Annual Survey of Medicaid Directors Finds States Continue to Adopt Policies to Respond to the Pandemic and Are Addressing Issues Related to Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity October 27, 2021 News Release More than 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, state Medicaid programs around the country continue to reshape policy in response to the public health emergency and at the same time advance broader initiatives and priorities, including efforts to address the social determinants of health and health equity, finds a new…
Voices of Paid and Family Caregivers for Medicaid Enrollees Receiving HCBS October 8, 2021 Issue Brief To help inform the ongoing debate, KFF conducted four focus groups in July and August 2021 with direct care workers and unpaid caregivers who provide HCBS, assisting seniors and people with disabilities with daily self-care and household activities. These focus groups are not necessarily generalizable to all caregivers, but can provide insight into their experiences to help inform current policy debates.
Recent Efforts to Extend Medicaid Postpartum Coverage and What to Watch Looking Ahead October 6, 2021 Blog This policy watch examines recent state and federal efforts to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage beyond 60 days.
Why The California Recall Is Not a Harbinger of What Is to Come on COVID As a Campaign Issue September 28, 2021 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines the lessons for COVID-19 as a political issue from Governor Gavin Newsom’s resounding win in California’s recall election.
Many Medicare Beneficiaries Face High Out-of-Pocket Costs for Dental and Hearing Care, Whether in Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage September 21, 2021 News Release Many Medicare beneficiaries face high annual out-of-pocket costs for dental and hearing care — services that generally aren’t covered in traditional Medicare, but typically are covered by Medicare Advantage plans though the scope and value of these benefits vary, finds a new KFF analysis. The analysis shows that, among beneficiaries…
Dental, Hearing, and Vision Costs and Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage September 21, 2021 Issue Brief This analysis builds on our prior work – Medicare and Dental Coverage: A Closer Look – by analyzing hearing and vision use, out-of-pocket spending and cost-related barriers to care among Medicare beneficiaries as well as hearing and vision benefits in Medicare Advantage plans. It also incorporates top-level findings from the analysis of dental services to provide a comprehensive profile of dental, hearing, and vision benefits in Medicare.
How Have States Used Medicaid Emergency Authorities During COVID-19 and What Can We Learn? August 26, 2021 Issue Brief This brief summarizes how states have used Medicaid emergency authorities related to the COVID-19 PHE, providing potential lessons for future public health and economic crises.
More Than 1 in 4 Medicare Beneficiaries Had a Telehealth Visit Between the Summer and Fall of 2020 May 19, 2021 News Release As the coronavirus pandemic kept people home last year, just over 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries had a telehealth visit with a doctor or other health professional between the summer and fall of 2020, a new KFF analysis finds. Once limited to beneficiaries living in rural areas, coverage of telehealth…
Analysis Finds that Medications for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Are the Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid, While Diabetes Drugs Have Posted the Sharpest Rise in Costs February 15, 2019 News Release Antiviral medications, including those that treat hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, cost the Medicaid program more money (before rebates) than any other group of outpatient prescription drugs for each year from 2014 to 2017, according to a new KFF analysis. The analysis of utilization and spending trends finds that antivirals accounted…
Health Policy Resources for Covering the Democratic Presidential Primary Debates December 16, 2019 News Release A collection of key health policy resources for journalists covering the Democratic presidential primary debates.