Overview

Good information is the starting point for good decisions.

The end of each calendar year triggers the release of health care data that can be helpful to working with a number of issues and opportunities. Our Data Watch 2006 pages carry the most recent additions.

The pull-down menus to the left offer complementary information on health insurance coverage and healthcare expenses in Arizona, including historical trends and future projections - the type of information that has proven useful for telling us what, where and how many, along with some interpretation and analysis about what's new, what's changed, what's significant and why it matters.

The first section, "Arizona Population," explores the demographics of health insurance coverage through the lens of health insurance 'market segments' such as large employers, small employers, public insurance programs and the uninsured. The next section, "Arizona Healthcare Dollars," analyzes how health care dollars are allocated in Arizona in terms of both insurance market segments and healthcare service categories. The final section, "Arizona Employer Market Segments," explores issues specific to the employer-based health insurance system. Taken as a whole, these charts and graphs help to identify critical health policy issues facing Arizona; to interpret the policy implications of the data, and to initiate a dialogue that moves us from information to action.

As always, our goal - and our challenge - is to generate informed dialogue about the health of Arizonans, collectively and individually, and seek ways to improve access and quality of care at a cost we all can live with. We invite you to join us in this challenge.