Elizabeth Hinton October 9, 2015 Person Elizabeth (Libby) Hinton is an associate director with KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, where she focuses primarily on studying issues related to Medicaid managed care and on tracking Section 1115 Medicaid waivers. Hinton also oversees KFF’s annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey, which examines trends in Medicaid spending and…
The Latest on Geographic Variation in Medicare Spending: A Demographic Divide Persists But Variation Has Narrowed October 9, 2015 Report This report uses the most current data available to analyze Medicare per beneficiary spending, by county, in 2013; the growth in Medicare per beneficiary spending between 2007 and 2013, by county; and the extent to which geographic variation in Medicare per beneficiary spending has increased or decreased over time. The analysis finds that beneficiaries living in counties with relatively high Medicare per beneficiary spending tend to be sicker and poorer than beneficiaries living in lower-spending counties and that the gap between high and low-spending counties narrows but does not close after adjustments are made for differences in prices and beneficiaries’ health status. The analysis also shows that the amount of variation between the highest- and lowest-spending counties appears to have narrowed in recent years, raising questions as to whether these changes are due to specific shifts in payment policy. An interactive U.S. map showing county-level Medicare spending is also available.
California Health Care Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation Join Forces to Produce California Healthline October 9, 2015 News Release OAKLAND and MENLO PARK, CA – The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation have agreed to establish a new partnership that will take over daily publication of California Healthline (CHL) beginning in late January 2016. CHL is the California Health Care Foundation’s free,…
Women’s Health Issues Journal: Medicaid and Women’s Health Coverage Two Years into the Affordable Care Act October 7, 2015 Issue Brief As Medicaid marks its 50th year, the program has unquestionably become the mainstay of health coverage for low-income women in the nation. Since its inception, its role for women has continued to evolve and expand, but the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) swung open the doors for Medicaid to serve even more low-income women who lack access to private or employer-based insurance. This is because the ACA enabled states to finally eliminate Medicaid’s historical “categorical” requirements, which had essentially shut out women and men without dependent children.
The Wisconsin Health Care Landscape October 7, 2015 Fact Sheet Wisconsin has long been a leader among states in expanding coverage to its low-income residents since even before the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect on January 1, 2014. While Governor Scott Walker decided not to adopt the Medicaid expansion, thousands of previously uninsured Wisconsinites…
Medicare’s Drug Benefit Is Firmly-Established After Its First Decade, With Flat Premiums in Recent Years but Higher Cost-Sharing Over Time October 6, 2015 News Release With Medicare Part D nearing the end of its tenth year, the program — which now provides drug coverage to 72 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries — has experienced no growth in average premiums in recent years but some notable increases in cost-sharing, according to a new report from the…
Health Affairs Article: Medicare’s Part D Drug Benefit At 10 Years: Firmly Established But Still Evolving October 6, 2015 Issue Brief Despite initial controversy and uncertainties, Medicare Part D now provides drug coverage to thirty-nine million beneficiaries through dozens of private plans in each region. Although firmly established, the program faces challenges, including projected spending growth. Enrollees also face challenges as plans adopt new strategies to control costs.
Medicare Part D at Ten Years: The 2015 Marketplace and Key Trends, 2006-2015 October 5, 2015 Report Since 2006, Medicare beneficiaries have had access through Medicare Part D to prescription drug coverage offered by private plans, either stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) or Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD plans). Now in its tenth year, Part D has evolved due to changes in the private plan marketplace and the laws and regulations that govern the program. This report presents findings from an analysis of the Medicare Part D marketplace in 2015 and changes in features of the drug benefit offered by Part D plans since 2006.
Two Substantive Sides to Debate Over Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ October 2, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman says the debate about whether to keep or repeal the Cadillac tax is more than a debate between sound policy and good politics, there are strong substantive arguments on both sides. All previous columns by Drew Altman are…
Two Substantive Sides to Debate Over Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ October 2, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman says debate about whether to keep or repeal the Cadillac tax is more than a debate between sound policy and good politics, there are strong substantive arguments on both sides.