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This issue brief describes Medicare drug benefit policy issues for residents of nursing homes and other long-term care settings, such as assisted living facilities and board and care facilities. The brief addresses differing rules for nursing home and non-nursing home settings, as well as for dual eligibles residing in long-term care facilities. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2005 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits The 2005 Kaiser/Hewitt survey of large businesses that provide retiree health benefits to their workers assesses their responses to the new Medicare drug benefit in 2006, their plans for the future, and the way these changes affect retirees. It also looks at the rising costs and changing benefits of retiree health coverage overall in 2005. News Release Report Chartpack Materials from the December 7, 2005…
Seniors are confused about the Medicare prescription drug law. Selected findings from the January/February 2004 Kaiser Health Poll Report survey show that while about two-thirds of seniors report following the debate closely, just 15% say they understand the new prescription drug law very well and seven in 10 don’t know that it passed and was signed into law. Survey Toplines Chartpack News Release Statement by Drew Altman, President and CEO, Kaiser Family Foundation on the…
The New Medicare Rx Benefit: Challenges for Maintaining Access to Prescription Drugs With the launch of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit less than 18 months away, and growing interest in beneficiaries’ access to medications in the future, the Kaiser Family Foundation is pleased to release two new publications that examine issues concerning access to medications raised by the implementation of the new Part D Medicare prescription drug benefit. The New Medicare Drug…
These toplines provide the results of a 2006 national survey of physicians on their views and experiences related to the new Medicare drug benefit. Topline (.pdf)
This report examines the potential savings for employers who currently represent the largest source of drug coverage for seniors. The study finds substantial savings for large employers under comprehensive Medicare prescription drug proposals ranging from $5-8.5 billion in 2003 to $10-$15 billion in 2009. It also finds that the majority of large employers are likely to retain retiree coverage, as a supplement to a Medicare drug benefit. Report
As the U.S. Congress continues to search for an agreement on the form of a Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Commission has two new reports related to the debate. One new publication reports on findings from an October 26 discussion with state Medicaid officials on the implications of a Medicare drug benefit for states and dual eligibles. The other report provides state-level estimates on spending on dual eligibles and illustrates the effects of scenarios where…
New NPR/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School of Government Survey on Health Care A new survey by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government finds that many Americans have real problems when it comes to accessing and paying for health care, and even if they haven't yet faced a problem, many worry about getting and paying for care in the future. The survey also shows that, while people think helping seniors…
This study examines Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and spending among beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in 10 states by analyzing 1995 enrollment and claims data from a new 12-state database. The study finds that dual-eligibles are relatively high users of the Medicaid pharmacy benefit, with substantial variation in both drug use and spending among this population across the 10 study states. This variation appears to persist independent of beneficiaries' health status and is…
This chartpack presents a brief overview of the state of prescription drug coverage among the Medicare population. It reviews the impact of lack of coverage on beneficiaries' access to prescription drugs, as well as current levels of total and out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs. Chart Pack
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