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In 2019, median savings among adults ages 65 and older were substantially lower for Black and Hispanic than White seniors. Approximately 1 in 4 Black and Hispanic seniors had no savings at all. Learn more in this Chart of the Week.
Many states that shared budget projections in response to a new KFF survey of state Medicaid officials report that they expect to see Medicaid budget shortfalls due to rising Medicaid spending and enrollment as people lose jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic and more people enroll in the government health insurance program for low-income people. KFF conducted the rapid survey of Medicaid directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with Health Management Associates…
The coronavirus pandemic has generated both a public health crisis and an economic crisis, with major implications for Medicaid, a countercyclical program. During economic downturns, more people enroll in Medicaid, increasing program spending at the same time state tax revenues may be falling. To help support states as enrollment in Medicaid grows and ensure existing enrollees maintain continuous coverage, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) authorized a 6.2 percentage point increase in the federal…
This brief analyzes the distribution of $50 billion in CARES Act funding for providers and shows that the distribution formula selected by the Department of Health and Human Services favored hospitals with a relatively high share of revenue from private insurance. Hospitals that see a smaller share of patients with private insurance and instead see more patients with Medicare or Medicaid received less funding per hospital bed.
Recent federal legislation, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, amended by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, authorizes a 6.2 percentage point increase in federal Medicaid matching funds to help states respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue brief answers key questions about the new federal funds, drawing on two sets of frequently asked questions about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CARES Act issued by the Centers for Medicare and…
The White House released its FY 2021 budget request to Congress on February 10, 2020, which includes significant cuts to global health programs compared to the FY 2020 enacted levels. In addition, in some cases, these cuts are steeper than those proposed by the Administration in last year’s request. The FY 2021 budget request includes funding for U.S. global health programs at the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for…
On January 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance inviting states to apply for new Section 1115 demonstrations known as the “Healthy Adult Opportunity” (HAO). These demonstrations would permit states “extensive flexibility” to use Medicaid funds to cover Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion adults and other nonelderly adults covered at state option who do not qualify on the basis of disability, without being bound by many federal standards related to…
On November 18, 2019, the Trump Administration released a proposed rule called the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR). This brief provides some context on Medicaid financing, an overview of current state payment and financing rules, the provisions in the rule and potential implications for considerations.
The FY 2020 appropriations conference agreement, released by Congress on December 16, 2019 and passed by both the House (12/17) and the Senate (12/19), includes funding for U.S. global health programs at the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The agreement still needs to be signed by the President. Key highlights are as follows (see table for…
Medicaid is a large source of spending in both state and federal budgets, making program integrity efforts important to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse and ensure appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. This brief explains what program integrity is, recent efforts at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to address program integrity, and current and emerging issues.
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