Medicare Drug Discount Cards: A Work In Progress

This report examines the early experience with the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Program, prices offered by card sponsors, and potential savings for enrollees. The report presents information about approved discount card programs, including sponsors, enrollment fees, and drugs covered, as well as beneficiary education and outreach efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The pricing analysis shows that discount cards can deliver savings off of full retail drug prices, but also that savings for individual beneficiaries can vary significantly across card programs. In contrast to predictions that market forces would result in lower drugs prices, no notable price changes were observed after the program’s initial start up period.

Report and Executive Summary

The report was released at a July 28, 2004 briefing:

Agenda

Speaker Biographies

Presentation Slides

Webcast

This issue update describes the latest developments regarding Florida’s enrollment freeze in their SCHIP program.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)

Medicaid Waivers: Lessons from California, a roundtable discussion hosted by the Foundation and the University of California, Berkeley Center for Health and Public Policy Studies on Wednesday, July 28, 2004, provided an overview of current Section 1115 waiver activity across the states, focusing on Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) Initiative waiver efforts. Findings from recent studies of waiver programs in other states such as Oregon, Utah, and New Hampshire were presented and discussed. Panelists also discussed the possible implications of these studies for California’s proposed Medi-Cal waiver redesign.

Panelists include: Cindy Mann, a research professor at Georgetown University; Jeanene Smith, Deputy Administrator of the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research; and Angela Gilliard, a legislative advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Alina Salganicoff, Vice President and Director of California Health Policy for the Foundation, moderated the discussion.

Agenda (.pdf)

Speaker Biographies (.pdf)

Webcast, slide presentations, and related publications

Federal Medicaid Waiver Financing: Issues for California

The California Medicaid Program at a Glance

Table: Section 1115 Waivers Approved Since January 2001, Status as of July 2004 (.pdf)

The Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) was created in 1998 by the U.S. government to respond to growing concern about the impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities. It provides funding to strengthen organizational capacity and expand HIV-related services in minority communities. This new policy brief provides an overview of the MAI, including a discussion of its creation, goals, administration, and funding history, and a summary of current issues and challenges based on interviews with key stakeholders.

Policy Brief (.pdf)

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage: Sponsorship, Eligibility, and Participation Patterns in 2001

This report details who obtained employer-sponsored coverage in 2001, who did not, and why.

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Full Report (.pdf)

The fact sheet describes the characteristics of uninsured workers, the availability of and participation in job-based coverage, and reasons why workers are uninsured.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)

This report examines the early experience with the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card Program, prices offered by card sponsors, and potential savings for enrollees. The report presents information about approved discount card programs, including sponsors, enrollment fees, and drugs covered, as well as beneficiary education and outreach efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The pricing analysis shows that discount cards can deliver savings off of full retail drug prices, but also that savings for individual beneficiaries can vary significantly across card programs. In contrast to predictions that market forces would result in lower drugs prices, no notable price changes were observed after the program’s initial start up period.

Executive Summary (.pdf)

Report (.pdf)

These include topline findings from a comprehensive survey that assesses Latino attitudes in the 2004 election year. The third annual survey of Latinos from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, the new survey examines political issues and the presidential election campaign, the economy, health care, Iraq and immigration.

Survey Toplines (.pdf)

This comprehensive survey assesses Latino attitudes in the 2004 election year. The third annual survey of Latinos from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, the new survey examines political issues and the presidential election campaign, the economy, health care, Iraq and immigration.

News Release

Chartpack/Summary of Findings

Toplines

Election Survey (.pdf)

The survey was released at a July 22, 2004 briefing.

Agenda (.pdf)

Speaker Biographies (.pdf)

Event Transcript (.pdf)

The chartpack and summary of findings from a comprehensive survey that assesses Latino attitudes in the 2004 election year. The third annual survey of Latinos from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, the new survey examines political issues and the presidential election campaign, the economy, health care, Iraq and immigration.

Summary and Chartpack (.pdf)