Pulling it Together: An Actuarial Rorschach Test February 11, 2010 Perspective Drew Altman, Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton My colleagues have worked on this column with me and I invited them to join me as authors. As with pretty much every other discussion of health care going back to the days of Roosevelt, the great reform debate of 2009 (and now 2010)…
Medicaid Coverage and Spending in Health Reform: National and State-By-State Results for Adults at or Below 133% FPL May 1, 2010 Report This analysis, performed by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, shows that the expansion of Medicaid under the health reform law will significantly increase the number of people covered by the program and reduce the uninsured in states across the country, with the federal…
Medicare Advantage 2011 Data Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums September 30, 2010 Report This Medicare Advantage Data Spotlight provides an overview of recent changes made to the Medicare Advantage program and examines trends in plan participation, premiums and certain benefits. About 12 million people, or nearly a quarter of the Medicare population, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the privately administered plans that…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — October 2010 October 18, 2010 Poll Finding With the November midterm elections just weeks away, Americans remain chronically divided over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but most say that their feelings – pro and con – about the health reform law are not a dominant factor in how they will vote for Congress or whether…
Physician Workforce: The Next Generation November 10, 2010 Event The new health reform law poses questions about how the increase in the insured population will affect the demand on the health care workforce. Will it increase the shortage among primary care physicians? What about specialists? How much of the workforce shortage can be alleviated by payment incentives in the…
Pulling It Together: Repeal January 6, 2011 Perspective The House will soon vote to repeal the health reform law, the Senate won’t, and the President would veto it if they did. So what does a House vote for repeal mean? It is, of course, a campaign promise kept to the political right. It is also a signal from…
Pop Quiz: Assessing Americans’ Familiarity With the Health Care Law February 1, 2011 Poll Finding The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is coming up on a year old, but in the midst of continuing debate over the merits of the landmark health care overhaul, how well do Americans understand what the new law will actually do? As the 112th Congress prepared to take office and the…
Mobile Technology: Smart Tools to Increase Participation in Health Coverage March 1, 2011 Issue Brief As mobile technology advances and cell phone use continues to increase across demographic groups, there is significant potential to tap these technologies to facilitate enrollment in and retention of health coverage, in both the immediate term and as health reform is implemented. A brief produced in conjunction with The Children’s…
Medicaid Matters: Understanding Medicaid’s Role in Our Health Care System March 1, 2011 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides key information about the Medicaid program and its role in our health care system and state economies. The nation’s public health insurance program for low-income people is counter-cyclical, expanding during the recent recession to assist millions of individuals and families affected by the loss of jobs…
Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Affordability and Adequacy February 3, 2012 Event Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), insurance plans offered through state insurance exchanges as well as non-grandfathered plans offered in the individual and small group markets – will be required to cover a set of health benefits and services called the “essential health benefits” package. Guidance issued…