Pulling it Together: When Premiums Go Up 39% March 8, 2010 Perspective Our group that works on health care cost issues just updated an analysis that sheds light on what’s really happening to people in the individual health insurance market, the issue Secretary Sebelius, a former Kansas insurance commissioner, and others have put in the spotlight by calling on Anthem and other…
Snapshots: Comparison of Expenditures in Nongroup and Employer-Sponsored Insurance: 2004-2007 March 3, 2010 Issue Brief Data from the insurance industry and reviews of premiums offered through on-line sellers show that premiums for nongroup health insurance are lower than premiums reported on national surveys for employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI). This paper uses pooled data from the 2004 through 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to compare the…
Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: Prices for Brand-Name Drugs in the Coverage Gap March 1, 2010 Issue Brief This Medicare Part D data spotlight finds prices for some commonly used brand-name drugs rising in 2010 for beneficiaries who reach the coverage gap (or “doughnut hole”), with increases since 2006 far exceeding the growth in inflation.
Resources Examine Medicaid Enrollment Growth And State Budget Pressures February 18, 2010 Fact Sheet This package of resources examines the substantial enrollment growth in Medicaid between June 2008 and June 2009 and provides a mid fiscal-year 2010 update on key state Medicaid issues, including the impacts of the economic downturn. News Release With the country in a deep recession, nearly 3.3 million more people…
Pulling it Together: An Actuarial Rorschach Test February 11, 2010 Perspective Drew Altman, Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton My colleagues have worked on this column with me and I invited them to join me as authors. As with pretty much every other discussion of health care going back to the days of Roosevelt, the great reform debate of 2009 (and now 2010)…
Pulling it Together: Anticipating the Polls about Health February 5, 2010 Perspective Tuesday, February 2nd marked a milestone of sorts in the health reform debate: there was no story on health reform in the New York Times (national edition). I haven’t done a study, but as a professional New York Times (NYT) reader, I am virtually certain that this is the first…
Medicaid’s Continuing Crunch In a Recession: A Mid-Year Update for State FY 2010 and Preview for FY 2011 February 1, 2010 Report This report finds that 44 states and the District of Columbia are experiencing higher than expected program enrollment and spending for fiscal year 2010. At least 29 states say they are considering additional mid-year cuts in provider rates and program benefits. The recession and the scheduled end on Dec. 31,…
Pulling It Together: The Message from Massachusetts January 27, 2010 Perspective The Massachusetts special election has roiled the political world and profoundly affected the prospects for health reform just when it looked like passage was a lock. Efforts are underway to put health reform legislation back together again on Capitol Hill, but not since powerful Ways and Means Chair Wilbur Mills fell into…
State High-Risk Pools: An Overview January 25, 2010 Issue Brief Health reform bills passed in the House and Senate would create a national high-risk pool insurance program to offer health coverage to otherwise uninsurable individuals during the interim period between the enactment of legislation and the implementation of broader health care reform. This issue brief discusses the structure, operation, benefits…
Building an Express Lane Eligibility Initiative: A Roadmap of Key Decisions for States January 22, 2010 Issue Brief The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) provides states new options to reach and enroll the estimated 5 million eligible but uninsured low-income children into Medicaid and CHIP. One key tool provided to states by the law is Express Lane Eligibility (ELE), which allows state Medicaid and…