The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
This issue brief summarizes the Medicaid provisions of the budget reconciliation law signed in February 2006 and discusses the implications of the proposed changes. The changes would net reductions of $4.8 billion over the next five years and $26.1 billion over the next ten years from current Medicaid spending.
Issue Brief (.pdf)
This 50-state survey of Medicaid officials assesses states’ early experience relating to the transition of low-income seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare (dual eligibles) to the Medicare Part D drug benefit. Conducted by Health Management Associates, the survey covers the types of problems observed by states during the transition of dual eligibles to the Medicare drug benefit, state actions to correct problems and ensure temporary coverage, and specific data on costs incurred by states from these temporary programs.
On January 1, 2006, the prescription drug coverage for over 6 million dual eligibles was transitioned from Medicaid into the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Almost immediately, federal, state and local officials noticed problems that made it more difficult for some dual eligibles to obtain needed prescriptions. Because dual eligibles typically have more extensive health and prescription drug needs than other beneficiaries, many states had been preparing for problems and moved forward with temporary programs to ensure that these beneficiaries obtained needed medications during the transition to the Medicare drug benefit. The federal government has since committed to reimbursing the states for the costs associated with the temporary coverage programs.
Medicaid officials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded to the survey. It provides a state-by-state breakdown of temporary coverage programs, including the number of duals receiving prescriptions, total prescriptions, and the cost of coverage. The survey also finds that in the first month of implementation:
Report (.pdf)
Tracking Prescription Drug Coverage Under Medicare: Five Ways to Look at the New Enrollment Numbers
This new analysis, which assesses Medicare drug benefit enrollment statistics released Feb. 22 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, examines five different approaches to understanding the Medicare drug coverage numbers:
Issue Brief (.pdf)
Toplines — Kaiser Health Poll Report: Selected Findings on Seniors’ Views of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
These toplines contain the detailed results from the February 2006 tracking poll on seniors’ views toward the new Medicare drug benefit.
Survey Toplines (.pdf)
Frontline Perspectives on Long-Term Care Financing Decisions and Medicaid AssetsTransfer Practices
In the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Congress tightened Medicaid asset transfer rules for individuals qualifying for Medicaid assistance with nursing home bills. Research on asset transfer shows a low incidence of asset transfers and limited cost savings from tightening such rules. But, because of demographic trends that will increase pressure on Medicaid and concerns that the Medicaid program may be financing care for higher-income beneficiaries when limited dollars should be spent on those with the most financial need, tightening Medicaid asset transfer rules remain a focus of policy efforts to reduce spending growth on Medicaid long-term care services.
The themes emerging from a series of interviews in six states with public long-term care benefit counselors at the state and local level are:
• Most people have not planned for their long-term care needs and are unaware of their options,
• Private long-term care insurance is too expensive for low and middle-income families, and
• Personal resources and family care-giving play important roles in providing long-term care services, but have limits.
Report (.pdf)
Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey – Selected Findings on Seniors’ Views of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
This February 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that 45% of seniors say they have enrolled or plan to enroll in a drug plan, 29% say they do not intend to enroll in a drug plan and another 23% say they are uncertain. The majority of those who do not plan to enroll say they have another program or plan that helps pay for their prescriptions.
Though more seniors are enrolling in a drug plan each month, the tracking poll also shows that seniors have become less enthusiastic about the new Medicare drug benefit over the past six months. Seniors are now almost twice as likely to say they view the benefit unfavorably (45%) as favorably (23%). That finding reflects a shift since August, when seniors’ positive views peaked and they were as likely to view the benefit favorably (32%) as unfavorably (32%).
The nationally representative tracking poll – the 11th in a series that comprises three large surveys and eight smaller tracking polls such as this one – was conducted among 262 seniors from Feb. 2 to Feb. 7, just more than a month after the Jan. 1 start date for the Medicare drug plan.
Chartpack: Selected Findings on Seniors’ Views of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
These charts highlight key data from the February 2006 tracking poll on seniors’ views toward the new Medicare drug benefit.
Chartpack (.pdf)
Toplines: December 2005 Kaiser Health Poll Report
These toplines provide the complete survey questions and responses to the December 2005 Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey, a bimonthly survey designed to provide key tracking information on public opinion about health care topics. The survey includes a series of questions on seniors’ views of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Survey Toplines (.pdf)
A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines what the public took away from President Bush’s State of the Union address, finding that the health messages in the speech have yet to register with most Americans. Despite extensive news coverage both before and after the speech giving information about the President’s proposals for expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), seventy-one percent of adults have not heard the term “health savings account.”
Toplines — Kaiser Health Poll Report Selected Findings on 2006 State of the Union Address and Health Care
These toplines provide complete results from the February 2006 poll on what the public took away from President Bush’s State of the Union address.
Survey Toplines (.pdf)