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This issue paper describes the origins of the clawback, the formula by which each state’s clawback amount is calculated, and the clawback’s implications for states and for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. Issue Paper (.pdf)
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a focus group of state Medicaid officials in November 2005 to discuss the impact of the new Medicare drug program on states and Medicaid enrollees. State insights on the transition of dual eligibles and some beneficiary experiences are discussed in new material and an audio briefing. Podcast: December 19, 2005 Conference Call Briefing (Downloadable Audio File) Presentations from the December 19, 2005 Conference Call Briefing (.pdf)…
Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey – Selected Findings on Seniors' Views of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit This February 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that 45% of seniors say they have enrolled or plan to enroll in a drug plan, 29% say they do not intend to enroll in a drug plan and another 23% say they are uncertain. The majority of those who do not plan to enroll say they have another…
These two issue briefs describe the different types of private plan options available to people on Medicare, identify key characteristics of the organizations offering the new Medicare drug benefit, and analyze how companies are positioning themselves to attract Medicare enrollees. The Growth of Private Plans in Medicare, 2006 The Landscape of Private Firms Offering Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage in 2006
As the marketing period for 2009 Medicare plans nears, the Kaiser Family Foundation Kaiser Family Foundation issued a report analyzing the content and frequency of television, print and radio advertisement for private Medicare plans that ran nationally or in one of three local media markets (Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Greensboro, N.C) during the marketing and enrollment period for 2008 plan offerings. The study finds that insurers last year placed three times more advertisements…
The New Medicare Drug Benefit: Potential Effects of Pharmacy Management Tools on Access to Medications This report describes the pharmacy benefit management tools that will be available to private plans administering the new Medicare drug benefit, including formularies, the definition of categories and classes, and cost sharing requirements. The authors conclude that substantial flexibility given to plans to design management tools could have significant implications for beneficiaries’ access to needed medications and out-of-pocket spending. Issue…
This paper, by Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Director of the Center for Health Services Research and Policy at George Washington University, examines the procedures for resolving beneficiaries' grievances and appeals under the new Medicare drug benefit. It is one in a series commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation that analyzes issues surrounding the implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) and the proposed regulations. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Chartpack: Selected Findings on Seniors' Views of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit These charts highlight key data from the February 2006 tracking poll on seniors' views toward the new Medicare drug benefit. Chartpack (.pdf)
Chartpack: Seniors' Early Experiences with the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit These charts highlight key data from the April 2006 tracking poll on seniors' early experiences with the new Medicare drug benefit. Chartpack (.pdf)
Premiums and Cost-Sharing Features in Medicare's New Prescription Drug Program, 2006 When Congress created the Medicare drug benefit in 2003, it also sought to generate more private plan options for senior and disabled beneficiaries in Medicare, with increased payments to attract sponsors and to support added benefits attractive to enrollees, especially in rural and other areas that previously had few such plans. The effects of these changes and additional payments are particularly visible this year,…
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