By Martha Heberlein The annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust survey of employer health benefits was released today and found that the average premium for family based coverage rose to $15,745, or just 4% compared to 2011 (premiums for individual plans rose 3%). Although moderate, this growth has far out-paced workers wages, which […]
By Tara Mancini Medicaid seems to be a lightening rod for inaccurate assumptions such as it’s too expensive for states (it’s a good deal for states), overall cost (more cost-effective than private insurance) and beneficiaries using hospital Emergency Departments for routine care. Until recently, there had not been much research to refute the perception of […]
By Tara Mancini Members of Congress, as well as state and local politicians seem to agree that we must invest in kids. They often contend that it is our duty to build the next generation. Yet, what exactly we mean by “investing in our future” is a sore point of contention – at best, and […]
A hot issue in many states today is whether or not to move more Medicaid beneficiaries, and often very vulnerable beneficiaries, into managed care. Indeed, many managed care companies are interested in getting or keeping a foot in the Medicaid market given the expansion of Medicaid coming in 2014. And many, though not all, states are […]
By Martha Heberlein What an exciting week for data lovers! First the CBO Baseline was released and yesterday MACPAC put out their March report. As usual, it’s chock full of goodies! This edition of the report has 4 chapters (not to mention the always appreciated MACStats!). The first chapter focuses on the more than 9 […]
By Martha Heberlein I don’t know what you did yesterday, but I spent the day eagerly awaiting CBO’s annual March baseline. As the “official scorekeepers” in Washington, their projections of spending and enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP, and coverage under the exchanges carry a lot of weight. Besides, who wouldn’t love the neat little tables they produce […]
