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This was an introductory session designed to inform the staff of new members of Congress both in Washington and in district or state offices about the people who receive benefits from both the Medicaid and Medicare programs (often called “dual eligibles”). The briefing was designed to be helpful to staff members unfamiliar with this important issue. The […]

When fully implemented, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will increase the number of insured Americans through two primary strategies – expanding Medicaid and providing insurance through state-based insurance exchanges. As an individual’s household income exceeds the maximum for Medicaid eligibility, he or she will be eligible for subsidies to buy coverage through an […]

In addition to expanding coverage to 32 million previously uninsured Americans, the health reform law of 2010 aims to improve the health of the population and the quality of health care delivery, while reducing costs. One tool to pursue these goals is the creation of a national voluntary program for accountable care organizations (ACOs). The […]

More than 25 years have passed since what is now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began publishing hospital mortality data. Great strides have been taken since then in collecting and making public more and better information about the quality of care delivered by hospitals and other providers. CMS’s websites, like www.hospitalcompare.gov, make […]

View our interactive map: “Select Community Quality Initiatives” The fact that health care costs vary sharply around the country is becoming well known; less understood is that there is also wide regional variation in health care quality. Some regions enjoy low cost, high quality care while others report high cost, lower quality care. Some people […]

Although the rise in unemployment in this recession has resulted in lost health insurance coverage for many adults, a record 90 percent of children now have coverage – one-third of whom are covered by public programs, Medicaid and CHIP. About 7.5 million children remain uninsured, including 5 million who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP […]

Understanding how Medicare works is essential to understanding federal health policy. Medicare is the federally administered health insurance program for individuals ages 65 and older and for younger people with permanent disabilities. In 2010, the program covered an estimated 47 million people. It comprised an estimated 15 percent of the federal budget and over one-fifth […]

Medicaid will play a major role in extending coverage to millions of uninsured people in 2014 through provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  More than 16 million newly qualified individuals are expected to enroll as a result of the law. What is Medicaid and what is its role in the health care […]

The relationship between patients and doctors has been changing from the traditional model in which a doctor decides on a treatment course without significant patient input. In recent years, awareness of the importance of the patient’s role in managing his or her own care has been steadily growing–fed not only by such trends as the […]

Unemployment has hit everyone hard since the economic downturn began in 2007. And while workers age 50-64 tend to have lower rates of uninsurance than other age groups, they are especially hard hit by losing their jobs and with them their employer-sponsored health benefits. About 8.6 million adults ages 50 to 64 were uninsured in […]

One of the goals of the Affordable Care Act is improving the quality of health care while also slowing the growth of spending. This will not be easy as 30+ million individuals gain insurance and the need for chronic care coordination increases with an aging population. In order to meet this challenge, the law aims […]

The rising number of uninsured, who they are and how they might obtain health insurance coverage were much debated during the consideration and passage of health reform in the last year. In the meantime, rising unemployment rates and an economic recession have exacerbated the declines in health insurance coverage. According to the Current Population Survey, […]