Filter

31-40 of 56 results

  • Does Education Narrow the Gap in Wealth Among Older Adults, by Race and Ethnicity?

    Issue Brief

    This analysis of per capita income and assets among older adults in 2019 shows that differences in median per capita income among White, Black, and Hispanic adults ages 65 and older are narrower when comparing people with similar levels of education, although among college graduates, the gap in income continues to be wide between Hispanic and White seniors. The gaps in savings and home equity remain wide, and are particularly striking among seniors with less…

  • The Medicaid Medically Needy Program: Spending and Enrollment Update

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines Medicaid's medically needy program, which gives states the option to extend Medicaid eligibility to those with high medical expenses whose income exceeds the maximum threshold, but who would otherwise qualify. It provides updated enrollment and spending figures on the medically needy using data through federal fiscal year 2009, and explains how individuals become eligible for the program and key considerations for policy discussions. Brief (.pdf)

  • Living Close to the Edge: Financial Challenges and Tradeoffs for People on Medicare

    Report

    As Congress and other policymakers weigh potentially major changes to the Medicare program as part of the deficit-reduction debate, this Kaiser Family Foundation report highlights the role Medicare now plays in the lives of beneficiaries and the challenges many face in paying for their health care and other living expenses on a fixed budget. Based on detailed profiles of 16 Medicare families, the report examines beneficiaries' incomes, retirement savings and routine expenses, including health care…

  • Key Issues in Understanding the Economic and Health Security of Current and Future Generations of Seniors

    Issue Brief

    As part of broad deficit-reduction plans, policymakers are considering reforms to the nation's three major entitlement programs - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - that could significantly affect the economic security of seniors in their retirement years. This brief examines the role of these programs in ensuring seniors' financial security as well as the challenges facing current and future generations when it comes to economic and health security. Drawing from current research and data, the…

  • Testimony: Income Security and the Elderly: Securing Gains Made in the War on Poverty

    Issue Brief

    Senior Vice President Patricia Neuman testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging as part of its hearing entitled Income Security and the Elderly: Securing Gains Made in the War on Poverty. As part of her testimony, she presented segments from a Foundation-produced video that highlights what it means to be old and poor in our country.

  • Medicaid Financial Eligibility: Primary Pathways for the Elderly and People with Disabilities

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief details the various eligibility pathways by which individuals with disabilities and the elderly can qualify for Medicaid coverage. The program, which serves as a safety net for many of the nation’s poorest and sickest individuals, provides health coverage to nearly 60 million Americans, including 8.5 million with disabilities and 8.8 million low-income frail, elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries who rely on Medicaid to fill Medicare’s gaps.  Issue Brief (.pdf)