Kaiser Family Foundation Resources on Deficit-Reduction Debate
These Foundation resources shed light on how the ongoing national debate about deficit reduction may affect Medicare, Medicaid and other health-care programs.
View the Latest: Medicare's Future
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Restructuring Medicare’s Benefit Design: Implications for Beneficiaries and Spending
ReportSeveral deficit-reduction plans have proposed combining Medicare's separate deductibles for hospital and physician services, standardizing cost sharing across types of benefits, and establishing a new limit on annual out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries.
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The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare Premium Support Proposals
Issue BriefIn April 2011, as part of its 2012 budget resolution, the U.S. House included a proposal to reduce Medicare spending by transforming the program into a system sometimes called "premium support" or vouchers.
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Wide Disparities in the Income and Assets of People on Medicare by Race and Ethnicity: Now and in the Future
ReportThis report examines the income, savings, and home equity of current and future Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on racial/ethnic disparities. The report finds that these differences in the financial well-being of white, black and Hispanic beneficiaries persist across age, education level, marital status, and other demographic factors.
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Transforming Medicare into a Premium Support System: Implications for Beneficiary Premiums
ReportThis study illustrates why geography would matter for Medicare beneficiaries under a premium support system that relies on a competitive bidding process envisioned under several key Medicare reform proposals.
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Raising Medicare’s Age of Eligibility to 67 Would Achieve Significant Savings, But Shift Costs To 65- and 66-Year-Olds, Other Individuals, Employers and Medicaid, New Analysis Shows
News ReleaseStudy Estimates Two in Three People Ages 65 and 66 Would Pay $2,200 More On Average For Health Care in 2014 Than They Would If They Remained in Medicare MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Raising Medicare’s eligibility age from 65 to 67 in 2014 would generate an estimated $5.
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Key Issues in Understanding the Economic and Health Security of Current and Future Generations of Seniors
Issue BriefAs part of broad deficit-reduction plans, policymakers are considering reforms to the nation's three major entitlement programs - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - that could significantly affect the economic security of seniors in their retirement years.
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Raising Medicare Premiums for Higher-Income Beneficiaries: Assessing the Implications
Issue BriefAs policymakers consider ways to slow the growth in Medicare spending as part of broader efforts to reduce the federal debt or offset the cost of other spending priorities, some have proposed to increase beneficiary contributions through higher Medicare premiums. This issue brief explains provisions of current law that impose income-related premiums under Medicare Part B and Part D, describes recent proposals to modify these requirements, and analyzes the potential implications for the Medicare population.
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Proposed Changes to Medicare in the “Path to Prosperity”: Overview and Key Questions
Issue BriefThis brief examines key Medicare provisions included in "The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise," a long-term budget proposal released by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan on April 5, 2011, which outlines a strategy for reducing federal spending and reducing the national debt over time.
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Medigap Reforms: Potential Effects of Benefit Restrictions on Medicare Spending and Beneficiary Costs
ReportAs part of several debt-reduction and Medicare-reform proposals, some policymakers propose to prohibit Medicare supplemental insurance policies (known as Medigap) from covering all of enrollees' out-of-pocket Medicare costs, which some believe leads to higher use of services and higher Medicare spending.