Medicare

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Examining the Potential Impact of Medicare’s New WISeR Model

A federal initiative to establish new prior authorization requirements in traditional Medicare, called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model, is likely to have only modest impact in its first year.

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.

https://js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/292449.js

Stay informed.

https://js.hsforms.net/forms/embed/292449.js

Filter

501 - 510 of 1,605 Results

  • The Ups and Downs of Medicare Part B Premiums: Frequently Asked Questions

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines how Medicare Part B premiums for many beneficiaries are affected by the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits. Based on the most recent projections from the Medicare and Social Security Trustees, the brief examines the interactions between the two programs that resulted in some Medicare beneficiaries paying significantly higher Part B premiums in 2010 and 2011 when there was no Social Security COLA, followed by a drop in premiums in…

  • Medicare 101: What You Need To Know

    Event Date:
    Event

    Hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Alliance for Health Reform, this briefing reviewed basic questions about the Medicare program, such as: What services does Medicare provide, and how does Medicare pay for these services? How is Medicare financed? What changes did the Affordable Care Act (ACA) make to Medicare? How fast is Medicare spending growing? What are current proposals to strengthen Medicare for the future, and what are prospects for action in the…

  • A Study of Medicare Advantage Plan Networks in 20 Counties Finds That Plans Include About Half of All Hospitals in Their Area 

    News Release

    A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of private Medicare plan networks finds that Medicare Advantage plans include about  half of area hospitals in their network, on average, while one in five plans have no  Academic Medical Center in-network.  Among plans in an area with a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, more than two in five did not include the cancer center in their network. The new study of the hospital networks of Medicare Advantage plans, which…

  • Turning Medicare Into a Premium Support System: Frequently Asked Questions

    Issue Brief

    Premium support is a general term used to describe an approach to reform Medicare that aims to reduce the growth in Medicare spending. These FAQs raise and discuss basic questions about the possible effects of a premium support system for Medicare beneficiaries, the federal budget, health care providers, and private health plans.

  • Coverage of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Medicare

    Issue Brief

    This brief describes Medicare coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, and compares that coverage with private insurance plans and Medicaid. These benefits are particularly relevant to nearly 1 million women of reproductive age (20-49) who are eligible for Medicare due to having a long-term disability.

  • Medicare Advantage Has Become More Popular Among the Shrinking Share of Employers That Offer Retiree Health Benefits

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines the extent to which large private and non-federal public employers that offer retiree health benefits are turning to Medicare Advantage and why they are making this shift, using data from the 2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey. We find that slightly more than half (56%) of large employers offering retiree health benefits to Medicare-age retirees offer coverage to at least some retirees through a contract with a Medicare Advantage plan, more than double…

  • What is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ New AHEAD Model?

    Issue Brief

    In September 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new opportunity for states to leverage federal funding on health care: the Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model. With this model, CMS – under the auspices of the CMS Innovation Center, also known as CMMI -- aims to reduce the rate of growth in health care spending, improve people's health, and reduce disparities in health outcomes. This issue brief…

  • A Gender Gap in Economic Security for Seniors

    News Release

    Following up on an earlier column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank on seniors and poverty, Drew Altman looks at why older women will be more at risk of economic insecurity than men in the future. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available.