New on the Web 46 (June 2008)
From Avalere Health: “Enrollment-Weighted Average Premiums for the Top 10 PDPs by Enrollment as of April 2008”
From the Center for Studying Health System Change: “Health and Wellness: The Shift from Managing Illness to Promoting Health”
From the Commonwealth Fund: “On the Road to Universal Coverage: Impacts of Reform in Massachusetts at One Year,” “Medicare Part D: Simplifying the Program and Improving the Value of Information for Beneficiaries,” “Who Pays for Health Care When Workers Are Uninsured?”
From Health Affairs: “How Many Are Underinsured? Trends among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007,” “Where Does the Insurance Industry Stand On Health Reform Today?”
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: “Choosing Premium Assistance: What Does State Experience Tell Us?”
From the Kaiser Family Foundation: “Medicare Advantage in 2008”
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Disparities in Health and Health Care among Medicare Beneficiaries”
From the Urban Institute: “Health Insurance Coverage of Young Adults: Issues and Broader Considerations”
From Avalere Health:
According to Enrollment-Weighted Average Premiums for the Top 10 PDPs by Enrollment as of April 2008, among the top 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans, which account for about three-fourths of all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in such plans, six increased premiums this year, and four reduced them. The analysis also found that the Part D plan with the largest number of enrollees (AARP MedicareRX Preferred) increased its average monthly premium by 15 percent. (June 2008)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
According to findings in Health and Wellness: The Shift from Managing Illness to Promoting Health, initiatives to promote health and wellness are now commonplace. Much of the impetus has come from employers—primarily large employers—that are incorporating health and wellness activities into benefit designs that place more responsibility on employees for health care decisions and costs. (June 2008)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
On the Road to Universal Coverage: Impacts of Reform in Massachusetts at One Year found that in the first year, the rate of the uninsured working-age adults in the state dropped by almost half, from 13 percent to 7 percent. In addition, the study found improvements in access to care, particularly among low-income adults, and fewer adults with high out-of-pocket costs and medical bill problems. (June 2008)
Medicare Part D: Simplifying the Program and Improving the Value of Information for Beneficiaries considers specific options for simplifying Part D in several areas: standardizing the benefit descriptions and procedures used by plans and the Medicare program; further standardization of the plan's benefit parameters, particularly the rules for cost-sharing; and changes to the rules governing plan formularies. (May 2008)
Who Pays for Health Care When Workers Are Uninsured? reports that holes in employer-based coverage generate public costs in the form of public insurance programs or uncompensated care programs that cover care that would otherwise be paid for through insurance. This report quantifies those costs and finds that, in 2004, uninsured and publicly insured workers cost taxpayers $45 billion. (May 2008)
From Health Affairs:
How Many Are Underinsured? Trends among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007 estimates that there are nearly 25 million underinsured adults, a 60 percent increase from 2003. The rate of increase was steepest among those with incomes above 200 percent of poverty ($10,400 for an individual in 2008), where underinsurance rates nearly tripled. In total, 42 percent of U.S. adults were underinsured or uninsured. (June 2008)
Where Does the Insurance Industry Stand on Health Reform Today? addresses the assumption that health plans will present a major source of opposition to expansions in coverage and other reforms. But a closer look reveals signs of change. Some plans continue their reflexive opposition to increasing government’s role in health care; other plans have stepped forward to advocate meaningful reform. Experiences in Massachusetts, California, Minnesota, and elsewhere suggest clear lessons for policymakers. (June 2008)
From the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured:
Choosing Premium Assistance: What Does State Experience Tell Us? examines the advantages and disadvantages of several state premium assistance programs, which allow families to choose to receive a subsidy to purchase private coverage rather than enroll in Medicaid or CHIP. The brief examines premium assistance programs in six states: Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia. (May 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
Medicare Advantage in 2008 analyzes recent developments in the Medicare Advantage (MA) marketplace, including the plan choices that are available to beneficiaries and enrollment trends by plan type and geography. The brief also examines market share for the companies that offer MA plans and the role that MA plans play in providing employer-sponsored retiree health benefits. (June 2008)
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Disparities in Health and Health Care among Medicare Beneficiaries highlights the importance of understanding health care within local context, and of efforts to explore and address the underlying causes of disparities within and across regions. The study’s major findings include: the rate of leg amputation is four times greater for blacks than for whites; and, for evidence-based services such as screening mammography and testing for diabetes, disparities across states and regions are substantially greater than the differences by race. (June 2008)
From the Urban Institute:
Health Insurance Coverage of Young Adults: Issues and Broader Considerations looks at why young adults are disproportionately uninsured and what policies could address this coverage gap. Nearly one in three adults ages 19-26 lack health insurance. (June 2008)
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