Medicare: Low Income Beneficiaries - Kaiser Family Foundation

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Medicare: Low Income Beneficiaries

Reports Analyze Cost and Coverage of People Eligible for Both Medicaid and Medicare and Options for Reforming Financing of Their Care
Two reports examine coverage of the nearly 9 million “dual eligibles” and explore the national and state impacts of shifting the financing of selected services for this population from Medicaid to Medicare.

Health Care on a Budget: An Analysis of Spending by Medicare Households
This report finds that Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket health care costs comprise a significant share of their household expenses -- 14.1 percent of all expenditures, which is less than housing but about the same as transportation and food.

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Where Does the Burden Lie?: Medicaid and Medicare Spending for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries -- April 2009

This issue brief analyzes the demographic and health characteristics of people who are simultaneously eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, as well as their patterns of service utilization and spending under both programs.

Rethinking Medicaid's Financing Role for Medicare Enrollees -- February 2009

This report examines coverage of the nearly 9 million "dual eligible" beneficiaries and explores the national and state impacts of shifting the financing of selected services for this population from Medicaid to Medicare.

Dual Eligibles: Medicaid Enrollment and Spending for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2005 -- February 2009

This report provides the latest national and state data on Medicaid enrollment and spending for individuals enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare, also knows as dual eligibles. Nationally, there are about 8.8 million dual eligibles. Although they comprise 18 percent of the Medicaid population, they account for 46 percent of Medicaid spending.

Dual Eligibles: Medicaid's Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries -- February 2009

This updated fact sheet describes the nearly 8.8 million "dual eligibles," the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, why this population needs Medicaid, what services they receive from Medicaid, and the current policy challenges related to dual eligibles, including the financing of their care.

Medicare: A Primer -- December 2008
This primer provides an overview of the Medicare program, how it is structured, who it serves, and how it works.

Medicare at a Glance - Fact Sheet -- November 2008
This fact sheet provides a basic overview of the Medicare program, including how it is financed, who is eligible and what benefits are covered under the program. In addition, it describes supplemental health insurance, benefits provided by the new drug law and data on Medicare expenditures and financing.

Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) Availability in 2009 -- November 2008
This fact sheet contains 2009 state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including the number of stand-alone plans with gap coverage in the "doughnut hole," and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries.

Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: Premiums -- November 2008
This spotlight analyzes the premiums charged by the 1,689 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans that will be offered in markets across the country in 2009. It is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap -- November 2008
This data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or "doughnut hole," in Medicare drug plans available in 2009. 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. The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: Low-Income Subsidy Plan Availability -- November 2008
This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight focuses on the availability of drug plans for beneficiaries receiving the Part D low-income subsidy in 2009 and changes since 2006. The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

This primer provides an overview of the Medicare program, how it is structured, who it serves, and how it works.

This fact sheet provides a basic overview of the Medicare program, including how it is financed, who is eligible and what benefits are covered under the program. In addition, it describes supplemental health insurance, benefits provided by the new drug law and data on Medicare expenditures and financing.

This fact sheet contains 2009 state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including the number of stand-alone plans with gap coverage in the "doughnut hole," and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries.

This spotlight analyzes the premiums charged by the 1,689 stand-alone Medicare Part D plans that will be offered in markets across the country in 2009. It is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

This data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or "doughnut hole," in Medicare drug plans available in 2009. 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. The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight focuses on the availability of drug plans for beneficiaries receiving the Part D low-income subsidy in 2009 and changes since 2006. The spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the Medicare Part D drug plans that will be available to beneficiaries in 2009.

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Medicare: Low Income Beneficiaries

Though Medicare coverage is vital to the 45 million elderly persons and individuals with disabilities enrolled in the program, the requirement that beneficiaries contribute to the cost of their care through premiums and coinsurance can impose a significant burden on low-income individuals. The poorest Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for protection from these medical expenses through the Medicaid program, but many persons living just below or above the poverty level are not eligible for full Medicaid assistance and cannot afford private supplemental insurance to help cover these costs. The Medicare Savings Programs are designed to assist these low-income Medicare beneficiaries with the cost of Medicare premiums and coinsurance by paying all or some of these costs. Individuals with modest incomes and assets may also qualify for additional assistance with Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums and cost-sharing requirements.