Issue Modules focus on specific policy issues. Each module features related headlines, key data, relevant reports, and more.
 | Global Health
This issue module describes major trends, players, and financing issues in the area of global health and provides links to key organizations and resources for further study.
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  | Primary Care Shortage
A collection of information, links, data, and other research materials on the shortage of primary care professionals. This issue module provides background information and obstacles that impact solutions.
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.gif "flags_65pix.gif") | International Health Systems
These profiles review the major features of the countries' health coverage, financing, and service delivery policies and provide links to articles with more information.
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 | Health Care as a 2008 Election Issue
This issue module is a collection of research materials that provides information on health care and the 2008 election. It includes links to candidates' views, latest polling reports, and presentations of the major issue.
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 | Health Information Technology Issue Module
This issue module focuses on some of the major advances in health IT, namely personal health records (PHRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs), and some of the major policy and delivery system issues that have arisen as a result.
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 | Military and Veterans' Health Care
Military health care encompasses a diverse range of programs, each serving a total military population of more than 9.2 million people, including active duty personnel and families, retirees and their families, and eligible veterans. The major military health care programs are operated through the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 | Children's Health Coverage
Data and policy resources on trends in children's coverage and the importance of health insurance for children. This issue module includes references on how public programs provide coverage for kids, the impact of the programs over the past decade, and challenges with outreach, enrollment, and financing.
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 | The State of Public Health Preparedness
Our public health system is charged with preventing, preparing for, and responding to a wide variety of public health threats including natural disasters, terrorism, and pandemic flu outbreaks. This new issue module provides access to a broad range of information about the state of public health preparedness in the United States including public financing, infrastructure and workforce challenges, health care delivery issues, as well as state and local concerns.
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 | HPV Vaccines and Cancer in the U.S.
Two available vaccines can prevent most cases of cervical cancer. This issue module provides background on HPV and cancer, and discusses the policy challenges associated with the HPV vaccine, including financing, implementation, and access.
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 | Consumer-Directed Health Care
This Issue Module is a collection of research materials on consumer-directed health plan designs such as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs).
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 | Emergency Contraception
Emergency Contraception, such as Plan B® and Ella®, has been at the center of policy debates over the past several years. This module reviews the major issues, including efficacy, availability, and state-level policies.
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|  | Prescription Drug Costs
National spending on prescription drugs is growing at a faster rate than spending for other health sectors. This issue module discusses the history of drug expenditures and related research and examines policy proposals to curb future growth.
| | .bmp) | U.S. Health Care Costs
Health care costs in the United States continue to be a major public policy challenge. This issue module provides the latest information on the factors driving health care costs and current policy proposals to limit spending.
| |  | Medical Malpractice Policy
This issue module provides information on the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance and the impact of malpractice lawsuits on the health care system.
| |  | The New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
After years of discussion and debate, President Bush signed a new outpatient prescription drug benefit into law on December 8, 2003.
| |  | Expanding Health Coverage to the Uninsured
In 2006, 46.5 million nonelderly people—about 18% of the population under age 65—lacked health coverage, which represented an increase of 3.5 million people since 2004.Policymakers have proposed a variety of approaches for expanding health coverage, from incremental expansions in public programs or tax subsidies to a universal single-payer system.
| |  | Reducing Medical Errors
A 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die every year from preventable medical errors made in hospitals.
| |  | Addressing the Nursing Shortage
A survey reported in the December 12, 2002 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that 53% of physicians and 65% of the public cited the shortage of nurses as a leading cause of medical errors. Overall, 42% of the public and more than a third of U.S. doctors reported that they or their family members have experienced medical errors in the course of receiving medical care.
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