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  • Dual Eligibles:  Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

    Fact Sheet

    Dual Eligibles: Medicaid's Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries This fact sheet and set of tables describe the over 7 million “dual eligibles,” the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. The fact sheet describes why this population needs Medicaid, what services they receive from Medicaid, and the current policy challenges related to dual eligibles, including the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. The set of tables, prepared by the…

  • Dual Eligible Home and Community-Based Waiver Program Participants and the New Medicare Drug Benefit

    Issue Brief

    Dual eligible beneficiaries who participate in Medicaid home and community-based waiver programs usually do not have a centralized care provider to manage their health care benefits and services. For the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, no individual is designated to assist participants with their prescription drug plan selection, comparison of formularies, and if necessary, management of their exceptions and appeals should a medication be denied by their plan. This paper offers state and federal policymakers…

  • Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage for Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities: Special Problems and Concerns

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief describes Medicare drug benefit policy issues for residents of nursing homes and other long-term care settings, such as assisted living facilities and board and care facilities. The brief addresses differing rules for nursing home and non-nursing home settings, as well as for dual eligibles residing in long-term care facilities. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Benefit improvements for low-income Medicare beneficiaries

    Report

    Benefit Improvements for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries The Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared a summary showing how the House-passed Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act legislation would change current law regarding assistance for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. The summary describes proposed changes to current programs that provide assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries, including the Medicare Savings Program and the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Program. The summary reviews how the CHAMP Act would modify each…

  • Medicare-Medicaid Policy Interactions

    Issue Brief

    Because over seven million elderly and disabled individuals are entitled to benefits under both Medicare and Medicaid, policy changes in one program not only affect both coverage and spending in the other but also impact access to services by individuals eligible for both programs. This primer summarizes two key policy interactions and includes a quick reference table of the most significant linkages between the two programs. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • The Medicare Prescription Drug Law – What Are Seniors Saying?

    Other Post

    As the first phase of the new Medicare prescription drug law takes effect, the Kaiser Family Foundation commissioned focus groups conducted by Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies and Geoff Garin of Peter D. Hart Research Associates in consultation with Foundation staff. The focus groups were designed to explore what people on Medicare know and think about the discount drug card that went in effect June 1st, and the new benefit that takes effect in…

  • States’ Concerns About the Medicare Drug Debate and the Fiscal Impact of Shifting the Cost of Dual Eligible Care

    Issue Brief

    As the U.S. Congress continues to search for an agreement on the form of a Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Commission has two new reports related to the debate. One new publication reports on findings from an October 26 discussion with state Medicaid officials on the implications of a Medicare drug benefit for states and dual eligibles. The other report provides state-level estimates on spending on dual eligibles and illustrates the effects of scenarios where…

  • Prescription Drug Discount Cards: Current Programs and Issues

    Report

    As policymakers consider a range of approaches to providing prescription drug coverage to the Medicare population in today s tight budgetary environment, one proposal that has been put forth by the Bush Administration is that of a Medicare-endorsed prescription drug discount card program. This report describes the range of existing discount card programs run by both private sponsors and state governments and provides background information on the implications of this approach to assisting Medicare beneficiaries…

  • Retiree Health Coverage: Recent Trends and Employer Perspectives on Future Benefits

    Report

    The report, based on an analysis of Hewitt Associates' client database, presents new trend data on the prevalence of retiree health coverage sponsored by large employers and finds a continued erosion of retiree health benefits. The report also includes findings from a new survey assessing how large employers might change their retiree health programs in the future, and on their reaction to the Administration's proposal to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. The Hewitt…