Medicare

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Decoding Medicare Advantage Coding Intensity

Federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, and adjustments for health status, have come under increased scrutiny. This brief answers key questions about coding intensity, recent steps taken by CMS, the effects on beneficiaries, and other proposals to improve payment accuracy.

State Profiles for Dual-Eligible Individuals

This data collection draws on Medicare and Medicaid administrative data to present national and state-level information on people who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, referred to as dual-eligible individuals (also known as dually-enrolled beneficiaries).

Data Visualization

The Facts About Medicare Spending

This interactive provides the facts on Medicare spending. Medicare, which serves 67 million people and accounts for 12 percent of the federal budget and 21 percent of national health spending, is often the focus of discussions about health expenditures, health care affordability and the sustainability of federal health programs. Explore data on enrollment growth, Medicare spending trends overall and per person, growth in Medicare spending relative to private insurance, spending on benefits and Medicare Advantage, Part A trust fund solvency challenges, and growth in out-of-pocket spending by beneficiaries.

Read More

Stay informed.

Stay informed.

Filter

1,071 - 1,080 of 1,606 Results

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — June 2011

    Feature

    The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines the opinions of seniors and the public about Medicare and the federal budget deficit, a topic of heightened interest these days as policymakers in Washington focus on ways to bring down Medicare spending as part of efforts to reduce the deficit. The poll also provides an early look at the views of registered voters and the potential role health care might play in the upcoming presidential election cycle.…

  • The Role of Medicare and Beneficiaries in the Deficit-Reduction Debate

    Event Date:
    Event

    This Kaiser Family Foundation briefing examined how Medicare reform options now under consideration might work and their implications for beneficiaries and taxpayers. As context for understanding the potential effects of reforms, the briefing looked at the current and projected income and assets of people on Medicare, out-of pocket health care spending and the ability of Medicare beneficiaries to absorb rising costs. The Foundation also released a new report and video profiling Medicare families and the…

  • Making Ends Meet: The Medicare Generation

    Video

    This short Kaiser Family Foundation documentary profiles the experiences of three Medicare families trying to pay for their health care costs with other household spending. The families are among 16 featured in a companion report examining the role Medicare now plays in the lives of beneficiaries and the challenges many face in paying for their health care and other living expenses on a fixed budget.

  • Affordable Care Act Provisions Relating to the Care of Dually Eligible Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief identifies the major provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are designed to improve care and streamline service delivery for dual eligibles, the millions of low-income seniors and younger persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Dual eligibles are among the sickest and poorest individuals covered by either the Medicaid or Medicare programs; they comprise only 15 percent of total Medicaid enrollment…

  • Medicaid’s Role for Dual Eligibles

    Issue Brief

    These short profiles illustrate the help that Medicaid provides to four individuals who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare. They include a 66-year-old former nurse who suffers from a multitude of health problems; an 86-year-old stroke survivor and nursing home resident; a 64-year-old man with disabilities who lives independently; and a 42-year-old woman with numerous chronic conditions, including diabetes, a thyroid condition, effects of a stroke, and depression. There are 9 million "dual eligibles" --…

  • Projecting Income and Assets: What Might the Future Hold for the Next Generation of Medicare Beneficiaries?

    Report

    As national attention turns to the federal deficit, some policymakers have proposed reforms to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that could have significant implications for current and future generations of seniors and younger adults with disabilities. This data spotlight, co-authored by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute, describes the income and assets of current Medicare beneficiaries, considers variations by race, ethnicity and other demographic characteristics and examines the extent to which…

  • How Much Skin in the Game is Enough? The Financial Burden of Health Spending for People on Medicare

    Report

    How Much " Skin in the Game " is Enough? The Financial Burden of Health Spending for People on Medicare Medicare extends health security and financial protection to seniors and younger people with disabilities. However, premiums, relatively high cost-sharing requirements, and gaps in the benefit package result in some beneficiaries spending a significant share of their income on health expenses. This data spotlight examines the burden out-of-pocket expenses placed on Medicare beneficiaries between 1997 and…

  • Dual Eligibles: Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

    Fact Sheet

    This updated fact sheet describes the nearly 8.9 million "dual eligibles," the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, why this population needs Medicaid, what services they receive from Medicaid, and what the new health reform law may mean for them. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Proposed Changes to Medicare in the “Path to Prosperity”: Overview and Key Questions

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines key Medicare provisions included in "The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America's Promise," a long-term budget proposal released by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan on April 5, 2011, which outlines a strategy for reducing federal spending and reducing the national debt over time. The Medicare provisions are among the many significant changes to programs affecting the elderly and disabled in the "Path to Prosperity" proposal. The central Medicare proposal would transform the program…

  • The Independent Payment Advisory Board: A New Approach to Controlling Medicare Spending

    Issue Brief

    In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act authorized the creation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to help control the growth in Medicare costs. Beginning in 2014, IPAB will issue recommendations to lower Medicare costs in the event that spending exceeds targets established in the health care reform law. This brief explains how the Independent Payment Advisory Board will be structured, the process and timelines for IPAB to make recommendations to achieve…