID]
- World Health Organization [WHO]
Health Workforce Shortages
A perfect storm of unmet health care needs is fast approaching: the number of patients with age-related health needs is exploding, just as a large cohort of health professionals is retiring. There simply arent enough health professions students in the pipeline to meet the oncoming demand for services. The result? An impending health workforce shortage of unprecedented proportions.
Need for Nurses: The United States has a serious shortage of practicing nurses, but recruiting more nursing students is only part of the solution. Additional teachers are needed to train these students. Blowing Open the Bottleneck, a report commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center to Champion Nursing in America and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, outlines some of the solutions underway to address nursing faculty shortages across the nation.
On the Frontline: The frontline health care workforcenurses, assistants, technicians and other direct care providersis the foundation for a quality health care delivery system, according to Defining the Frontline Workforce, a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. According to the report, demand for frontline workers is expected to increase 50% over the next five years, but there are not enough students in the pipeline to fill these jobs.
- Health Professional Shortage Areas [HPSA] Health Resources & Services Administration
- Impact of the Aging Population on the Health Workforce in the United States [PDF] Center for Health Workforce Studies,School of Public Health, University at Albany
- National Center for Health Workforce Analysis Health Resources & Services Administration
- National Health Service Corps
- Nursing Shortage Resources American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- State Nursing Work Force Reports American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- The State of Americas Hospitals, 2010 [PDF] American Hospital Association
- World Health Organization
Uninsured / Medically Underserved
According to the Census Bureau, 48 million Americans were uninsured as of 2012. The number of uninsured children in 2012 was 6.6 million.
Even if they are fortunate enough to have health insurance, many Americans live in medically underserved areas that is, communities with few or no health care facilities or clinicians.
One of the organizations working to place health care providers in medically underserved areas is the National Health Service Corps [NHSC]. More than 45,000 primary care medical, dental and mental and behavioral health professionals have served in the National Health Service Corps since its inception. Watch providers at work talking about what they do and the benefits to them and their patients.
The NHSC supports providers by awarding scholarships and loan repayment while the providers in turn commit to serving for at least two years at an NHSC-approved site located in a Health Professional Shortage Area [HPSA].
Find out more:
- Americas Essential Hospitals
- Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
- The Commonwealth Fund
- Endowment for Health
- Health Leads
- Health Professional Shortage Areas & Medically Underserved Areas/Populations Health Resources and Services Administration
- Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
- National AHEC Organization
- National Health Service Corps
- Physicians for a National Health Program
- Pipeline, Profession & Practice: Community-Based Dental Education
- Rural Health Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Uninsured Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
- U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps