Medicare - Health Policy, Public Opinion & Research

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Article Assesses Evidence and Lessons Learned From Medicare’s Part D Drug Benefit
This analysis by Kaiser researchers examines in detail how the Medicare Part D model has worked since its launch in 2006. It appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 23, 2009.

Resources on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
A collection of reports, fact sheets, surveys, and other research and background material on the Medicare program's new drug benefit and other provisions of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

Recent Documents: (510 results)

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Medicare Savings In Perspective: A Comparison of H.R. 3200 and Other Laws in the Last 15 Years -- September 2009
The policy brief examines the changes in Medicare spending included in the primary health reform proposal under consideration in the House with earlier laws enacted over the past 15 years, providing context for the scope of the changes.

Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Monthly Tracking Report —August 2009 -- August 2009
This brief presents current monthly data on Medicare Advantage plan participation, enrollment and penetration.

Examining Sources of Supplemental Insurance and Prescription Drug Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Findings from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, 2007 -- August 2009
This chartpack presents new information on the sources of supplemental and prescription drug coverage among Medicare beneficiaries in 2007, the most recent year for which national data are available.

Health Coverage and Expenses: Impact on Older Women's Economic Well-Being -- August 2009
In this article in the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation examine how health issues that women face over the course of their lives, as well as policies that shape Medicare, Medicaid and other supplemental coverage, can affect retired women's economic well-being.

Setting Medicare Payment Policy: Is There a Role for an Independent Entity? -- August 2009
This issue brief considers questions associated with the establishment of a new entity to set Medicare payment policy and the implications for beneficiaries, other stakeholders, and program spending. The idea is being considered as part of health form as a way to improve Medicare's efficiency and control health care costs.

Health Reform Opportunities: Improving Policy for Dual Eligibles -- August 2009
This brief provides an overview of opportunities under health reform to realign federal and state policy for the dual eligibles to promote a more rational, cost-efficient system for 9 million of the poorest, sickest and highest-cost people covered by both Medicaid and Medicare.

Summary of Key Medicare Provisions in H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 -- August 2009
This document provides a description of key Medicare provisions of H.R.3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.

A Primer on Medicare Financing -- July 2009
This primer provides an overview of Medicare’s financing, examines several methods of assessing the program’s long-term financial outlook, and looks at various policy options under discussion to control costs both for Medicare and for the nation's overall health care system.

Explaining Health Care Reform: How Might a Reform Plan Be Financed? -- July 2009
This brief explains the likely sources of added costs under health reform, the types of financing measures being considered, and some of the key questions likely to be addressed by how a plan is financed.

Medicare Part D Update – Lessons Learned and Unfinished Businesses -- July 2009
This analysis by Kaiser researchers examines in detail how the Medicare Part D model has worked since its launch in 2006. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 23, 2009.

The policy brief examines the changes in Medicare spending included in the primary health reform proposal under consideration in the House with earlier laws enacted over the past 15 years, providing context for the scope of the changes.

This brief presents current monthly data on Medicare Advantage plan participation, enrollment and penetration.

This chartpack presents new information on the sources of supplemental and prescription drug coverage among Medicare beneficiaries in 2007, the most recent year for which national data are available.

In this article in the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation examine how health issues that women face over the course of their lives, as well as policies that shape Medicare, Medicaid and other supplemental coverage, can affect retired women's economic well-being.

This issue brief considers questions associated with the establishment of a new entity to set Medicare payment policy and the implications for beneficiaries, other stakeholders, and program spending. The idea is being considered as part of health form as a way to improve Medicare's efficiency and control health care costs.

This brief provides an overview of opportunities under health reform to realign federal and state policy for the dual eligibles to promote a more rational, cost-efficient system for 9 million of the poorest, sickest and highest-cost people covered by both Medicaid and Medicare.

This document provides a description of key Medicare provisions of H.R.3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.

This primer provides an overview of Medicare’s financing, examines several methods of assessing the program’s long-term financial outlook, and looks at various policy options under discussion to control costs both for Medicare and for the nation's overall health care system.

This brief explains the likely sources of added costs under health reform, the types of financing measures being considered, and some of the key questions likely to be addressed by how a plan is financed.

This analysis by Kaiser researchers examines in detail how the Medicare Part D model has worked since its launch in 2006. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 23, 2009.

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Medicare

Medicare, the federal health insurance program that covers 45 million Americans, has played a central role in the U.S. health system since it was established in 1965. Medicare serves all eligible beneficiaries without regard to income or medical history. Most individuals ages 65 and over are automatically entitled to Medicare Part A (the Hospital Insurance Program) if they or their spouse are eligible for Social Security payments. People under 65 who receive Social Security cash payments due to a disability generally become eligible for Medicare after a two-year waiting period. People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease) are entitled to Part A regardless of their age. Part B (the Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) is voluntary, but covers 95% of all Part A beneficiaries.