Proposed Changes to Medicare in the “Path to Prosperity”: Overview and Key Questions April 14, 2011 Issue Brief This brief examines key Medicare provisions included in “The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise,” a long-term budget proposal released by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan on April 5, 2011, which outlines a strategy for reducing federal spending and reducing the national debt over time. The Medicare provisions are among…
Implications Of A Federal Block Grant Program For Medicaid April 1, 2011 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…
Mental Health Financing in the United States: A Primer April 1, 2011 Report This primer provides an overview of behavioral health care, reviews the sources of financing for such care, assesses the interaction between different payers, and highlights recent policy debates in mental health. It also discusses the role of Medicaid, currently the largest source of financing for behavioral health services in the…
Kaiser/CSIS Forum with South African Minister of Health March 29, 2011 Event This forum featuring the South African Minister of Health, The Hon. Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, examines the South African government’s efforts to more effectively manage the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as other systems-wide management and financing reforms underway to achieve greater affordability, improved efficiency and better health outcomes. The forum was…
Briefing – Medicare: A Primer March 11, 2011 Event This briefing provided an overview of the Medicare program and its role in the health care system. Panelists discussed who is eligible for Medicare, what benefits are covered and how the program is administered. Medicare financing and the program’s role in health reform was also explained. More information on Medicare…
Medicaid: A Primer on the Federal-State Partnership March 4, 2011 Event This briefing provided an overview of the Medicaid program and its role in the health care system. Panelists discussed who is eligible for Medicaid, what benefits are covered, how the program is administered. Medicaid financing and the program’s role in health reform was also explained. More information on Medicaid from…
Determining Income for Adults Applying for Medicaid and Exchange Coverage Subsidies: How Income Measured With a Prior Tax Return Compares to Current Income at Enrollment March 1, 2011 Issue Brief A major goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to significantly expand coverage and reduce the number of uninsured. Beginning in 2014, the ACA will establish a new continuum of coverage that will provide assistance to individuals with incomes up to 400% of poverty through a…
Medicaid Spending Growth over the Last Decade and the Great Recession, 2000-2009 February 1, 2011 Report This report examines Medicaid spending growth nationally during the last decade, with a focus on growth during the recession of 2007 to 2009. The recession-driven enrollment growth in recent years drove program spending to increase faster than national health spending overall, but on a per enrollee basis the growth in…
State Budgets Under Federal Health Reform: The Extent and Causes of Variations in Estimated Impacts February 1, 2011 Issue Brief This analysis examines the potential costs and savings that the health reform law may generate for state budgets, a topic of great interest at a time when states continue to struggle with tight budgets in the wake of the recession. The analysis seeks to explain why recent state estimates of…
A Primer on Medicare Financing January 31, 2011 Issue Brief As Congress and the Administration increasingly focus on the nation’s budget deficit, many policy experts and several bipartisan deficit reduction panels have proposed significant changes to Medicare to reduce federal spending and address rising health care costs. This primer provides an overview of Medicare spending trends, how the program is…