Pulling It Together: Bono, Jon Stewart and the HIV/AIDS Message December 14, 2011 Perspective One of the most interesting conversations on a health topic happened recently on The Daily Show between Bono and Jon Stewart. Bono told Stewart that we were “at the beginning of the end of the AIDS epidemic,” promising an announcement the next day that would explain how a combination of…
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…
Insurance Brokers and the Medical Loss Ratio December 8, 2011 Perspective In a close vote, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recently adopted a resolution urging Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to exempt insurance broker and agent compensation from medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements or otherwise adjust the requirements to ease their effect. HHS last…
Inside Deficit Reduction: What Now? December 5, 2011 Event The Budget Control Act of 2011 tasked members of a “Super Committee” to find at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. Members did not reach an agreement by the November 23 deadline and as a result automatic spending cuts to defense and entitlement programs are set…
Money Follows the Person: A 2011 Survey of Transitions, Services and Costs December 1, 2011 Issue Brief With the passage of health reform, the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration grant program was extended through 2016 giving states further options to transition Medicaid beneficiaries living in institutions back to the community. Enacted into law in 2006 as part of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), the MFP demonstration…
Performance Measurement Under Health Reform: Proposed Measures For Eligibility and Enrollment Systems and Key Issues and Trade-offs to Consider December 1, 2011 Issue Brief The adoption of new eligibility and enrollment requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides states and the federal government an important opportunity to implement a meaningful set of performance measures for eligibility and enrollment systems. Performance measures could be used at the federal level to assess state performance in…
The Texas Health Care Landscape December 1, 2011 Report This fact sheet summarizes the Texas health care landscape, including data on demographics, population health, the uninsured and the state Medicaid program. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
Long-Term Unemployed Survey December 1, 2011 Poll Finding As the country struggles to recover from the impact of the Great Recession, one much discussed and analyzed economic measure has been the number of Americans who are unemployed. NPR News and the Kaiser Family Foundation partnered on the Long-Term Unemployed Survey to better describe the experiences and views of…
Georgia’s Money Follows the Person Program: Helping People Move Back Home December 1, 2011 Issue Brief This brief profiles several Georgia residents who have participated in the state’s Money Follows the Person demonstration program, which helps transition people from institutional long-term care back into their homes or the community. It is part of a larger package of resources examining the Money Follows the Person program. Profiles…
Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010 December 1, 2011 Issue Brief This issue brief examines changes in health insurance coverage over the last decade, with a focus on how changes in the economy, particularly during the “Great Recession” of 2007 to 2009, have affected coverage and the number of uninsured. The paper finds that the number of uninsured grew substantially during…