Conference on Health Policy and the Underserved

Fall 2002, Volume 24, Number 1

In 2000, 39 million Americans had no health insurance for the entire year. Research has found that the uninsured get less care and have worse health outcomes than those with coverage. And even those who have some insurance lack coverage for important components of health care or receive inadequate care. To examine a wide range of issues related to the lack of insurance and access to health care, IPR and the Joint Center for Poverty Research are hosting a conference May 8 and 9, 2003 in Washington, DC. The theme is “Health Policy and the Underserved.”

Among the topics to be considered are why individuals are uninsured and underinsured; the causes of gender and race differences in health; what the uninsured do for health care and the consequences of that care; potential reforms; political forces shaping health policy; effects of recent policy changes; new programs and reforms; and historical and comparative lessons.

Economist Bruce Meyer, an IPR faculty fellow, is organizing the conference along with Peter Budetti, director of Northwestern’s Institute for Health Research and Policy Studies; IPR Director Fay Lomax Cook, IPR Research Associate Professor Tony LoSasso, and Colleen Grogan, Helen Levy, and Willard Manning at the University of Chicago.