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  • Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines changes in health insurance coverage over the last decade, with a focus on how changes in the economy, particularly during the "Great Recession" of 2007 to 2009, have affected coverage and the number of uninsured. The paper finds that the number of uninsured grew substantially during the first recession of the decade, increasing by 5 million people from 2000 to 2004; increased more slowly during the brief recovery, growing by 2.1…

  • Georgia’s Money Follows the Person Program: Helping People Move Back Home

    Issue Brief

    This brief profiles several Georgia residents who have participated in the state's Money Follows the Person demonstration program, which helps transition people from institutional long-term care back into their homes or the community. It is part of a larger package of resources examining the Money Follows the Person program. Profiles (.pdf)

  • Case Study: Georgia’s Money Follows the Person Demonstration

    Issue Brief

    This brief reports on a case study of Georgia's Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program, describing key features of the program and highlighting recent program experiences. The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) implemented the program in September 2008. In 2005, before the demonstration began, Georgia’s long-term care expenditures were $1.5 billion, with 70 percent devoted to institutional long-term care and 30 percent on home and community-based services (HCBS). One goal of the demonstration…

  • Performance Measurement Under Health Reform: Proposed Measures For Eligibility and Enrollment Systems and Key Issues and Trade-offs to Consider

    Issue Brief

    The adoption of new eligibility and enrollment requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides states and the federal government an important opportunity to implement a meaningful set of performance measures for eligibility and enrollment systems. Performance measures could be used at the federal level to assess state performance in meeting the ACA’s eligibility and enrollment goals, while states could use measures for program management and quality improvement. This brief seeks to inform the development…

  • Snapshots: Compensation for Workers with & without Access to Health Benefits at Work

    Issue Brief

    This paper compares the payroll and benefit compensation of workers that had access to employer-sponsored health benefits at work to that of workers who did not have an insurance offer. Surveys of employers indicate that smaller and lower wage firms are less likely to offer health benefits to workers, but do not provide detailed information about wage and benefit differences for workers with and without an offer of health benefits working in different settings.1 In this Snapshot,…

  • The Ups and Downs of Medicare Part B Premiums: Frequently Asked Questions

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines how Medicare Part B premiums for many beneficiaries are affected by the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits. Based on the most recent projections from the Medicare and Social Security Trustees, the brief examines the interactions between the two programs that resulted in some Medicare beneficiaries paying significantly higher Part B premiums in 2010 and 2011 when there was no Social Security COLA, followed by a drop in premiums in…

  • Financial Alignment Models for Dual Eligibles: An Update

    Issue Brief

    The nearly nine million dual eligibles who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits are a high cost, high need population, accounting for a disproportionate share of expenditures relative to their enrollment in both programs. In April 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the award of design contracts to 15 states to develop service delivery and payment models to integrate care for dual eligibles. CMS and the participating states have recognized that…

  • Connecting Eligible Immigrant Families to Health Coverage and Care: Key Lessons from Outreach and Enrollment Workers

    Issue Brief

    Beginning in 2014, health coverage options will significantly expand under health reform through an expansion in Medicaid eligibility and by making tax credits available to help individuals purchase coverage through new Health Benefit Exchanges. Given their high uninsured rate and limited access to private and public coverage, one group who could significantly benefit from this coverage expansion is lawfully residing immigrant families. However, it will be important to address barriers eligible immigrant families often face…

  • Uniform Coverage Summaries for Consumers

    Issue Brief

    This brief explains the proposed federal rule that requires private health plans to provide a short, easy-to-read uniform summary of benefits and coverage to all health insurance applicants and enrollees. The rule, which implements a provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is intended to make it simpler for consumers to compare health plans before they enroll and understand their coverage once they are enrolled. Currently, consumers in employer-sponsored plans receive summaries of their benefits,…

  • Impact of the Medicaid Fiscal Relief Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

    Issue Brief

    The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), enacted in February 2009, has provided $103 billion in federal fiscal relief to state Medicaid programs over a period of two-and-a-half years to help them address the effects of the 2007-2009 recession. During a recession, unemployment increases and state revenues decline, making it difficult for states to meet the increased demand for Medicaid coverage among the newly unemployed. This brief reviews the ARRA Medicaid fiscal relief provisions—how they…