Raising Medicare Premiums for Higher-Income Beneficiaries: Assessing the Implications January 13, 2014 Issue Brief As policymakers consider ways to slow the growth in Medicare spending as part of broader efforts to reduce the federal debt or offset the cost of other spending priorities, some have proposed to increase beneficiary contributions through higher Medicare premiums. This issue brief explains provisions of current law that impose income-related premiums under Medicare Part B and Part D, describes recent proposals to modify these requirements, and analyzes the potential implications for the Medicare population.
Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010 December 1, 2011 Issue Brief This issue brief examines changes in health insurance coverage over the last decade, with a focus on how changes in the economy, particularly during the “Great Recession” of 2007 to 2009, have affected coverage and the number of uninsured. The paper finds that the number of uninsured grew substantially during…
Update: State Budgets in Recession and Recovery October 1, 2011 Issue Brief State revenues have been rebounding after experiencing a severe decline caused by the Great Recession that ran from December 2007 through June 2009. Nevertheless, tax collections remain below their 2008 peak level and state and local governments continue to shed jobs. As states prepare their fiscal year 2013 budgets, some…
Adolescent Health: Coverage and Access to Care September 30, 2011 Issue Brief This issue brief provides a broad-based grounding in adolescent health and related policy by examining access to health services for adolescents, their insurance coverage, and the role of state and federal policies in shaping access to care. The brief also discusses how implementation of the the health reform law may affect health coverage, access, and incentives to use preventive care for adolescents.
Health Affairs Article: The Growth In Cost Per Case Explains Far More Of US Health Spending Increases Than Rising Disease Prevalence August 30, 2011 Report Health Affairs Article: The Growth In Cost Per Case Explains Far More Of U.S. Health Spending Increases Than Rising Disease Prevalence This article examines national health spending across an all-inclusive set of diagnostic categories and medical conditions between 1996 and 2006, focusing on trends in cost of care per case…
Medicaid Financing Issues: Provider Taxes May 2, 2011 Fact Sheet Current law allows states to use revenue from provider taxes to help fund the state share of spending on Medicaid, a program that is jointly financed by the states and the federal government. Almost all states have at least one provider tax in place. This issue brief reviews the use…
Most Americans Oppose Converting Medicaid to a Block Grant in Order to Reduce the Federal Deficit May 24, 2011 Poll Finding
KCMU Fact Sheets February 28, 2011 Fact Sheet These fact sheets from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured provide basic information about Medicaid, children’s coverage and the uninsured Medicaid: Basics Medicaid Matters: Understanding Medicaid’s Role in Our Health Care System 5 Key Questions and Answers About Medicaid The Medicaid Program At a Glance Visualizing Health Policy…
Health and the Economy in the Detroit Area April 1, 2010 Poll Finding One year after the federal government intervened to aid the automakers, the Foundation along with The Washington Post and Harvard School of Public Health surveyed the residents of the tri-county Detroit area of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties to ask about their views and experiences in the midst of the…
Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: Premiums November 30, 2009 Report Medicare Part D helps cover the cost of outpatient prescription drugs for 27 million beneficiaries enrolled in private stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans. The majority of Part D enrollees pay a monthly premium for Medicare drug coverage. This data spotlight examines premiums for…