Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Only about 50% to 60% of individuals eligible for Medicaid actually take-up the coverage. Why is this case? Many people claim that individuals only take up Medicaid insurance when they get sick. Others claim that state outreach efforts have been subpar. Youjin Hahn, however, offers another explanation rates: Medicaid insurance is just not that valuable. The…
Perhaps the most important paper on the effect of health insurance on health, spending, and access to care was released this week. Although randomized controlled trials are rare for measuring the effect of insurance, the design of the Oregon Medicaid program introduced random variation into who received Medicaid coverage. The authors write: In 2008, Oregon…
Health reform has expanded Medicaid access to millions of Americans. The question is, will the poor even want Medicaid insurance? As finances are tightening, many states are attempting to reduce the generosity of their current Medicaid benefits. In California, (where Medicaid is known as Medi-Cal), Governor Jerry Brown wants to reduce Medicaid’s benefit generosity. He…
According to Hamersma and Matthew Kim (2013), the answer is no. The authors use data from the 1996, 2001, and 2004 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). This data is supplemented with state-level information on Medicaid income eligibility rules. The authors classify each person as either: holding no insurance, private insurance,…
Over 10 million Americans need long-term services and supports to assist them in life’s daily activities. Of these, 1.6 million reside in a nursing home. Nursing home care, however, is expensive ($74,800 per year) and and quality is highly variable. To improve the quality of care, many states have begun adopting pay-for-performance (P4P) programs for nursing homes. Between…
Although many people believe that the U.S. healthcare system is a free-market, that is far from the case. Consider nursing homes. Two-thirds of patient spending on nursing home care comes from public sources. Not only do public funds pay for the variable cost of running nursing homes, but the federal government also provides low-interest…
How does it do this? Through the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Medicaid.gov explains: The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program is a partnership between CMS, State Medicaid Agencies, and participating drug manufacturers that helps to offset the Federal and State costs of most outpatient prescription drugs dispensed to Medicaid patients. Approximately 600 drug manufacturers currently participate in…
That is the conclusion of this study. More information below: Background The ARRA stimulus package included $2.2 billion for health care cost-effectiveness research focusing on chronic disease prevention and disease management initiatives. These programs aim to address increasing health care costs for a number of diseases, such as: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and smoking-related illnesses.…
In 2010, CMS approved California’s “Bridge to Reform” waiver request that authorized the state to expand its mandatory managed care to seniors and people with disabilities covered by Medi-Cal. Authorized under a Section 1115 waiver, the policy affected nearly 400,000 Medi-Cal enrollees, including 240,000 who were moved from fee-for-service into managed care between June 2011…
To answer this question the best place to look is Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. The proposal would convert Medicare and Medicaid into voucher-based programs. Individuals and families not covered by either of these programs would receive assistance through a refundable tax credit based on the individual’s income. You can find more information on Mr. Ryan’s…