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KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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On Oct. 25, 2018, KFF released its 18th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey for state fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll continues to find pre-existing conditions as a widespread concern with most Americans saying it is very important that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) protections for people with pre-existing conditions remain law. With health care costs continuing to be a major topic in the 2018 campaigns, the poll looks at the public’s experiences with unexpected medical bills and finds that this tops a list of possible problems people could face. In addition, the poll examines the public’s views of President Trump’s contentious relationship with prescription drug companies.
This issue brief provides an overview of Medicaid spending and enrollment growth with a focus on state fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Findings are based on interviews and data provided by state Medicaid directors as part of the 18th annual survey of Medicaid directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey and Health Management Associates (HMA). Findings examine changes in overall enrollment and spending growth.
With Medicare Advantage playing an increasingly larger role in Medicare, the average person on Medicare will be able to choose among 24 plans during the annual Medicare open enrollment period that began Oct. 15, finds a new analysis from KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation).
Public Not Confident in President Trump’s Calls on Drug Companies to Lower Prices As a federal court considers a challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality, the public, including most Republicans, wants protections for people with pre-existing conditions preserved, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds.
In 2019, more than 20 million Medicare beneficiaries (34%) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are mainly HMOs and PPOs offered by private insurers as an alternative to the traditional Medicare program. This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage plans that will be available in 2019, including the variation in the number of plans available by county and plan type. The brief also examines the insurers entering the Medicare Advantage market for the first time and also examines the insurers exiting the market.
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.
With less than two weeks until Election Day, Drew Altman discusses health being the top issue, but not necessarily the top factor in voters' 2018 decisions. He says the longer-term impact of health may be its continuing role in the debate leading up to the 2020 presidential race.
Meredith Freed is a senior policy manager with KFF’s Program on Medicare Policy. She performs research and analysis on a range of issues related to Medicare and the population it serves, including Medicare Advantage, oral health, prescription drug costs, and Medicare spending and financing.
In this Axios column, Drew Altman analyzes new poll findings which show how one issue breaks through the gridlock between Democrats and Republicans in health – the high cost of prescription drugs.
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