Why Consumer Issues Are Rising on the Health Agenda September 22, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the trends that may be leading to a rise in consumer cost issues on the health agenda. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.
Why Consumer Issues Are Rising on the Health Agenda September 22, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the trends that may be leading to a rise in consumer cost issues on the health agenda.
Medicare Advantage Enrollment Continues to Climb, but Financial Protections for Enrollees Are Eroding June 30, 2015 News Release Enrollment in Medicare Advantage continues to climb steadily as spending reductions enacted in the Affordable Care Act reduce historical overpayments to the private plans, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. But limits on out-of-pocket spending for Medicare-covered services are rising, providing less protection for enrollees with…
Medicare Advantage 2015 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update June 30, 2015 Issue Brief This Data Spotlight reviews national and state-level enrollment trends as of March 2015 and examines variation in enrollment by plan type and firm. It analyzes the most recent data on premiums, out-of-pocket limits, Part D cost-sharing for drugs, and plans’ quality ratings for Medicare Advantage enrollees.
New Analysis Details Impact on Residents in Different States If the U.S. Supreme Court Rules for Challengers in King v. Burwell June 3, 2015 News Release The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month in the King v. Burwell case that challenges whether low- and moderate-income Americans are eligible for subsidies to help pay for insurance if they live in states where the federal government, rather than the state, established its new insurance marketplace…
Medicare’s Income-Related Premiums Will Rise for Some Higher-Income Beneficiaries Beginning in 2018 June 3, 2015 News Release Some higher-income Medicare beneficiaries will have to pay more in Part B and Part D premiums starting in 2018, due to a provision in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, a recently passed law to change how Medicare pays physicians. A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that,…
Medicare’s Income-Related Premiums: A Data Note June 3, 2015 Issue Brief This data note presents new information to help set a context for understanding the implications of recent changes to Medicare’s income-related premiums incorporated in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), a new law to repeal and replace Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for physician payments. It describes current requirements with respect to the income-related premiums under Medicare Part B and Part D, including the number and share of Medicare beneficiaries who are estimated to pay income-related premiums and revenues raised from the income-related premium, based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary (OACT). It also explains the recently enacted changes in MACRA that will affect some higher-income people on Medicare who are already paying income-related premiums, beginning in 2018.
State-by-State Effects of a Ruling for the Challengers in King v. Burwell June 2, 2015 Interactive A map and table showing the number of people now receiving premium subsidies who would lose them if the Court finds for the challengers; the total amount of federal subsidy dollars; the average subsidy (or average premium tax credit) that subsidized enrollees have qualified for; and the average increase in premiums that subsidized enrollees would face if the subsidies are disallowed.
The Ryan White Program and Insurance Purchasing in the ACA Era: An Early Look at Five States April 14, 2015 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the role that the Ryan White Program has played in helping HIV positive clients purchase insurance coverage from both a historical and an Affordable Care Act (ACA) era perspective. The ACA era analysis focuses on activities in five states during the first open enrollment period and looks specifically at insurance purchasing through the health insurance marketplaces. The states analyzed are California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas.