Financing

This video, about the role of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), profiles several ADAP clients who receive HIV/AIDS drugs through the program and others who are on a waiting list. It features interviews with state officials in South Carolina and Michigan, highlighting the importance of ADAP for people with…

One of the most interesting conversations on a health topic happened recently on The Daily Show between Bono and Jon Stewart. Bono told Stewart that we were “at the beginning of the end of the AIDS epidemic,” promising an announcement the next day that would explain how a combination of…

The joint federal-state financing of the Medicaid program works through a matching mechanism known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). This mechanism determines the federal and state shares of Medicaid costs based on a state’s per capita personal income relative to the national average. While the FMAP formula has…

A new Kaiser Family Foundation report finds that donor government funding for family planning declined in 2016 for the second year in a row, decreasing to US$1.19 billion compared to US$1.34 billion in 2015. While the declines over this two-year period were largely due to exchange rate fluctuations and the timing of donor disbursements which accounted for 78 percent of the overall decrease, there were actual cuts in funding from some donor countries which accounted for 22 percent. Among the 10 donors profiled in the report, four donors decreased funding, including the two largest donors (the U.S. and the U.K.); five increased funding; and one remained flat.

This Kaiser Family Foundation briefing examined how Medicare reform options now under consideration might work and their implications for beneficiaries and taxpayers. As context for understanding the potential effects of reforms, the briefing looked at the current and projected income and assets of people on Medicare, out-of pocket health care…

In April 2011, as part of its 2012 budget resolution, the U.S. House included a proposal to reduce Medicare spending by transforming the program into a system sometimes called “premium support” or vouchers. Such an approach also has been a central element of other proposals by national leaders seeking to…

New: Medicare Advantage Plan Star Ratings and Bonus Payments in 2012 In 2012, Medicare Advantage plans will be awarded additional payments based on their quality ratings as a result of the 2010 health reform law. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed a demonstration that would modify the…

In the debates around the health reform law and its implementation, little attention has been given to the law’s provisions supporting long-term care. This briefing offered an overview of these provisions, such as the CLASS Act, a new national, voluntary insurance program to help working adults finance services and supports…

This Part D Data Spotlight documents the wide variations across the private stand-alone drug plans with respect to coverage of drugs, what enrollees pay for those drugs, and restrictions and limitations placed on their use. These variations have potentially significant implications for beneficiaries’ access to medications and out-of-pocket costs. The…

This updated issue brief from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines key issues related to state financing and the expansion of the Medicaid program under the new health reform law. Issue Brief (.pdf)