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  • Protecting Children During the Recession: Spotlight on State Health Coverage Efforts

    Issue Brief

    The beginning of the recession, from December 2007 through December 2008, led to an increase in the overall number of uninsured. Despite a 1.5 million increase in the number of uninsured adults, however, the number of uninsured children declined by 800,000 during this time period. States have played a key role in this progress for children by maintaining and expanding children's coverage. This issue brief highlights seven states (Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma,…

  • The U.S. Global Health Initiative: Overview & Budget Analysis

    Issue Brief

    In April 2010, the Foundation issued a policy brief examining key issues affecting the U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI). This policy brief and chartpack provide a detailed breakdown of the U.S. budget for the global health programs in President Obama’s GHI, announced in May 2009. In addition, the regularly updated Budget Tracker provides the current status of key global health accounts throughout the budget and appropriations process. The GHI, proposed as a six-year effort, would for…

  • What’s in the Stars? Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, 2010

    Issue Brief

    NEW: Foundation brief looks at implications of 2011 quality ratings for Medicare Advantage plans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rates the relative quality of the private plans that are offered to Medicare beneficiaries through the Medicare Advantage program as a way of aiding beneficiaries who are considering enrolling in such a private plan. CMS rates Medicare Advantage plans on a one to five-star scale, with five stars representing the highest quality. This…

  • Snapshots: Wages & Benefits: A Long-Term View

    Issue Brief

    Recent polls show that a substantial portion of families worry about whether their incomes will keep pace with rising prices generally and whether they will have to pay more for health care or health insurance.1 This concern about the cost of health insurance may result in part from the rapid increases in the costs of work-based health insurance in recent years: between 1999 and 2009, health insurance premiums rose 131%, a much faster rate of increase…

  • Assessing Congressional Budget Office Estimates of the Cost and Coverage Implications of Health Reform Proposals

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief explains key elements of the Congressional Budget Office's estimates of the major health reform bills pending in Congress, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). Throughout the health reform debate, CBO has analyzed these and other bills and provided projections of the costs and savings to the federal government associated with the plans over a 10-year period, as well as…

  • State Medicaid Coverage of Perinatal Services: Summary of State Survey Findings

    Issue Brief

    The report examines state Medicaid program policies regarding coverage of pregnancy-related services. It details state-level Medicaid eligibility and enrollment policies for pregnant women, as well as scope of coverage for prenatal and screening services, delivery and post-partum care, educational classes and support services.

  • The Role of Health Coverage for Communities of Color

    Issue Brief

    The current health reform debate in this country focuses heavily on providing access to affordable health coverage for the millions of people who are uninsured. Any effort to expand coverage, alter current public programs, and/or create new public programs will have important consequences for the health of communities of color, who are more likely than Whites to be enrolled in public programs or be uninsured. This issue brief highlights variations in coverage by race and…

  • Medicare Part D Spotlight: Part D Plan Availability in 2010 and Key Changes Since 2006

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the stand-alone Medicare drug plan options that will be available to beneficiaries in 2010, including the number of available plans, premiums for those plans, and benefit designs. About two-thirds of the nearly 27 million Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in Part D plans get their coverage through stand-alone plans. The analysis is based on the 2010 Medicare drug plan information released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…

  • Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums

    Issue Brief

    This data spotlight examines changes in the availability and premiums of private Medicare Advantage options for Medicare beneficiaries in 2010 as the annual open enrollment period begins. While the number of plans available in 2010 declined somewhat from 2009, the analysis finds that Medicare beneficiaries on average have 33 Medicare Advantage plans to choose from. For Medicare Advantage enrollees who stay in the same plan in 2010, monthly premiums will increase by 32 percent on…

  • Why Express Lane Eligibility Makes Sense for States and Low-Income Families

    Issue Brief

    Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) is a new tool available to states to streamline enrollment and renewal of children in Medicaid and CHIP. It allows state Medicaid and CHIP agencies to utilize data and eligibility findings from other public need-based programs, such as Head Start or Food Stamps, and/or tax return data to identify, enroll and recertify children rather than requiring them to re-analyze and determine eligibility under their own rules. This issue brief, one in…