This document, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., provides a side-by-side comparison of five major federal proposals under consideration to provide outpatient prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries. It includes both a summary and a detailed comparison of the following major proposals: S. 357, The Medicare Preservation and Improvement Act of 2001 (Breaux/Frist I), S. 358, The Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2001 (Breaux-Frist II), H.R. 4680, The Medicare Rx 2000 Act (passed by the House of Representatives on June 28, 2000), S. 10, The Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Act of 2001 (Senator Daschle), and S. 1135, The Medicare Reform Act of 2001 (Senator Graham). Modeled on earlier side-by-side comparisons prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation, this document summarizes the key provisions of leading proposals as part of the Foundation’s continuing effort to track the Medicare prescription drug debate.

• Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare Beneficiaries: Comparison of Selected Proposals

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.

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.

• Fact Sheet

• For more information click to our policy brief on the same topic.

A national survey of employers, released jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, found that smaller employers (3 to 199 employees) are significantly more likely than larger employers (200 or more employers) to support a person’s right to sue a health plan, and somewhat more likely to support the right to appeal a health plan’s decision to an independent reviewer. Two-thirds (67%) of smaller employers express support for the right to sue a health plan compared to 28% of larger employers. Eighty-six percent (86%) of smaller employers and 74% of larger employers support independent review. However, the survey found that support for both the right to sue and independent review decreases if employers are told that the cost of health insurance might increase as a result.

A separate national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation of very small businesses only — those with 3 to 24 employees — found that 68% favor a federal law increasing patient protections, including the right to sue health plans, while 24% oppose such a law. Again, support drops when those surveyed hear that such a law would increase the cost of health insurance (48% favor, 40% oppose).

• Chart Pack
• Toplines/Survey

Since Texas enacted the first law explicitly authorizing suits by enrollees in health plans offered by managed care organizations (MCOs) and other insurers, several other states have adopted similar legislation. This report, prepared by Patricia Butler, J.D., Dr.Ph., for the Kaiser Family Foundation, briefly describes the key features of these state laws, legal challenges that have been raised to some of them, and early experiences in states whose laws are in effect. The key features of the laws in eight states are outlined in a table that accompanies this report. Updated August 2001.

• Report

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.

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.

• Medicare and Prescription Drug Focus Group Summary (PDF)

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.

• Report

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.

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.

• News Release: Few Parents Use V-Chip to Block TV Sex and Violence, But More Than Half Use TV Ratings to Pick What Kids Can Watch
• Summary of Findings
• Topline
• Kids & Media @ The New Millennium Study