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  • Implications Of A Federal Block Grant Program For Medicaid

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines the broad implications of converting Medicaid to block grant financing, one of several ideas that have been put forth to help reduce the federal deficit. The paper, which does not analyze any specific proposal, notes that switching to block grant financing would fundamentally alter the Medicaid program and could have significant implications for states, localities, beneficiaries and health care providers. Issue Brief (.pdf) Related Resources: Prior Analyses of Block Grant Proposals…

  • Medicaid Spending Growth and the Great Recession, 2007-2009

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet examines how the recent recession drove up Medicaid enrollment as millions of Americans lost jobs and income, and how that increase in enrollment has been the primary cause of the increase in overall Medicaid spending. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Kaiser Family Foundation Resources on Deficit-Reduction Debate

    Report

    These Foundation resources shed light on how the ongoing national debate about deficit reduction may affect Medicare, Medicaid and other health-care programs. These resources include analysis of specific savings proposals, polling on the public’s views of deficit-reduction options, summaries and comparisons of relevant elements of major deficit-reduction plans, and explanatory briefs and backgrounders describing key issues related to the debate. Drew Altman: The News Media and Entitlement Reform   Medicare-Specific Analysis Policy Options to Sustain…

  • Prescription Drug Procurement and the Federal Budget

    Issue Brief

    This brief commissioned by the Foundation considers areas where Medicare faces limited opportunity for market-based competition and price negotiation to drive down drug spending. These areas include drug purchasing for low-income people enrolled in Part D plans who face minimal cost-sharing requirements, and purchasing certain unique drugs, such as biologicals, that have no therapeutic alternatives or competitors. Authored by Richard G. Frank of Harvard University, the brief discusses policy options that could lower Medicare spending…

  • The Independent Payment Advisory Board: A New Approach to Controlling Medicare Spending

    Issue Brief

    In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act authorized the creation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to help control the growth in Medicare costs. Beginning in 2014, IPAB will issue recommendations to lower Medicare costs in the event that spending exceeds targets established in the health care reform law. This brief explains how the Independent Payment Advisory Board will be structured, the process and timelines for IPAB to make recommendations to achieve…

  • Medicaid and the Budget Control Act: What Options Will Be Considered?

    Issue Brief

    On August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law. The Act was designed to reduce federal spending and raise the debt ceiling. It established the Joint Select Committee, also known as the “Super Committee,” tasked with decreasing projected deficits by $1.5 trillion between FY2012 and FY2021. The Committee has broad authority to propose changes to meet its target, including changes to Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, defense, taxes, and any…

  • Total Medicaid Spending and Enrollment Growth Slowed Significantly in FY 2012 Amid Signs of Economic Recovery and States’ Efforts To Curb Costs

    News Release

    Washington, D.C. - Growth in total Medicaid spending and enrollment slowed substantially in state fiscal year 2012 as the economy began to improve and states continued to work to control costs. Relatively slow spending and enrollment growth are expected to continue in FY 2013, according to the 12th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, conducted with Health Management Associates. Total Medicaid spending increased 2 percent…

  • Resources Examine Recession-Driven Record Medicaid Enrollment and Assess Medicaid Spending Growth

    Fact Sheet

    Three papers from the Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examine Medicaid enrollment and spending during the recent recession. The analyses show Medicaid enrollment rose above 50 million people nationally for the first time in 2010, reflecting the program’s counter-cyclical role of helping people who become uninsured when the economy falters, with many turning to Medicaid after losing jobs and employer-based health insurance. Without access to Medicaid coverage, millions more people who suffered economic…

  • PEPFAR’s Short-Term Reauthorization Sets an Uncertain Course for Its Long-Term Future

    Policy Watch

    With the new omnibus bill, PEPFAR has been reauthorized until March 25, 2025, without the inclusion of any controversial provisions or changes related to abortion, sought by some. Still, while this latest step provides the program with some short-term certainty, including signaling bipartisan support (albeit limited), it marks a significant departure from PEPFAR’s past.