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This January 2014 briefing, co-sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Alliance for Health Reform, examines what is known about the health and economic security of Medicare beneficiaries today, as well as how current and future beneficiaries may be affected by the leading proposals that aim to achieve Medicare savings.
This report presents findings from an analysis of the Medicare Part D marketplace in 2014 and changes in features of the drug benefit offered by Part D plans since 2006. It examines the latest information and trends related to Part D enrollment and plan availability, premiums, benefit design and cost sharing, pharmacy networks, the Low-Income Subsidy Program, and plan performance ratings.
Most (53%) adults with health care debt say they have received a medical or dental bill they thought contained an error at some point in the past 5 years, and most say a state consumer assistance program would be helpful to them.
How Much " Skin in the Game " is Enough? The Financial Burden of Health Spending for People on Medicare Medicare extends health security and financial protection to seniors and younger people with disabilities. However, premiums, relatively high cost-sharing requirements, and gaps in the benefit package result in some beneficiaries spending a significant share of their income on health expenses. This data spotlight examines the burden out-of-pocket expenses placed on Medicare beneficiaries between 1997 and…
This report examines reimbursement, benefit management and cost sharing issues in Medicaid pharmacy programs. The analysis, conducted by researchers from the Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Health Management Associates, focuses on the potential of several measures recently highlighted by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to reduce Medicaid pharmacy costs and is informed, in part, by the perspectives of a group of Medicaid pharmacy administrators convened by the Foundation in…
Menlo Park, Calif. – Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $15,745 this year, up 4 percent from last year, with workers on average paying $4,316 toward the cost of their coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today. This year’s premium increase is moderate by historical standards, but outpaced the growth in workers’ wages (1.7 percent) and general inflation (2.3 percent). Since…
Following the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and as 2014 approaches, many states are moving into high gear to prepare for implementation of the major provisions of the law, including a new streamlined Medicaid enrollment system and, at states' option, the expansion of Medicaid. Nearly all states are pressing forward with information technology and process improvements to develop faster, streamlined Medicaid enrollment systems as required under the ACA, whether or not…
Medicaid, the nation’s public health insurance program for low-income people, now covers nearly 60 million Americans, including many working families, low-income elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Medicaid beneficiaries tend to be poorer and sicker than those enrolled in private insurance. Given these characteristics, federal law limits the extent to which states can charge premiums and cost-sharing, particularly for pregnant women, children and adults but allows flexibility for individuals with incomes above 100% of the federal…
Foundation Senior Vice President Tricia Neuman testified Feb. 26, 2013 before the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health about how restructuring Medicare's deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements could affect beneficiaries. Testimony (.pdf)
Just-released estimates of national health spending in 2010 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show that 45% of our health care spending is financed by the federal and state governments, primarily through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This share has grown temporarily in recent years because of the economic downturn, as private insurance has declined and Medicaid has grown. It has also increased due to our demographic destiny: the growing cohort of baby…
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