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  • Premiums and Cost Sharing Features in Medicare’s New Prescription Drug Program, 2006

    Issue Brief

    Premiums and Cost-Sharing Features in Medicare's New Prescription Drug Program, 2006 When Congress created the Medicare drug benefit in 2003, it also sought to generate more private plan options for senior and disabled beneficiaries in Medicare, with increased payments to attract sponsors and to support added benefits attractive to enrollees, especially in rural and other areas that previously had few such plans. The effects of these changes and additional payments are particularly visible this year,…

  • Dual Eligibles and Medicare Part D

    Issue Brief

    This snapshot summarizes the latest information and policy issues about the enrollment of dual eligibles into the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Vermont’s Global Commitment Waiver: Implications for the Medicaid Program

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief provides some general background on Vermont's Medicaid program and the Global Commitment waiver; answers a series of key questions about how it is designed to work; and discusses the potential implications for the state of Vermont, beneficiaries, and the Medicaid program. In the fall of 2005, Vermont secured approval for a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver known as the "Global Commitment waiver" that allows the state to fundamentally restructure its Medicaid program. The…

  • Snapshots: Comparing Projected Growth in Health Care Expenditures and the Economy

    Issue Brief

    The rising cost of health care is much in the news. Health costs continue to grow faster than national income and, despite research indicating that we the get good value for the increased spending, some policy makers and health analysts question whether governments and private employers can continue to finance the level of care that they do today. This paper illustrates the magnitude of savings that would be needed in order to bring health care…

  • Who Needs Medicaid?

    Issue Brief

    This brief reviews Medicaid’s current eligibility structure and the health needs of the people covered by Medicaid. Due to the trends of limited and declining access to private health coverage in the low-income population and the growing health and long-term care demands of an aging population, a broader model for Medicaid eligibility is considered and the implications of recent legislative and policy developments for coverage are assessed. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Reports Explore Long-Term Care Issues Included in the Deficit Reduction Act

    Issue Brief

    The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005, which became law this February, includes several significant changes to Medicaid long-term care policies. The Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured is releasing five new reports on long-term care issues that were addressed by the DRA changes. Long-term care accounts for 36 percent of Medicaid spending (over $100 billion annually) and is utilized by many of Medicaid's most costly beneficiaries, the low-income elderly and individuals…

  • Beyond Cash and Counseling: An Inventory of Individual Budget-based Community Long-Term Care Programs

    Issue Brief

    Beyond Cash and Counseling: An Inventory of Individual Budget-based Community Long-Term Care Programs This brief describes the evolution of beneficiary-managed home and community-based services since the original demonstration and provides an overview of state activity as of January 2006. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 gives states the option to use this model for an expanded range of home and community based services in their state Medicaid plans without having to obtain a waiver. Issue…

  • Asset Transfer and Nursing Home Use: Empirical Evidence and Policy Significance

    Issue Brief

    Asset Transfer and Nursing Home Use: Empirical Evidence and Policy Significance Due to concern that wealthy elderly Americans were transferring assets to gain Medicaid coverage for nursing home care, the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 tightened Medicaid eligibility rules related to asset transfers. About 43 percent of all nursing home residents eventually become Medicaid eligible. This brief concludes that for people becoming Medicaid eligible at the time of nursing home admission, 50 percent had…

  • Medicaid Long-Term Services Reforms in the Deficit Reduction Act

    Issue Brief

    The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) was signed by the President in February 2006 and included major changes to the Medicaid program. This brief provides an overview of the changes to the rules and direction of Medicaid long-term care services as enacted in the DRA. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Medicaid’s High Cost Enrollees: How Much Do They Drive Program Spending?

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents new information on the distribution of Medicaid spending for all enrollees, including those residing in institutions. The analysis finds that fewer than five percent of enrollees (each exceeding $25,000 in annual costs) account for almost half of all Medicaid spending. Issue Brief (.pdf)