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…
Patient Cost-Sharing Under the Affordable Care Act April 1, 2012 Report Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), four tiers of health insurance will be offered in the health insurance exchanges and throughout the individual and small group markets beginning in 2014. Under the minimum coverage plan, the “Bronze” plan, the insurance plan will pay for 60 percent of the costs of…
The Diversity of Dual Eligible Beneficiaries: An Examination of Services and Spending for People Eligible for Both Medicaid and Medicare April 1, 2012 Issue Brief This issue brief analyzes linked Medicare and Medicaid data to examine dual eligibles’ utilization and spending in both programs in 2007. As a group, dual eligibles are costly—with per capita Medicare and Medicaid spending over four times Medicare spending for other beneficiaries. However, a small share of dual eligibles account…
Among Dual Eligibles, Identifying The Highest Cost Individuals Could Help In Crafting More Targeted And Effective Responses April 1, 2012 Report This Health Affairs article by researchers at the Urban Institute analyzes linked Medicare and Medicaid data to examine dual eligibles’ utilization and spending in both programs in 2007. It finds that while the population of people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid is indeed costly, it is not monolithic. For…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — April 2012 April 1, 2012 Poll Finding The April poll gauged Americans’ opinions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the wake of the Supreme Court oral arguments in the legal challenges to the health reform law in March. The increased public attention to the Affordable Care Act generated by the Supreme Court’s consideration of the law…
An Update on CMS’s Capitated Financial Alignment Demonstration Model For Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees April 1, 2012 Issue Brief Beginning in January, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement a three year multi-state demonstration to test new service delivery and payment models for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. These demonstrations will enroll full dual eligibles in managed fee-for-service or capitated managed care plans…
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…
Insurer Rebates under the Medical Loss Ratio: 2012 Estimates April 1, 2012 Report Beginning in 2011, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurance plans to pay out a minimum percentage of premium dollars towards health care expenses and quality improvement activities, limiting the amount spent on administrative and marketing costs and profit. Under the law, large group plans are required to spend at…
AIDS in Gay America: Findings from Focus Groups March 30, 2012 Report Between January and March 2012, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Black AIDS Institute conducted focus groups in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Dallas with men self-identifying as gay or bisexual to provide insight as to how HIV/AIDS is viewed in the gay community today, what actions are being taken to…
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,…
