Beneficiaries

On January 19, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of the Treasury, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) will jointly issue a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting public input as the federal government reviews the effectiveness of existing reporting and disclosure requirements for retirement plans, as required by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code include requirements on the information about retirement plan benefits and features that must be reported to the agencies and provided to plan participants and beneficiaries. In the SECURE 2.0 Act, Congress directed the age

On December 13, KFF released a snapshot analyzing the different types of coverage that people with Medicare have and the demographic characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries with these different coverage types, based on data from the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). This snapshot of coverage highlights that roughly half of all beneficiaries are enrolled in traditional Medicare and about half are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, such as an HMO or PPO. Among beneficiaries in traditional Medicare, most have some type of additional coverage that helps limit their exposure to Medicare’s cost-sharing requirements.

This report provides information about Medicaid LTSS beneficiaries in 2013. The report estimates that approximately 5.2 million people received Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports (LTSS) during calendar year 2013. This data includes state-reported estimates for managed LTSS programs. 72 percent of LTSS beneficiaries received home and community-based services (HCBS), including people who received institutional services during the year.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Center for Program Integrity (CPI) Provider Enrollment Operations Group (PEOG) released the Medicaid Provider Enrollment Compendium (MPEC). The Compendium is a policy manual that contains sub regulatory guidance and clarifications regarding how state Medicaid agencies are expected to comply with regulations at 42 CFR § 455.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released a data book that presents information of dually-eligible beneficiaries. The information includes demographics, other personal characteristics, expenditure, and health care utilization of the dual-eligibles. This data book is the third in a series that serves to create a better understanding of this population and how they tend to use available services.

This white paper examines the progress that is being made in the Aging Network. This paper covers key developments that are re-shaping the network as well as efforts to better measure the quality and value of its programs and services. The paper also includes: Case studies highlighting the work of the aging network in Florida, Massachusetts and California, discussion of quality initiatives and congressional actions, and concluding observations.

The Kaiser Family Foundation released an issue brief that analyzes the cost of Medicare Part D drug plans, specifically out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries. A major finding from the brief showed that Medicare Part D enrollees may pay thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket costs if they require a specialty drug, even after exceeding the catastrophic coverage threshold. This study's findings emphasize how important it is for beneficiaries to diligently shop for new plans each year.

The Medicare Board of Trustees released their annual report to Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of Medicare on July 22, 2015. The report included a projection indicating that the trust fund will remain solvent until 2030, which is 13 years longer than the 2009 prediction. Medicare covered 53.8 million people last year and the report provides a break down of the expenditures of each individual part of Medicare and its overall cost.

Mathematica Policy Research published a report examining the relationship between the primary impairments of Social Security disability beneficiaries and the employment and earning experiences of the beneficiaries. The report can inform policymakers on innovative ways to assist beneficiaries in becoming self-sufficient and gaining employment. The researchers found considerable differences in employment and earning across the primary impairments studied.