Issue Brief Archives

Vaccination Rates Are Relatively High for Older Adults, But Lag in Counties in the South, in Counties with Higher Poverty Rates and in Counties that Voted for Trump

May 13, 2021

Issue Brief

This analysis uses CDC data to look at vaccination rates for adults 65 and older. The findings show that vaccination rates vary by county and that adults ages 65 and older are less likely to be fully vaccinated in counties in the South, in counties where a higher share of older adults live in poverty, and in counties that voted for Trump.

Vaccination is Local: COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Vary by County and Key Characteristics

May 12, 2021

Issue Brief

This issue brief builds on a previous CDC analysis by analyzing how vaccination rates to date vary by counties and identifying key county characteristics that are associated with higher or lower county vaccination rates.

Key Elements of the Biden Administration’s Proposed Title X Regulation

May 5, 2021

Issue Brief

This brief explains key elements of the Biden Administration's proposed regulations for the Title X federal family planning program that would replace the Trump Administration's rules, which prohibited abortion referrals and co-located abortion services.

Potential Implications of Policy Changes in Medicaid Drug Purchasing

May 4, 2021

Issue Brief

This brief examines how leading federal and state policy options related to changes in Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP), drug pricing, and payment and management of the Medicaid prescription drug would affect state and federal governments as well as private industry (including drug manufacturers, managed care organizations, and pharmacies).

Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: U.S. Policy Options and Actions to Date

Apr 30, 2021

Issue Brief

This brief examines U.S. policy options for helping expand global access to COVID-19 vaccines, focusing on four main areas: in-kind donations of vaccine doses, additional funding for global access mechanisms like COVAX, helping expand global vaccine manufacturing, and relaxing or waiving intellectual property protections on vaccine technologies. We summarize what the administration has done to date in these areas and policy issues related to each.

COVID-19 Test Prices and Payment Policy

Apr 29, 2021

Issue Brief

This analysis examines list prices for COVID-19 testing at the largest hospitals in every state and finds they range widely from $20 to $850. Federal law now requires private insurers to cover COVID-19 tests at no cost to the patient and provides funding for people without health insurance.

Federal Medicaid Outlays During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 27, 2021

Issue Brief

This data note analyzes federal Medicaid outlays before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the one year since the onset of the pandemic, federal Medicaid outlays totaled $500.8 billion and grew by 19.5%, compared to 6.3% growth in the one year before the pandemic.

Health Spending for 60-64 Year Olds Would Be Lower Under Medicare Than Under Large Employer Plans

Apr 27, 2021

Issue Brief

During the presidential campaign, President Biden proposed to lower the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60. This analysis uses claims data for covered medical services from both large employer plans and traditional Medicare to illustrate the potential spending effects of using Medicare payment rates in lieu of higher rates paid by employer plans for people 60-64 who shift from large employer plans to Medicare.

How Lowering the Medicare Eligibility Age Might Affect Employer-Sponsored Insurance Costs

Apr 27, 2021

Issue Brief

This analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker illustrates the potential for employer savings if the age of Medicare eligibility were lowered to 60, as proposed by President Biden during the 2020 campaign.

COVID-19 Long-Term Care Deaths and Cases Are at An All-Time Low, Though A Rise In LTC Cases In A Few States May Be Cause for Concern

Apr 22, 2021

Issue Brief

This data note looks at state-reported LTCF data from 41 states plus Washington DC to assess what has happened to new deaths and cases in LTCFs in the four months since vaccinations began on December 21st, 2020. We also examine how recent changes in deaths and cases in LTCFs have shifted the nature of the pandemic outside of LTCFs. Data in this analysis is as of the week of April 11th, 2021.

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