Health Policy - NURS 7324 - Healthcare Economics & Policy - LibGuides at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set
The Alliance for Health Policy is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping policymakers and the public better understand health policy, the root of the nation’s health care issues, and the trade-offs posed by various proposals for change. We believe a better health care system begins with a balanced exchange of evidence, experience, and multiple perspectives. Regardless of their point of view, our audience recognizes the Alliance’s reputation as a well-respected source for unbiased health policy information.
National Center for Health Statistics
Brought to you by the CDC, this site offers statistics on a wide range of health-related topics.
Health Policy Center - Urban Institute
For nearly 40 years, our health policy scholars have helped lawmakers understand the scope of the country’s health care problems and costs, evaluated how public policies affect lives and communities, and provided insights about payment and service delivery reforms. We understand the myriad factors that can influence a person’s health, and our research tools allow us to track and predict trends and outcomes rigorously and accurately. In our work analyzing employer-based coverage, Medicare and Medicaid, the health care safety net, and state and local initiatives to improve population health, we are providing the answers decision-makers need to address health problems in America.
State Health Facts
Brought to you by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this site offers state-specific data on an array of topics from health disparities to health costs and budgets.
State Health Access Data Assistance Center
Find analyses of healthcare at the state level that go beyond standard indicators of health insurance coverage.

At the Federal level, bills and joint resolutions may be searched as public laws after they have been assigned a P.L. number.

Search via congress.gov by congressional session or keyword.

When considering policy impact and the conversation in the population, consider the following resources:
Newspapers and Media outlets

Twitter/X

Trends -- Enter "health policy" or "nursing" and review the results
Choose a person, activist, or group that is vocal in an area that interests you

Facebook pages

Of policy makers at all levels
Of businesses in your area of interest

Blogs

The White House
Nurse.com
AJN Off the Charts
Any stakeholder that writes about a topic that interests you

Find a topic of interest, and let that guide you to a policy.

Health Institutes are tuned into the political landscape. They have pre-existing networks that respond to and drive policy. These are good places to look for policies and background information.

Definitions and Distinctions

Research Institutes - endowed for doing research, usually in a specific area
Think Tanks - a type of research institute, also known as policy institutes
Public Health Institutes - non-profit, can be governmental organizations, focus on organizing public health efforts
Academic Health Institutes - associated with a college or university, intended to turn academic research into a guide for health care and health policy, a category of Research Institutes
Foundations - a legal categorization of non-profit entities that donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide funding for its own charitable purposes
Private Foundations - typically endowed by an individual or family with the mission to fund research through grants

Houston Health Foundation
The Houston Health Foundation works to address critical public health needs impacting the Houston region’s most underserved families and children.
Johns Hopkins Institute for Health and Social Policy
The Institute is a research collaborative that seeks to advance public policies that improve the health, quality of life and wellbeing of people and communities. Our work examines the impacts of social policy on health through multidisciplinary research, informs policymakers about the health-related consequences of their actions, equips practitioners in a variety of sectors with evidence-based resources, and prepares the next generation of global public health professionals to engage in this work.
Kaiser Family Foundation
KFF serves as a nonpartisan source of facts, analysis and journalism for policymakers, the media, the health policy community and the public. Our product is information, always provided free of charge — from the most sophisticated policy research, to basic facts and numbers, to in-depth health policy news coverage provided by our news service, KHN, to information young people can use to improve their health or the general public can use to understand health insurance.
Public Health Institute
PHI and its programs improve health, equity and wellness by discovering new research, strengthening key partnerships and programs, and advancing sound public health policies. Our hundreds of programs have impacted millions of people, creating an architecture that will continue to impact communities for generations to come.
Texas Health Institute
We are a non-profit, non-partisan public health institute. Since 1964, we have served as a trusted, leading voice on public health and healthcare issues in Texas and the nation. Our expertise, strategies, and nimble approach makes us an integral and essential partner in driving systems change efforts. We work across and within sectors to lead collaborative efforts and facilitate connections to foster systems that provide the opportunity for everyone to lead a healthy life.

Texas Public Health Coalition
The Texas Public Health Coalition consists of more than 30 health professional organizations and health-focused organizations dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion. The coalition works to reduce preventable disease by advancing effective public policies that promote a safe and healthy environment and healthy behaviors for all Texans.
HSRR - Health Services and Sciences Research Resources
The 1993 NIH Revitalization Act created a National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) at the National Library of Medicine to improve "..the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of information on health services research, clinical practice guidelines, and on health care technology, including the assessment of such technology." The Center works closely with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) , formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), to improve the dissemination of the results of health services research, with special emphasis on the growing body of evidence reports and technology assessments which provide organizations with comprehensive, science-based information on common, costly medical conditions and new health care technologies.

It is important to understand the policy process of an organization. Ask yourself the following questions about the policy:

Is it internally or externally driven?
Is it in response to legislation or governmental mandate?
Is there an organized process for arriving at the policy?
Who makes the decision to implement?
Who enforces it?

Examples