Proposed Models to Integrate Medicare and Medicaid Benefits for Dual Eligibles: A Look at the 15 State Design Contracts Funded By CMS August 12, 2011 Issue Brief This brief summarizes 15 states’ preliminary proposals to better coordinate care for people who are in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The design contracts, funded by the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), are an outgrowth of new efforts under the health reform law to develop service…
Inside Deficit Reduction: What it Means for Health Care September 12, 2011 Event After much heated debate on the U.S. debt limit, the Budget Control Act of 2011 was passed on August 2, 2011, containing more than $900 billion in federal spending reductions over 10 years. The law also established the 12-person “super committee” charged with finding more than $1 trillion in additional…
Long-term Services and Supports: A Rebalancing Act October 3, 2011 Event The ongoing debate over the federal budget and deficit reduction presents a balancing act for policymakers, as many compelling interests compete for scarce dollars. But for 10 million older adults and people with disabilities who need long-term services and supports, there is a “rebalancing act” in progress. The aim is…
A Reporter’s Guide to Supreme Court Arguments on Health Reform March 15, 2012 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored this reporters-only briefing to help journalists cover the Supreme Court arguments challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and their aftermath with greater depth and understanding. Panelists focus on tips, story ideas and angles that have perhaps…
States Getting a Jump Start on Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion April 2, 2012 Issue Brief One of the primary goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to decrease the number of uninsured through a Medicaid expansion to nearly all individuals with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($14,856 for an individual or $25,390 for a family of three in…
Kaiser Analysis: Estimated Health Insurance Rebates Under the Health Reform Law Total $1.3 Billion in 2012 April 1, 2012 News Release NEWS RELEASE April 26, 2012 Rebates Expected to Vary Significantly by State MENLO PARK, Calif. – Consumers and businesses are expected to receive an estimated $1.3 billion by this August in rebates from health insurers who spent more on administrative expenses and profits than allowed by the Affordable Care Act…
A Focus Group with Medicaid Directors: As FY 2012 Ends, Looking Toward FY 2013 June 1, 2012 Report This report is based on a focus group discussion in May 2012 with the Executive Board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) and other leading Medicaid directors. The group of nine directors reflected perspectives from various regions of the country. The discussion focused on state fiscal conditions, Medicaid…
Community Health Centers: Can They Plug the Gaps in the Safety Net? July 23, 2012 Event The Alliance for Health Reform and the Centene Corporation sponsored a July 23 briefing to discuss the role of community health centers (CHCs) in providing care to vulnerable populations as employer-sponsored coverage declines and demand for safety-net services increase. Panelists addressed questions such as: How are states and safety-net systems…
Program Integrity in Medicaid: A Primer July 1, 2012 Issue Brief Medicaid covers more than 60 million Americans and accounts for about one in six dollars spent on health care in the United States. Multiple agencies at the state and federal levels are involved in efforts to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in the program and ensure appropriate use of taxpayer…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: July 2012 July 2, 2012 Poll Finding July’s second Health Tracking Poll reports in further depth on public opinion toward the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the wake of last month’s key Supreme Court decision. When it comes to the individual mandate, the Court’s verdict that the controversial provision is constitutional as a tax appears to have…