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  • The Burden of Out-of-Pocket Health Spending Among Older Versus Younger Adults: Analysis from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1998-2003

    Issue Brief

    UPDATED: An updated version of this analysis is now available online. Recent policy debate has focused on the issue of rising health care costs and whether it might be possible to control costs by requiring consumers to pay a larger share of their health care costs out of pocket. While most of the policy discussion has focused on people of working age, rising health care costs and the burden of out-of-pocket spending also affects seniors,…

  • What Happened to the Insurance Coverage of Children and Adults in 2006?

    Issue Brief

    A new, detailed analysis of the latest US Census Bureau data on health insurance coverage looks behind the 2.2 million increase in the number of uninsured, examining changes by age and income. Reversing years of steady declines, the number of uninsured children has grown by one million over the last two years. And, as debate continues on reauthorization of SCHIP, the analysis shows that 48 percent of the increase in uninsured children from 2005 to…

  • SCHIP Reauthorization: Key Questions in the Debate – A Description of New Administrative Guidance and the House and Senate Proposals – Issue Brief

    Issue Brief

    SCHIP Reauthorization: Key Questions in the Debate – A Description of New Administrative Guidance and the House and Senate Proposals The U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have approved legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which covers six million low-income children today. With the release of the Census health coverage numbers, this updated brief answers key questions that explain the ongoing policy debate about this public health coverage program, which…

  • Making Sense of Recent Estimates of Eligible but Uninsured Children

    Issue Brief

    As Congress reauthorizes the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), accurate estimates of the number of children who are eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP but remain uninsured are critical for policy and budget development. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that there are between 5 and 6 million children who are uninsured and eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP. CBO’s assessment is in sharp contrast to estimates released recently by the Bush Administration that indicating there…

  • Medicaid’s Rehabilitation Services Option:  Overview and Current Policy Issues

    Issue Brief

    Medicaid’s Rehabilitation Services Option: Overview and Current Policy Issues In 2007, the President reintroduced a plan to place new restrictions on the types of services allowable under the Medicaid rehabilitation services option (called the rehab option) to yield federal budget savings of $2.29 billion over the next five years. Currently, 47 states plus the District of Columbia provide at least some type of mental health, substance abuse, and physical health services under the rehab option.…

  • The Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs in Serving Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Following the Implementation of Medicare Part D

    Issue Brief

    The Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs in Serving Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Following the Implementation of Medicare Part D Prior to January 1, 2006, State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs helped to fill a critical gap in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries without prescription drug coverage, targeting resources to beneficiaries with relatively low incomes. With the inception of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the role of SPAPs began to change. This policy brief examines the role of state…

  • Louisiana’s Proposed Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Project: Estimating the Numbers of Uninsured and Projected Medicaid Costs

    Issue Brief

    This brief analyzes the composition and medical costs of the uninsured in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The estimates in the brief are the first available that are based on a detailed analysis of who the uninsured are in Louisiana, their current medical spending, and what their spending might be under Medicaid. The findings show that expanding Medicaid coverage to Louisiana's uninsured would cost an estimated $2.3 billion in 2006 dollars. It also suggests that many…

  • Spotlight on Uninsured Parents: How a Lack of Coverage Affects Parents and Their Families

    Issue Brief

    Providing health coverage for the entire family can both help to increase coverage of children and assist low-income families in obtaining more affordable health care services. This brief uses data from the 2005 Kaiser Low-Income Coverage and Access Survey to examine health coverage, access and the financial impacts of health care for low-income parents and their families. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care for Low-Income Non-Citizen Adults

    Issue Brief

    This brief analyzes health insurance coverage and access for low-income non-citizen adults and discusses provider insights into the obstacles this population faces in obtaining coverage and receiving care. Overall, non-citizen adults account for just under one-fourth of all non-elderly uninsured adults. Low-income uninsured adults are at particularly high risk for being uninsured due to very limited access to both private and public coverage. The brief finds that, largely due to their high uninsured rate, low-income…

  • Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care for Low-Income Non-Citizen Children

    Issue Brief

    Largely due to a high uninsured rate, low-income, non-citizen children have very poor access to care, with many lacking a regular provider and going without preventive care. This brief examines health coverage and access to care for low-income, non-citizen children to provide insight into the challenges they face in obtaining health insurance and accessing care. Issue Brief (.pdf)