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Mission Statement

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What We Are

America's health care system is always a work in progress. Every year brings new challenges and new proposed solutions.

In the heat of debate, opinion leaders need an unbiased source of information so they can understand the roots of the nation's health care problems and the trade-offs posed by competing proposals for change. The Alliance for Health Reform exists to provide that information. We offer a full array of resources and viewpoints, in a number of formats, to elected officials and their staffs, journalists, policy analysts and advocates.

A nonpartisan, nonprofit group, the Alliance believes that all in the U.S. should have health coverage at a reasonable cost. But we do not lobby for any particular blueprint, nor do we take positions on legislation. Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia is our founder and honorary chairman and Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine serves as honorary co-chairman. The diverse board includes distinguished leaders from the fields of health care, business, labor and consumer advocacy. Ed Howard, an attorney long active in national health care issues, heads the Alliance's staff.

Since 1991, the Alliance has organized more than 200 forums in Washington and around the nation, each presenting a balance of expert views. Our forums on Capitol Hill have become so popular that we often receive more than 250 registrations in a day's time. We cosponsor an annual retreat for senior congressional legislative staff dealing with health matters. We have briefed reporters, editorial writers and producers in newsrooms across the country on health policy debates in Washington and how they affect local citizens. The Alliance also has published five highly regarded guides for journalists on covering health issues, with a sixth scheduled to appear this fall.

In addition, we produce issue briefs regularly on current topics such as "The Uninsured and Rising Health Costs" and "HSAs and High-Deductible Health Plans: A Primer." The Alliance's media resource service assists journalists nationwide to develop articles and broadcasts on health care issues. We also maintain an online Find-an-Expert service for reporters which allows finely tuned searches designed for the differing needs of print and broadcast journalists.

 

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Mission Statement
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Issue Brief: Employer-Sponsored Coverage


This Alliance issue brief, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, offers perspective on why employer-sponsored coverage is shrinking and how alarmed we should be about this trend. Written by Lisa Swirsky, senior health policy associate at the Alliance. To download, click here.

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Updated Issues Guide for Cover the Uninsured Week


We invite you to read “Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions,” produced for Cover the Uninsured Week 2008. This 24-page guide, newly updated, provides a readable overview on how Americans get health coverage, why coverage is so important, why so many of us don’t have it and what be done to ease the problem. You'll find many graphs and links to sources of additional information, including a glossary of health coverage terms and several specific proposals for change. Also includes nine questions to ask when evaluating any health reform proposal. To download, click here.

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Issue Brief: Health Reform Lessons Learned


No matter who wins the White House and control of Congress in November, health reform legislation will likely be a front-burner issue for both the House and Senate in 2009. The debates about reform and the behind-the-scenes meetings of 1993 and 1994 produced a wealth of knowledge on what should be done differently the next time Congress and the White House take up this issue. This issue brief, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, recounts nine lessons learned as recalled by veterans from both sides of the aisle and from the administration. To download, click here.

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Issue Brief: Changing Nursing Home Culture


About a third of those turning 65 in 2010 will need nursing home care during their lifetimes. Yet so many people dread the thought of spending their last days or years in a nursing home. This is because they aren’t aware of the creative alternatives being developed for those needing such care – facilities such as “Green Houses” that are resident-centered, less institutional and more home-like.

The issue brief, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, reports on the challenges being faced by those trying to change the nursing home culture, and some of their successes. The publication includes a list of expert sources and helpful websites. To download, click here.

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Putting the Brakes on Health Care Costs: Would the Candidates’ Plans Work? Are There Better Solutions?


Would the health plans of Sens. Obama and McCain curb health care spending? Doubtful, said three respected health economists speaking at this briefing cosponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Other solutions offer more cost-cutting potential, speakers said.

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Green Houses Getting Attention as Long-Term Care Alternative


Green Houses, small long-term care facilities housing six to 10 residents, are getting some well-deserved media attention. On June 24, the Wall Street Journal featured a Page 1 story on the Green House movement. For those interested in the subject, we recommend the Alliance issue brief, Changing the Nursing Home Culture, written by Alliance health policy associate Deanna Okrent, and our related briefing. Both were cosponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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