All Articles In 'Medicare Budget'
Health Care Spending: Top 5 Most Costly Medical Conditions in the Elderly
A third of U.S. health care expenditures are spent on care for the elderly. In terms of overall medical and drug spending, the top five conditions among the elderly are: Heart conditions Cancer Osteoarthritis and non-traumatic [...]
Medicare Data Book for 2010: MedPAC Data on Medicare Spending, Enrollment, Providers, Health Plans, Drug Plans, and More
MedPAC released its Medicare Data Book for 2010, with a wide range of useful information on Medicare spending, utilization, beneficiaries, providers, health plans, drug plans, access, and quality. The format is reader-friendly charts and tables with [...]
Medicare Payment Policy: MedPAC Recommendations to Congress for 2011
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its Medicare payment recommendations to Congress for 2011. In addition to specific recommendations for payment updates for fee-for-service providers and Medicare Advantage plans, MedPAC’s report includes interesting information [...]
National Health Expenditures for 2009-2019: CMS Actuary Projections
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary (CMS/OACT) has released its projections of U.S. health care spending for the ten years 2010 through 2019, with premliminary estimates of 2009 health spending. The [...]
Medicare Reimbursement: Primers on Medicare Payment Methods for Providers, Health Plans, and Drug Plans
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has updated its excellent series of reader-friendly primers on Medicare payment methodologies for hospitals, physicians, Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug plans, and other health care providers. MedPAC is an advisory [...]
National Health Reform: Federal Budget Options for 115 Health Reforms Proposals
To aid the incoming 111th Congress and Obama Administration, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a 235-page report outlining 115 budget options for health care reform. The report catalogs most of the hottest legislative ideas on [...]
Federal Budget and Health Reform: Budgeting for Health Reform
The budgetary impact of proposed health reform initiatives – whether through legislation, rules, or waivers – significantly affects the likelihood of success. The following provides a concise briefing on some key players and processes affecting cost [...]
Medicare Policy Making: Quick Primer on Federal Medicare Statutes, Rules, and Waivers
The next President and Congress will face many fiscal and policy challenges from the $436 billion Medicare program. Following my earlier quick primers on Medicaid policy making and Medicare and Medicaid waivers, here is a similar [...]
Medicare and Medicaid Demonstration Waivers: Primer
Federal waivers are powerful tools to demonstrate Medicare or Medicaid reforms, including new payment methods, benefit packages, and delivery systems. The business and policy opportunities are considerable. Here’s a quick primer. Demonstration Waivers: Historically, federal policymakers [...]
Medicare Payment Policy: MedPAC Recommendations to Congress
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) – the influential independent Congressional agency charged with advising Congress on a wide range of Medicare policy issues – has released its Medicare payment policy recommendations for 2009. The 355-page [...]
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