Kaiser Family Foundation

This issue brief summarizes the Medicaid provisions of the budget reconciliation law signed in February 2006 and discusses the implications of the proposed changes. The changes would net reductions of $4.8 billion over the next five years and $26.1 billion over the next ten years from current Medicaid spending. Read about the many policy changes in the DRA, which both reduces federal and state Medicaid spending and also changes health care access and coverage for low-income beneficiaries.

Held in December 2005, this decennial event was designed to develop recommendations for additional research and action in the field of aging. The 2005 conference occurs as the first wave of the baby boom generation prepares for retirement, creating an opportunity to reassess aging in America and focus on the lives of older Americans. Review the presentations from selected sessions; topics include policy issues, long term care, civil and social engagement, and the workplace of the future.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has collected resources related to the Medicaid policy changes in the budget conference agreement to be voted on in February. Review the fact sheet and other resources related to the bill.

In October 2005, CMS approved a Section 1115 waiver, allowing fundamental changes in their program. This fact sheet summarizes the main themes of Florida's Medicaid waiver and discusses key issues for consideration in assessing the waiver's impact. The state is looking to increase personal responsibility, market competition, and participation in private coverage.

In recent years, states have been trying to shift resources from institutional to home and community based long-term care services. This report examines \"transition\" and \"diversion\" policies and practices in eight states. It provides a sense of what state Medicaid programs are doing or could be doing to promote diversion.

A new two page fact sheet from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) summarizes the relationship of Medicaid with state budgets. The fact sheet provides an update about the fiscal situation in the states and how it is affecting Medicaid programs.

This new interactive online tool provides the latest key data for each state’s Medicaid program and the population it serves, allowing for easy comparisons of one state to any other state or to the nation as a whole, on a selection of important indicators. Utilizing figures from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and drawn directly from statehealthfacts.org, this tool provides customized figures and tables that can be easily printed as fact sheets, emailed or saved.

The 50-state annual survey of budget conditions and Medicaid cost containment actions in FY2005-06 shows that all states implemented and planned more Medicaid cost-containment actions, but are also implementing expansions as the gap between Medicaid spending growth and state tax revenue narrowed.

This report analyzes survey data to describe the characteristics of two groups of nursing home residents who are 65 years or older: those discharged back to the community over a one year time period and those who remain in nursing homes longer than 90 days. As some states turn their attention to returning nursing home residents to the community, this report offers insights on who to target in transition programs and what level and types of community resources are needed.

This report provides the latest national and state data on Medicaid enrollment and spending for individuals enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare, also known as dual eligibles. Nationally, there are 7.5 million dual eligibles and while they comprise 14 percent of the Medicaid population, they account for 40 percent of Medicaid spending.