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This paper, by Joy Pritts of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, looks at issues related to drug plan marketing activities and privacy under the MMA. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Three new reports focus on one of the biggest challenges in the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act, the transitioning of drug coverage for individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, who now get their drug coverage from Medicaid, to the new Medicare benefit. The New Medicare Prescription Drug Law: Issues for Enrolling Dual Eligibles into Drug Plans Medicare's New Prescription Drug Benefit: The Voices of People Dually Covered by Medicare and Medicaid Implications of…
This document summarizes the final regulations to implement the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. The regulations were published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a final rule in the Jan. 28 Federal Register. It provides an overview that allows interested parties to obtain information about specific provisions of the law. The summary was prepared by Health Policy Alternatives Inc. on behalf of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Issue Brief (.pdf)
This brief examines Medicaid's medically needy program, which gives states the option to extend Medicaid eligibility to those with high medical expenses whose income exceeds the maximum threshold, but who would otherwise qualify. It provides updated enrollment and spending figures on the medically needy using data through federal fiscal year 2009, and explains how individuals become eligible for the program and key considerations for policy discussions. Brief (.pdf)
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Because women have longer life expectancies than men, more than half (57%) of the people covered by the program are women. In 1999, there were 21 million women on Medicare 19 million ages 65 and over and another 2 million women under age 65 with disabilities who received Social…
These toplines provide the complete results from a comprehensive survey of seniors on their understanding of and views toward the Medicare drug benefit. The survey of 802 seniors was conducted in late October 2005, prior to the start of the benefit's open enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 15, 2005 to May 15, 2006. The survey was conducted and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. It…
Special Needs Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage plan authorized to provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs, including Medicare beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, beneficiaries living in nursing homes or other institutions, and beneficiaries with severe chronic or disabling conditions. This data spotlight examines availability and enrollment trends for Special Needs Plans, which account for a small share of enrollment today but…
This set of tables, prepared by the Urban Institue for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, presents the most current state by state data on Medicaid enrollment and expenditures for dual eligibles. Full Set of Tables (.pdf) Individual Tables:Implications of the Medicare drug law for full dual eligibles:Table 1: “Full” Dual Eligible Enrollment and Prescription Drug Expenditures, by State, 2002 (.pdf) Enrollment and spending data for full and partial dual eligibles:Table 2: Total…
The New Medicare Rx Benefit: Challenges for Maintaining Access to Prescription Drugs With the launch of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit less than 18 months away, and growing interest in beneficiaries’ access to medications in the future, the Kaiser Family Foundation is pleased to release two new publications that examine issues concerning access to medications raised by the implementation of the new Part D Medicare prescription drug benefit. The New Medicare Drug…
These issue briefs, prepared by the Centers for Medicare Advocacy, Inc., provide information about how the Medicare drug benefit will affect beneficiaries. The briefs address issues related to dual eligibles, residents of nursing home and assisted living facilities, and the Part D exceptions and appeals processes. Medicare Part D: Issues for Dual Eligibles on the Eve of Implementation Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage for Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: Special Problems and Concerns…
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