Medicare
-
The Future of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation and Pharmaceutical Innovation
•
One of the most publicized provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the section mandating that a small subset of the most expensive pharmaceutical products in the U.S. be subject to Medicare price negotiations. The provision applies only to a minority of branded drugs and the implementation of it…
-
Reducing Cost of Behavioral Health Services is Not Enough
•
Approximately one in twenty adults in the US suffer from a serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. Yet barriers to accessing behavioral health services, including mental health care and substance use treatment, remain high. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed…
-
Making Good Government Happen: A Conversation with Tom Komaniecki, Regional Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
•
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent division of HHS charged with protecting the integrity of HHS programs and the health and welfare of HHS program beneficiaries. The OIG is a nonpartisan “watchdog” that conducts audits, investigates fraud, and evaluates…
-
The Financial Impact of Natural Disasters: Beyond Disaster Aid
•
Recent wildfires in California and catastrophic flooding in Louisiana have drawn public attention to natural disasters across the United States. Yet little is known about the total financial impact of extreme weather events, particularly on non-disaster social programs. Considering that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is expected…
-
Taking a Closer Look at Elderly Medicaid Recipients
•
Understanding how elderly individuals ultimately rely on Medicaid could be key to implementing changes that protect the fiscal longevity of both Medicaid and Medicare.
-
All Roads Lead to Health: Medicaid Expansion Could Be Valuable Regardless of Method
•
A new study finds that expanding Medicaid has significant positive effects for patients, but whether it happens via traditional Medicaid or private Marketplaces does not make much of a difference.
-
Medicare Beneficiaries More Likely to Switch Away from Managed Care
•
A new study finds that high-cost Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to switch from private Medicare Advantage plans to original Medicare plans.
-
Can Financial Penalties Drive Hospitals to Improve Patient Care?
•
A new study finds evidence that financial penalties through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program reduced patient readmissions for targeted conditions.
-
Paying for Equity: Changing Pay for Performance to Reduce Disparities in Healthcare Funding
•
Healthcare pay for performance programs tend to hurt providers working with disadvantaged populations. A new study proposes an alternative payment model that more equitably provides funds to providers working with these patients
-
Medicare Part D Plans: The more the merrier?
•
Recent research finds little evidence of choice overload in the Medicare Part D Plan market.
-
Observations from a New Frontier: Medicare’s Experience with Risk Adjustment
•
New research suggests Medicare’s switch to risk-adjusted payments did not reduce overpayments. This example highlights the complexities of healthcare payment reform.