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Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges: An Update on State Efforts

July 28, 2011 Comments off

Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges: An Update on State Efforts
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

This issue brief examines states’ progress in setting up the state-based health insurance exchanges through which millions of Americans are expected to purchase coverage under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) beginning in 2014.

The exchanges, a key component of the law, are expected to enable consumers to compare a selection of qualified health insurance options in order to find the plan that best meets their needs and budget. The federal government will provide subsidies to certain low- and moderate-income individuals to make such coverage more affordable.

The brief reviews states’ progress, examines the choices and challenges they face, and summarizes the early trends that have emerged in terms of the governance, structure and financing of the new exchanges. The law requires states to demonstrate sufficient progress towards establishing a “fully operational” exchange by January 2013.

+ Full Document (PDF)

Categories: business and economics, consumer issues, government and politics, health care reform, health insurance, Kaiser Family Foundation

Comparison of Medicare Provisions in Deficit and Debt Reduction Proposals

July 27, 2011 Comments off

Comparison of Medicare Provisions in Deficit and Debt Reduction Proposals
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

Many of the debt-reduction plans being considered by Congress and the Administration include proposals that would achieve substantial savings from the Medicare program over time. This updated side-by-side summary compares the key Medicare provisions found in five major debt-reduction plans put forward by the White House, Congress and independent, bipartisan commissions.

The five plans are: the President’s Framework for Shared Prosperity and Shared Fiscal Responsibility; the House Concurrent Budget Resolution; the Senate “Gang of Six” Proposal; the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Bowles-Simpson); and the Bipartisan Policy Center Debt Reduction Task Force (Domenici-Rivlin).

The summary also includes brief descriptions of Medicare proposals in other deficit reduction proposals from American Enterprise Institute; Cato Institute; Center for American Progress, Sen. Tom Coburn; Congressional Progressive Caucus; Dr. Bill Galston and Ms. Maya MacGuineas; Heritage Foundation; Institute for America’s Future; Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Sen. Coburn; Our Fiscal Security; Dr. Alice Rivlin and Chairman Paul Ryan; Republican Study Committee; Roosevelt Institute Campus Network; and Chairman Ryan.

+ Full Document (PDF)

Categories: business and economics, government and politics, Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicare and Medicaid

Raising the Age of Medicare Eligibility: A Fresh Look Following Implementation of Health Reform

April 5, 2011 Comments off

Raising the Age of Medicare Eligibility: A Fresh Look Following Implementation of Health Reform
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

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 on such a change on the federal budget, as well as on affected seniors’ out-of-pocket costs, employers, Medicaid and others in light of the major changes in coverage enacted under the 2010 health reform law.

The study estimates that raising Medicare’s eligibility to 67 in 2014 would generate an estimated $7.6 billion in net savings to the federal government, but also result in an estimated net increase of $5.6 billion in out-of-pocket costs for 65- and 66-year-olds, and $4.5 billion in employer retiree health-care costs. In addition, the study projects that the change would raise premiums by about 3 percent both for those who remain on Medicare and for those who obtain coverage through health reform’s new insurance exchanges. The study assumes both full implementation of the health reform law and the higher eligibility age in 2014 in order to estimate the full effect of both the law and the policy proposal.

+ Full Report (PDF)

Categories: business and economics, consumer issues, government and politics, health and health care, Kaiser Family Foundation, labor, Medicare and Medicaid, retirement

A Primer on Medicare Financing

March 7, 2011 Comments off

A Primer on Medicare Financing
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

As Congress and the Administration increasingly focus on the nation’s budget deficit, many policy experts and several bipartisan deficit reduction panels have proposed significant changes to Medicare to reduce federal spending and address rising health care costs.

This primer provides an overview of Medicare spending trends, how the program is financed, and factors contributing to the growth in Medicare spending. Medicare now covers 47 million seniors and younger people with disabilities, with total expenditures of $524 billion in fiscal year 2010, representing 15 percent of federal outlays.

It also describes the expected effects of provisions in the 2010 health reform law on future Medicare spending. The primer reviews the financial obligations and out-of-pocket spending for people covered by Medicare, outlines several ways to assess Medicare’s long-term fiscal outlook, and discusses future financing challenges facing the program.

+ Full Document (PDF)

See also: The Role of Medicare for the People Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid

See also: Reaching for the Stars: Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, 2011

Categories: business and economics, government and politics, health and health care, Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicare and Medicaid
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