Key Issues in Understanding the Economic and Health Security of Current and Future Generations of Seniors March 3, 2012 Issue Brief As part of broad deficit-reduction plans, policymakers are considering reforms to the nation’s three major entitlement programs – Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security – that could significantly affect the economic security of seniors in their retirement years. This brief examines the role of these programs in ensuring seniors’ financial security…
Medicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap October 30, 2009 Report This data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole,” in Medicare stand-alone drug plans available in 2010. While in the gap in coverage, Part D enrollees (other than those receiving low-income subsidies) are required to pay 100 percent of total drug costs until they reach the catastrophic coverage level.…
Pulling it Together: Small $ for HIV Prevention July 28, 2009 Perspective It’s no secret that the response to the HIV epidemic domestically has not kept pace with the response to the global epidemic. And in an earlier column called America Has Gone Quiet on HIV/AIDS I wrote about the growing complacency towards the domestic epidemic revealed in our recent survey of…
A Global Look at Public Perceptions of Health Problems, Priorities, and Donors: The Kaiser/Pew Global Health Survey November 30, 2007 Poll Finding This survey, conducted jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Global Attitudes Project, examines how people around the world perceive and prioritize health in their countries and gauge the efforts of donor nations. People in 47 countries were polled on a series of health questions, giving them an…
Medicare Prescription Drug Plans In 2010 and Key Changes Over Five Years August 31, 2010 Issue Brief This brief summarizes key findings from the full collection of 2010 Part D Data Spotlights examining key trends in the private stand-alone drug plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to…
Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums October 30, 2009 Issue Brief This data spotlight examines changes in the availability and premiums of private Medicare Advantage options for Medicare beneficiaries in 2010 as the annual open enrollment period begins. While the number of plans available in 2010 declined somewhat from 2009, the analysis finds that Medicare beneficiaries on average have 33 Medicare…
Raising the Age of Medicare Eligibility: A Fresh Look Following Implementation of Health Reform July 18, 2011 Report Several major deficit-reduction and entitlement reform proposals include raising Medicare’s age of eligibility from 65 to 67 as a way of improving Medicare’s solvency. This Kaiser Family Foundation report estimates the expected effects of such a change on the federal budget, as well as on affected seniors’ out-of-pocket costs, employers,…
Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Medicare Coverage and Financing August 31, 2004 Issue Brief Medicare Coverage and Financing Download a printable .pdf of Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Medicare Coverage and Financing. IssueBackgroundPolicy Challenges Facing MedicareAssessing Candidate PositionsIssueThe Medicare program is a valuable source of health insurance coverage for more than 41 million Americans. Medicare enjoys broad public support, but the program faces…
Medicare Payments and Beneficiary Costs for Prescription Drug Coverage February 28, 2007 Issue Brief This March 2007 issue brief, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a basic introduction to the reimbursement system for private Medicare drug plans. It explains the system of plan bidding and payment, including the special provisions for low-income enrollees, and considers how aspects of the payment system may affect…
National ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report, April 2008 March 30, 2008 Event The National ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, part of the Ryan White Program, provide HIV medications to low-income people with HIV/AIDS who have limited or no prescription drug coverage. ADAPs operate in all 50 states, the District of…