Institute of Medicine (IOM) Reports

1. Institute of Medicine (IOM) Reports This summary was prepared by the 2009 JEMF Project Team

2. IOM Reports • The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has sponsored comprehensive reports on health disparities, the health of unique and vulnerable populations, workforce issues, health care quality, genetics and genomics and health, research in health care, and other topics. • IOM Reports cite the evidence base and set the national standards in health and health care.

3. IOM Reports • Search by topic or keywords on the Institute of Medicine home page: http://www.iom.edu/Reports.aspx • We reviewed IOM reports from the past 10 years and color coded them by topic. • See the next slide for the color coding key and IOM reports listed in this document.

4. Health Disparities • 5 - 14 • Health Literacy • 15 - 18 • Mental Health • 19 - 23 • Vulnerable Populations • 24 - 41 • Health Insurance • 42 - 49 • General Public Health • 50 - 58 • Research • 59 - 63 • Complementary & Alternative Medicine • 64 - 67 • Healthcare Workforce • 68 - 72 • Genetics & Genomics • 73 - 82 Slides Topics

5. Health Disparities • In its work around select populations, the IOM examines significant health concerns that may affect groups of individuals categorized by common occupation, environment, health conditions or characteristics, or a shared exposure to a unique health risk. Of particular note are the IOM’s efforts around racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care. From IOM topic “Select Populations and Health Disparities” http://www.iom.edu/Global/Topics/Select-Populations-Health-Disparities.aspx

6. Focusing on Children’s Health: Community Approaches to Addressing Health Disparities. Workshop Summary • Released: September 2, 2009 • Socioeconomic conditions are known to have profound and long-term effects on health at all stages of life, from pregnancy through childhood and adulthood. Sensitive and critical periods of development, such as the prenatal period and early childhood, present significant opportunities to influence lifelong health. Yet simply intervening in the health care system is insufficient to influence health outcomes early in life. On January 24, 2008, the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Health Disparities and Board on Children, Youth, and Families co-hosted a public workshop to discuss the important foundations of adult health that are laid prenatally and in early childhood. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/FocusChildrensHealth.aspx

7. Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: Standardization for Health Care Quality Improvement • Released: August 31, 2009 • The quality of health care in the United States is not optimal, and the pace of improvement is slow. In addition, disparities persist for specific population groups. A fundamental step in identifying which populations are most at risk is to collect data on race, ethnicity, and English-language proficiency. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) formed the Subcommittee on Standardized Collection of Race/Ethnicity Data for Healthcare Quality Improvement to examine approaches to standardization. In this 2009 report, the subcommittee recommends collection of more granular ethnicity and language need according to national standards in addition to OMB race and Hispanic ethnicity categories. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/RaceEthnicityData.aspx

8. Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement. Workshop Summary • Released: February 23, 2009 • During a time of economic uncertainty, the national discussion of health reform understandably focuses on insurance coverage and cost. To receive the greatest value for health care, it is important to focus on issues of quality and disparity, and the ability of individuals to make appropriate decisions based on basic health knowledge and services, or health literacy. Three IOM bodies (the Forum on the Science of Health Care Quality Improvement and Implementation, the Roundtable on Health Disparities, and the Roundtable on Health Literacy) jointly convened a workshop to discuss these concerns. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Toward-Health-Equity-and-Patient-Centeredness-Integrating-Health-Literacy-Disparities-Reduction-and-Quality-Improvement-Workshop-Summary.aspx

9. Challenges and Successes in Reducing Health Disparities. Workshop Summary • Released: June 17, 2008 • In early 2007, the Institute of Medicine convened the Roundtable on Health Disparities to increase the visibility of racial and ethnic health disparities as a national problem, to further the development of programs and strategies to reduce disparities, to foster the emergence of leadership on this issue, and to track promising activities and developments in health care that could lead to dramatically reducing or eliminating disparities. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2008/Challenges-and-Successes-in-Reducing-Health-Disparities-Workshop-Summary.aspx

10. Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health: Unfinished Business • Released: March 6, 2006 • The health of racial and ethnic minorities, poor people, and other disadvantaged groups in the United States is worse than the health of the overall population. National concerns for these differences, termed health disparities, and the associated excess mortality and morbidity have been expressed as a high priority in national health status reviews, including Healthy People 2000 and 2010. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranks this issue third among its top five priorities. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/Examining-the-Health-Disparities-Research-Plan-of-the-National-Institutes-of-Health-Unfinished-Business.aspx

11. Estimating the Contributions of Lifestyle-Related Factors to Preventable Death: A Workshop Summary • Released: June 1, 2005 • The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies held a workshop, December 13-14, 2004, to estimate the contributions of lifestyle-related factors to preventable death. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2005/Estimating-the-Contributions-of-Lifestyle-Related-Factors-to-Preventable-Death-A-Workshop-Summary.aspx

12. Guidance for the National Healthcare Disparities Report • Released: September 27, 2002 • Research has extensively documented the pervasiveness of racial and ethnic disparities in health care. In 1999, as part of a national effort to eliminate health care disparities, Congress required the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to produce an annual report to be called the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). In this report, titled Guidance for the National Healthcare Disparities Report, an IOM committee was asked to provide guidance to AHRQ to help fulfill the potential of the NHDR. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Guidance-for-the-National-Healthcare-Disparities-Report.aspx

13. Speaking of Health: Assessing Health Communication Strategies for Diverse Populations • Released: July 6, 2002 • Communication interventions intended to affect health behavior are an increasingly important strategy for improving the health of the American people. However, effective communication is highly dependent upon the social and cultural milieu that shapes the individuals, families, and communities that are the intended recipients. Because we live in an increasingly diverse nation, it is important to understand more fully how these different messages should be constructed and delivered. This report, Speaking of Health: Assessing Health Communication Strategies for Diverse Populations, addresses the challenge of improving health communications in a racially and culturally diverse society. http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Speaking-of-Health-Assessing-Health-Communication-Strategies-for-Diverse-Populations.aspx

14. Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care • Released: March 20, 2002 • Congress, in 1999, requested an IOM study to assess the extent of disparities in the types and quality of health services received by U.S. racial and ethnic minorities and non-minorities; explore factors that may contribute to inequities in care; and recommend policies and practices to eliminate these inequities. The report from that study, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, found that a consistent body of research demonstrates significant variation in the rates of medical procedures by race, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Unequal-Treatment-Confronting-Racial-and-Ethnic-Disparities-in-Health-Care.aspx

15. Health Literacy • Health literacy is defined in Healthy People 2010 as: "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” • Healthy People 2010: http://www.healthypeople.gov/Document/pdf/uih/2010uih.pdf From IOM topic “Select Populations and Health Disparities” http://www.iom.edu/Global/Topics/Select-Populations-Health-Disparities.aspx

16. Measures of Health Literacy. Workshop Summary • Released: December 8, 2009 • Understanding and using basic health information and being able to navigate the complexities of the health care system are critical to good health. Health literacy can be difficult to assess, however, as it is not only a measure of individuals’ understanding of health information at various points in time but also a measure of how well various health care systems have been organized. The Roundtable on Health Literacy held a workshop on February 26, 2009, to examine what is known about measures of health literacy. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Measures-of-Health-Literacy.aspx

17. Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First. Workshop Summary • Released: March 24, 2009 • There is great enthusiasm over the use of emerging interactive health information technologies—often referred to as eHealth—and the potential these technologies have to improve the quality, capacity, and efficiency of the health care system. However, many doctors, advocacy groups, policy makers and consumers are concerned that electronic health systems might help individuals and communities with greater resources while leaving behind those with limited access to technology. In order to address this problem, the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Health Literacy held a workshop. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Health-Literacy-eHealth-and-Communication-Putting-the-Consumer-First-Workshop-Summary.aspx

18. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion • Released: April 8, 2004 • Nearly half of all American adults--90 million people--have difficulty understanding and using health information, and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with limited health literacy, says a report from the Institute of Medicine titled Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Limited health literacy may lead to billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs. A concerted effort by the public health and health care systems, the education system, the media, and health care consumers is needed to improve the nation's health literacy, the report says. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Health-Literacy-A-Prescription-to-End-Confusion.aspx

19. Mental Health • Individuals who have substance abuse or mental health problems can face particular health challenges. For example, they frequently experience difficulties in accessing, receiving, and benefiting from care. The IOM examines such concerns in its activities related to neuroscience and mental and behavioral health. From the IOM website under topic “Substance Abuse and Mental Health” http://www.iom.edu/Global/Topics/Substance-Abuse-Mental-Health.aspx

20. Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children: Opportunities to Improve Identification, Treatment, and Prevention • Released: June 9, 2009 • Depression is a widespread condition affecting approximately 7.5 million parents in the U.S. each year and may be putting at least 15 million children at risk for adverse health outcomes. Based on evidentiary studies, major depression in either parent can interfere with parenting quality and increase the risk of children developing mental, behavioral and social problems. This report highlights disparities in the prevalence, identification, treatment, and prevention of parental depression among different sociodemographic populations. It also outlines strategies for effective intervention and identifies the need for a more interdisciplinary approach that takes biological, psychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and social contexts into consideration. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Depression-in-Parents-Parenting-and-Children-Opportunities-to-Improve-Identification-Treatment-and-Prevention.aspx

21. Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities • Released: March 12, 2009 • Mental health and substance use disorders among children, youth, and young adults are major threats to the health and well-being of younger populations which often carryover into adulthood. The costs of treatment for mental health and addictive disorders, which create an enormous burden on the affected individuals, their families, and society, have stimulated increasing interest in prevention practices that can impede the onset or reduce the severity of the disorders. This report updates a 1994 Institute of Medicine book, Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders, focusing on the research base and program experience with younger populations that have emerged since that time. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Preventing-Mental-Emotional-and-Behavioral-Disorders-Among-Young-People-Progress-and-Possibilities.asp

22. Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions: Quality Chasm Series • Released: November 1, 2005 • This report, Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions: Quality Chasm Series, examines the differences in health care for mental and substance-use conditions, finds that the Quality Chasm framework is applicable to health care for mental and substance-use conditions, and describes a multifaceted and comprehensive strategy to apply the Quality Chasm framework. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2005/Improving-the-Quality-of-Health-Care-for-Mental-and-Substance-Use-Conditions-Quality-Chasm-Series.aspx

23. The Unequal Burden of Cancer: An Assessment of NIH Research and Programs for Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved • Released: January 1, 1999 • We know more about cancer prevention, detection, and treatment than ever before--yet not all segments of the U.S. population have benefited to the fullest extent possible from these advances. Some ethnic minorities experience more cancer than the majority population, and poor people--no matter what their ethnicity--often lack access to adequate cancer care. This report provides an authoritative view of cancer as it is experienced by ethnic minorities and the medically underserved. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1999/The-Unequal-Burden-of-Cancer-An-Assessment-of-NIH-Research-and-Programs-for-Ethnic-Minorities-and-the-Medically-Underserved.aspx

24. Vulnerable Populations • The term "vulnerable populations," refers to social groups with increased relative risk (i.e. exposure to risk factors) or susceptibility to health-related problems. This vulnerability is evidenced in higher comparative mortality rates, lower life expectancy, reduced access to care, and diminished quality of life. Vulnerable populations are often discriminated against, marginalized and disenfranchised from mainstream society, contributing to their lower social status and lack of power in personal, social, and political relationships. • Center for Vulnerable Populations Research, http://www.nursing.ucla.edu/orgs/cvpr/who-are-vulnerable.html From the Center for Vulnerable Populations Research: http://www.nursing.ucla.edu/orgs/cvpr/who-are-vulnerable.html

25. Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities • Released: December 9, 2008 • Adolescence is a time when youth establish health habits, both good and bad, that often last a lifetime. Yet the U.S. health care system today is not designed to help young people develop healthy routines, behaviors, and relationships to prepare them for adulthood. Adolescent Health Services examines the health status of adolescents and reviews the separate and uncoordinated programs and services that currently exist in multiple public and private health care settings. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2008/Adolescent-Health-Services-Missing-Opportunities.aspx

26. The National Children's Study Research Plan: A Review • Released: September 12, 2008 • The National Children's Study (NCS) is planned to be the largest long-term study of environmental and genetic effects on children's health ever conducted in the United States. It proposes to examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of approximately 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. By archiving all of the data collected, the NCS is intended to provide a valuable resource for analyses conducted many years into the future. This book evaluates the research plan for the NCS, by assessing the scientific rigor of the study and the extent to which it is being carried out with methods, measures, and collection of data and specimens to maximize the scientific yield of the study. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2008/The-National-Childrens-Study-Research-Plan-A-Review.aspx

27. Challenges in Adolescent Health Care. Workshop Report • Released: October 26, 2007 • This report summarizes two workshops convened by the Committee on Adolescent Health Care Services and Models of Care for Treatment, Prevention, and Healthy Development, which is conducting a two-year study of adolescent health services in the United States with funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies. This workshop report, which is the first in a series of products associated with this study, takes stock of the current knowledge base on adolescent health services, settings and systems and offers perspectives from researchers, health professionals who work with youth, and youth themselves in describing the current status, strengths, and shortcomings of current delivery systems. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2007/Challenges-in-Adolescent-Health-Care-Workshop-Report.aspx

28. A Study of Interactions: Emerging Issues in the Study of Adolescence: A Workshop Summary • Released: March 22, 2006 • Summarizing the major themes discussed at a September 2005 workshop, this report provides an initial overview of key findings from different fields of research on adolescence and highlights fundamental processes that shape adolescent health and development. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/A-Study-of-Interactions-Emerging-Issues-in-the-Study-of-Adolescence-A-Workshop-Summary.aspx

29. Workshop on Disability in America: A New Look - Summary and Background Papers • Released: March 1, 2006 • This report from the Institute of Medicine summarizes a workshop convened in August 2005 for the first phase of a project that will take a new look at disability in America and update the 1991 IOM report by that name. The final report, which will include recommendations, is now available and is titled The Future of Disability in America. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/Workshop-on-Disability-in-America-A-New-Look---Summary-and-Background-Papers.aspx

30. The Future of Disability in America • Released: April 23, 2007 • To better understand disability in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Education, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to assess the current situation and provide recommendations for improvement, which culminated in the report The Future of Disability in America. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2007/The-Future-of-Disability-in-America.aspx

31. Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners • Released: July 12, 2006 • Because prisoners face restrictions on liberty and autonomy, limited privacy, and often inadequate health care, they require specific protections when involved in research, particularly in today’s correctional settings. Given these issues, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections commissioned the Institute of Medicine to review the ethical considerations regarding research involving prisoners. Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners emphasizes five broad actions to provide prisoners involved in research with critically important protections. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/Ethical-Considerations-for-Research-Involving-Prisoners.aspx

32. Cancer in Elderly People: Workshop Proceedings • Released: March 22, 2007 • The IOM's National Cancer Policy Forum sponsored a public workshop addressing several issues related to cancer and aging; including cancer rehabilitation, increased prevalence of cancer survivors, end of life care, the role of nurses, and Medicare costs in geriatric oncology. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2007/Cancer-in-Elderly-People-Workshop-Proceedings.aspx

33. Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health • Released: November 1, 2004 • Rural America is a vital component of American society. Representing nearly 20 percent of the population, rural communities, like urban landscapes, are rich in cultural diversity. However, the smaller, poorer, and more isolated a rural community is, the more difficult it is to ensure the availability of high-quality health services. The Institute of Medicine report, Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health examines the quality of health care in rural America. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Quality-Through-Collaboration-The-Future-of-Rural-Health.aspx

34. Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth: Assessing and Improving Child Health • Released: June 24, 2004 • Children's health has clearly improved over the past several decades. Yet major questions still remain about how to assess the status of children's health, what factors should be monitored, and the appropriate measurement tools that should be used. Children's Health, The Nation's Wealth provides a detailed examination of the information about children's health that is needed to help policy makers and program providers at the federal, state, and local levels. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Childrens-Health-the-Nations-Wealth-Assessing-and-Improving-Child-Health.aspx

35. Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children • Released: March 24, 2004 • To address concerns about the adequacy of the current system for protecting child participants in research given a public commitment to expanding pediatric clinical research, the Institute of Medicine convened the Committee on Clinical Research Involving Children. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Ethical-Conduct-of-Clinical-Research-Involving-Children.aspx

36. Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future • Released: April 7, 2003 • Women's health, as a field of study, is a developing discipline. Health theories in general have been based on studies of men. However, in recent years, more attention has shifted to women's health, realizing the disparities between men and women in relation to their health. During the last two decades, a similar shift has occurred for a group of women--lesbian women--to further identify and specify their health needs. Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future takes a frank look at the political pressures, community attitudes, and professional concerns uniquely affecting the study of lesbian health issues. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2003/Lesbian-Health-Current-Assessment-and-Directions-for-the-Future.aspx

37. Adolescent Risk and Vulnerability: Concepts and Measurements • Released: October 18, 2001 • Adolescent Risk and Vulnerability is a summary of a workshop held in 2001 by the Board on Children, Youth, and Families. The workshop's goal was to put into perspective the total burden of vulnerability that adolescents have, taking advantage of the growing societal concern for adolescents, the need to set priorities for adolescents' needs, and the opportunity to apply decision-making perspectives to this critical area. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2001/Adolescent-Risk-and-Vulnerability-Concepts-and-Measurements.aspx

38. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter? • Released: April 24, 2001 • The Institute of Medicine formed a committee to evaluate and consider the current understanding of sex differences and determinants at the biological level and to identify current and potential barriers to the conduct of research in this area. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2001/Exploring-the-Biological-Contributions-to-Human-Health-Does-Sex-Matter.aspx

39. Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment, and Public Assistance • Released: January 1, 1999 • Children of Immigrants represents some of the very best and most extensive research efforts to date on the circumstances, health, and development of children in immigrant families and the delivery of health and social services to these children and their families. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1999/Children-of-Immigrants-Health-Adjustment-and-Public-Assistance.aspx

40. Gender Differences in Susceptibility to Environmental Factors: A Priority Assessment • Released: January 1, 1998 • In 1996 the Office for Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct a workshop study to review some of the current federal research programs devoted to women's health and to clarify the state of knowledge regarding gender-related differences in susceptibility. This book contains a general outline of research needs, a summary of the workshop proceedings (as well as summaries of the speakers' presentations), and an analysis of the participating federal agencies' research portfolios. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1998/Gender-Differences-in-Susceptibility-to-Environmental-Factors-A-Priority-Assessment.aspx

41. From Generation to Generation: The Health and Well-Being of Children in Immigrant Families • Released: January 1, 1998 • From Generation to Generation explores what we know about the development of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children and youth from numerous countries of origin. Describing the status of immigrant children and youth as "severely understudied," the committee both draws on and supplements existing research to characterize the current status and outlook of immigrant children. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1998/From-Generation-to-Generation-The-Health-and-Well-Being-of-Children-in-Immigrant-Families.aspx

42. Health Insurance • For many, lack of health care is a persistent barrier to good health. The IOM examines the twin issues of health insurance coverage and access as well as taking a broad view of health care services. The IOM considers subjects such as the organization, financing, effectiveness, workforce, and delivery of health care. From the IOM topic Health Services, Coverage, and Access http://www.iom.edu/Global/Topics/Health-Services-Coverage-Access.aspx

43. America's Uninsured Crisis: Consequences for Health and Health Care • Released: February 23, 2009 • For decades, the health insurance crisis has grown without any decisive action by policy makers to stop it. Now is the time for action, say the report’s authors, recommending that the President work with Congress and other public and private sector leaders on an urgent basis to achieve health insurance coverage for everyone and, in order to make that coverage sustainable, to reduce the costs of health care and the rate of increase in health care spending. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Americas-Uninsured-Crisis-Consequences-for-Health-and-Health-Care.aspx

44. Coverage Matters: Insurance and Health Care • Released: October 11, 2001 • This is the first of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United States and addresses the extent to which Americans are without coverage, identifies social, economic, and policy factors that contribute to the situation, and reports the relative probability of being uninsured for various groups. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2001/Coverage-Matters-Insurance-and-Health-Care.aspx

45. Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late • Released: May 21, 2002 • Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late, the second report in a series of six from the Institiute of Medicine's Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance, examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Care-Without-Coverage-Too-Little-Too-Late.aspx

46. Health Insurance is a Family Matter • Released: September 18, 2002 • Health Insurance Is a Family Matter is the third of a series of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United States and addresses the impact on the family of not having health insurance. The report examines the consequences for family health, financial stability, and general well-being. In the report, the Committee concludes that the financial, physical, and emotional well-being of all members of a family may be adversely affected if any family member lacks coverage. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Health-Insurance-is-a-Family-Matter.aspx

47. A Shared Destiny: Community Effects of Uninsurance • Released: April 2, 2003 • A Shared Destiny: Community Effects of Uninsurance is the fourth of a series of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United States. The report examines how the quality, quantity, and scope of health services within the community can be affected adversely by having a large or growing uninsured population. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2003/A-Shared-Destiny-Community-Effects-of-Uninsurance.aspx

48. Hidden Costs, Value Lost: Uninsurance in America • Released: June 18, 2003 • Hidden Costs, Value Lost: Uninsurance in America, the fifth of a series of six reports on the consequences of uninsurance in the United States, illustrates some of the economic and social losses to the country of maintaining so many people without health insurance. The report explores the potential economic and societal benefits that could be realized if everyone had health insurance on a continuous basis, as people over age 65 currently do with Medicare. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2003/Hidden-Costs-Value-Lost-Uninsurance-in-America.aspx

49. Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations • Released: January 13, 2004 • This report is the culmination of a series that offers the most comprehensive examination to date of the consequences of lack of health insurance on individuals, their families, communities and the whole society. The principles to guide health finance reform that are recommended in this sixth and final report of the series are based on the evidence reviewed in the Committee's previous five reports and on new analyses of past and present federal, state, and local efforts to reduce uninsurance. • http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Insuring-Americas-Health-Principles-and-Recommendations.aspx

50. General Public Health • Since its founding, the IOM has advanced the best ways to ensure the public’s health. Studies range from core principles and needs in the field of public health to specific issues such as vaccine safety and smoking cessation. Our scope includes population-based public health measures and the public health infrastructure. From IOM topic “Public Health” http://www.iom.edu/Global/Topics/Public-Health.aspx