Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans: Key Changes in the Health Reform Law and 2010 Enrollment Data August 30, 2010 Issue Brief NEW: Foundation brief looks at implications of 2011 quality ratings for Medicare Advantage plans. This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief examines the key changes in this year’s health reform law that will reward bonuses to private Medicare Advantage plans based on quality rating. Medicare currently rates plans on a five-star…
Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Plan Enrollment Patterns and Trends June 1, 2010 Issue Brief This data spotlight examines at enrollment trends in Medicare Advantage plans, including Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans. These plans are paid by the government to provide Medicare-covered benefits to those who choose to enroll in them.As of March 2010, a record 11.1…
Tracking Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Report—May 2010 May 2, 2010 Report This brief presents current monthly data on Medicare Advantage plan participation, enrollment and penetration. It also summarizes recent activities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), participating health plans, and the research community pertaining to the Medicare Advantage program and prescription drug plans that began serving the Medicare…
Summary of Key Changes to Medicare in 2010 Health Reform Law April 29, 2010 Issue Brief Summary of Key Changes to Medicare in 2010 Health Reform Law . This brief provides a detailed look at the improvements in Medicare benefits, changes to payments for providers and Medicare Advantage plans, various demonstration projects and other Medicare provisions in the law. It includes a timeline of key dates for implementing the Medicare-related provisions in the law.
Explaining Health Reform: Medicare and the New Independent Payment Advisory Board April 29, 2010 Issue Brief This brief describes how the new board created under the 2010 health reform law is expected to limit the growth in Medicare spending over time. Starting in 2014, if projected per capita Medicare spending exceeds targets set in the law, the board must recommend ways to reduce Medicare spending, while…
Explaining Health Reform: Key Changes in the Medicare Advantage Program April 29, 2010 Issue Brief This brief examines the changes in the 2010 health reform law affecting the Medicare Advantage program, which gives beneficiaries the option of enrolling in private insurance plans for their Medicare benefits, instead of the traditional fee-for-service program. The reform law will gradually reduce Medicare payments to these plans to bring…
Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlights January 30, 2010 Report Now Available: 2011 Medicare Advantage Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued a series of data spotlight looking at the 2010 Medicare Advantage plan options and trends around the Medicare Advantage plan. These spotlights were prepared by a team of researchers at Mathematica Policy Research Inc.…
Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Benefits and Cost-Sharing January 30, 2010 Issue Brief This data spotlight examines trends in benefits and cost-sharing for Medicare Advantage plans in 2010, including the wide variations found across plans and the rapid increase in cost sharing requirements for some benefits, including stays in skilled nursing facilities. It also examines the annual limits on out-of-pocket spending set by…
Low-Income Assistance Under the Medicare Drug Benefit December 12, 2009 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides an overview of the Medicare drug benefit and the additional subsidies available to certain eligible low-income beneficiaries. Fact Sheet – December 2009 (.pdf)
What’s in the Stars? Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, 2010 November 29, 2009 Issue Brief NEW: Foundation brief looks at implications of 2011 quality ratings for Medicare Advantage plans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rates the relative quality of the private plans that are offered to Medicare beneficiaries through the Medicare Advantage program as a way of aiding beneficiaries who are considering…