The Role of Clinical and Cost Information in Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Decisions: Experience in Seven States September 1, 2011 Issue Brief This policy brief provides perspective on the potential for using comparative effectiveness research in Medicaid pharmacy programs by looking at seven states to determine how they currently evaluate relative clinical and cost information about prescription drugs when making coverage decisions for their Medicaid pharmacy benefits. The brief was prepared by…
Special Needs Plans: Availability and Enrollment September 9, 2011 Report Special Needs Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage plan authorized to provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs, including Medicare beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, beneficiaries living in nursing homes or other institutions, and beneficiaries with severe chronic…
KHPR October 2005 (4) November 21, 2005 Report Compared with the amount of money the federal government spends on other health problems, such as heart disease and cancer, do you think federal spending on HIV/AIDS is too HIGH, too LOW, or ABOUT RIGHT? 13Too high29Too low43About right16Don’t know/RefusedSurvey by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Methodology: Fieldwork conducted by Princeton…
Hispanics and the New Medicare Drug Benefit October 31, 2005 Poll Finding In a few short weeks, Medicare will undergo big changes that will have a major impact on more than 3 million Hispanic seniors and younger people with permanent disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health coverage. More than one in three Hispanics with Medicare lack coverage for their prescription…
Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources January 18, 2007 Fact Sheet Covering the Uninsured: Growing Need, Strained Resources This summary of key findings provides an overview of studies examining trends in health coverage and federal spending on the health care safety net. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
CHIP TIPS: Children’s Oral Health Benefits March 8, 2010 Issue Brief This brief examines a new requirement under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 that state CHIP programs cover comprehensive dental benefits. The reauthorization law also allows states with separate CHIP programs to offer a dental-only plan for children who have other health insurance but lack adequate dental…
Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: Benefit Design and Cost Sharing November 30, 2009 Report The Medicare Modernization Act established a defined standard drug benefit for Part D stand-alone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans, while giving plans flexibility to offer alternative benefit designs. Only about one in 10 PDPs offer the standard benefit in 2010. Plan sponsors can offer…
Explaining Health Care Reform: How Do Health Care Costs Vary By Region? November 30, 2009 Issue Brief Although regional variations in health spending have been studied for decades, there is renewed focus on this issue because of the role of health care costs in health care reform and the potential source of funds if addressing cost variations can yield savings. This explainer examines what is known about…
Emergency Departments Under Growing Pressure July 30, 2009 Issue Brief This issue brief relies on interviews with practicing clinicians to explore the impact of the recession on hospital emergency departments that are under growing pressure as patient volume increases, health coverage declines and medical costs present new challenges to unemployed families. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Coverage of Health News, January – June 2009 July 1, 2009 Report The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism conducted this study of how the U.S. news media covered health issues over a six-month period from January 2009 through June 2009. It is an update of a study measuring news media coverage of health issues…