High-Risk Pools as Fallback for High-Cost Patients Require New Rules January 23, 2017 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman examines how Republicans would “split the risk pools” between the healthier and the sick in their Affordable Care Act replacement plans, using state high risk pools as a fallback for higher cost patients, and examines the steps that would be necessary to make them effective based on prior experience in the states.
JAMA Forum: What Might an ACA Replacement Plan Look Like? January 24, 2017 Perspective Larry Levitt’s January 2017 post explains the logistics of a “repeal and delay” approach to the Affordable Care Act, and outlines key elements of a proposed replacement plan from Rep. Tom Price, who is President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.
10 Essential Facts About Medicare’s Financial Outlook February 2, 2017 Issue Brief Medicare, the nation’s federal health insurance program for 57 million people age 65 and over and younger people with disabilities, often plays a major role in federal health policy and budget discussions. Medicare is likely to be back on the federal policy agenda as Congress debates repealing and replacing the ACA, and also if policymakers turn their attention to reducing entitlement spending as part of efforts to reduce the growing federal budget deficit and debt. This issue brief presents 10 facts and figures about Medicare’s financial status today and the outlook for the future.
Do You Have the Facts About Medicare’s Financial Outlook for the Future? February 2, 2017 News Release Medicare is likely to be back on the federal policy agenda this year as Congress and President Trump pursue repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, and potentially consider options to reduce federal spending. When talking about Medicare, the nation’s federal health insurance program for 57 million people age 65…
Pre-ACA Market Practices Provide Lessons for ACA Replacement Approaches February 16, 2017 Issue Brief This brief examines insurance practices from before the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and highlights challenges in providing access and stable coverage for people, along with issues that any ACA replacement plan will need to address.
Key Issues in Children’s Health Coverage February 15, 2017 Issue Brief This brief reviews children’s coverage today and examines what is at stake for children’s coverage in upcoming debates around CHIP funding, repeal and replacement of the ACA, and Medicaid restructuring.
Insurance Coverage Changes for People with HIV Under the ACA February 14, 2017 Issue Brief This brief provides the first national estimates of changes in insurance coverage among people with HIV since the implementation of the ACA. We find that coverage increased significantly for people with HIV due to the ACA’s Medicaid expansion; indeed, increased Medicaid coverage in expansion states drove a nationwide increase in coverage for people with HIV.
Compare Key Elements of ACA Repeal and Replace Proposals with New Interactive Tool February 17, 2017 News Release President Trump and Republicans in Congress have committed to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. A new interactive tool from the Kaiser Family Foundation enables users to create side-by-side comparisons of major ACA alternative plans, now including 2017 proposals from Sen. Rand Paul and from Sen. Bill Cassidy. With…
Polling Data Note: Beyond the ACA, the Affordability of Insurance Has Been Deteriorating Since 2015 March 2, 2017 News Release The debate about the future of the Affordable Care Act and its individual insurance marketplaces may be taking the focus off the affordability challenges facing the broader population, most of whom get their health coverage through employers, Medicare or Medicaid. New survey findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation show that…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: ACA, Replacement Plans, Women’s Health March 15, 2017 Poll Finding The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines the public’s early attitudes towards the House Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and finds that more expect the new plan will make things worse rather than better when it comes to the number of people with coverage and costs for those buying insurance on their own. The survey also measures public support for continuing current federal Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, gauges the importance of various ACA provisions for women’s and children’s health, and revisits the public’s knowledge on key provisions included in the health care law.