Filter

241-250 of 350 results

  • Dementia and Medicare Managed Care: A Growing Challenge for Health Plans

    Report

    The American Bar Association Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly explored the views of Medicare HMOs on enrolling and delivering services to Medicare beneficiaries with dementia. The Commission conducted detailed interviews with professionals at eight diverse Medicare+Choice organizations. Their report provides background information on health care decision-making law and the Medicare program's laws and regulations, and focuses on survey findings in six key areas: marketing, enrollment, health assessments, health care delivery, advance directives, and…

  • A Medicare Buy-In for the Near Elderly: Design Issues and Potential Effects on Coverage

    Report

    This report examines a Medicare-based approach to reducing the ranks of the uninsured that would permit early retirees between the ages of 62 and 65 to purchase coverage under Medicare. The paper begins with an overview of the challenges of insuring the near-elderly and explores the potential effects of a Medicare buy-in on coverage of this population. The authors conclude that, unless premiums for such coverage were low or tied to enrollees' income, this approach…

  • Medicare’s Disabled Beneficiaries: The Forgotten Population in the Debate Over Drug Benefits

    Report

    About 5 million Americans under age 65 qualify for Medicare coverage because they are totally and permanently disabled. They are more likely than the elderly to live in poverty, to be in poor health, and to experience difficulties living independently and performing basic daily tasks. A new study from The Commonwealth Fund and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, reports that the disabled have few options other than Medicaid for obtaining prescription coverage. In ,…

  • Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

    Fact Sheet

    Medicaid's Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries An overview that identifies low-income Medicare beneficiaries (dual eligibles), how Medicaid can provide care for them, and the challenges to accessing care. Fact Sheet

  • Barriers to Medicaid Enrollment for Seniors: Findings from 10 Focus Groups with Low-Income Seniors

    Report

    Medicaid coverage substantially improves access to health care and lessens the financial burden of medical care for low-income seniors, but the program currently reaches only half of all poor Medicare beneficiaries. This report presents findings of focus groups with low-income seniors in an effort to understand barriers to enrollment for those who are eligible for Medicaid but who are not enrolled in the program, and to learn about the experiences of low-income seniors who are…

  • Trends in Medicare Supplemental Insurance and Prescription Drug Coverage 1996-1999

    Other Post

    This paper, featured in the February 27, 2002, online issue of Health Affairs, examines trends in Medicare beneficiaries supplemental insurance and prescription drug coverage between 1996 and 1999, using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Access to Care files. It also provides snapshot estimates of coverage among subgroups of Medicare beneficiaries in 1999. The findings from this study provide important context for the debate over current policy proposals to reform Medicare and extend prescription drug…

  • Consumer Protection Issues in Medicare + Choice

    Report

    This report describes and analyzes key Medicare+Choice provisions in the Balanced Budget Act and the accompanying regulations related to consumer protections. It explains how the BBA makes significant improvements for beneficiaries in the areas of access, appeals, and quality. It also explores areas that could be strengthened to better serve the needs of the Medicare population, including provisions pertaining to enrollment and disenrollment, information and education, Medigap coverage, and marketing. Report Report

  • Medicare State Profiles: State and Regional Data on Medicare and the Population it Serves

    Report

    Although Medicare is a national program, there are substantial variations across states and regions in terms of beneficiary characteristics, health needs, and utilization of Medicare-covered services. Likewise, there are also considerable differences in Medicare spending and the emergence of Medicare managed care. In a single resource document, , presents state-by-state demographic data on the Medicare population, along with information on health service utilization, spending, and Medicare HMO penetration. It also provides regional data on the…

  • Medicaid Eligibility for the Elderly

    Report

    The purpose of this issue paper is to explain Federal Medicaid eligibility policy for the low-income elderly population and discusses Federal and State policy options to improve coverage. Issue Paper