New on the Web June 2012
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Are Low-Income Programs Enlarging the Nation’s Long-Term Fiscal Problem?,” “Coordinating Human Services Programs with Health Reform Implementation: A Toolkit for State Agencies,” “Lower-Than-Expected Medicare Drug Costs Mostly Reflect Lower Enrollment and Slowing of Overall Drug Spending, Not Reliance on Private Plans”
From the Commonwealth Fund: “Young, Uninsured, and in Debt: Why Young Adults Lack Health Insurance and How the Affordable Care Act Is Helping”
From Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Workplace Wellness Programs”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “Decoding Medicaid Delivery and Financing Models: A Glossary of Widely Used Terms,” “How Is the Affordable Care Act Leading to Changes in Medicaid Today? State Adoption of Five New Options”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “The Part D Experience: What Are the Lessons for Broader Medicare Reform?,” “Health Care Costs: A Primer,” “Massachusetts Health Care Reform: Six Years Later”
From the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers: “The Fiscal Survey of States: Spring 2012”
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute: “Virtually Every State Experienced Deteriorating Access to Care for Adults over the Past Decade”
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Are Low-Income Programs Enlarging the Nation’s Long-Term Fiscal Problem? concludes that, although recent growth in the cost of federal programs for low-income people has been cited as a contributor to the nation’s fiscal problems, that growth actually reflects the economic downturn and rising costs in the health care system overall. It also notes that per-beneficiary health care costs are lower and have been rising more slowly in Medicaid than in private insurance. (May 2012)
Coordinating Human Services Programs with Health Reform Implementation: A Toolkit for State Agencies explains the importance of program integration and provides tools and suggestions related to eligibility, applications, verifications, and renewals. (May 2012)
Lower-Than-Expected Medicare Drug Costs Mostly Reflect Lower Enrollment and Slowing of Overall Drug Spending, Not Reliance on Private Plans refutes the claim that, based on the Part D experience, relying on private insurers would lower Medicare costs. It finds that using private plans to deliver the drug benefit had little or nothing to do with the fact that spending on Part D has been lower than expected. (May 2012)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
Young, Uninsured, and in Debt: Why Young Adults Lack Health Insurance and How the Affordable Care Act Is Helping finds that, between September 2010 and June 2011, the number of insured young adults increased by 2.5 million as a result of the dependent coverage provision. It also finds that most young adults do enroll in coverage when it is accessible and affordable, and only 6 percent of those surveyed said they do not need coverage. (June 2012)
From Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Workplace Wellness Programs explains why wellness programs are popular, but it emphasizes the following concerns: The programs may shift health care costs from the healthy to the sick, wellness incentives might be unfair because people cannot control all health-related factors, and tying the cost of coverage to health goals could discriminate against low-income individuals or racial and ethnic minorities. (May 2012)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
Decoding Medicaid Delivery and Financing Models: A Glossary of Widely Used Terms clarifies commonly used terms in the context of Medicaid, including capitation, disease management, health home, managed long-term care, medical home, and risk-based managed care. It also notes the federal legislation or regulation that is relevant to each term. (May 2012)
How Is the Affordable Care Act Leading to Changes in Medicaid Today? State Adoption of Five New Options provides an overview of the following new opportunities for state Medicaid programs, which were made available by the Affordable Care Act: an early start on the expansion, funding to upgrade eligibility systems, funding for disease prevention, health homes for people with chronic conditions, and integrated financing for dual eligibles. (May 2012)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
The Part D Experience: What Are the Lessons for Broader Medicare Reform? is a panel discussion of the roles played by competition and marketplace changes in controlling costs, the effects of the benefit’s design on beneficiaries, and the lessons that can be applied to future reforms. Materials include a video, a podcast, presentation slides, and a companion brief about spending trends in Part D. (June 2012)
Health Care Costs: A Primer addresses the following questions: How much does the U.S. spend on health care, and how does that compare with other countries? How do health care costs affect families and employers? Why is health spending growing faster than the economy overall? And what can be done to address rising costs? (May 2012)
Massachusetts Health Care Reform: Six Years Later examines implementation efforts in Massachusetts and looks to what lies ahead under the Affordable Care Act. It finds that the state has succeeded in expanding coverage to nearly all residents, and people have experienced increased access to coverage, but the state still struggles with rising health care costs. (May 2012)
From the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers:
The Fiscal Survey of States: Spring 2012 provides an overview of state expenditures, including general fund spending, budget cuts, and budget gaps; state revenues; total balances; and state Medicaid programs, including growth rates, enrollment, and cost containment. (June 2012)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute:
Virtually Every State Experienced Deteriorating Access to Care for Adults over the Past Decade examines access to care by determining how likely it is that adults will have unmet medical needs due to cost, will get regular check-ups, and will go to the dentist. It finds that, in every state, uninsured adults saw greater declines in access to care than insured adults. (May 2012)
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