Medicare - Health Policy, Public Opinion & Research

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New Election 2008 Brief Examines Medicare's Current and Future Policy Issues
This brief, part of a series of 2008 election briefs on key health policy issues, provides an overview of Medicare and offers a series of questions to help understand how presidential candidates Senators McCain and Obama would address Medicare policy challenges if elected.

Resources on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
A collection of reports, fact sheets, surveys, and other research and background material on the Medicare program's new drug benefit and other provisions of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

Recent Documents: (474 results)

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2008 Election Briefs -- October 2008
Kaiser's new series of election briefs frame the challenges the health care system faces, provide basic facts, and offer questions to assess the presidential candidates' plan on key health policy issues.

Medicare Now and in the Future -- October 2008
This 2008 election brief provides an overview of Medicare, the nation's federal health insurance program that covers nearly 45 million people and offers a series of possible questions about Medicare issues to help understand how presidential candidates Senators McCain and Obama would address these issues if elected.

Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Monthly Tracking Report -- September 2008 -- September 2008
This brief presents current monthly data on Medicare Advantage plan participation, enrollment and penetration.

How Does the Benefit Value of Medicare Compare to the Benefit Value of Typical Large Employer Plans? -- September 2008
This Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that, even with its new drug benefit, Medicare on average provides less generous benefits to seniors than they would receive under a typical large-employer health plan or the most popular plan available to federal employees.

Health Care and Long-Term Care Policy: Concerns Facing Older Women -- September 2008

This tutorial discusses health care coverage and cost challenges for older women.

The Federal Government's Authority To Regulate Advertising in Medicare -- September 2008
This policy brief, prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Vicky Gottlich at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, explains the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ legal authority to regulate advertising and other information issued by the private companies that contract with the government to provide Medicare benefits.

Pitching Private Medicare Plans: An Analysis of Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Advertising -- September 2008
This Kaiser Family Foundation report analyzes the content and frequency of television, print and radio advertisement for private Medicare plans that ran nationally or in one of three local media markets (Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Greensboro, N.C.) during the marketing and enrollment period for 2008 plan offerings.

Medicare Spending and Financing Fact Sheet -- September 2008
This updated fact sheet provides an overview of spending on the Medicare program, how the program is financed, and Medicare’s future financial outlook. It includes the latest available data on Medicare financing.

Medicare Advantage Fact Sheet -- September 2008
This updated fact sheet provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage program, describes program changes made by the new drug law in plan participation and beneficiary enrollment, presents data on benefits and premiums, and explains changes in Medicare payments to participating plans.

The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Costs and Consequences in 2007 -- August 2008
This study quantifies, for the first time, the number of Medicare Part D plan enrollees in 2007 who reached a gap in their prescription drug coverage known as the "doughnut hole," as well as the changes in beneficiaries' use of medications and out-of-pocket spending after they reached that gap.

Kaiser's new series of election briefs frame the challenges the health care system faces, provide basic facts, and offer questions to assess the presidential candidates' plan on key health policy issues.

This 2008 election brief provides an overview of Medicare, the nation's federal health insurance program that covers nearly 45 million people and offers a series of possible questions about Medicare issues to help understand how presidential candidates Senators McCain and Obama would address these issues if elected.

This brief presents current monthly data on Medicare Advantage plan participation, enrollment and penetration.

This Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that, even with its new drug benefit, Medicare on average provides less generous benefits to seniors than they would receive under a typical large-employer health plan or the most popular plan available to federal employees.

This tutorial discusses health care coverage and cost challenges for older women.

This policy brief, prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Vicky Gottlich at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, explains the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ legal authority to regulate advertising and other information issued by the private companies that contract with the government to provide Medicare benefits.

This Kaiser Family Foundation report analyzes the content and frequency of television, print and radio advertisement for private Medicare plans that ran nationally or in one of three local media markets (Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Greensboro, N.C.) during the marketing and enrollment period for 2008 plan offerings.

This updated fact sheet provides an overview of spending on the Medicare program, how the program is financed, and Medicare’s future financial outlook. It includes the latest available data on Medicare financing.

This updated fact sheet provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage program, describes program changes made by the new drug law in plan participation and beneficiary enrollment, presents data on benefits and premiums, and explains changes in Medicare payments to participating plans.

This study quantifies, for the first time, the number of Medicare Part D plan enrollees in 2007 who reached a gap in their prescription drug coverage known as the "doughnut hole," as well as the changes in beneficiaries' use of medications and out-of-pocket spending after they reached that gap.

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Medicare

Medicare, the federal health insurance program that covers 41 million Americans, has played a central role in the U.S. health system since it was established in 1965. Medicare serves all eligible beneficiaries without regard to income or medical history.

Most individuals ages 65 and over are automatically entitled to Medicare Part A (the Hospital Insurance Program) if they or their spouse are eligible for Social Security payments. People under 65 who receive Social Security cash payments due to a disability generally become eligible for Medicare after a two-year waiting period. People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are entitled to Part A regardless of their age. Part B (the Supplementary Medical Insurance Program) is voluntary, but covers 95% of all Part A beneficiaries.