Health Care on a Budget: An Analysis of Spending by Medicare Households
This report examines Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket health care costs, which comprise a significant share of their household expenses.
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State Options to Expand Medicaid HCBS: Examples & Evaluations of Section 1115 Waivers
Issue BriefStates are currently developing plans to access an increased federal matching rate (“FMAP”) for Medicaid HCBS spending established in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. In the future, states may also be able to access increased HCBS funds proposed in the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan and the Better Care Better Jobs Act recently introduced in Congress. This brief highlights examples of Medicaid HCBS policy changes authorized through Section 1115 demonstration waivers in…
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State Medicaid Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Programs Respond to COVID-19: Early Findings from a 50-State Survey
Issue BriefThis issue brief presents early findings from the most recent KFF survey of Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It focuses on state policies adopted in response to challenges posed by the pandemic, the pandemic’s impact on Medicaid HCBS enrollees and providers, and states’ initial plans for the new American Rescue Plan Act 10 percentage point temporary increase in federal Medicaid matching funds for HCBS available from April 2021…
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Direct Care Workforce Shortages Have Worsened in Many States During the Pandemic, Hampering Providers of Home and Community-Based Services
News ReleaseDuring the pandemic many states have experienced worsening direct care workforce shortages that have affected providers of home- and community-based long-term care services (HCBS), according to early findings of a new KFF survey of Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Most states reported workforce shortages as the pandemic’s primary impact on HCBS provided in an enrollee’s home and in group homes. The pandemic has brought new attention among policymakers…
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Combined Federal and State Spending on Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Totaled $116 billion in FY 2020, Serving Millions of Elderly Adults and People with Disabilities
News ReleaseThe federal government and the states together spent a total of $116 billion on Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) in FY 2020, serving millions of elderly adults and people with disabilities, a new KFF analysis finds. Medicaid is the nation’s primary payer for such services, which include assistive technology, personal care to help people with bathing or preparing meals, and therapies to help people regain or acquire self-care and independent living skills. There is…
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What Share of Nursing Facilities Might Meet Proposed New Requirements for Nursing Staff Hours?
Issue BriefThis issue brief analyzes the percentage and characteristics of facilities that would meet the rule’s proposed requirements for the minimum number of RN and nurse aide hours to better understand the implications of the rule.
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KFF/ESPN Survey of 1988 NFL Players Finds the Vast Majority Say Pro Football Left Them With a Range of Serious Health Problems, but Most Would Play Again and Encourage Their Kids To Play
News ReleaseKFF and ESPN today jointly released a first-of-its-kind, in-depth polling and reporting project that sheds new light on the health issues and other challenges facing NFL players after they leave the game. The KFF/ESPN Survey of 1988 NFL Players draws on a novel survey of 546 respondents who were among the 1,532 players from the 1988 season. Now, at an average age of 62, large majorities of these former NFL players say pro football was bad…
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Medigap May Be Elusive for Medicare Beneficiaries with Pre-Existing Conditions
Issue BriefThis issue brief analyzes federal and state guaranteed issue rules and how they impact beneficiaries’ access to Medigap, including the implications for Medicare beneficiaries with pre-existing conditions and those under age 65 with long-term disabilities. This brief also explores a recently finalized rule: Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities regarding Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act that may have implications for the Medigap market.
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Coverage of Preventive Services for Adults in Medicaid
Issue BriefThis brief highlights data from a survey of coverage of 42 recommended preventive services for adults in Medicaid fee-for-service programs as of October 2010. Medicaid programs must cover preventive services for children as part of the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, but generally are not required to cover such services for adults. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides states the opportunity to earn a one percentage point increase in their federal matching…
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Long-Term Care: Understanding Medicaid’s Role for the Elderly and Disabled
Issue BriefLong-Term Care: Understanding Medicaid’s Role for the Elderly and Disabled This updated report provides a review of how Medicaid works for people with long-term care needs and describes the fiscal challenges that states currently face and that Medicaid may face in the future as the population ages. Report (.pdf) Executive Summary (.pdf)