Policy Insight Examines a Key Barrier That Younger Medicare Beneficiaries with Disabilities Face in Getting Supplemental Insurance Coverage September 27, 2016 News Release In a new policy insight, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Tricia Neuman and Juliette Cubanski examine a 1990 federal law that ensures that people age 65 and older are able to buy a Medigap policy when they sign up for Medicare, but denies younger Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities the same right…
Few People Switch Medicare Advantage Plans Each Year, Raising Questions About Whether Seniors Have the Tools and Information They Need To Compare Plans September 20, 2016 News Release A small share of Medicare Advantage enrollees switch plans each year, but those who do tend to pick plans with lower premiums and out-of-pocket limits than the plans they left behind, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Eleven percent of enrollees voluntarily switched from one Medicare…
Medicare Part D Spending on the EpiPen Increased More than 1000 Percent from 2007 to 2014 September 21, 2016 News Release As policymakers in Washington scrutinize the rising cost of the EpiPen auto-injector, a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that Medicare Part D spending for the potentially life-saving device increased by more than 1000 percent between 2007, the year after the Part D drug benefit took effect, and…
New KFF/CNN Survey Finds Majority of Working-Class White Americans Optimistic About Their Own Lives, But Many Are Unhappy with the Direction of the Country September 21, 2016 News Release As the 2016 presidential election focuses attention on the perspectives of white Americans without college degrees, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation and CNN delves deeply into the views and experiences that shape their lives and their political leanings. CNN is featuring findings from the poll in digital and…
Most State Medicaid Programs Cover Prescription Contraceptives, While Coverage of Over-the-Counter Contraceptives Varies September 16, 2016 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of states’ Medicaid family planning policies under fee-for-service finds wide coverage of most prescription contraceptives among 40 states and the District of Columbia (DC), but variable coverage of emergency contraceptives and other family planning-related services. It is the first published report on state coverage…
Average Annual Workplace Family Health Premiums Rise Modest 3% to $18,142 in 2016; More Workers Enroll in High-Deductible Plans With Savings Option Over Past Two Years September 14, 2016 News Release Few Employers Report Changing Workers’ Hours Due to ACA’s Employer Requirements; Those That Do Are More Likely to Shift Workers to Full-Time Status Menlo Park, Calif. – Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 3 percent to $18,142 this year, a modest increase at a time when…
New York Times/Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Chicago Residents Explores Racial Divide in Views and Experiences with Crime, Policing, and Life in the City May 9, 2016 News Release A New York Times/Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Chicago Residents probes deeply into residents’ views of the political, economic and social issues confronting their city, their experiences with crime and policing, and their outlook on life in Chicago’s neighborhoods. The Times this weekend launched a series of articles drawing on the…
People with HIV Who Gained Health Coverage Under ACA Are More Comfortable Navigating Insurance Two Years Later, But Problems Persist, Others Remain Uninsured May 4, 2016 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation report based on focus groups conducted in five states finds people living with HIV are more comfortable with navigating health insurance two years into the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) major coverage expansions. Those in the marketplaces and Medicaid recognize their new benefits but often continue…
Clinton-Sanders Contest Fuels Democratic Support for Expanding Obamacare May 2, 2016 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how the debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about how to get to universal coverage has generated more support among Democrats for expanding the Affordable Care Act (and less support for the law as is).
Most Americans Say Federal and State Governments Are Not Doing Enough to Combat Prescription Painkiller and Heroin Abuse; Large Majorities Believe Wide Range of Strategies Would be Effective May 3, 2016 News Release As the White House and Congress continue to debate new funding and other actions to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that most Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to combat the recent increases in the number of people who are…