Health Reform
Medicare Trustees’ Report Shows Benefits of Health Reform,
Need for Successful Implemetation
“The 2010 annual report of Medicare’s trustees clearly demonstrates that the Affordable Care Act (or ACA, the recently enacted health reform legislation) has greatly improved the financial status of the Medicare program. It also shows that successful implementation of the ACA is an essential first step toward slowing the growth of health care costs.” Read more
Health Reform Changes to Medicare Advantage Strengthen Medicare and Protect Beneficiaries
“The health reform law will significantly reduce the large overpayments Medicare makes to the private "Medicare Advantage" health plans that serve some beneficiaries. This will reduce premium costs for other Medicare enrollees and strengthen Medicare's overall finances.
“The law also includes stronger protections for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in these private plans, particularly those who are in poorer health, to ensure they have access to needed care…. And contrary to critics' claims, health reform does not cut the benefits that regular Medicare now covers and that Medicare Advantage plans also must cover.” Read more
More from the Moving Forward with Health Reform series:
- "Grandfathering" Rules Strike a Balance for Consumers
- Key Health Insurance Market Reforms Not Achievable Without Individual Mandate
- Young Adults Gain New Coverage Option
- Making Health Care More Affordable: The New Premium and Cost-Sharing Credits
- Health Reform Is a Good Deal for States
- CLASS: A New Voluntary Long-Term Care Insurance Program
- Employer Responsibility in Health Reform
Of Interest
Fact Check:
Health Reform & the Deficit
The analysis of the health reform legislation prepared by the chief actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been widely misrepresented and misunderstood. For example, the actuary does not estimate that health reform will increase the federal deficit nor that health reform will cost more than CBO estimates.
Read more
Related:
How Health Reform Helps Reduce the Deficit
Off the Charts Blog: Dispelling Confusion About New CBO Letter on Health Reform Law
Health Reform Will Reduce the Deficit: Claims of Budget Gimmickry Are Unfounded
(With podcast series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4)
Analyses
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Off the Charts Blog Post: In Case You Missed It…
September 3, 2010
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States Should Structure Insurance Exchanges to Minimize Adverse Selection
August 17, 2010
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2010 Medicare Trustees’ Report Shows Benefits of Health Reform and Need for Its Successful Implementation
August 16, 2010
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Johanns Amendment to Small Business Bill Would Raise Health Insurance Premiums, Increase the Ranks of the Uninsured, and Eliminate Preventive Health Funding
August 16, 2010
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Podcast: What Seniors Should Know About the New Health Reform Law
August 10, 2010
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Advocates’ Toolkit
States Should Structure Insurance Exchanges to Minimize Adverse Selection
"The health reform law (the Affordable Care Act) relies primarily on states to establish health insurance exchanges — marketplaces that provide affordable, good-quality coverage options to individuals and small businesses. But it gives states substantial flexibility in how they structure the exchanges.
"This paper recommends four steps that states should take when setting up their exchanges to minimize the risk of ‘adverse selection,’ which could prevent the exchanges from operating effectively and which has been one of the principal reasons that some past state-based exchanges have been unsuccessful." Read more
Additional toolkit analyses:
Health Reform Expands Medicaid Coverage For People with Disabilities
Employer Responsibility in Health Reform
No Need to Wait Until 2014: States Can Cover Low-Income Adults in Medicaid Now
