831 - 840 of 1,754 Results

  • A Guide to the Lawsuit Challenging CMS’s Approval of the Kentucky HEALTH Medicaid Waiver

    Issue Brief

    On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a State Medicaid Director letter announcing a new policy that, for the 1st time, allows states to condition Medicaid on participation in a work or “community engagement” program. The next day, CMS approved a new Medicaid waiver in Kentucky. The waiver includes a program called Kentucky HEALTH, which encompasses a work requirement as well as coverage lockouts of up to 6 months…

  • New Analysis Finds Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Spending Decreasing on Average, But More People Spending in Excess of $1,000 a Year

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that average annual out-of-pocket prescription drug spending for workers and family members decreased from a recent high of $167 in 2009 to $144 in 2014. Most of the decline in out-of-pocket spending occurred between 2009 and 2012 and is likely due to generic substitution for popular drugs that lost patent protection. The decline in out-of-pocket-spending continued from 2012 to 2014 with nearly two-thirds of the decline during this…

  • Medicaid Managed Care Plans and Access to Care: Results from the Kaiser Family Foundation 2017 Survey of Medicaid Managed Care Plans

    Report

    Managed care organizations (MCOs) cover nearly two-thirds of all Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide, making managed care the nation’s dominant delivery system for Medicaid enrollees. As the entities responsible for providing comprehensive Medicaid benefits to enrollees by contracting with providers, managed care plans play a critical role in shaping access to care for Medicaid enrollees. Many plan actions are dictated by state policy or contracting requirements; however, plans also have some flexibility to design payment and delivery…

  • State and Federal Contraceptive Coverage Requirements: Implications for Women and Employers

    Issue Brief

    Before the ACA was passed, many states had enacted contraceptive equity laws that required plans to treat contraceptives in the same way they covered other services. In addition, since the ACA was passed, a number of states have enacted laws that basically codify in state legislation the ACA benefit rules. This issue brief provides an update on the status of the continuing litigation on the federal contraceptive requirement and explains the interplay between the federal…

  • Medicaid: What to Watch in 2018 from the Administration, Congress, and the States

    Issue Brief

    Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for about one in five Americans and is the largest payer for long-term care services in the community and nursing homes. Efforts in 2017 to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and cap federal financing for Medicaid were unsuccessful but help to set the stage for 2018. As 2018 begins, there is a focus on administrative actions using Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waivers, state actions on Medicaid expansion,…

  • Navigating Recovery: Health Care Financing and Delivery Systems in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

    Issue Brief

    This brief identifies key issues and short and long-term options for recovery around the health care financing and delivery systems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which caused significant physical damage to the territories. It draws on insights from a Nov. 30 roundtable discussion with leaders and experts representing a variety of perspectives on Medicaid policy, health insurance and care delivery systems, and disaster recovery.

  • FAQs: What’s the Latest on IPAB?

    Issue Brief

    The Independent Payment Advisory Board was authorized by the Affordable Care Act to help slow the growth in Medicare spending. These FAQs address common questions about IPAB, including how it was designed to operate and the implications of eliminating it.

  • Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2017 & 2018

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief provides an overview of Medicaid spending and enrollment growth with a focus on state fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Findings are based on interviews and data provided by state Medicaid directors as part of the 17th 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.