ECON 230: The Economics of Health and Healthcare: Government Resources

Reports analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives. Researched and written by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service for congressional committees and members of Congress.

Contains data on a wide range of topics, including environmental health, medical devices, Medicare & Medicaid, social services, community health, mental health, and substance abuse. Collected and supplied from agencies from the US Department of Health and Human Services as well as state partners.

National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compiles statistical information to help guide public health and health policy decisions. Publications include the following:

• Health, United States an annual overview of national trends in key health indicators. Sections address health status and determinants, health care access and utilization, health care resources, and health care expenditures and payers.


• NCHS Data Briefs statistical publications on current public health topics.


• National Health Statistics Reports reports providing annual data summaries and analyses of health topics.

AHRQ, an agency under the US Health and Human Services Department, is charged with improving the safety and quality of America's health care system. Publications/data programs include:

• National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, an annual report that presents the latest available findings on quality of and access to healthcare, as well as disparities related to race and ethnicity, income, and other social determinants of health.


• Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage.


• Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States beginning in 1988.

CMS provides health coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Publications/data products include:

• CMS Program Statistics, annual summary statistics on Medicare populations, utilization, and expenditures.


• Mapping Medicare Disparities, created by the CMS Office of Minority Health to identify areas of disparities between subgroups of Medicare beneficiaries (e.g., racial and ethnic groups) in health outcomes, utilization, and spending.

SAMHSA, an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services, leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. Publications include:

• Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States, an annual report with results from National Survey on Drug Use and Health


• Behavioral Health Barometer, reports on a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services.