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:

• What share of the total Medicare population has creditable prescription drug coverage?
• What share of the total Medicare population is enrolled in a Medicare drug plan?
• How do current drug plan enrollment numbers compare to projections previously released by the Administration?
• What share of beneficiaries voluntarily signed up for a Medicare drug plan, among those without another source of creditable drug coverage?
• Among beneficiaries who lacked prescription drug coverage, how many signed up for a Medicare drug plan?

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:

• Over 60 percent of states reported problems that affected a significant number of dual eligibles,
• 37 states implemented temporary coverage programs for dual eligibles, and
• The most common problems included incorrect cost-sharing charged to beneficiaries (49 states), pharmacies could not bill plans (44 states), and beneficiaries were unable to obtain non-formulary drug (43 states).

Report (.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)

In the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the federal government made it harder for individuals to qualify for Medicaid nursing home benefits by increasing penalties on individuals who have transferred assets for less than fair market value during the past five years and by making individuals with home equity above $500,000 ineligible for nursing home benefits. The legislation also lifts the moratorium on the number of states that may operate Long-Term Care (LTC) Partnership Programs, which allow individuals who purchase long-term care insurance to protect more of their assets if they later need nursing home care under Medicaid.

Some have suggested that purchasing private long-term care insurance to cover nursing home care would alleviate reliance on Medicaid. This snapshot examines the experience with private long-term care insurance and the LTC Partnership Programs. Findings include:

• Private long-term care insurance comprises a small share of nursing home spending,

• The price of a long-term care policy is not affordable for most elderly people,

• Private long-term care insurance is not available to people who already have long-term care needs, and

• LTC Partnerships have been operating in 4 states since the early 1990s, but enrollment remains limited. The programs appear to attract upper middle-class individuals, similar to the private long-term care insurance market.

Issue Brief (.pdf)

Chartpack: Kaiser Health Poll Report Selected Findings on 2006 State of the Union Address and Health Care

This chartpack highlights key data from the February 2006 tracking poll on what the public took away from President Bush’s State of the Union address.

Chartpack (.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

Toplines

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.”

Survey Toplines

Chartpack

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)

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)