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Updated
December 11, 2003 |
The Center has conducted analyses of several key issues now being considered during conference negotiations to resolve differences between the House and Senate Medicare prescription drug bills.
Overview
by Edwin Park, Melanie Nathanson, Robert Greenstein, and John Springer
This analysis examines the new Medicare prescription drug law and finds that it raises both fiscal policy and health policy concerns.
by Edwin Park and Robert Greenstein
This analysis examines the statements about the new Medicare drug law that are featured in full-page ads AARP purchased in several major newspapers last week.
Medicare Financing
by Richard Kogan, Edwin Park, and Robert Greenstein
The "cost containment" proposal being considered in the Medicare conference would erect
measures that are inconsistent with Medicare's financing structure and result in misleading
presentations of Medicare's finances. It would subject Medicare to a "double standard" as
compared to tax cuts or other entitlement increases and could lead to increasingly radical
changes in Medicare over time.
by Richard Kogan and Edwin Park
This analysis finds that a new Administration proposal to merge financing for all components of
Medicare or otherwise to place a limit on general-revenue financing for Medicare as a whole would
provoke an artificial insolvency crisis and could lead to deleterious changes in the program.
Treatment of Dual Eligibles
by Edwin Park and Robert Greenstein
The Medicare conference agreement would leave a substantial number of the 6.4 million dual eligibles -- low-income Medicare beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid -- worse off by requiring them to pay significantly higher co-payments for prescription drugs than they do now and removing access to certain drugs they currently receive.
Press Release:
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by Melanie Nathanson, Edwin Park and Robert Greenstein
This analysis considers the importance of making all Medicare beneficiaries — regardless
of income — eligible for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, and examines problems
that a Senate provision excluding more than 6 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries would pose.
Press Release:
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by Leighton Ku
Disparities in the health coverage of citizen children and immigrant children have been growing since
1996 legislation restricted immigrant children's eligibility for Medicaid or SCHIP. The Senate's
Medicare drug bill includes a bipartisan proposal that would allow states to restore coverage for
legal immigrant children.
Press Release:
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By Leighton Ku and Matthew Broaddus
The Senate version of the prescription drug bill would deny Medicare prescription drug benefits
for about 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas because they are "dual eligibles,"
who are also enrolled in Medicaid. Dual eligibles are more likely to live in rural areas than a
typical American, so this exclusion would have a disproportionate impact in rural America.
By Leighton Ku and Matthew Broaddus
African-American and Latino Medicare beneficiaries are twice or more as likely to be excluded from
Medicare prescription drug benefits under the Senate bill because they are "dual eligibles," who also
enrolled in the Medicaid program. Nonetheless, a majority of dual eligibles are white, non-Hispanic
Medicare beneficiaries.
Health Savings Security Accounts And Medical Savings Accounts
By Edwin Park, Joel Friedman and Andrew Lee
A key outstanding issue in the Medicare drug bill conference involves a House provision to
establish tax-advantaged "Health Savings Accounts." The analysis explains this proposal
would represent a profound change in tax policy and establish a precedent that could lead
to major long-term fiscal damage.
By Edwin Park, Joel Friedman and Andrew Lee
The House is expected to consider on June 26 a bill to create a new tax break in the form of
"Health Savings Accounts." With a $72 billion cost, the proposal constitutes another costly
tax cut, and also would likely lead to major changes in employer-based health insurance that
would adversely affect low-income, older and sicker workers.
By Edwin Park and Iris J. Lav
A House-passed bill containing extensive health insurance related tax cuts includes a measure
renaming and greatly expanding Medical Savings Accounts, which could drive up costs for traditional
health insurance, increase the number of uninsured, and provide new tax shelters to healthy, affluent
individuals.
Press Release:
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By Iris J. Lav and Andrew Lee
This report finds that the tax break in House version of the Medicare prescription drug legislation would be costly for states.
Restoration Of Medicaid/SCHIP For Legal Immigrant Children And Pregnant Women
By Leighton Ku
The disparities between the health insurance coverage of citizen children and immigrant children has been growing
since 1996 legislation prohibited recent immigrant children from Medicaid or SCHIP eligibility. The Senate
version of the Medicare prescription drug bill includes a bipartisan proposal that would give states the
option to restore coverage for legal immigrant children.
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