Advancing Access to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services: Key Issues Based on a Working Group Discussion with Medicaid Experts August 31, 2009 Issue Brief This brief highlights key strategies to address financing, program administration and community workforce challenges that key experts, federal and state officials and advocates believe must be overcome to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS). Among the key ideas drawn from a working group discussion at the Foundation are…
Medicaid Expenditures Increased by 5.3% in 2007, Led By Acute Care Spending Growth August 31, 2009 Issue Brief This brief presents analysis of the latest available Medicaid spending and enrollment data to examine recent trends in program enrollment, total spending, spending by service, and spending per enrollee. The focus is on spending changes between 2006 and 2007, with historical context also provided. After Medicaid spending declined in 2006…
In Pursuit of Affordable Health Care: On the Ground Lessons From Families in Massachusetts August 30, 2009 Report This report, based on focus groups with adults in a variety of circumstances, highlights the experiences of Massachusetts residents in obtaining health coverage, accessing health care services and managing out-of-pocket costs in the wake of the state’s 2006 health reform law. Report (.pdf)
Matching Health Benefit Packages to Health Needs: Key Issues To Consider In Health Reform August 30, 2009 Event Three reports and a video collectively examine the range of health care needs and costs that people face today against the backdrop of the scope of health coverage that may be available to them under health reform. Children and Health Care Reform: Assuring Coverage That Meets Their Health Care Needs…
Children and Health Care Reform: Assuring Coverage That Meets Their Health Care Needs August 30, 2009 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the health care needs and health costs of children and analyzes the specific health care needs of two children in particular, including one with serious health challenges. The findings have implications for the health reform debate as policymakers consider minimum standards for coverage, required cost sharing…
Consumers’ Experience in Massachusetts: Lessons For National Health Reform August 30, 2009 Report This report examines the impact of state health reform efforts on the lives of ordinary people in Massachusetts, including a look at coverage provided by both public programs and private sources. It focuses specifically on people’s ability to afford and obtain needed care. Report (.pdf)
Oral Histories: Report From a Dental Fair for Uninsured Adults August 30, 2009 Report This report profiles patients attending a dental fair in rural Virginia to highlight the impact of lack of coverage for oral health services on adults. Uninsured adults have vast oral care needs, and untreated dental problems can have serious health, employment and social consequences, highlighting the relationship between inadequate benefits…
The Next 100 Days: Some Final Hurdles to Health Reform August 30, 2009 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-sponsored this briefing, for reporters, to explore some of the important issues that must be settled if President Obama is to sign a meaningful health reform bill this year. Issues addressed include: Will there be a public plan option…
Health Reform: Lessons From Massachusetts August 30, 2009 Event As Congress debates comprehensive national health reform, the Kaiser Family Foundation has two reports and an updated fact sheet that examine state-level health reform in Massachusetts and the lessons it offers for policymakers in Washington. Consumers’ Experience in Massachusetts: Lessons For National Health Reform and In Pursuit of Affordable Health…
Individuals with Special Needs and Health Reform: Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage August 30, 2009 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the health care needs and health costs of individuals with special health challenges, focusing on those with low-to-moderate incomes. It finds that even under a benefit package more generous than most offered in the private insurance market, individuals and families can face significant gaps in coverage…