How Much Will Medicaid Physician Fees for Primary Care Rise in 2013? Evidence from a 2012 Survey of Medicaid Physician Fees December 13, 2012 Issue Brief This brief presents 50-state data from the 2012 KCMU/Urban Institute Medicaid Physician Fee Survey. It estimates that average Medicaid fees to qualified physicians for Affordable Care Act primary care services will rise by 73 percent when the primary care fee increase takes effect on January 1, 2013, although there will…
Children and Oral Health: Assessing Needs, Coverage and Access June 1, 2012 Issue Brief This policy brief highlights the prevalence of dental problems among children and examines gaps in oral health coverage and access to dental care, as well as disparities by income and race/ethnicity. It also looks at out-of-pocket costs for dental care, explains the role of Medicaid and CHIP in dental care,…
Issue Briefs and Testimony Related to Health Reform May 1, 2009 Issue Brief Issue Briefs Related to Health Reform This collection of some of our most recent and relevant issue briefs go beyond the basics to provide concise discussions and analyses of key policy topics related to health reform. For a more complete collection of all the Foundation’s health reform resources, click here.…
Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Provisions in the New Health Reform Law April 7, 2010 Issue Brief This brief compares the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program provisions in the new health reform law with pre-reform law governing those programs. The analysis focuses on Medicaid coverage and financing changes; how Medicaid and CHIP will interface with a new health insurance exchange and other Medicaid benefits and access…
What’s in There? The New Health Reform Law and Medicare May 7, 2010 Event As part of an ongoing series to explore what is in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, this May 7 briefing sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation examines how the reform law affects…
A Challenge for States: Assuring Timely Access to Optimal Long-Term Services and Supports in the Community January 30, 2011 Issue Brief The Medicaid program is a major payer for long-term services and supports (LTSS) in the United States, accounting for 40 percent of total spending for long-term services and supports. The federal government has played an active role in sponsoring initiatives to promote a shift to community-based care; and evidence from…
Pulling it Together: Forget Math and Science, Teach Civics (Or Why We Need to Bring Back Schoolhouse Rock) February 10, 2011 Perspective I am seldom surprised by our poll findings, but this month’s tracking poll produced a doozy. Twenty-two percent of the American people think the Affordable Care Act has been repealed, and another 26 percent aren’t sure. Those are surprisingly large numbers even with the 52 percent who still know it…
The Independent Payment Advisory Board: A New Approach to Controlling Medicare Spending April 13, 2011 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…
Explaining Health Reform: Uses of Express Lane Strategies to Promote Participation in Coverage July 1, 2011 Issue Brief Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions of uninsured adults and children will gain eligibility for Medicaid or health coverage through new health insurance Exchanges beginning in 2014. The law calls upon states to develop simple and streamlined processes for establishing, verifying, and updating eligibility for Medicaid,…
The Role of the Basic Health Program in the Coverage Continuum: Opportunities, Risks & Considerations for States March 28, 2012 Issue Brief This brief assesses the potential benefits and drawbacks to states from implementing a Basic Health Program under the Affordable Care Act. The law gives states the option of creating a Basic Health Program, using federal tax money to subsidize insurance coverage for low-income residents who would otherwise be eligible to…