The Role of Medicaid in State Economies: A Look at the Research December 30, 2008 Issue Brief This policy brief synthesizes the results of 29 studies in 23 states that examine the role Medicaid plays in state and local economies. These studies estimate the economic stimulus derived from Medicaid spending, and also analyze the adverse effects on the state economy from reducing Medicaid spending. This policy brief…
Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets on Families and States November 3, 2008 Fact Sheet The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes…
Vermont’s Choices for Care Medicaid Long-Term Services Waiver: Progress and Challenges As the Program Concluded Its Third Year October 31, 2008 Report Vermont's Choices for Care experiment in long-term services, created through a five-year Medicaid waiver in 2005, was designed to increase access to home and community-based services while reducing the use of institutional services and controlling overall costs. In exchange for agreeing to a federal funding cap, Vermont was able to…
Pulling It Together: Perspectives on State Health Reform June 9, 2008 Perspective This Pulling It Together column is the fourth in my new series. All four so far have dealt with different dimensions of health reform. This time I write about one of my favorite topics, the states. As a former head of an umbrella health and social services agency in a…
Testimony: State-Based Health Reform Efforts May 31, 2008 Event On June 16, 2008, Kaiser Family Foundation Vice President Gary Claxton testified about state-based health reform efforts as part of the Senate Finance Committee’s Preparing For Launch Health Reform Summit. In his prepared testimony, he examined the role of Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as…
New Analysis Shows Effect of Rising Unemployment on Health Coverage, Medicaid and SCHIP Spending and Enrollment April 1, 2008 Event As the country faces another economic downturn, many states are scrambling to deal with the impact of poor economic conditions on programs, like Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), that are reliant on state funding. To be better able to cope, states are looking for fiscal relief…
Medicaid in a Declining Economy: Limited Approaches for States to Control Spending April 1, 2008 Issue Brief Medicaid in a Declining Economy: Limited Approaches for States to Control SpendingThis brief analyzes results from its annual 50-state budget surveys of Medicaid directors from 2003 to 2007. The historical results describe how states adopted a wide array of Medicaid cost containment strategies during the last economic downturn and were…
Medicaid, SCHIP and Economic Downturn: Policy Challenges and Policy Responses April 1, 2008 Report Medicaid, SCHIP and Economic Downturn: Policy Challenges and Policy ResponsesA new analysis conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines the implications of a downturn for health coverage and state programs and projects the impact of one percentage point rise in the national unemployment rate…
Why Did Medicaid Spending Decline in 2006? A Detailed Look at Program Spending and Enrollment, 2000-2006 September 30, 2007 Issue Brief Why Did Medicaid Spending Decline in 2006? A Detailed Look at Program Spending and Enrollment, 2000-2006This issue brief finds that Medicaid spending declined for the first time in the program’s 40-plus year history in Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, falling by 0.2 percent. The two major factors that underlie the…
New Survey Indicates Medicaid Enrollment Declines For First Time In Nearly A Decade September 30, 2007 Event The annual 50-state survey of state officials on Medicaid and state budget actions reports enrollment in Medicaid declined for the first time in nearly a decade. The 0.5 percent enrollment decline in fiscal year 2007 was driven primarily by two factors. States reported that the new citizenship documentation requirements were…
