Medicaid

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 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities just released an in-depth analysis of the National Governors Association's short-term Medicaid reforms. In August 2005, the NGA released “Medicaid Reform: A Preliminary Report,” a set of recommendations for Congress as it develops budget legislation to reduce projected federal Medicaid expenditures. This informative brief explores the recommendations and their implications for Medicaid.

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 web site will help individuals who receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits, known as dual eligibles, their families and caregivers, and advocates for people with disabilities understand the new Medicare prescription drug coverage, called Part D. Part of the Medicaid Reference Desk, this web-tool also offers a timeline of key dates, a glossary of terms, information for making coverage decisions and tools for plan comparisons.

The majority of public funding in the US for home and community-based care comes from Medicaid. Yet we know relatively little about how and in what ways Medicaid HCBS waiver programs support family caregivers or how such waiver services coordinate with other federal or state-funded caregiver programs. This descriptive study is the first to characterize and analyze the role of Medicaid HCBS waiver programs in supporting family and informal caregivers of frail elders and adults with disabilities.

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.

On September 1, 2005, The Bush administration's Medicaid Commission released its recommendations for reducing the growth in Medicaid spending by $11 billion over the next five years. The report provides a history and overview of the program, explains the purpose of the commission, and offers six recommendations for savings.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has updated and improved the Medicaid Benefits Online Database, an interactive tool providing easy access to information on services provided by each state's Medicaid program. This site contains Medicaid Benefits survey data from 2003 and 2004 with information about benefits covered, limits, co-payments and reimbursement methodologies for the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Territories.

This memo is from Gale Arden, Director of the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group. The letter offers clarity on the changes brought about by the Medicare Modernization Act and prescription drugs for persons who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles).

This event sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund gathered former Medicare and Medicaid and other health policy experts to mark the 40th anniversary of these two health care programs. Also shown at the briefing was a new documentary, Medicare and Medicaid at 40, about the history, politics and impact of Medicare and Medicaid that included perspectives from people involved in the original 1965 debate and implementation of the programs.