Turning Medicare Into a Premium Support System: Frequently Asked Questions

Issue Brief
  1. Kaiser Family Foundation. Comparison of Medicare Premium Support Proposals. July 2012. Available at: https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/comparison-of-medicare-premium-support-proposals/

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  2. Fuchs B and Potetz L. The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare Premium Support Proposals. Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2011. Available at https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-medicare-premium/

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  3. Increasingly, traditional Medicare is adopting incentives to encourage greater efficiencies (e.g., bundled payments and Accountable Care Organizations) and tie payments to quality (e.g., penalties for preventable readmissions).

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  4. A small share of Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes pay higher premiums, and beneficiaries with low incomes who qualify for the Medicare Savings Programs have their premiums paid by their state’s Medicaid program.

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  5. Premiums for Medicare Advantage plans currently include extra benefits and prescription drug coverage.

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  6. Congressional Budget Office. A Premium Support System for Medicare: Analysis of Illustrative Options. September 2013. Available at: http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/09-18-PremiumSupport.pdf

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  7. Congressional Budget Office. A Premium Support System for Medicare: Analysis of Illustrative Options. September 2013. Available at: http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/09-18-PremiumSupport.pdf

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  8. Jacobson G, Neuman T, and Damico A. Transforming Medicare into a Premium Support System: Implications for Beneficiary Premiums. Kaiser Family Foundation. September 2012. Available at: https://www.kff.org/medicare/report/transforming-medicare-into-premium-support/

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  9. Congressional Budget Office. A Premium Support System for Medicare: Analysis of Illustrative Options. September 2013. Available at: http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/09-18-PremiumSupport.pdf

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  10. Hoadley J, Summer L, Hargrave E, et al. To Switch or Be Switched: Examining Changes in Drug Plan Enrollment Among Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy Enrollees. Kaiser Family Foundation, July 2015. Available at: https://www.kff.org/medicare/report/to-switch-or-be-switched-examining-changes-in-drug-plan-enrollment-among-medicare-part-d-low-income-subsidy-enrollees/

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  11. Norton M, DiJulio B, and Brodie M. Medicare and Medicaid At 50. Kaiser Family Foundation. July 2015. Available at: https://www.kff.org/medicaid/poll-finding/medicare-and-medicaid-at-50/

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  12. Altman D. Will House Republican Health Proposal and Trustees’ Report Make Medicare a Factor in Election? Wall Street Journal. June 24, 2016. Available at: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/06/24/will-house-republican-health-proposal-and-trustees-report-make-medicare-a-factor-in-election/

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