Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Utilization Management January 2, 2008 Issue Brief This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines three common techniques used by Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2008 to manage enrollees’ use of formulary drugs, such as quantity limits, prior authorization, and step therapy rules. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part…
Methodology Appendix to the Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights January 2, 2008 Issue Brief The Kaiser Family Foundation has also posted an appendix detailing the methodology used in the Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight series. The series analyzes key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. All of the spotlights in this series were prepared by a team of…
Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Formularies January 2, 2008 Issue Brief This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the formularies (list of covered drugs) of Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2008, changes since 2006, and differences in how plans cover brand-name and generic drugs. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription…
The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006 January 2, 2008 Report The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006As Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to climb, this report prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation compares the value of extra benefits provided by private fee-for-service and other types of Medicare Advantage plans. As of January 2008, 8.8 million people…
Do We Know If Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans Are Special? January 1, 2008 Report This report describes the history of special needs plans, how they fit into the larger Medicare Advantage marketplace, and what information could help assess whether these plans are performing differently from other Medicare Advantage plans. Special needs plans serve individuals such as those who are institutionalized, people covered under both…
Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Benefit Design November 30, 2007 Issue Brief This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the benefit design of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) in 2008, focusing on national plans. It shows that in 2008, as in previous years, only about 10 percent of national prescription drug plans offered the defined standard benefit. The spotlight also…
Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights November 30, 2007 Issue Brief To better understand changes in the private plans providing drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries under the program's Part D benefit, the Kaiser Family Foundation is issuing a series of data spotlights analyzing key elements of Medicare's private drug plans. Each spotlight will focus on a key aspect of the drug…
Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Specialty Tiers November 30, 2007 Issue Brief This Medicare Part D data spotlight focuses on the use of specialty tiers for high-cost and injectible drugs in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in 2008. It finds that the number of plans with specialty tiers has nearly doubled since 2006. It also looks at the drugs assigned to specialty tiers,…
Nursing Home Reform: Then and Now November 29, 2007 Video To mark the 20th anniversary of the passage of landmark federal legislation to improve the quality of nursing home care, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (known as OBRA 87), this video examines the history surrounding the law. The video includes a look at the state of nursing home…
New Resources and Briefing Explore Nursing Home Reform Twenty Years After Passage of Landmark Law November 29, 2007 Event To mark the 20th anniversary of the passage of landmark federal legislation to improve the quality of nursing home care, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (known as OBRA 87), the Kaiser Family Foundation released new resources and cosponsored a Washington, D.C. briefing. Among the resources released were new…