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  • The Role of Private Plans in Medicare

    Event Date:
    Event

    Enrollment in private health plans has grown sharply since the enactment of the Medicare Modernization Act in 2003, which created a Medicare drug benefit to be provided by private plans and created incentives for new private plans to enter the Medicare market. Today, virtually all Medicare beneficiaries--including those living in rural areas--have access to one or more private plans (known as Medicare Advantage plans), such as a Medicare HMO, PPO, special-needs plan or a private…

  • Early Experiences of Medicare Beneficiaries in Prescription Drug Plans

    Report

    This report offers insights into Medicare beneficiaries’ experiences with the new drug benefit, based on observations of State Health Insurance Assistance Plan (SHIP) directors convened for a moderated focus group discussion. Because SHIP directors work closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and are on the front lines providing one-on-one counseling for beneficiaries who have questions or problems related to the new drug benefit, they are a key resource for understanding issues that…

  • Snapshots: How Changes in Medical Technology Affect Health Care Costs

    Issue Brief

    Health expenditures continue to grow very rapidly in the U.S.  Since 1970, health care spending has grown at an average annual rate of 9.8%, or about 2.5 percentage points faster than the economy as measured by the nominal gross domestic product (GDP).  Annual spending on health care increased from $75 billion in 1970 to $2.0 trillion in 2005, and is estimated to reach $4 trillion in 2015.  As a share of the economy, health care…

  • Snapshots: Effect of Tying Eligibility for Health Insurance Subsidies to the Federal Poverty Level

    Issue Brief

    Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the rapid growth of health insurance premiums and its impact on coverage affordability. Premium growth has far outpaced growth in workers earnings, which means that workers have to spend more of their income each year on health care to maintain current coverage levels. Less attention has been given to the disconnection between the growing cost of health insurance and eligibility for health care subsidies in public…

  • Medicare Prescription Drug Enrollment Update

    Issue Brief

    Medicare Drug Benefit Enrollment Update This enrollment update breaks down and explains the statistics related to enrollment under the new Medicare drug benefit and the separate low-income subsidy program that provides additional assistance. The enrollment update summarizes the latest enrollment figures released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration and compares them with earlier enrollment projections. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Snapshots: Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Take-up

    Issue Brief

    One of the many reasons an individual may be uninsured is that she or he decides an employer’s offer of health insurance is too expensive. Several studies have noted the likelihood that a worker will decline an employer’s offer of health insurance increases with the amount he or she is required to contribute. Alternatively, employees may obtain coverage through a spouse, opt for publicly provided coverage if eligible, or decide to do without coverage entirely.…

  • Additional Findings from the National Surveys of Doctors and Pharmacists

    Poll Finding

    Two Kaiser Family Foundation national surveys of doctors and pharmacists examine additional findings on their views and experiences on a wide range of health care issues. The topics covered in the surveys include views and experiences with medical errors and quality issues, use of health care information technology, prescription drug advertisements, views on Medicaid provisions, doctors' willingness to see Medicaid and Medicare patients, and physicians' views of conscience-clause provisions. The Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey…

  • New  England Journal of Medicine Article: Voters and Health Care in the 2006 Election

    Poll Finding

    New England Journal of Medicine Article: Voters and Health Care in the 2006 Election A New England Journal of Medicine article finds that health care is not likely to play a major role in the November 2006 Congressional elections but could still be a factor in selected close races. This article, by Harvard School of Public Health Professor of Health Policy Robert J. Blendon, Sc.D, and Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., analyzes…

  • New Poll Finds Broad Support Among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans for Drug Price Negotiation, Reimportation, and Prioritizing Children for Coverage of the Uninsured…Views on Stem Cells More Mixed

    Poll Finding

    Embargoed for release until:Friday, December 8, 2006 For further information contact:Craig Palosky, cpalosky@kff.org, (202) 347-5270Larry Levitt, llevitt@kff.org, (650) 854-9400 New Poll Finds Broad Support Among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans for Drug Price Negotiation, Reimportation, and Prioritizing Children for Coverage of the Uninsured...Views on Stem Cells More Mixed Public Sees Health Care Prices as Unreasonable and Wants Governmentto Take Steps to Lower Them Iraq By Far Remains the Public’s Top Priority for the New Congress and…

  • Premiums and Cost Sharing Features in Medicare’s New Prescription Drug Program, 2006

    Issue Brief

    Premiums and Cost-Sharing Features in Medicare's New Prescription Drug Program, 2006 When Congress created the Medicare drug benefit in 2003, it also sought to generate more private plan options for senior and disabled beneficiaries in Medicare, with increased payments to attract sponsors and to support added benefits attractive to enrollees, especially in rural and other areas that previously had few such plans. The effects of these changes and additional payments are particularly visible this year,…