Medicaid: What to Watch in 2020 January 17, 2020 Issue Brief Medicaid, the provider of health insurance coverage for about one in five Americans and the largest payer for long-term care services in the community and nursing homes, continues to be a key part of health policy debates at the federal and state level. Key Medicaid issues to watch in 2020 include: Medicaid expansion developments; Section 1115 waiver activity; enrollment and spending trends; benefits, payment and delivery system reforms, and the implications of the 2020 elections.
Long-Term Care Facility Costs Are the Largest Share of Annual Out-of-Pocket Spending by Medicare Beneficiaries January 17, 2020 Slide Long term care facility costs are the largest share of annual out of pocket spending by Medicare beneficiaries — representing 32% of their spending on services annually.
The ACA is Doing Fine Without a Mandate Penalty January 14, 2020 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman explains that the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty has had little impact on how the ACA’s insurance markets are working, showing that “the marketplaces continue to function, even when ‘severed’ from the mandate penalty,” and undercutting a central argument in the lawsuit seeking to strike down the entire law.
Hospitals and Physicians Represent More Than Half of Total Health Spending January 10, 2020 Slide More than half of U.S. health spending went toward hospital and physician services in 2018. Learn more about the breakdown of the nation’s health spending in the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker.
Health Policy in 2020 Will Be Made in the States January 6, 2020 Perspective With a questionable outlook for 2020 passage of legislation on prescription drug pricing and surprise medical bills, Drew Altman says the real action to watch in health policy is likely to be in the states.
The Status of Participation in the Title X Federal Family Planning Program December 20, 2019 Interactive This interactive map and table show the status of Title X sites by state as of December 20, 2019. This analysis is based the June 2019 listing of Title X sites available from the HHS Office of Population Affairs and public statements and news coverage regarding clinic and grantee participation in Title X.
Uninsured Most Likely to Delay or Go Without Care or Prescription Drugs Due to Cost December 20, 2019 Slide Many uninsured people do not obtain the treatments their health care providers recommend for them because of the cost of care. In 2018, uninsured nonelderly adults were more than three times as likely as adults with private coverage to say that they postponed or did not get a needed prescription drug due to cost.
The Current Ebola Outbreak and the U.S. Role: An Explainer December 19, 2019 Issue Brief An outbreak of Ebola is currently ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), now the second largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded. This Issue Brief gives an overview of the current situation, explains the U.S. role in responding to the outbreak, and answers key questions about the broader global response.
Data Note: Donor Funding for the Current Ebola Response in the DRC December 19, 2019 Issue Brief This data note provides an updated comprehensive summary of donor funding for the Ebola response in the DRC.
10 Key Questions on Public Option Proposals December 18, 2019 Issue Brief This issue brief presents ten, high-level key questions regarding current public option proposals supported by both Democratic presidential candidates and Members of Congress.