The National Health Policy Forum sought to contribute to a better-informed policymaking process by providing information and opportunities for dialogue for federal health policy staff in pursuit of a high-quality health care system that improves health and is affordable, equitable, efficient, and sustainable.
Headed by its founder, Judith Miller Jones, the Forum's staff comprised a small group of health policy analysts with a wide range of technical knowledge and experience gained by work in the public and private sectors. The Forum held a fierce commitment to independence and neutrality, and believed that giving policymakers practical and balanced information in a press-free zone would lead to better decisions. Forum operations were funded primarily by private foundations. The organization was based at the George Washington University under the Office of the Vice President for Research.
The Forum provided a learning environment for federal health policy staff in which they could explore the issues, challenges, and trade-offs of health policy decisions, without the glare of the media or the pressure of special interest groups.
Our programming offered opportunities to forge bipartisan relationships among staff of the Congress, the executive branch, and key influencers of the health policy community. We developed Forum meetings, publications, and site visits that gave participants access to experts and thought leaders and brought policy issues to life. Our content addressed the range of staff needs, from basic education on specific policies, programs, and issues, to complex analyses of the health care system, including information from important research studies, demonstrations, and innovative community efforts.
NHPF publications have been reposted with permission.
Submissions from 2016
Hospital Discharge Planning in Medicare: Current Requirements and Proposed Changes, Sally Coberly
Medicaid Eligibility and Benefits, Sally Coberly
Medicaid Financing, Sally Coberly
Medicare, Sally Coberly
The Medicare Drug Benefit (Part D), Sally Coberly
Submissions from 2015
Medicare Part B Premiums and Social Security Benefits, Sally Coberly
Medicare's Post-Acute Care Payment: An Updated Review of the Issues and Policy Proposals, Sally Coberly
Relative Value Units (RVUs), Sally Coberly
Challenges of Forecasting Physician Workforce Needs Amid Delivery System Transformation, Rob Cunningham
Annual Report 2014, Forum Staff
The Public Health Service, Jennifer Jenson
Health Policy Essentials: Common Health Care Acronyms, National Health Policy Forum
Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology: Proving Its Worth?, Lisa Sprague
The Star Rating System and Medicare Advantage Plans, Lisa Sprague
Submissions from 2014
Health Care in the Motor City: Thriving or Surviving?, Sally Coberly and William J. Scanlon
Annual Report 2013, Forum Staff
Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration: A Work in Progress, Carol O'Shaughnessy
National Spending for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), 2012, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Surveys: Assessing Patient Experience, Lisa Sprague
Telehealth: Into the Mainstream?, Lisa Sprague
Submissions from 2013
Health Workforce Needs: Projections Complicated by Practice and Technology Changes, Rob Cunningham
Annual Report 2012, Forum Staff
CMS's Proposed Rule Implementing the ACA-mandated Medicaid DSH Reductions, Kathryn Linehan
Medicare Advantage Update: Benefits, Enrollment, and Payments After the ACA, Kathryn Linehan
Assisted Living: Facilities, Financing, and Oversight, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Family Caregivers: The Primary Providers of Assistance to People with Functional Limitations and Chronic Impairments, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services Programs Enacted by the ACA: Expanding Opportunities One Step at a Time, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services Programs Enacted by the ACA: Expanding Opportunities One Step at a Time, Carol O'Shaughnessy
The Commission on Long-Term Care: Background Behind the Mission, Carol O'Shaughnessy
The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act: Major Legislative Provisions, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Seeking Value in Medicare: Performance Measurement for Clinical Professionals, Lisa Sprague
The "Coopetition" Model: Caring for San Diego's Low-Income Population, Lisa Sprague and Jessamyn Taylor
Submissions from 2012
Recent Proposals to Limit Medigap Coverage and Modify Medicare Cost Sharing, Kathryn Linehan
Older Americans Act of 1965: Programs and Funding, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS): Arlington County's Integrated Approach, Carol O'Shaughnessy and Lisa Sprague
Community Health Workers: A Front Line for Primary Care?, Lisa Sprague
Health Professions Education and Professional Obligations, Lisa Sprague
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: FQHCs and Community Clinics in a Reformed Health Care Market, Jessamyn Taylor
Submissions from 2011
Aligning Graduate Medical Education with Public Policy, Rob Cunningham
Medicare's Bundling Pilot: Including Post-Acute Care Services, Laura A. Dummit
Individual and Small-Group Market Health Insurance Rate Review and Disclosure: State and Federal Roles After PPACA, Kathryn Linehan
Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows: Efforts to Improve Health and Reduce Costs in Denver, Michele J. Orza and Jessamyn Taylor
The Aging Services Network: Serving a Vulnerable and Growing Elderly Population in Tough Economic Times, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Home, but Not Alone: Evidence-Based Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visitation, Eileen Salinsky
The Hospitalist: Better Value in Inpatient Care?, Lisa Sprague
Submissions from 2010
Tapping the Potential of the Health Care Workforce: Scope-of-Practice and Payment Policies for Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants, Robert Cunningham
Medicare Physician Fees: The Data Behind the Numbers, Laura A. Dummit
Heath Care Spending: Why Is Miami an Outlier?, Laura A. Dummit and Mary Ellen Stahlman
Keeping Health Insurance After a Job Loss: COBRA Continuation Coverage and Subsidies, Kathryn Linehan
Self-Insurance and the Potential Effects of Health Reform on the Small-Group Market, Kathryn Linehan
Information and Incentives: Improving the Health of New York City's Low-Income Population, Kathryn Linehan and Lisa Sprague
High Hopes: Public Health Approaches to Reducing the Need for Health Care, Michele J. Orza
Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs): Federal and State Efforts to Guide Consumers Through the Long-Term Services and Supports Maze, Carol O'Shaughnessy
The Elder Justice Act: Addressing Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation, Carol O'Shaughnessy
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), Carol O'Shaughnessy
Medicaid Payment for Generic Drugs: Achieving Savings and Access, Christie Provost Peters
Governmental Public Health: An Overview of State and Local Public Health Agencies, Eileen Salinsky
Health Care Shortage Designations: HPSA, MUA, and TBD, Eileen Salinsky
The Medical Education of Physicians, Jonathan Saxton
Oral Health Checkup: Progress in Tough Fiscal Times?, Cynthia Shirk
Premium Assistance: An Update, Cynthia Shirk
Physician Assessment: Measuring Competence and Performance, Lisa Sprague
The Primary Care Safety Net: Strained, Transitioning, Critical, Jessamyn Taylor
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, Jessamyn Taylor
Submissions from 2009
Coverage and Payment for Prescription Drugs Under Medicare Part B: A Complex Patchwork, Amanda Cassidy
Stimulus Bill Implementation: Expanding Meaningful Use of Health IT, Rob Cunningham
Underwriting in the Non-Group Health Insurance Market: The Fundamentals, Kathryn Linehan
A Health Insurance Exchange: Prototypes and Design Issues, Mark Merlis
Coordinating Care for People with Multiple Chronic Conditions: The Guided Care Model and Other Innovative Approaches, Judith D. Moore and Carol O'Shaughnessy
Resilience and Renaissance: Efforts to Rebuild a Healthier New Orleans, Michele J. Orza and Jessamyn Taylor
The Role of Ombudsmen in Assuring Quality for Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities: Straining to Make Ends Meet, Carol O'Shaughnessy
The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, Christie Provost Peters
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP): The Fundamentals, Jennifer Ryan
Reauthorizing SCHIP: A Summary of Selected Issues, Jennifer Ryan and Cynthia Shirk
Got Junk? The Federal Role in Regulating “Competitive” Foods, Eileen Salinsky
No Free Lunch? Current Challenges Facing the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Eileen Salinsky
Schedule H: New Community Benefit Reporting Requirements for Hospitals, Eileen Salinsky
Show Me the Money: The Implications of Schedule H, Eileen Salinsky
Health Care-Associated Infections: Is There an End in Sight?, Lisa Sprague
The Medicare Drug Benefit: Update on the Low-Income Subsidy, Mary Ellen Stahlman
Submissions from 2008
Medicare Demonstrations, Amanda Cassidy
The Fundamentals of Medicare Demonstrations, Amanda Cassidy
Primary Care Physician Supply, Physician Compensation, and Medicare Fees: What Is the Connection?, Laura A. Dummit
Competition and Collaboration, Chicago-Style, Laura A. Dummit and Lisa Sprague
Community-Based Long-Term Care in Milwaukee: Wisconsin Still Ahead, Judith D. Moore, Carol O'Shaughnessy, and Lisa Sprague
Tending to Richmond's Children: Community Strategies to Bridge Service Gaps, Judith D. Moore and Jessamyn Taylor
Glossary of Health Insurance Terms, National Health Policy Forum
The Aging Services Network: Accomplishments and Challenges in Serving a Growing Elderly Population, Carol O'Shaughnessy
Medicaid Financing: How the FMAP Formula Works and Why It Falls Short, Christie Provost Peters
Completing the Recipe for Children's Health: New Variations on Key Ingredients: A Report from the Workshop on June 28, 2007, Jennifer Ryan
Covering All Kids: States Setting the Pace, Jennifer Ryan and Safiya Mojerie
Strong as the Weakest Link: Medical Response to a Catastrophic Event, Eileen Salinsky
Medicaid and Mental Health Services, Cynthia Shirk
Medicaid and SCHIP Waivers, Cynthia Shirk
Shaping Medicaid and SCHIP through Waivers: The Fundamentals, Cynthia Shirk
Pharmacogenomics: A Primer for Policymakers, Leslie Tucker
Submissions from 2007
Medicaid and State Budgets: Clearing Storm, Foggy Forecast, Courtney Burke
Physician Profiling: Can Medicare Paint an Accurate Picture?, Laura A. Dummit
Competition and Collaboration: The Spirit of St. Louis, Laura A. Dummit and Lisa Sprague
The Fundamentals of Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans, Beth Fuchs and Lisa Potetz