Seniors - Research and Data from KFF

Lowering the Age of Medicare Eligibility Would Likely Reduce Health Spending for Employers, But Raise Costs for the Federal Government by Covering More People in Medicare

Apr 27, 2021

News Release

Two new KFF analyses find that lowering the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60 could significantly reduce health spending for employers, who could potentially pass savings to employees in the form of lower premiums or higher wages. Additionally, per person health spending for older adults who move from employer coverage on to Medicare would likely be lower, though such moves would shift costs to taxpayers and increase Medicare program expenditures overall. President Biden…

Health Spending for 60-64 Year Olds Would Be Lower Under Medicare Than Under Large Employer Plans

Apr 27, 2021

Issue Brief

During the presidential campaign, President Biden proposed to lower the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60. This analysis uses claims data for covered medical services from both large employer plans and traditional Medicare to illustrate the potential spending effects of using Medicare payment rates in lieu of higher rates paid by employer plans for people 60-64 who shift from large employer plans to Medicare.

How Lowering the Medicare Eligibility Age Might Affect Employer-Sponsored Insurance Costs

Apr 27, 2021

Issue Brief

This analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker illustrates the potential for employer savings if the age of Medicare eligibility were lowered to 60, as proposed by President Biden during the 2020 campaign.

COVID-19 Deaths and Cases in Long-Term Care Facilities Have Fallen to All-Time Lows in the Four Months Since Vaccinations Began

Apr 22, 2021

News Release

COVID-19 deaths and cases among residents and staff of long-term care facilities have fallen dramatically since vaccinations began in December, with deaths declining by nearly 89 percent and cases declining by nearly 92 percent as of April 2021, according to a new KFF analysis. COVID-19 deaths in long-term care settings fell from 1.7 deaths per 100,000 state residents in December to just 0.2 deaths per 100,000 state residents in April, an all-time low, the analysis…

COVID-19 Long-Term Care Deaths and Cases Are at An All-Time Low, Though A Rise In LTC Cases In A Few States May Be Cause for Concern

Apr 22, 2021

Issue Brief

This data note looks at state-reported LTCF data from 41 states plus Washington DC to assess what has happened to new deaths and cases in LTCFs in the four months since vaccinations began on December 21st, 2020. We also examine how recent changes in deaths and cases in LTCFs have shifted the nature of the pandemic outside of LTCFs. Data in this analysis is as of the week of April 11th, 2021.

March 30 Web Event: Unsung Heroes: The Crucial Role – and Tenuous Circumstances – of Home Care Workers During the Pandemic

Event Date: Mar 30, 2021

Event

Even as the pandemic took a devastating toll on health care workers and older adults in the United States, many home care workers continued to report to work and provide vital care to vulnerable people despite the health risks to themselves and their own families. KFF’s Kaiser Health News and The John A. Hartford Foundation held an interactive web event on March 30 to examine the crucial roles home care workers have played for families during…

State Variation in Medicaid LTSS Policy Choices and Implications for Upcoming Policy Debates

Feb 26, 2021

Issue Brief

This brief takes a closer look at multiple measures beyond waiver waiting lists to evaluate state choices about optional Medicaid eligibility pathways, spending, and services for seniors and people with disabilities as of 2018. The analysis draws on several KFF resources, including 50-state surveys of Medicaid financial eligibility pathways for seniors and people with disabilities, HCBS waiver programs, and state plan benefits offered, as well as state Medicaid LTSS expenditures reported by Mathematica.

States Have Made Progress in Vaccinating Older Adults Against COVID-19 in Recent Weeks, But No State Has Vaccinated At Least Half of its Older Population

Feb 26, 2021

News Release

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have vaccinated at least one-third of their residents who are 65 and older against COVID-19, an updated KFF analysis finds, but no state has crossed the threshold of vaccinating 50 percent or more of its older population. The share of adults 65 and older who have received at least one dose of a vaccine ranges from 49 percent in North Carolina to 27 percent in Pennsylvania. (The relatively low…

Vaccinating Older Adults in the US Against COVID-19: A Work in Progress

Feb 25, 2021

Issue Brief

This analysis examines COVID-19 vaccination rates among older adults in states that report these data at the person-level. It also looks at the change in vaccination rates between February 4 and February 23 among a subset of these states.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Hit People of Color the Hardest, Including Among People With Medicare

Feb 16, 2021

News Release

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the stark racial and ethnic health inequities in the U.S., including among Medicare beneficiaries. Among this group, people of color, including older adults and others on Medicare, account for disproportionate shares of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, according to data presented in a new KFF report about racial and ethnic disparities in health among people with Medicare. Older Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native adults were nearly twice as likely…

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