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The Kaiser Family Foundation helped conduct a national survey of over 1,000 informal caregivers in 1998 to assess the policy issues involved with this new, growing role for many family members and friends. Nearly one of every four adults (23 percent) is an informal caregiver, and, as the American population ages, it is likely families will take on an even greater responsibility to keep their loved ones at home and in communities. The Foundation is…
The Medicare Chartbook includes data and background information critical to understanding the Medicare program and the challenges it faces in keeping up with the rising costs of health care and in ensuring the program s future financial security.
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Today, 22 million women one in five adult women rely on Medicare for basic health insurance protection. In fact, women comprise 57% of the Medicare population. Medicare helps to make health care more affordable for older women at a time in their lives when they are most likely to…
Women and Medicare: Making the Connection This briefing examines Medicare s role in meeting older women's health needs, the gaps in Medicare's benefits package for women, and the emerging debate over prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform.
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Because women have longer life expectancies than men, more than half (57%) of the people covered by the program are women. In 1999, there were 21 million women on Medicare 19 million ages 65 and over and another 2 million women under age 65 with disabilities who received Social…
A Comparison of Proposals This report presents basic, nonpartisan information to help readers compare the leading presidential candidates' proposals on health care issues, including health coverage for the uninsured, managed care and patients' rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors, and long-term care. Part of a joint effort of the League of Women Voters and the Kaiser Family Foundation to educate and engage the public on key health policy issues, this side-by-side comparison is…
This issue paper updates the July 1999 report and provides a general overview of federal Medicaid eligibility policy for the low-income disabled population. This paper focuses on four broad groups of individuals with disabilities: children under 18; adults under 65 who are not living in institutions; adults under 65 who are living in institutions; and adults under 65 who are also eligible for Medicare. In addition, this paper includes the new eligibility options offered under…
Developed as part of a nonpartisan public education initiative of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the League of Women Voters Education Fund, this guide provides basic facts about five key health policy topics candidates are discussing in the 2000 election. These topics include health coverage for the uninsured, managed care and patients' rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors, and long-term care. The guide frames each area and describes major proposals that…
Long-Term Care: Medicaid's Role and Challenges This Policy Brief examines Medicaid's role in providing long-term care services. It describes long-term care services, the population that needs these services, and how people get long-term care services. It provides an overview of health insurance coverage of persons with long-term care needs and describes both Medicare's and Medicaid's role in providing these services. It also examines some of the policy issues and challenges involved in providing long-term care…
This Background Paper presents information on the disabled population, as well as alternative definitions of disability and the resulting impact on population estimates of the disabled population. In addition, this paper presents a profile of non-elderly persons with disabilities, including work status and health insurance coverage, and concludes with a discussion of policy issues related to facilitating participation in the workforce for persons with disabilities and improving access to health insurance coverage. Background Paper (.pdf)
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