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This brief provides some background on federal Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) allotments, how DSH payments are affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the methodology for the DSH reductions across states for FY 2014 and FY 2015 and a look at the implications of the reductions.
This brief profiles four states that were the first to receive federal approval to take up a state option under the Affordable Care Act to implement health homes for Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic conditions. Almost half of the 9 million people who qualify for Medicaid on the basis of disability suffer from mental illness and 45 percent have three or more diagnosed chronic conditions. Health homes provide an important tool for states trying to manage…
This analysis of the House Budget Plan that was passed in 2012 finds that repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and converting Medicaid to a block grant would trigger significant decreases in federal Medicaid spending and could result in substantial reductions in enrollment and payments to providers compared to current projections. The analysis, conducted by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, updates a similar study from May…
This report, based on discussions with leading state Medicaid directors in May 2010, examines how Medicaid agencies are preparing for a lead role in implementing health reform while continuing to deal with the impact of the recession. The report augments the most recent annual Medicaid budget survey report, released in September 2009, and a mid-year update report released in February 2010. NOTE: Updated report on fiscal years 2010 and 2011 now available. Report (.pdf)
This brief explores key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for people with HIV, and the opportunities and challenges for using the law to improve HIV care, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's 2012 ruling on the law.
Data Spotlights Examine Financial Burden of Health Care on Medicare Beneficiaries With renewed attention to the nation’s long-term budget deficit and the national debt, proposed changes to Medicare and other federal entitlement programs could significantly affect health coverage and spending for millions of older and disabled Americans. These three data spotlights from the Kaiser Family Foundation provide new information on out-of-pocket health care spending among the nation’s 48 million Medicare beneficiaries, as well as income…
Since its enactment in 1965, the Medicaid program has used the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to determine the federal government's share of the cost of covered services in state Medicaid programs. On average, the federal share has been 57 percent. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes highly enhanced FMAPs for the cost of services to low-income adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who are not…
As the Senate debates comprehensive health reform legislation, the idea of a Medicare buy-in option for uninsured adults aged 55-64 has re-emerged as a potential component of a reform plan. This Kaiser Family Foundation policy brief provides an updated profile of the more than 4 million uninsured people between ages 55 and 64 and examines historical proposals to allow uninsured older adults to purchase Medicare coverage. It also examines barriers to securing affordable coverage in…
This report, based on structured discussions in November and December 2010 with leading Medicaid directors, augments the findings from the most recent comprehensive 50-state Medicaid budget survey to provide a mid-year 2011 update on state Medicaid issues. As they prepare their fiscal 2012 budgets, many states, some under new gubernatorial and legislative leadership, continue to cope with lingering effects of the worst recession in decades and are facing budget shortfalls, with revenues remaining below pre-recession…
This analysis, performed by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, shows that the expansion of Medicaid under the health reform law will significantly increase the number of people covered by the program and reduce the uninsured in states across the country, with the federal government picking up the vast majority of the cost. The analysis is among the first to show for all 50 states and the District of…
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