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  • NPR/Kaiser/Harvard Survey – Children’s OTC Cold Medicines: The Public, and Parents, Weigh In: Summary and Chartpack

    Poll Finding

    This summary and chartpack provides an overview of the results of a November 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health on the public’s views of over-the-counter children’s cold and cough medications in the wake of recent concerns regarding their safety and effectiveness. A nationally representative sample of 1,522 adults, including an oversample of parents with young children, participated in telephone interviews from Nov. 15-25. The…

  • NPR/Kaiser/Harvard Survey — Children’s OTC Cold Medicines: The Public, and Parents, Weigh In

    Poll Finding

    This survey from NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health examines the public’s views of over-the-counter children’s cold and cough medications in the wake of recent concerns regarding their safety and effectiveness. The poll was conducted after an FDA advisory panel recommended that children under the age of six not be given these medicines. Reflecting the lack of formal consensus on the issue among government and outside experts, the survey…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Premiums

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight analyzes the premiums charged by the 1,824 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans that will be offered in markets across the country in 2008. The analysis finds premiums charged for Part D plans range widely, from $9.80 per month to $107.50 per month. The average monthly premium would increase from $27.39 in 2007 to $31.99 if enrollees remain in their current plans next year – a 17 percent increase. Nearly…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole,” in Medicare drug plans available in 2008. Part D enrollees (other than those receiving low-income subsidies) will reach the coverage gap after they incur $2,510 in total drug costs in 2008. At that point, enrollees are required to pay 100 percent of drug costs until they qualify for catastrophic coverage. The analysis finds that in 2008, more than a quarter of stand-alone…

  • Overview of Medicare Part D Organizations, Plans and Benefits By Enrollment in 2006 and 2007

    Report

    This chartpack provides detailed information about Medicare beneficiaries’ enrollment in the many private drug plans available to them in 2007. The charts demonstrate that a relatively small number of companies which captured the most enrollees in 2006, the new benefit’s first year, continued to lead in market share in the current year. In addition, most enrollees in 2007 are in plans without gap coverage – with about 11.8 million people potentially at risk for reaching…

  • Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Progress Report: Findings From A 2006 National Survey of Seniors

    Event Date:
    Event

    The share of seniors without drug coverage dropped significantly under Medicare’s new drug benefit, according to this August 2007 Health Affairs Web Exclusive article based on a Kaiser Family Foundation, Commonwealth Fund and Tufts-New England Medical Center survey of more than 16,000 seniors. Seniors with drug coverage from any source were less likely to face high monthly drug costs or to skip prescribed medications due to cost than seniors who remained without drug coverage. However,…

  • The Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs in Serving Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Following the Implementation of Medicare Part D

    Issue Brief

    The Role of State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs in Serving Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Following the Implementation of Medicare Part D Prior to January 1, 2006, State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs helped to fill a critical gap in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries without prescription drug coverage, targeting resources to beneficiaries with relatively low incomes. With the inception of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the role of SPAPs began to change. This policy brief examines the role of state…

  • Prescription Drug Sources Among Medicare Beneficiaries

    Report

    Note: Estimates are rounded to the nearest whole number, therefore do not sum to total. (1) Includes Veterans Administration, Indian Health Service, employer plans without retiree subsidies, employer plans for active workers, and state pharmaceutical assistance programs. (2) Includes employer/union, FEHB, and TRICARE coverage. (3) Approximately 0.5 million dual eligibles are enrolled in Medicare Advantage drug plans and are reported in this category. Source: HHS, January 30, 2007. Data as of January 16, 2007.

  • Snapshots: How Changes in Medical Technology Affect Health Care Costs

    Issue Brief

    Health expenditures continue to grow very rapidly in the U.S.  Since 1970, health care spending has grown at an average annual rate of 9.8%, or about 2.5 percentage points faster than the economy as measured by the nominal gross domestic product (GDP).  Annual spending on health care increased from $75 billion in 1970 to $2.0 trillion in 2005, and is estimated to reach $4 trillion in 2015.  As a share of the economy, health care…