The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent philanthropy focusing on the major health care issues facing the US nation. but also with a section looking at health and development issues in South Africa. The Foundation is an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the general public.
The Foundation is primarily an operating organization that develops and runs its own research and communications programs, often in partnership with outside organizations. The Foundation contracts with a wide range of outside individuals and organizations through its programs and also continues to make a small number of grants for unsolicited proposals each year. Through the organisation’s in-house policy research and communications programs, and through contracts and grants, it works to provide reliable information in a health system in which the issues are increasingly complex and debate is often dominated by organized interests.
The Foundation’s work is focused in three main areas: Health Policy, Media and Public Education, and Health and Development in South Africa.
Through their Health Policy program, it provides facts, analysis, and explanation on health policy issues to policymakers, the media and the public. It tries to provide information and analysis on a broad range of policy issues, emphasizing those that most affect low-income and vulnerable populations. Major initiatives and focus areas include:
- The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
- The Medicare Policy Project
- The Changing Health Care Marketplace Project
- Minority health
- HIV, and women’s health policy
Through their Media and Public Education program, it works to broadly communicate information about health care issues to audiences and to give people information that can help improve their health. As part of this effort, the Foundation operates the country’s largest program in public opinion research on health issues and conducts a wide range of research projects on the impact of media in contemporary society. It also operates more than 20 joint ventures with different news and entertainment media organizations to reach key target groups with information on public health issues like reproductive health and HIV. Through its online information program, the Foundation directly provides health policy and public health information to the health care community and the public.
Through their program for Health and Development in South Africa, the Foundation continues its more than decade-long commitment to help South Africa develop a more equitable health system and a successful democracy.
The website includes the following:
- A link to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
- A link to Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health
- A link to California health policy
- A guide to entertainment media
- A guide to the healthcare marketplace
- A link to information on HIV/AIDS
- A link to media partnerships and studies
- A guide to Medicaid
- A guide to Medicare
- A guide to minority health issues
- Miscellaneous information sources relevant to this arena
- Specific information relating to South Africa
- An updated daily report on issues relating to HIV/AIDS