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As Republican policymakers consider how to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), they are likely to face a number of decisions about whether to retain any of the law’s changes to Medicare. Repealing the ACA has potential implications for Medicare spending, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation brief.
For the first time, 1 in every 3 people with Medicare is enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the private Medicare plans that have played an increasingly large role in the Medicare program over the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
This Data Spotlight reviews national and state-level enrollment trends as of March 2017 and examines variation in enrollment by plan type and firm. It analyzes the most recent data on premiums, out-of-pocket limits, Part D cost-sharing for drugs, and plans’ quality ratings for Medicare Advantage enrollees.
A small share of Medicare Advantage enrollees switch plans each year, but those who do tend to pick plans with lower premiums and out-of-pocket limits than the plans they left behind, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
People 65 and older, who have been hardest hit by COVID-19 in terms of hospitalizations and deaths, are also at high risk of severe flu illness and are more likely to die of the flu than younger people. This analysis explores variation in the rate of flu vaccination among adults ages 65 and older covered by Medicare, and reasons cited for not getting vaccinated, based on data from the 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.
Our analysis of CMS data shows that in 135 counties – accounting for 6 million Medicare beneficiaries – more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage or cost plans.
Medicare does not cover routine dental care and the majority of Medicare beneficiaries do not have dental coverage. Some beneficiaries have dental coverage through other sources, including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and private plans, but almost half of all beneficiaries have not been to the dentist in the past year and many older adults face high out-of-pocket costs for needed dental care. The brief reviews the state of oral health for people on Medicare, describing the consequences of foregoing dental care, current sources of dental insurance, use of dental services, and beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending.
Number of Coronavirus Cases, Distribution of $30B in CARES Act funding and Medicare Advantage Penetration by StateStateNumber ofCOVID-19 Cases on April 21, 2020Percent of Total COVID-19 CasesFirst Distribution of CARES Act PaymentsPercent of Total Money DistributedPercent of Medicare Beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage, 2020New York253,400.0032.1%$1,859,574,4346.2%40%New Jersey88,806.0011.3%$919,426,8013.1%29%Massachusetts39,643.005.0%$841,425,1202.8%23%Pennsylvania34,005.004.3%$1,246,250,0764.2%41%California33,866.004.3%$2,920,960,7339.7%40%Michigan32,000.004.1%$936,700,1393.1%42%Illinois31,508.004.0%$1,204,103,1804.0%25%Florida27,058.003.4%$2,220,563,1377.4%43%Louisiana24,523.003.1%$474,891,7351.6%38%Connecticut19,815.002.5%$377,981,2571.3%41%Texas20,087.002.5%$2,089,066,4527.0%37%Georgia19,398.002.5%$792,069,1602.6%37%Maryland14,193.001.8%$742,225,3062.5%11%Ohio12,919.001.6%$989,773,4173.3%39%Washington12,486.001.6%$553,838,8061.8%33%Indiana11,688.001.5%$668,604,6142.2%32%Colorado10,112.001.3%$360,905,4821.2%38%Virginia9,097.001.2%$814,360,4672.7%21%Tennessee7,238.000.9%$739,723,3472.5%38%North Carolina6,979.000.9%$919,171,0873.1%36%Missouri5,963.000.8%$618,601,1672.1%35%Rhode Island5,090.000.6%$90,459,8340.3%39%Arizona5,068.000.6%$707,587,4822.4%39%Alabama5,092.000.6%$449,481,9451.5%41%Mississippi4,512.000.6%$374,847,7901.2%20%Wisconsin4,541.000.6%$471,681,0771.6%42%South Carolina4,439.000.6%$518,022,4631.7%28%Nevada3,830.000.5%$241,471,8410.8%36%Utah3,213.000.4%$185,292,4220.6%36%Iowa3,159.000.4%$297,929,1711.0%22%Kentucky3,050.000.4%$452,761,1711.5%34%District of Columbia3,098.000.4%$84,989,0990.3%20%Delaware2,745.000.3%$154,114,1180.5%17%Oklahoma2,680.000.3%$489,853,9981.6%22%Minnesota2,470.000.3%$472,206,1221.6%43%Kansas2,070.000.3%$325,135,9501.1%19%Oregon1,956.000.2%$291,029,0251.0%42%Arkansas1,990.000.3%$326,536,0431.1%26%New Mexico1,971.000.2%$169,486,1320.6%35%South Dakota1,685.000.2%$107,650,2010.4%19%Idaho1,736.000.2%$135,028,0560.5%33%Nebraska1,648.000.2%$225,027,9120.8%17%New Hampshire1,447.000.2%$164,580,3860.5%19%Puerto Rico1,298.000.2%$41,889,8220.1%70%West Virginia908.000.1%$246,574,8510.8%31%Maine875.000.1%$145,763,8120.5%36%Vermont816.000.1%$54,457,8700.
Medicare does not cover routine dental care and about half of Medicare beneficiaries do not have dental coverage. This brief examines five potential ways to make oral health care more available and affordable for the Medicare population. This brief reviews the limits of dental coverage permitted under current Medicare law, then describes each of the policy options, with an analysis of likely implications for key stakeholders, including Medicare beneficiaries, taxpayers, insurers, and dental professionals
Twenty-nine percent of new beneficiaries chose to enroll in Medicare Advantage during their first year in Medicare in 2016, finds a new KFF analysis.
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