Current Trends and Future Outlook for Retiree Health Benefits: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2004 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits November 30, 2004 Report This survey documents the increasing costs of retiree benefits for both large private-sector employers and their retirees. It also provides an early look at the response of large employers to the Medicare prescription drug law and the subsidies it provides for maintaining retiree drug coverage. Download Full Report (.pdf) Chartpack (.pdf)
Health Care Agenda for the New Congress January 11, 2005 Poll Finding This survey captures the public’s attitudes regarding the health care agenda for Bush’s second term and the new Congress in 2005. It assesses the relative priority placed on health-care concerns by the American public and also provides insight into public opinion on key issues likely to face the new Congress,…
Summary of the Proposed Rule to Implement the New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit November 30, 2004 Issue Brief In August 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a proposed rule to implement the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Title I of the Medicare Modernization Act). Given the high level of interest in the proposed rules for implementing the Medicare drug benefit, the Kaiser Family Foundation commissioned Health…
The Effect of Formularies and Other Cost Management Tools on Access to Medications: An Analysis of the MMA and Proposed Regulations September 1, 2004 Issue Brief This paper, by John F. Hoadley, Ph.D., of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, examines how formulary designs and other cost-management tools may affect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to medications through their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. It is one in a series commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation…
Papers on Issues For People With Medicare Raised By Proposed Drug Benefit Regulations September 1, 2004 Issue Brief Papers on Issues For People With Medicare Raised By Proposed Drug Benefit RegulationsThe Kaiser Family Foundation has commissioned a series of papers to explore key issues that may be of concern for Medicare beneficiaries as the new Medicare drug benefit is implemented. These papers focus on specific areas of potential…
Medicare Payments and Beneficiary Costs for Prescription Drug Coverage February 28, 2007 Issue Brief This March 2007 issue brief, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a basic introduction to the reimbursement system for private Medicare drug plans. It explains the system of plan bidding and payment, including the special provisions for low-income enrollees, and considers how aspects of the payment system may affect…
Chartpack: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2006 Survey on Retiree November 30, 2006 Report Health BenefitsThis document presents key data from the 2006 Kaiser/Hewitt Survey on Retiree Health Benefits.Chartpack (.pdf)
Benefit Design and Formularies of Medicare Drug Plans: A Comparison of 2006 and 2007 Offerings October 31, 2006 Report This analysis provides a profile of the 2007 Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plans that are being offered to the program’s 43 million beneficiaries for 2007 and highlights some of the changes in plans between 2006 and 2007. It looks at premiums, covered drugs, the amount enrollees pay to fill…
Medicare and the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal February 1, 2008 Fact Sheet Medicare and the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget ProposalThis fact sheet summarizes key Medicare-related provisions in the Bush Administration’s fiscal year 2009 budget proposal, as well as additional legislation that responds to the Medicare Trustees’ “Medicare Funding Warning.” Fact Sheet (.pdf)
Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey: Seniors’ Early Experiences with Their New Medicare Drug Plans – June 2006 July 1, 2006 Poll Finding Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey: Seniors’ Early Experiences With Their New Medicare Drug Plans – June 2006More than eight in 10 seniors who are enrolled in a Medicare drug plan are satisfied with their plan, although almost two in 10 say they encountered a major problem in using it, according…