Among Dual Eligibles, Identifying The Highest Cost Individuals Could Help In Crafting More Targeted And Effective Responses April 1, 2012 Report This Health Affairs article by researchers at the Urban Institute analyzes linked Medicare and Medicaid data to examine dual eligibles’ utilization and spending in both programs in 2007. It finds that while the population of people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid is indeed costly, it is not monolithic. For…
Key Issues in Understanding the Economic and Health Security of Current and Future Generations of Seniors March 3, 2012 Issue Brief As part of broad deficit-reduction plans, policymakers are considering reforms to the nation’s three major entitlement programs – Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security – that could significantly affect the economic security of seniors in their retirement years. This brief examines the role of these programs in ensuring seniors’ financial security…
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…