The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
A fact sheet that summarizes Medicaid’s “mandatory” and “optional” categories of beneficiaries and services is useful in understanding aspects of currently discussed reforms to the program.
A new background report examines Santa Clara County in California in its effort to provide health insurance coverage (Children’s Health Initiative or CHI) to all children living in the county. As one of the first localities to attempt such an initiative, its experiences can highlight important lessons and potential best practices for policymakers at the county, state, and national level considering coverage expansions for children.
Also see Lessons from the Field: Increasing Enrollment in Children’s Health Insurance in Los Angeles.
Women and Medicare: Making the Connection
This briefing examines Medicare s role in meeting older women’s health needs, the gaps in Medicare’s benefits package for women, and the emerging debate over prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform.
Summary Report
This report, : Summary Report, produced jointly by the bipartisan team of Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies and Geoff Garin of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, presents key findings from a series of eight focus groups on the Medicare program and the current debate over prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform. These groups, conducted in four cities with both elderly and non-elderly participants in June 2001, explored attitudes about Medicare and how it might be improved. Special emphasis was devoted to the ongoing debate over the addition of a Medicare prescription drug benefit.
A new policy brief provides a description of the Section 1115 law, its history, and an overview of how it plays a role in the restructuring of Medicaid and SCHIP.
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Today, 22 million women one in five adult women rely on Medicare for basic health insurance protection. In fact, women comprise 57% of the Medicare population. Medicare helps to make health care more affordable for older women at a time in their lives when they are most likely to have multiple health problems that require ongoing and often costly medical treatment. This document, , profiles women who rely on Medicare, using the most current data available. It addresses the health needs and financial security concerns of women on Medicare. It highlights gaps in coverage, such as prescription drugs and long-term care, and presents public opinion data on women’s support for Medicare reform.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey released in July 2001 found that 40% of American parents now own a TV equipped with a V-Chip. While parents express high levels of concern about children’s exposure to TV sex and violence, just 17% of those who own a V-Chip or 7% of all parents are using it to block programs with sexual or violent content. More than half of all parents have consulted TV ratings to decide which shows their kids can watch.
Marketing Medicaid and CHIP: Connecticut
CaliforniaMontanaTexasConnecticutNew JerseyUtahFloridaNew MexicoVirginiaHawaiiNew YorkWashingtonIllinoisNorth DakotaWisconsinKansasOklahomaMissouriPennsylvania
This issue brief describes and analyzes expansions of Medicaid and SCHIP, tax credits for individually-purchased insurance, and tax credits for employment-based health insurance as options to expand health coverage of the low-income population.
An analysis of the National Governors Association proposal to restructure Medicaid, including the financial impact of the core of the proposal. The report considers possible responses to the reforms and outlines some issues to consider as policymakers think about reforming the program.
Link to “Medicaid Mandatory and Optional Eligibility and Benefits”