Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues
Medicare Part D spending on insulin increased 840 percent between 2007 and 2017, far outpacing growth in the number of beneficiaries using insulin therapy, according to a new KFF analysis. The findings come at a time when the cost of prescription drugs is a major focus for policymakers in Washington,…
A federal district court has set aside the HHS Secretary’s approval of Medicaid waivers with work and reporting requirements and other eligibility and enrollment restrictions in Kentucky and Arkansas. For context as this all develops, we asked MaryBeth Musumeci, Associate Director at the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, three questions about the implications of the decisions.
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) programs, a subset of community health centers, play a significant role in addressing the opioid epidemic by providing medication-assisted treatment (MAT). MAT, which combines one of three medications (methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone) with behavioral therapies, is the standard of care for opioid use disorder (OUD). This brief presents findings from an analysis of health center data on the provision of buprenorphine-based MAT, as well as interviews with providers and administrators from 12 HCH programs about strategies they adopted to implement MAT programs.
A new brief from KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation) examines potential changes to “spousal impoverishment” rules in Medicaid that allow married couples to protect a portion of their income and assets should one spouse seek Medicaid coverage for long-term care. A provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires state Medicaid…
In an Axios column, Drew Altman analyzes the political pros and cons of Medicare for All and Medicare buy-in plans for Democrats, and how they may handle it in Congress and the presidential campaign.
In an Axios column, Drew Altman uncovers a new pre-existing conditions problem – seniors on Medicare denied Medigap because they have pre-existing conditions – and discusses solutions.
This analysis finds that Affordable Care Act marketplace premiums are least affordable for older adults who earn too much to qualify for federal subsidies, especially those living in rural areas where premiums are highest. The analysis also discusses a variety of state and federal proposals that seek to lower premiums for middle-class people buying their own insurance who are ineligible for ACA subsidies.
Karen Pollitz, senior fellow for health reform and private insurance at KFF, answers three questions about denied claims and how the federal government may change the data insurers are required to report on this issue.
This data note uses data from the January 2019 KFF Health Tracking Poll to examine the public’s attitudes toward and experiences with electronic health records (EHR). Nearly 9 in 10 say their physician uses an EHR, and this raises some concerns about privacy issues and impacts on quality of care. About one in five say that they or a family member have noticed an error in their personal medical information in their EHR.
This poll explores the public’s attitudes towards, and experiences with, HIV/AIDS in the U.S. in light of President Trump’s announcement of his plan to significantly reduce new HIV infections in the U.S. within ten years. The poll also probes the public on why they may support or oppose a national health plan and find that people’s responses tend to echo the messages emphasized by both sides of the debate.
