Medicare Spending Limits: Issues and Implications January 1, 2013 Issue Brief Several major deficit-reduction plans include provisions that would impose an explicit limit on the growth in Medicare spending. In general, such limits would trigger cuts if Medicare spending grows more rapidly than a target, such as the growth in the economy. This brief prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation describes…
Visualizing Health Policy: Health Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) December 20, 2012 Report Related ResourcesStudy Highlights Role of Geography and Plan Shopping Under Medicare Premium Support SystemMedicare Part D: A First Look at Part D Plan Offerings in 2013The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit – An Updated Fact SheetOnline Consumer Guide to Medicare The latest Visualizing Health Policy infographic is a flowchart illustrating the mechanisms…
Raising Medicare’s Eligibility Age: A Complex Proposition December 17, 2012 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation present a briefing to discuss the complexities of raising the age for Medicare eligibility. Speakers address questions on how this proposed change may affect beneficiaries, employers, and the workforce, as well as the cost and coverage implications for those approaching…
Medicare Advantage 2013 Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums December 3, 2012 Report This data spotlight report examines trends in the Medicare Advantage marketplace, including the choices available to Medicare beneficiaries in 2013, premium levels and other plan features. It
Washington’s Managed FFS Demonstration to Integrate Care and Align Financing for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries December 1, 2012 Issue Brief Washington is the first state to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test a managed fee-for-service (FFS) financial alignment model for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, beginning on April 1, 2013. Washington’s managed FFS demonstration uses…
Massachusetts and Washington: Financial Alignment Demonstrations for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Compared December 1, 2012 Fact Sheet This fact sheet examines the similarities and differences between the five-year demonstrations in Massachusetts and Washington state to integrate care and align financing for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The states finalized memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in fall 2012, and…
Visualizing Health Policy: Medicare’s Role and Future Challenges November 28, 2012 Infographic November 2012 infographic in the Visualizing Health Policy series takes a look at Medicare—who it covers; the services its beneficiaries use; and the balance policymakers must strike between setting fair payments, keeping care affordable, and sustaining the program for future generations. See the full-size infographic at The Journal of the American Medical…
The News Media and “Entitlement Reform” November 26, 2012 Perspective In the coming debate about the deficit, policymakers will struggle to craft a package of spending reductions and new revenues that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on, totaling as much as four trillion dollars over ten years. Medicare, Medicaid and potentially the Affordable Care Act will have their turn…
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Availability in 2013 November 19, 2012 Fact Sheet This fact sheet contains 2013 state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including premium ranges and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries. Fact Sheet (.pdf)