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State Financing of the Medicare Drug Benefit: New Data on the "Clawback" Beginning in 2006, states will be obligated to finance part of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit via a monthly "clawback" payment to the federal government. This issue update analyzes the latest data and provides an overview of the state financing of the Medicare drug benefit. Issue Brief (.pdf)
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 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…
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 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…
This Briefing Note explores the issues presented for the design and administration of a new Medicare drug benefit by dually eligible nursing facility residents. Issue Paper (.pdf)
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…
Medicare Drug Benefit Enrollment Update This enrollment update breaks down and explains the statistics related to enrollment under the new Medicare drug benefit and the separate low-income subsidy program that provides additional assistance. The enrollment update summarizes the latest enrollment figures released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration and compares them with earlier enrollment projections. Issue Brief (.pdf)
In 2006, low-income individuals receiving health coverage through both the Medicaid and Medicare programs, “dual eligibles,” experienced a change in their prescription drug benefit when their Medicaid prescription coverage was replaced by the Medicare prescription drug program known as Medicare Part D. This study provides information on the ongoing successes and challenges that dual eligibles faced in the first eight months of Part D and how different state approaches may affect dual eligibles’ ability to…
This issue brief analyzes linked Medicare and Medicaid data to examine dual eligibles' utilization and spending in both programs in 2007. As a group, dual eligibles are costly—with per capita Medicare and Medicaid spending over four times Medicare spending for other beneficiaries. However, a small share of dual eligibles account for most of the group's spending, and dual eligibles who are high cost to the Medicare program are generally not the same individuals who are…
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