May 20, 2009 - At a particularly difficult point in their lives, disabled individuals must wait two years before they are eligible to begin receiving Medicare benefits--a delay that can block access to needed care and relief from financial pressures.
Perspectives on Health Reform Brief
October 5, 2011 - Hospitals marked by low quality and high costs have double the proportion of elderly black patients as high-quality, low-cost hospitals, according to a new study in Health Affairs. Similar disparities were found for elderly Hispanic and Medicaid patients.
In the Literature
February 1, 2004 - Faced with higher costs and budget pressures, state pharmacy assistance programs have experimented with a variety of cost-control measures. Practices to encourage prescribing generic drugs have been particularly effective in achieve cost savings.
Fund Report
December 14, 2012 - This report on 59 hospital-based organizations that were members of a collaborative created to support the transition to accountable care finds that that organizations are pursuing different paths toward accountable care.
Fund Report
December 15, 2004 - Medicare Advantage has the opportunity to learn from the experiences of its predecessor, Medicare+Choice. In a Health Affairs Web Exclusive, researchers consider six challenges facing the program, including simplifying health plan choices for enrollees and addressing plans' efforts to avoid enrolling sicker, higher-cost beneficiaries.
In the Literature
March 31, 2011 - This issue brief examines the amount and distribution of payments to MA plans in 2010, statistics that will serve as a baseline for studying the impact of MA payment policies, because 2010 was the final year of payments to MA plans under the pre-health reform policies.
Issue Brief
April 14, 2008 - The Medicare Advantage program offers seniors a choice of private health plans, but many consumers have trouble understanding how these plans differ. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief explains that the problem lies in the high degree of variability and complexity in Medicare Advantage plans--and the lack of good information for making educated choices.
Issue Brief
December 21, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief compares approaches to reducing Medicare Advantage payments and other provisions in the House and Senate bills that aim to improve the value that Medicare obtains for the dollars it spends.
Issue Brief
February 25, 2008 - Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) could improve the coordination of Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the roughly 7 million individuals who are eligible for both programs. This issue brief provides a snapshot of SNP participation, discusses the opportunities and challenges presented by SNPs, and more.
Issue Brief
October 21, 2008 - Payments to Medicare's private fee-for-service (FFFS) plans in 2008 average 16.6 percent more than costs in traditional Medicare, or $1,248 for each of the 2 million enrollees in PFFS plans--a total of nearly $2.5 billion in extra payments.
Issue Brief
May 1, 2003 - In this testimony before the Senate Committee on Aging, Marilyn Moon aruges that market forces are not the "magic bullet" that will solve all of Medicare's problems.
Testimony
February 15, 2006 - In a new essay, the Fund's Karen Davis and Sara Collins reflect on Medicare's historic achievements and discuss policy options for tackling the program's new challenges.
In the Literature
December 1, 1998 - This survey profiles Medicare beneficiaries' experiences getting health care, examines their exposure to financial burden, and analyzes how their experiences vary by income level, health status, and insurance coverage.
Fund Report
July 18, 2012 - The authors of this Commonwealth Fund-supported study found that Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health coverage—and have fewer health care access and medical bill problems—than adults with private insurance.
In the Literature
May 19, 2006 - Beneficiaries in poor health can pay more out-of-pocket in some Medicare Advantage managed care plans than in traditional, fee-for-service Medicare with Medigap supplemental coverage, according to a new Commonwealth Fund issue brief.
Issue Brief