New on the Web 49 (October 2008)
From the Access Project: “2007 Health Insurance Survey of Farm and Ranch Operators”
From the Center for Studying Health System Change: “Trade-Offs Getting Tougher: Problems Paying Medical Bills Increase for U.S. Families, 2003-2007”
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Rhode Island’s Medicaid Proposal Would Put Beneficiaries at Risk and Undermine the Federal-State Partnership: Could Set Dangerous Precedent for Other States”
From the Commonwealth Fund: “The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans in 2008,” “Seeing Red: The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families”
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute: “Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey”
From the Government Accountability Office: “Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy: Assets and Income Are Both Important in Subsidy Denials, and Access to State and Manufacturer Drug Programs Is Uneven”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “Headed for a Crunch: An Update on Medicaid Spending, Coverage, and Policy Heading into an Economic Downturn”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Prescription Drug Trends Fact Sheet: September 2008,” “The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Costs and Consequences in 2007”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust: “Employer Health Benefits: 2008 Annual Survey”
From the National Women’s Law Center: “Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women”
From the Access Project:
2007 Health Insurance Survey of Farm and Ranch Operators examines health care costs and their consequences for farm and ranch families in the Great Plains states. The majority of respondents had health insurance, yet one in four reported that their health care expenses contributed to financial problems. In addition, farmers and ranchers who purchased insurance in the non-group market were at greater risk of financial hardship than those who obtained insurance through government-sponsored programs or through off-farm or off-ranch employment. (September 2008)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
Trade-Offs Getting Tougher: Problems Paying Medical Bills Increase for U.S. Families, 2003-2007 estimates that 14 million more people had problems paying medical bills in 2007 compared to 2003. Among the non-elderly insured and uninsured, 2.2 million were in families that filed for bankruptcy as a result of medical debt, while a much larger number reported other financial consequences, such as difficulties paying for necessities or having to borrow money. (September 2008)
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Rhode Island’s Medicaid Proposal Would Put Beneficiaries at Risk and Undermine the Federal-State Partnership: Could Set Dangerous Precedent for Other States analyzes the state’s waiver proposal, which would transform Medicaid into a block grant. If approved, the waiver would put many beneficiaries at risk of losing health coverage and services, as well as set a national precedent that could negatively affect low-income people across the country. (September 2008)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans in 2008 considers the policies of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) that have spurred greater enrollment in private plans and that have substantially increased Medicare costs. Private health plans serving Medicare beneficiaries will be paid an average of 12.4 percent more per enrollee in 2008 compared to what the same enrollee would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program. (September 2008)
Seeing Red: The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families reports that the proportion of working-age Americans who struggled to pay medical bills and accumulated medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007. Families with low or moderate incomes were particularly hard hit, as were the uninsured and adults who had gaps in health coverage. Those experiencing financial hardship due to medical debt reported that they used up all their savings, incurred large credit card debt, or were unable to pay for basic necessities. (August 2008)
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute:
Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey examines the factors that affect whether an individual has health insurance and the sources of that coverage. According to the report, the percentage of U.S. residents younger than age 65 who had health coverage through their employer remained at 62.2 percent between 2006 and 2007, but this year’s rise in unemployment and food and gasoline prices suggest a future decline in the number of workers who have or are able to afford employer-based health insurance. (September 2008)
From the Government Accountability Office:
Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy: Assets and Income Are Both Important in Subsidy Denials, and Access to State and Manufacturer Drug Programs Is Uneven examines the importance of assets and income in low-income subsidy (LIS) denials in 2006 and 2007, as well as state and manufacturer programs that provide prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. The study found that state pharmaceutical assistance programs (SPAPs) differ in the type and extent of assistance they offer, and not all drug company patient assistance programs (PAP) are open to Part D beneficiaries. (September 2008)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
Headed for a Crunch: An Update on Medicaid Spending, Coverage, and Policy Heading into an Economic Downturn finds that Medicaid enrollment grew by 2.1 percent in fiscal year 2008, with states expecting even larger increases in enrollment and spending for 2009. More states made restorations, enhancements, or expansions to their Medicaid programs than made cuts for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. These included changes in provider reimbursement levels, in Medicaid eligibility requirements and enrollment processes, in benefits, and in home- and community-based services for long-term care. (September 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Prescription Drug Trends Fact Sheet: September 2008 provides information about prescription drug expenditures and coverage, key factors that contribute to rising prescription spending, and efforts to contain certain rising drug costs. Prescription drug spending has become one of the fastest growing components of national health care spending as a result of increased use of prescription drugs, lower rebates from drug manufacturers, and changes in the therapeutic mix of drugs. (September 2008)
The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Costs and Consequences in 2007 quantifies the number of Part D enrollees who reached the gap in drug coverage known as the “doughnut hole,” as well as the changes in beneficiaries’ use of medications and out-of-pocket spending after reaching the gap. The study found that beneficiaries who were taking drugs for serious chronic conditions were more likely to reach the doughnut hole. Many of those who reached the gap stopped drug therapy, switched to another medication, or reduced their medication use. (August 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust:
Employer Health Benefits: 2008 Annual Survey provides a detailed look at trends in employer-based health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, and cost-sharing. The survey also documents the prevalence of high-deductible health plans and includes new questions on the wellness programs and retiree health benefits that are offered by employers. (September 2008)
From the National Women’s Law Center:
Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women looks at the experiences of women seeking coverage in the individual insurance market between July and September, 2008. The report finds that many women face obstacles obtaining comprehensive, affordable health coverage. These challenges include being charged higher premiums than men, a practice known as “gender rating,” and being unable to find affordable maternity coverage. (September 2008)
Return to New on the Web Contents
