How Will Uninsured Parents Be Affected By Health Reform? August 1, 2009 Issue Brief This brief examines uninsured parents and how they could be affected by health reform, including estimates of how many might qualify for coverage under a Medicaid expansion, how many would be eligible for subsidies and how many would not be eligible for such help. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Pulling it Together: An Actuarial Rorschach Test February 11, 2010 Perspective Drew Altman, Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton My colleagues have worked on this column with me and I invited them to join me as authors. As with pretty much every other discussion of health care going back to the days of Roosevelt, the great reform debate of 2009 (and now 2010)…
Medicaid Coverage and Spending in Health Reform: National and State-By-State Results for Adults at or Below 133% FPL May 1, 2010 Report This analysis, performed by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, shows that the expansion of Medicaid under the health reform law will significantly increase the number of people covered by the program and reduce the uninsured in states across the country, with the federal…
Mobile Technology: Smart Tools to Increase Participation in Health Coverage March 1, 2011 Issue Brief As mobile technology advances and cell phone use continues to increase across demographic groups, there is significant potential to tap these technologies to facilitate enrollment in and retention of health coverage, in both the immediate term and as health reform is implemented. A brief produced in conjunction with The Children’s…
Medicaid Matters: Understanding Medicaid’s Role in Our Health Care System March 1, 2011 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides key information about the Medicaid program and its role in our health care system and state economies. The nation’s public health insurance program for low-income people is counter-cyclical, expanding during the recent recession to assist millions of individuals and families affected by the loss of jobs…
Massachusetts’ Demonstration to Integrate Care and Align Financing for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries October 1, 2012 Issue Brief Massachusetts is the first state to finalize a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test CMS’s capitated financial alignment model for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, with enrollment beginning on April 1, 2013. Starting in 2013, CMS will…
The New Review and Approval Process Rule for Section 1115 Medicaid and CHIP Demonstration Waivers March 1, 2012 Fact Sheet For many years, Section 1115 waivers have been used in the Medicaid program to provide states an avenue to test and implement coverage approaches that do not meet federal program rules, but there have been longstanding concerns about the lack of public input and transparency in the waiver approval process.…
How Much Will Medicaid Physician Fees for Primary Care Rise in 2013? Evidence from a 2012 Survey of Medicaid Physician Fees December 13, 2012 Issue Brief This brief presents 50-state data from the 2012 KCMU/Urban Institute Medicaid Physician Fee Survey. It estimates that average Medicaid fees to qualified physicians for Affordable Care Act primary care services will rise by 73 percent when the primary care fee increase takes effect on January 1, 2013, although there will…
Prescription Drug Trends Fact Sheet – May 2010 Update May 2, 2010 Fact Sheet This updated fact sheet provides trend information about prescription drug expenditures and coverage, key factors that contribute to rising prescription spending, and efforts to contain rising drug costs. May 2010 Fact Sheet (.pdf)
Children and Oral Health: Assessing Needs, Coverage and Access June 1, 2012 Issue Brief This policy brief highlights the prevalence of dental problems among children and examines gaps in oral health coverage and access to dental care, as well as disparities by income and race/ethnicity. It also looks at out-of-pocket costs for dental care, explains the role of Medicaid and CHIP in dental care,…