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KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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The New Medicare Prescription Drug Law: Issues for Enrolling Dual Eligibles into Drug Plans This report describes the characteristics of dual eligibles and then discussess four key elements of the transition of their drug coverage to Medicare. Issue Paper (.pdf)
This study assesses the impact of the requirement that low-income people with Medicare meet an asset test in order to receive additional help paying premiums and cost-sharing under the new Medicare drug benefit. Report (.pdf) American Journal of Managed Care Article: Who Will Be Denied Medicare Prescription Drug Subsidies Because of the Asset Test? (January 2006) (.pdf)
This chartpack highlights key results and trends from the Kaiser Family Foundation's August 2005 tracking poll looking at seniors' views and knowledge about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Survey Chartpack (.pdf)
This comprehensive survey from USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health examines how Americans are being affected by health care costs. The survey includes information on the barriers health care costs pose to obtaining medical care and the alternative measures people take to lower their medical and prescription drug bills. The is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,531 adults ages 18 years and older, conducted between April…
State Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drug Policies: Findings from a National Survey, 2005 Update This survey of state Medicaid pharmacy programs supplements surveys conducted in 2003 and 2000 and reports Medicaid prescription drug policies in effect in early 2005. It covers key elements of utilization management, drug purchasing and potential impacts of the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Report (.pdf) Executive Summary (.pdf)
This comprehensive survey of seniors about the Medicare drug benefit finds that many seniors remain uncertain about how the new benefit will affect them and unsure about whether they will enroll. Seniors who say they understand the benefit well are more likely to report favorable views than those who do not. The survey examines in depth what seniors know and understand about the new benefit and what they think about its potential helpfulness. It was…
Medicare Drug Benefit Enrollment Update This enrollment update breaks down and explains the statistics related to enrollment under the new Medicare drug benefit and the separate low-income subsidy program that provides additional assistance. The enrollment update summarizes the latest enrollment figures released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration and compares them with earlier enrollment projections. Issue Brief (.pdf)
The Medicare Modernization Act established a voluntary prescription drug benefit for Medicare’s elderly and disabled beneficiaries provided by private plans that is open to all beneficiaries. This paper focuses on the decision-making process and the factors that influence decisions about Medicare drug plans, as well as beneficiaries’ early experiences and future concerns related to their prescription drug coverage. It is based on in-depth interviews held in March 2006 with diverse beneficiaries in four cities: Baltimore;…
This includes the full report on the 2006 Kaiser/Hewitt survey of large businesses that provide retiree health benefits to their workers. The Kaiser/Hewitt study, the fifth joint survey since 2002, analyzes responses from a non-probability sample of 302 businesses with 1,000 or more employees that offer retiree health benefits. These large firms collectively provide health benefits for 5.2 million retirees and dependents, including 3.4 million Medicare-eligible retirees. Together they account for more than one quarter…
This March 2007 issue brief, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines changes between 2006 and 2007 in the availability of and enrollment in Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans overall and in urban and rural areas. It also focuses on the firms that are offering various types of Medicare plans. Marsha Gold of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., prepared the brief. Issue Brief (.pdf)
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