We Still Have a Health-Care Spending Problem
Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Foundation, and Larry Levitt, Senior Vice President, co-authored a Washington Post op-ed that examined how the economy affects the nation’s health spending.
View the Latest: Deficit Reduction
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Assessing the Effects of the Economy on the Recent Slowdown in Health Spending
Issue BriefIntroduction Health spending has been growing at historically low levels in recent years. The Office of the Actuary (OACT) in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reports that national health spending grew by 3.9% each year from 2009 to 2011, the lowest rate of growth since the federal government began keeping such statistics in 1960.
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Testimony: Rethinking Medicare’s Benefit Design: Opportunities and Challenges
Issue BriefFoundation Senior Vice President Tricia Neuman testified June 26, 2013 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health about Medicare’s benefit design, and the implications of possible changes for beneficiaries, other stakeholders, and program spending.
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Streamlining Cost Sharing in Medicare: The Impact on Beneficiaries
Event Date:EventThis July 22, 2013 briefing, Streamlining Cost Sharing in Medicare: The Impact on Beneficiaries, explored the impact on beneficiaries of recent proposals to combine the two main parts of Medicare.
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Medicare Spending Limits: Issues and Implications
Issue BriefSeveral major deficit-reduction plans include provisions that would impose an explicit limit on the growth in Medicare spending. In general, such limits would trigger cuts if Medicare spending grows more rapidly than a target, such as the growth in the economy.
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Questions and Answers about Turning Medicare into a Premium Support System
News ReleaseWith its inclusion in the House GOP health plan released last month, the idea of converting Medicare into a premium support system once again features prominently in Capitol Hill policy discussions about the future of Medicare, the federal health insurance program that covers 57 million seniors and people with disabilities.
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Proposed Changes to Medicare in the “Path to Prosperity”: Overview and Key Questions
Issue BriefThis brief examines key Medicare provisions included in "The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise," a long-term budget proposal released by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan on April 5, 2011, which outlines a strategy for reducing federal spending and reducing the national debt over time.
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Medicare Savings in Perspective: A Comparison of 2009 Health Reform Legislation and Other Laws in the Last 15 Years
Issue BriefAlthough Medicare is not the main focus of current health reform legislation, the bill recently passed by the House—H.R. 3962, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009—and the bill before the Senate—H.R. 3590, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—include a number of provisions that would affect Medicare program expenditures.
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The President’s FY 2006 Budget Proposal:
ReportOverview and Briefing Charts This chartpack reviews the President’s FY 2006 budget request to Congress and highlights overall budget assumptions and funding for major health programs. It begins with a description of the federal budget process, followed by an overview of federal surplus/deficit spending patterns dating back to 1969.
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Medicare’s Role for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries
Issue BriefAbout 9 million low-income seniors and younger people with disabilities in the United States are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid. This brief examines the role of Medicare in providing health coverage for these beneficiaries.