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SUMMARIES OF
KAISER REPORTS
July - Oct, 2003
COVERAGE OF THE UNINSURED WOULD ADD UP TO $69 BILLION IN OVERALL HEALTH CARE SPENDING
If the country provided universal coverage under the current health system, the cost of additional medical care provided to the newly insured would increase health spending's share of gross domestic product by less than one percentage point-or about 3 to 6 percent of total health care spending, according to a study which included none of the cost savings from curbing administrative waste and from negotiating contracts for large lots of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. The article was published in Health Affairs.
The authors, Urban Institute researchers Jack Hadley and John Holahan, conclude that this range-$34 billion to $69 billion per year, depending on the approach taken-would mean the cost of expanding insurance coverage may be a relatively small when considered against the benefits of improved health, increased longevity, and potentially greater national income. The researchers estimate the cost of expansion to universal coverage would increase health spending from 14.1 percent to between 14.5 and 14.9 percent of GDP.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
PUBLIC’S VIEWS ON MEDICARE
Seniors prefer building on the current Medicare program rather than expanding the role of private plans. Younger adults are more favorable toward private plans. It also finds that a majority of the public favors giving seniors prescription drug benefits as generous as what most workers get, even if it costs more. The public is largely unaware of fundamental differences between the political parties on the future direction of the Medicare program, and there is growing dissatisfaction with both parties on the issue.
Public’s Views on Medicare is available online CLICK HERE
A webcast of the survey briefing by kaiser is available online CLICK HERE
RACE, ETHNICITY & MEDICAL CARE
Racial and ethnic minority Americans, they continue to experience unequal access to the many advances made in medical technology and basic health services. This chartbook is intended to serve as a quick reference on racial and ethnic disparities in health, health insurance coverage and health care access and quality.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser chartpack (ACROBAT).
Latinos in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although Latinos represent approximately 14% of the U.S. population, they account for almost one fifth (19%) of the 40,000 new HIV infections estimated to occur in the U.S. each year.
The following documents are available:
-HIV/AIDS POLICY FACT SHEET: "Latinos and HIV/AIDS"
http://www.kff.org/content/2003/6007/
- KEY FACTS: "LATINOS AND HIV/AIDS"
http://www.kff.org/content/2003/6088/
STATE-LEVEL POVERTY DATA FOR THE MEDICARE POPULATION
-- STATE-LEVEL POVERTY DATA FOR THE MEDICARE POPULATION, estimates the number of low-income Medicare beneficiaries in each state who fall below the income eligibility thresholds specified in the House and Senate Medicare prescription drug proposals (135%, 150%, and 160% of the federal poverty level). This report is available at
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE AND USE DIFFER FOR WHITE, AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND LATINO
HOW DO PATTERNS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE AND USE DIFFER FOR WHITE, AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND LATINO MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES UNDER 65 AND 65+, provides a snapshot of racial/ethnic differences in Medicare beneficiaries’ prescription drug coverage, use, and spending. The conclusion discusses implications of key findings for the current policy debates about drug coverage.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
INSIGHT INTO THE CURRENT MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DEBATE
KFF has released several other reports that provide INSIGHT INTO THE CURRENT MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DEBATE in Congress:
Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare Beneficiaries: A Side-by-Side Comparison of S. 1 and H.R.. 1
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
The Current Medicare Prescription Drug Debate: Briefing Charts
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
Medicare and Prescription Drug Spending Chartpack
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
Medicare Drug Benefit Calculator
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
SURVEY OF SENIORS, GENERAL PUBLIC
Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health found that a majority of seniors (54%) want Congress to enact legislation this year to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. However, more than three quarters (76%) of seniors are worried, including 52% who are very worried, that they will still pay too large a share of their drug bills if legislation becomes law. Worries that the benefit will not be generous enough eclipse all other concerns by a wide margin (18-27 percentage points difference in the percent very worried).
Underscoring the need for lawmakers to educate the public about their proposals, nearly seven in 10 seniors (68%) don’t know whether or not there are differences between the Senate and House bills. Similar shares of seniors say they don’t know enough to say if there are differences between the House and Senate plans when it comes to specific issues being hotly debated on Capitol Hill, such as the role of private plans (64%), whether Medicare will provide backup coverage if there is no private plan (73%), how much help seniors would get with their drug costs (58%), and how the proposals would affect low-income seniors (55%).
Nearly two-thirds of the public say they favor a proposal to enable people to buy prescription drugs from Canada, even after being read arguments for and against it. More than four in ten seniors (44%) and six in ten people ages 18-64 (62%) say they are not too or not at all familiar with the Medicare prescription drug proposals in Congress.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser survey findings
POLICY BRIEFING AND NEW REPORTS FOCUS ON MEDICARE RX DRUG BILLS' IMPACT ON DUAL ELIGIBLES
POLICY BRIEFING AND NEW REPORTS FOCUS ON MEDICARE RX DRUG BILLS' IMPACT ON DUAL ELIGIBLES discuss the key issues impacting nearly seven million individuals who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The publications detail:
-- The treatment of Medicare and Medicaid dual eligibles in both bills,
-- The implications of Medicare drug coverage for states and their Medicaid budgets, and
-- The subsidies provided to low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
At the briefing, key Congressional staff involved in negotiations conveyed the reasoning behind the House and Senate bills different approaches to drug coverage for low-income individuals. Mike Robinson, Medicaid Commissioner of Kentucky, discussed how states fiscal conditions are impacting their Medicaid programs and indicated that future state budget conditions could be much worse with one-time federal fiscal relief ending. Mr. Robinson indicated that the current Medicare prescription drug debate could provide some assistance with the cost of the dual eligible population.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document .
THE 2003 ANNUAL EMPLOYER HEALTH BENEFITS SURVEY
THE 2003 ANNUAL EMPLOYER HEALTH BENEFITS SURVEY finds that private health insurance premiums increased 13.9% in 2003, a larger increase than last year and the third consecutive year of double-digit increases.. This was also the largest increase since 1990. While employers are not dropping coverage, most are passing on higher costs to employees. Over the past three years, the amount of the premium employees pay for family coverage has increased almost 50%, from $1,619 to $2,412. The typical family health insurance policy now costs $9,068, with employers on average paying 73% and employees paying 27%.
Many employers, and particularly large employers (200 or more workers), say that they will increase employee contributions and cost-sharing next year, but very few say that they will reduce eligibility or drop coverage. A small but significant group of employers say that they are very likely to offer a high deductible plan in the next year.
CLICK HERE for the survey
CLICK HERE for a transcript of the survey briefing and related resources
AFRICAN AMERICANS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS
African Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the epidemic's beginning, and that impact is deepening. They now represent more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and HIV was the number one cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44 in 2000.
Two new documents provide detailed information about AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HIV/AIDS. The fact sheet provides a snapshot of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, key trends and current cases, and information on testing and care. The second document is a KEY FACT CHARTBOOK that provides comprehensive data on a variety of issues relating to African Americans and HIV/AIDS.
CLICK HERE for Fact Sheet
CLICK HERE for Key Facts Chartbook
The third annual survey of the 50 states reveals a far-reaching impact on health coverage for low-income families at a time when enrollment is increasing due to sluggish economic conditions. All 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) have planned or implemented Medicaid cost containment actions for fiscal year (FY) 2004. Medicaid spending growth slowed for first time in 7 years.
Additional reports on the states' fiscal situation and on the factors contributing to Medicaid spending growth. The first study documents that the primary cause of the state fiscal crisis has been the sudden falloff in state tax revenue and Medicaid's growth has played a much smaller role. The study concluded that states are likely to face continued fiscal difficulties for the next several years. The second study indicates that health care spending for individuals with disabilities and the elderly accounted for nearly 60 percent of Medicaid spending growth from FY2000-02 and increasing enrollment in Medicaid likely prevented a larger increase in the uninsured population.
Some of the findings from the reports include:
* Over the past 3 years, 50 states have taken action to control drugs costs, 50 have reduced or frozen provider payments, 34 have reduced or restricted eligibility, 35 have reduced benefits, and 32 have increased co-payments.
* The primary cause of the fiscal crisis is the falloff in state tax revenue, with estimates of the decline in revenue collection totaling $62 billion, while Medicaid spending increased about $7 billion in FY2002.
* Medicaid spending growth between 2000 and 2002 has been driven in part by enrollment growth due to the economic downturn, as well as continued increases in hospital and prescription drug costs.
* Despite slower enrollment growth for the elderly and individuals with disabilities, they accounted for almost 60 percent of Medicaid spending growth during 2000-2002, reflecting their greater use of health care services.
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser documentS
RACE, IMMIGRATION STATUS, LANGUAGE AND ACCESS TO CARE
New and updated publications related to how race, immigration status and language affect insurance coverage and access to care for non-citizens. Additionally, one report focuses on issues of linguistic access in health care settings and provides an overview of the current legal rights and responsibilities of health care service and coverage providers. The reports are available online at
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document (ACROBAT).
HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE IN RURAL AMERICA
As the latest government data on America's health insurance coverage shows that the uninsured population is increasing, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured released two new publications examining the health coverage characteristics of rural America, where nearly 1 in every 5 of America's uninsured reside. Two reports detail the health policy issues faced by the uninsured and low-income populations who live in rural areas. Some of the key findings include:
- Not all rural residents face the same risk of being uninsured. There are wide gaps in health coverage between rural residents who live in counties adjacent vs. not adjacent to an urban county.
- In 1998 30 percent of children in rural, non-adjacent areas had Medicaid or S-CHIP coverage compared to 19 percent of children in urban areas or other rural communities.
- Rural non-adjacent residents are more likely to be uninsured all of the year compared to urban residents.
- Residents of rural, non-adjacent counties have the lowest rate of private health insurance, largely because they are less likely to be offered health benefits through their jobs.
CLICK HERE for The chartbook, Health Insurance Coverage in Rural America
CLICK HERE for the fact sheet, The Uninsured in Rural America
SPOTLIGHT ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES
ISSUE SPOTLIGHT ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES, provides up-to-date news and information about efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
The spotlight includes:
* A reference library of key organizations, publications, and other sources of information
* Key data on minority health
* Links to recently released and relevant reports
* Current headlines from the Kaiser Daily Reports
* Recent HealthCasts (webcasts) and transcripts of minority health conferences and events
CLICK HERE for the original Kaiser document
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