Expanding Medicare Plans: Issues for Beneficiaries
Award Amount:
$250,510
Approval Date:
November 8, 2005
Start Date:
December 1, 2005
End Date:
May 31, 2007
George Washington University
Center for Health Services Research & Policy
2021 K Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, Dist. of Columbia 20006
Principal Investigator:
Brian Biles
Through the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, Congress has authorized major changes to the Medicare program, many of which take effect in 2006. It has expanded the role of private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and increased plan payments; created a new prescription drug benefit available only though private plans; and introduced new types of plans. This project will examine these changes, particularly with regard to their impact on the benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries. One set of analyses will examine geographic variation in MA benefit packages, how benefits relate to traditional Medicare, and how they correspond to plan payment rates. A second set of analyses focusing on the new prescription drug plans, regional preferred provider organizations, special needs plans, and private fee-for-service plans will determine where these plans are operating, what they have to offer beneficiaries, and what their impact might be. Findings will inform policymakers about the effects of these changes so they can develop refinements as needed.