Pulling it Together: Reflections on This Year’s Four Percent Premium Increase September 5, 2012 Perspective Our 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey found a 4% increase in premiums this year, continuing the recent trend of moderation in health costs and spending reported in several studies. Double digit increases in premiums were once a common occurrence, but we have not seen any since a 10% increase in…
Using Data and Technology to Drive Process Improvement in Medicaid and CHIP: Lessons From South Carolina March 30, 2012 Fact Sheet In the past year, there has been a notable trend of states increasingly utilizing data and technology to modernize, streamline, and gain efficiencies in their Medicaid and CHIP programs. The expanded use of data and technology is not only helping states deal with current budget pressures and decreased administrative resources,…
Integrating Care for Dual Eligibles: What Do Consumers Want? December 12, 2011 Event Many deficit reduction plans have recognized the need to improve care for the 9 million beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. How do Medicaid and Medicare coordinate payment and care for people covered by both programs? Are Health and Human Services initiatives encouraging innovations to integrate care for dual…
Pharmaceutical Policy and Pricing: Are Other Countries Getting Greater Value? November 7, 2011 Event Spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. rose at a faster clip in 2009 than spending for hospital and physician care, a trend that is expected to continue through 2020. The desire to get a handle on drug spending is a focus not only in the U.S. but in other…
Medicaid and HIV: A National Analysis September 2, 2011 Report This report considers Medicaid’s current role in providing health coverage for people with HIV. It analyzes national enrollment and spending patterns for Medicaid enrollees with HIV, looking at key demographics, Medicaid eligibility pathways, services and geographic distribution. It also compares Medicaid enrollees with HIV to their counterparts without the disease,…
Innovative Medicaid Initiatives to Improve Service Delivery and Quality of Care: A Look at Five State Initiatives September 1, 2011 Report A number of states have used the flexibility of the Medicaid program to develop innovative payment and delivery systems designed to coordinate and improve quality of care. This brief, based on site visits from November 2009 through March 2010, highlights care coordination and related efforts in five states: Alabama, Oklahoma,…
Medicare Part D 2011 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap September 7, 2011 Report This data spotlight examines the availability of gap coverage in the private Medicare Part D drug plans offered to beneficiaries in 2011, the first year of the phase-out of the gap, as required under the 2010 health reform law. The changes for 2011 include a 50 percent discount on brand-name…
Managing Costs and Improving Care: Team-based Care of the Chronically Ill August 11, 2011 Event Treating those with multiple chronic conditions, including the elderly and disabled populations, accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. health care spending. Half of this amount is spent by Medicare and Medicaid on behalf of beneficiaries eligible for both programs. This briefing, cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and…
The Role of Medicare and Beneficiaries in the Deficit-Reduction Debate June 1, 2011 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…
The Nuts and Bolts of Medicare Premium Support Proposals June 8, 2011 Issue Brief In April 2011, as part of its 2012 budget resolution, the U.S. House included a proposal to reduce Medicare spending by transforming the program into a system sometimes called “premium support” or vouchers. Such an approach also has been a central element of other proposals by national leaders seeking to…