Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population At Risk – Findings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth 1997 Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries November 29, 1998 Report Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population At Risk – Findings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth 1997 Survey of Medicare BeneficiariesThis report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, based on the Kaiser/Commonwealth 1997 Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries, highlights the challenges facing Medicare beneficiaries and the importance of addressing the needs…
Medicaid Eligibility for the Elderly April 29, 1999 Report The purpose of this issue paper is to explain Federal Medicaid eligibility policy for the low-income elderly population and discusses Federal and State policy options to improve coverage.Issue Paper
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,…
Medicare+Choice Withdrawals: Understanding Key Factors June 1, 2002 Report To help understand why M+C plans have exited or limited their participation in the M+C program in recent years, this report presents an empirical analysis of the factors associated with plan withdrawals between 1999 and 2001. This analysis explores factors such as M+C payment levels, local market characteristics, and individual…
Summary of the Proposed Rule to Implement the New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit November 30, 2004 Issue Brief In August 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a proposed rule to implement the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Title I of the Medicare Modernization Act). Given the high level of interest in the proposed rules for implementing the Medicare drug benefit, the Kaiser Family Foundation commissioned Health…
The Effect of Formularies and Other Cost Management Tools on Access to Medications: An Analysis of the MMA and Proposed Regulations September 1, 2004 Issue Brief This paper, by John F. Hoadley, Ph.D., of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, examines how formulary designs and other cost-management tools may affect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to medications through their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. It is one in a series commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation…
Papers on Issues For People With Medicare Raised By Proposed Drug Benefit Regulations September 1, 2004 Issue Brief Papers on Issues For People With Medicare Raised By Proposed Drug Benefit RegulationsThe Kaiser Family Foundation has commissioned a series of papers to explore key issues that may be of concern for Medicare beneficiaries as the new Medicare drug benefit is implemented. These papers focus on specific areas of potential…
Low-Income Assistance Under the Medicare Drug Benefit December 12, 2009 Fact Sheet This fact sheet provides an overview of the Medicare drug benefit and the additional subsidies available to certain eligible low-income beneficiaries. Fact Sheet – December 2009 (.pdf)
Retiree Health Trends and Implications of Possible Medicare Reforms – Fact Sheet August 30, 1997 Fact Sheet Retiree Health Trends And Implications Of Possible Medicare Reforms September 1997 Approximately 12 million of Medicare’s 39 million beneficiaries receive employer-sponsored retiree health benefits as a supplement to their Medicare coverage. In addition, millions of retired workers under age 65 rely on retiree health benefits as their primary source of…
How Do M+C Plans Manage Pharmacy Benefits? Implications for Medicare Reform March 31, 2003 Report Understanding how Medicare+Choice (M+C) plans manage their drug benefits may generate important lessons for Medicare. This report, based on interviews with both national and regional managed care firms, provides an in-depth look at how plans have managed their M+C outpatient pharmacy benefits in recent years. Findings show that plans rely…