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Out-of-Pocket Costs and Affordability of Medicare

A Medicare Buy-in Program In Brief  / Research Report
June 2009— Medicare buy-in as part of health reform? The pros and cons of allowing older Americans to buy into Medicare before age 65 are reviewed in this brief synopsis of an AARP Public Policy Institute research report of the same name by Gerry Smolka and Sarah Thomas. (2 pages) (Publication ID: inb174)

A Medicare Buy-in Program  / Research Report
June 2009— Medicare buy-in as part of health reform? The pros and cons of allowing older Americans to buy into Medicare before age 65 are reviewed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues by Gerry Smolka and Sarah Thomas. (14 pages) (Publication ID: I29)

Closing a Gap in Medicare Drug Coverage: How to Help Millions of Beneficiaries Afford Needed Medication  / Fact Sheet
May 2009— This AARP Public Policy Fact Sheet by Lee Rucker and Leigh Purvis explains the gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage known as the “doughnut hole,” discusses how it impacts beneficiaries, and presents options for closing the gap. (3 pages)

An Illustrative Analysis of Medicare Options Compare: What’s There and What’s Not?  / Research Report
April 2009— This AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues by Marsha Gold of Mathematica Policy Research assesses Medicare Options Compare, a web site maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help beneficiaries choose among available Medicare Advantage plans. (16 pages) (Publication ID: I27)

A First Look at How Medicare Advantage Benefits and Premiums in Individual Enrollment Plans are Changing from 2008 to 2009  / Research Report
March 2009— Between 2008 and 2009, the number of Medicare Advantage plans increased slightly and cost sharing varied substantially across plans. This AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues by Marsha Gold and Maria Cupples Hudson of Mathematica Policy Research analyzes data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (16 pages) (Publication ID: I25)

Medicare Cost-Sharing Requirements for 2009  / Research Report
January 2009— This fact sheet by Lynn Nonnemaker of AARP’s Public Policy Institute lays out cost-sharing obligations for Medicare beneficiaries in 2009. It also lists the preventive services that Medicare covers in 2009 and indicates whether the Medicare Part B deductible applies to each service. (3 pages) (Publication ID: FS151)

Medicare Premium Support Survey  / Research Report
May 2008— AARP commissioned a national survey of adults aged 50 and older to ascertain their views on a proposed increase in Medicare Part B premiums that is over and above the regular annual increase in such premiums, in light of continuing increases in Medicare costs. This report, by William E. Wright, reveals that most Americans consider such an increase unfair and would be less likely to vote for elected officials who support such measures. (6 pages)

2006 Medicare Advantage Benefits and Premiums  / Research Report
November 2006— This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Marsha Gold, Maria Cupples Hudson, and Sara Davis of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., examines the benefits and premiums for Medicare Advantage plans in 2006, including the benefits and premiums of Special Needs Plans (SNPs). In their concluding observations, the authors address several policy and operational challenges that emerge from their analysis of the 2006 data. (93 pages) (Publication ID: 2006-23)

Simplifying Enrollment in Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs for the Elderly and Individuals with Disabilities  / Research Report
December 2005— The extent to which states are trying to make it easier for elderly and disabled persons to enroll in Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs is discussed in this AARP Public Policy Issue Paper by Laura L. Summer and Emily S. Ihara of the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. (82 pages) (Publication ID: 2005-10)

Original Medicare Cost-Sharing Requirements, 2005  / Research Report
February 2005— An overview of Medicare’s cost-sharing requirements, including deductibles and coinsurance, for Part A- and Part B-covered services in 2005 are presented in easy-to-read table format in this AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Craig Caplan. (2 pages) (Publication ID: FS104)

Prescription Drug Spending and Coverage Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries in 2003  / Research Report
November 2004— Projected out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs by age 65+ Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas in 2003 is examined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Craig Caplan and Normandy Brangan, which also highlights differences in income and prescription drug coverage among rural and urban beneficiaries. (5 pages) (Publication ID: DD106)

The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Potential Impact on Beneficiaries  / Research Report
November 2004— Under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare will offer prescription drug coverage to beneficiaries who choose to enroll in the Part D benefit, beginning in 2006. The potential impact of this benefit overall--and with respect to specific categories of beneficiaries--is examined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Jack Rodgers and John Stell of Health Policy Economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers. (40 pages) (Publication ID: 2004-13)

Out-of-Pocket Spending on Health Care by Medicare Beneficiaries Age 65 and Older in 2003  / Research Report
September 2004— How much age 65+ Medicare beneficiaries paid out of their own pockets for health care in 2003 is projected by Craig Caplan and Normandy Brangan in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest, which also highlights out-of-pocket spending differences by demographic characteristics, income level, supplemental coverage status, and type of service. (8 pages) (Publication ID: DD101)

www.aarp.org/bulletin Launches Online Calculator  / News Release
December 2003— Calculating tool provides a preliminary look at drug costs.

What Share of Beneficiaries' Total Health Care Costs Does Medicare Pay?  / Research Report
September 2002— Total personal health care expenditures in 2000 for the Medicare population in the aggregate are projected in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Craig Caplan, who identifies the sources of payment for these expenditures and examines how sources for elderly beneficiaries differ from those for younger beneficiaries with disabilities. (6 pages) (Publication ID: DD78)

Out-of-Pocket Spending on Health Care by Medicare Beneficiaries Age 65 and Older: 1999 Projections  / Research Report
December 1999— Beneficiaries age 65 and older are spending an average of $2,430 -- 19% of their income -- for health care in 1999, according to the findings of this 15-page Issue Brief (in PDF format) by David Gross and Normandy Brangan of the Public Policy Institute. (Publication ID: IB41)

How Much Are Medicare Beneficiaries Paying Out-of-Pocket for Prescription Drugs?  / Research Report
September 1999— Outpatient prescription drugs, which are not covered under Medicare, represent a substantial burden for many older Americans. This AARP Public Policy Insitute Issue Paper provides data on Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket drug spending according to key beneficiary characteristics. (20 pages) (Publication ID: 9914)

Out-of-Pocket Spending on Health Care by Women Age 65 and Over in Fee-for-Service Medicare: 1998 Projections  / Fact Sheet
November 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Mary Jo Gibson and Normandy Brangan highlights differences between older women and older men with respect to demographic characteristics, health status, insurance coverage, income and out-of-pocket spending on health care for 1998. (6 pages) (Publication ID: FS72)

Social Security COLAS and Medicare Part B Premium Increases  / Fact Sheet
November 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Laurel Beedon and David Gross discusses what determines both the COLA and the Part B premium and provides charted examples of how the COLA and the Part B premium would impact upon an average Social Security benefit in 1999. (2 pages) (Publication ID: FS73)

FYI: Estimates of Financial Burden of Prescription Drugs on Beneficiaries in Medicare Fee-for-Service  / Research Report
September 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute FYI by David Gross, Craig Caplan and Mary Jo Gibson presents estimates of the extent to which Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries are burdened with out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses. (2 pages) (Publication ID: FYI)

Out-of-Pocket Health Spending by Medicare Beneficiaries Age 65 and Older: 1997 Projections  / Research Report
December 1997— This AARP Public Policy Institute report by David Gross, Mary Jo Gibson, Craig Caplan and Normandy Brangan of PPI and Lisa Alecxih and John Corea of The Lewin Group analyzes out-of-pocket spending on health care by Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and over by type of insurance coverage, income level, age and gender. (30 pages) (Publication ID: 9705)