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KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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This report presents findings from an analysis of the Medicare Part D marketplace in 2014 and changes in features of the drug benefit offered by Part D plans since 2006. It examines the latest information and trends related to Part D enrollment and plan availability, premiums, benefit design and cost sharing, pharmacy networks, the Low-Income Subsidy Program, and plan performance ratings.
The Southeast region of the U.S. is particularly vulnerable to severe tropical storms due to climate change, and its persistently high poverty rates inhibit residents’ ability to prepare for and recover from storms. Many of the states in the Southeast have not implemented the ACA Medicaid expansion, leaving lower income residents with more limited access to health care, which may lead to challenges addressing their health needs.
Disparities in health and health care for people of color and underserved groups are longstanding challenges. This brief provides an introduction to what health and health care disparities are, why it is important to address disparities, the status of disparities today, recent federal actions to address disparities, and key issues related to addressing disparities looking ahead.
Medicaid is the nation’s main public health insurance program for people with low incomes, and it is the single largest source of health coverage in the U.S., covering nearly 70 million Americans. Medicaid also finances 16% of total personal health spending in the nation. States design and administer their own Medicaid programs within federal requirements, and states and the federal government finance the program jointly. As a major payer, Medicaid is a core source of financing for safety-net hospitals and health centers that serve low-income communities, including many of the uninsured. It is also the main source of coverage and financing for both nursing home and community-based long-term care.
This report profiles the uninsured in Texas, their access to care and coverage, and how the ACA could impact them. It compares the circumstances that the uninsured in Texas encounter to those that the insured encounter. This report relies upon the Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA.
Affording health care ranks at the top of Texans’ financial concerns, with more than half (55%) saying it is difficult for them and their families to afford health care, including a quarter (25%) who say it is “very difficult,” finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation poll of Texas residents.
The Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation Harvey Anniversary Survey examines the views, experiences, and long-term recovery needs of vulnerable Gulf Coast Texans who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. This survey – a follow-up to a survey conducted by the partners 3 months after the storm – measures residents’ challenges with housing, financial assistance, health care, and mental health, as well as views on priorities and preparedness moving forward. It finds many challenges are especially salient for affected residents who are Black, Hispanic, or have lower incomes, as well as those who experienced major home damage or remain displaced from their homes.
To understand the needs and circumstances of vulnerable Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation partnered to conduct a survey of adults in 24 coastal Texas counties hard-hit by the storm, along with 5 focus groups in Houston and Beaumont. The survey finds residents’ top needs in recovering from the disaster focus on housing and financial issues, while some also struggle with access to health care and mental health issues resulting from the storm. Black and Hispanic residents and those with lower incomes are more likely to report being affected by Harvey-related property damage and employment issues. The survey also probes residents’ views on the local, state, and federal governments’ response to the storm, as well as the priorities they see for the rebuilding moving forward.
Using findings from the 2014 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA, this report focuses on the low- and middle-income newly insured in 2014, comparing them to the previously insured and they uninsured. It examines the compositions of these groups, as well as their access to care, financial security, and opinions on their coverage.
Medicaid Eligibility for Families and Children September 1998 Measured by enrollment, Medicaid is the largest health insurer in the country. According to the Urban Institute's estimates, Medicaid covered 41.3 million Americans in 1996; Medicare, in comparison, covered 38 million.
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