Enrollment

This electronic briefing book was distributed at a seminar requested by congressional staff to provide an overview of the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children’s Health Insurance programs. The sessions featured experts from the Government Accountability Office, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Congressional Research Service, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, plus public and private entities. This link contains presentations, handouts, reports, websites, and other resources.

This November 2004 issue brief addresses how states can control costs of the Medicaid program, often the second largest item in state budgets, after education. Every state has taken cost containment actions, & all plan to take additional measures to constrain growth. Enrollment has increased as a result of declining household incomes and declining rates of employer-sponsored insurance. Other factors such as the aging of the population will continue to affect the whole health care system.

Changes in characteristics, insurance status, and health care access were illustrated in this study that analyzed survey data on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries during the six-year window surrounding SSDI entitlement. Findings suggest that there are significant gaps in the safety net for disabled workers before, during, and after the transition to SSDI.