KaiserEDU.org  is now accepting entries for its Annual Essay Contest, giving undergraduate and graduate students a chance to win a prize of $1,000 by writing an essay addressing the elements of health reform that President Obama's team should focus on in 2009.

ESSAY TOPIC

President Obama has stated that reforming the health care system is one of his top priorities, and there is broad interest from policy-makers and the public in making a change. During the campaign, he outlined a framework for reforming health care. The essay should cover: what elements of his plan should be prioritized given the current economic crisis, what elements are most likely to garner support and which ones will be most challenging and why?

CONTEST DETAILS

* Eligibility - Submissions will be accepted from undergraduate and graduate-level students enrolled in a university-based, degree-granting program at the time of submission.

* Essay length - Essays must not exceed 1,000 words in length and must be original work, prepared by one author only.

* Essay submission - Entries must be submitted online only. No emails will be accepted.

* Deadline - All essays must be submitted by March 2, 2009, 5 p.m. EST.

* Judging - Graduate and undergraduate entries will be judged separately by a panel of professionals with experience in health policy and politics.

Winners will be notified by May 1, 2009.

For complete contest details, and to submit your essay, visit http://www.kaiseredu.org/essaycontest2009/.

KaiserEDU.org, a free online resource from the Kaiser Family Foundation, offers a wide array of research and policy resources designed to complement health policy training.  The site has several tutorials and issue modules that are useful resources for students preparing their essays.

Additionally, more resources on health reform are available through the Kaiser Family Foundation’s main Web site.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health care issues to policymakers, the media, the health care community and the general public.  The Foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.