New on the Web April 2012
From AARP and Avalere Health: “Health Law Guide”
From the AARP Public Policy Institute: “Trends in Retail Prices of Prescription Drugs Widely Used by Medicare Beneficiaries 2005 to 2009”
From the Alliance for Health Reform: “Implementing Health Reform in the States”
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Claimed State Savings from Rhode Island’s Medicaid Cap Heavily Overblown, Report Shows: Rhode Island Does Not Provide Support for Proposals to Convert Medicaid to a Block Grant,” “Federal Government Will Pick Up Nearly All Costs of Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion,” “State Considerations on Adopting Health Reform’s ‘Basic Health’ Option: Federal Guidance Needed for States to Fully Assess Option”
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “Financial Burden of Medical Care: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January—June 2011”
From the Commonwealth Fund: “Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Action on Early Market Reforms”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “A Guide to the Medicaid Appeals Process”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Health Tracking Poll: Exploring the Public’s Views on the Affordable Care Act,” “Comparison of Medicare Premium Support Proposals”
From the National Health Law Program: “Top Ways Health Reform Helps”
From the National Women’s Law Center: “Turning to Fairness: Insurance Discrimination against Women Today and the Affordable Care Act”
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute: “The Individual Mandate in Perspective”
From the Urban Institute: “Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future”
From AARP and Avalere Health:
Health Law Guide allows you to enter your information and get a customized fact sheet with details about consumer protections and about new coverage options you may be eligible for under the Affordable Care Act. The guide will be updated as implementation of the law continues. (March 2012)
From the AARP Public Policy Institute:
Trends in Retail Prices of Prescription Drugs Widely Used by Medicare Beneficiaries 2005 to 2009 compares the rate of change in prescription drug prices to the rate of inflation. It finds that the growth in prices for a set of commonly used drugs was almost double the rate of inflation. (March 2012)
From the Alliance for Health Reform:
Implementing Health Reform in the States discusses key elements of the Affordable Care Act that states must address and offers an update on the status of implementation. It also discusses the issues of whether states will aggressively promote the Medicaid expansion to those who will be eligible and what will happen if the Supreme Court rules the expansion unconstitutional. (March 2012)
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Claimed State Savings from Rhode Island’s Medicaid Cap Heavily Overblown, Report Shows: Rhode Island Does Not Provide Support for Proposals to Convert Medicaid to a Block Grant explains that the state’s savings were modest and unrelated to the cap on federal funding. Instead, the savings came from policy changes like reducing provider payments, cutting waste, and emphasizing home- and community-based services for people who need long-term care. (March 2012)
Federal Government Will Pick Up Nearly All Costs of Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion refutes the claim that states will face a heavy financial burden as a result of the Medicaid expansion. It also notes that the expansion will reduce costs for uncompensated care, which will offset the added Medicaid costs. (March 2012)
State Considerations on Adopting Health Reform’s ‘Basic Health’ Option: Federal Guidance Needed for States to Fully Assess Option describes the Basic Health option, the issues states should consider, and the areas in which states need federal guidance in order to decide whether the option is appropriate for them. (March 2012)
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Financial Burden of Medical Care: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January—June 2011 finds that, among many statistics, one in three people was in a family that experienced a financial burden because of medical bills. (March 2012)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Action on Early Market Reforms explains that 49 states and the District of Columbia have worked to implement certain consumer protections that took effect in 2010. It also suggests that, even if legislative action is difficult, states can still make progress with implementation by issuing sub-regulatory guidance and verifying insurers’ compliance with the law. (March 2012)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
A Guide to the Medicaid Appeals Process describes how the appeals process works for applicants and beneficiaries, including the fair hearing process and the appeals process that’s required for managed care organizations. (March 2012)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Health Tracking Poll: Exploring the Public’s Views on the Affordable Care Act uses graphs to show the public’s shifting views on the health care law over the past year. It breaks down the data by political party, income, age, gender, race or ethnicity, and insurance status. (April 2012)
Comparison of Medicare Premium Support Proposals summarizes and compares five proposals that would end up transforming Medicare into a voucher program, including the budget proposal recently released by House Republicans. (March 2012)
From the National Health Law Program:
Top Ways Health Reform Helps provides the top five ways the Affordable Care Act helps the following groups: Medicaid beneficiaries, older adults and people with disabilities, women, and children and young adults. It also explains how the health care law addresses disparities and helps people get coverage. The lists are divided into provisions that are already in effect and those that are coming soon. (March 2012)
From the National Women’s Law Center:
Turning to Fairness: Insurance Discrimination against Women Today and the Affordable Care Act discusses the practice of gender rating, in which insurance companies charge women different premiums than men. Gender rating costs women about $1 billion a year, but the Affordable Care Act will outlaw this practice in 2014. (March 2012)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute:
The Individual Mandate in Perspective estimates the number of Americans who would be subject to this provision in the Affordable Care Act, identifies their insurance status without the law, and simulates their eligibility for Medicaid or premium tax credits. It finds that 94 percent of people would not be required to newly purchase coverage or pay a fine. (March 2012)
From the Urban Institute:
Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future discusses the key issues that will likely affect federal spending on children’s health in light of the ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act. (March 2012)
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