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This brief highlights trends in the Medicare Advantage marketplace, including the choices available to Medicare beneficiaries in 2012, premium levels and other plan characteristics. The brief was authored by researchers at Mathematica Policy Research and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Data Spotlight (.pdf)
This report looks at the star ratings that have been used for many years to help consumers compare plans, and examines how Medicare Advantage quality scores will interact with plan payments, beginning in 2012. To encourage Medicare Advantage plans to provide quality care, the 2010 health reform law authorized Medicare to pay plans bonuses beginning in 2012 if they receive four or five stars on the program’s five-star quality rating system, or are unrated. Building…
This data spotlight examines the growth in private Medicare Advantage plan enrollment in 2012, with a record 13 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled as of March, representing 27 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries. Enrollment jumped by more than 1 million enrollees from the previous year and increased in every state except Alaska and New Hampshire. Medicare Advantage plan enrollees generally must pay Medicare's standard Part B premium, but more than half do not pay any additional…
Special Needs Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage plan authorized to provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs, including Medicare beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, beneficiaries living in nursing homes or other institutions, and beneficiaries with severe chronic or disabling conditions. This data spotlight examines availability and enrollment trends for Special Needs Plans, which account for a small share of enrollment today but…
The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006 As Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to climb, this report prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation compares the value of extra benefits provided by private fee-for-service and other types of Medicare Advantage plans. As of January 2008, 8.8 million people with Medicare were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, an increase of 63% since 2005. Some say the recent growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment…
Papers on Issues For People With Medicare Raised By Proposed Drug Benefit Regulations The Kaiser Family Foundation has commissioned a series of papers to explore key issues that may be of concern for Medicare beneficiaries as the new Medicare drug benefit is implemented. These papers focus on specific areas of potential concern for people with Medicare. In addition, the Foundation also has produced a timeline of upcoming important dates leading up to the implementation of…
In August 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a proposed rule to implement the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Title I of the Medicare Modernization Act). Given the high level of interest in the proposed rules for implementing the Medicare drug benefit, the Kaiser Family Foundation commissioned Health Policy Alternatives, Inc. to prepare this summary of the proposed regulations. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act is a top priority of the Trump Administration and the Republican leadership, which could have implications for the Medicare program. This brief provides a side-by-side comparison of the Medicare-related provisions in six bills and proposals that would repeal the ACA, excluding proposals that would not directly affect Medicare.
The Medicare open enrollment period allows enrollees to compare plans, stick with their current plan, switch to another plan, or shift to traditional Medicare. This analysis examines the extent to which Medicare Advantage enrollees change plans when given the opportunity. It also analyzes the variation in the rate of plan switching by enrollee and plan characteristics and whether people who voluntarily switch plans tend to move to plans with lower premiums, lower out-of-pocket limits, or…
The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included many provisions affecting the Medicare program and the 57 million seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health insurance coverage. This brief explains the Medicare provisions in the ACA and explores the implications for Medicare and beneficiaries of repealing these provisions.
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