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  • African Americans and the New Medicare Drug Benefit

    Poll Finding

    In a few short weeks, Medicare will undergo big changes that will have a major impact on nearly 4 million African American seniors and younger people with permanent disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health coverage. More than four in ten African Americans with Medicare lack coverage for their prescription drugs for at least part of the year. Many others will need to make decisions about their existing coverage and the new Medicare benefit.…

  • State Financing of the Medicare Drug Benefit:  New Data on the “Clawback”

    Issue Brief

    State Financing of the Medicare Drug Benefit: New Data on the "Clawback" Beginning in 2006, states will be obligated to finance part of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit via a monthly "clawback" payment to the federal government. This issue update analyzes the latest data and provides an overview of the state financing of the Medicare drug benefit. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • The Medicare Drug Benefit: Beneficiary Perspectives Just Before Implementation – Toplines

    Poll Finding

    These toplines provide the complete results from a comprehensive survey of seniors on their understanding of and views toward the Medicare drug benefit. The survey of 802 seniors was conducted in late October 2005, prior to the start of the benefit's open enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 15, 2005 to May 15, 2006. The survey was conducted and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. It…

  • The Medicare Drug Benefit: Beneficiary Perspectives Just Before Implementation

    Poll Finding

    This comprehensive survey of seniors about the Medicare drug benefit finds that many seniors remain uncertain about how the new benefit will affect them and unsure about whether they will enroll. Seniors who say they understand the benefit well are more likely to report favorable views than those who do not. The survey examines in depth what seniors know and understand about the new benefit and what they think about its potential helpfulness. It was…

  • Survey of Seniors Underscores Implementation Challenges for Medicare Drug Benefit

    Poll Finding

    Embargoed for release until:November 10, 2005, 9:30 a.m. E.T. For further information contact:Craig Palosky, (202) 347-5270 or cpalosky@kff.orgLarry Levitt, (650) 854-9400 or llevitt@kff.org AS ENROLLMENT BEGINS, NEW SURVEY UNDERSCORES CHALLENGES IF SENIORS ARE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT Many Seniors Say They Don't Understand the Benefit, Don't Know if They Will Enroll, And Are Wary of the Large Number of Plan Choices Those Who Say They Understand the Benefit Are More Likely to…

  • Dual Eligible Home and Community-Based Waiver Program Participants and the New Medicare Drug Benefit

    Issue Brief

    Dual eligible beneficiaries who participate in Medicaid home and community-based waiver programs usually do not have a centralized care provider to manage their health care benefits and services. For the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, no individual is designated to assist participants with their prescription drug plan selection, comparison of formularies, and if necessary, management of their exceptions and appeals should a medication be denied by their plan. This paper offers state and federal policymakers…

  • The Policy Implications of Medicare’s New Measure of Financial Health

    Issue Brief

    This report examines a new measure of Medicare’s financial health established by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). The report, authored by Marilyn Moon, takes an in-depth look at the program’s new solvency test, which measures general revenues as a share of total Medicare spending and can trigger a “funding warning” that compels the President to propose and the Congress to consider a funding warning.

  • New State Surveys Show State Budgetary Pressures on Medicaid Easing, But Long-Term Challenges for Program Remain

    Report

    Three KCMU state surveys indicate improving economy and sustained state cost-containment actions have improved the outlook for Medicaid and SCHIP, but long-term challenges remain due to factors affecting overall health care system. News Release Summary of Findings (.pdf) Medicaid Budgets, Spending and Policy Initiatives in State Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006 State Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drug Policies: Findings from a National Survey, 2005 Update In a Time of Growing Need: State Choices Influence Health Coverage…

  • Low-Income Subsidies for the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: The Impact of the Asset Test

    Report

    This study assesses the impact of the requirement that low-income people with Medicare meet an asset test in order to receive additional help paying premiums and cost-sharing under the new Medicare drug benefit. Report (.pdf) American Journal of Managed Care Article: Who Will Be Denied Medicare Prescription Drug Subsidies Because of the Asset Test? (January 2006) (.pdf)

  • Prescription Drug Coverage and Seniors: Findings from a 2003 National Survey

    Other Post

    This national survey of 17,685 seniors captures detailed information about their prescription drug use, coverage and experiences. It also includes state-specific comparative data for seniors in 12 states -- California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Washington. This 2003 survey was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and Tufts-New England Medical Center. An article presenting its findings was published by Health Affairs as a web exclusive…