More than one in three Hispanics is uninsured and one-quarter have only public health insurance, according to new government data. Hispanics, who make up 15 percent of the U.S. population, comprise about 29 percent of the uninsured and constitute 36 percent of all uninsured children under age 18, according to federal data the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released Aug. 9. The agency analyzed data from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, including detailed breakdowns by subpopulation groups, to help policymakers and others understand health insurance status in detail. Read more »
Insured and uninsured Americans alike are increasingly burdened by soaring health care costs and are going into debt because of high medical bills, according to a report. Issued by The Commonwealth Fund, the report indicated that an estimated 77 million adults struggle with medical bills, have recent or accrued medical debt—or are dealing with both. Of those reporting problems with medical bills or debt, 63 percent said they decided to forgo necessary treatment out of cost concerns, the study found. Read more »
Much of the attention of late in the Medicaid overhaul debate has been on proposals by the nation's governors and on congressional staff efforts to revise the program. But the Bush administration is reasserting itself by submitting a draft bill to Congress to restrain Medicaid spending growth. The provisions in the bill and a related administration proposal regarding home-based alternatives to nursing home care are much the same as Medicaid overhaul proposals detailed in the Bush administration's fiscal 2006 budget request. But the draft legislative language marks a fresh attempt by the administration to end what it calls "accounting gimmicks" by the states to boost the federal Medicaid payments they receive. Read more »
Citing "robust competition" among companies eager to offer drug coverage to seniors, Medicare officials said they expected beneficiaries' monthly premiums as well as the government's cost to provide the benefit to be lower than previously estimated. Average monthly premiums are expected to be $32.20, about $5 less per month than estimated in the March 2005 Medicare Trustee's Report. In addition, the government is expected to spend about $15 less per month on each beneficiary—a decrease of about 14 percent. Read more »
Despite increased federal funding, community health centers are under growing financial pressure that will intensify if Congress gives states greater power to reduce Medicaid benefits, health center officials said at a news briefing. The growth in federal funding, a major Bush administration health care priority since 2000, hasn't kept pace with the rise in health care costs and the growing number of uninsured patients treated by the facilities, according to a report the officials released at the briefing. The event was sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers. Read more »