Health and Health Coverage in the South: A Data Update

With its recent adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion to adults, Louisiana became the 32nd state to move forward with the expansion, and the 7th of the 17 states that make up the American South to expand. However, within the South, which has high rates of chronic disease and poor health outcomes, the majority of states still have not adopted the Medicaid expansion. The ACA and its Medicaid expansion offer important opportunities to expand access to health coverage, particularly in the South, where Medicaid and CHIP eligibility levels across groups have lagged behind other regions for many years.1 While many factors contribute to chronic disease and poor health outcomes, expanding health coverage can provide an important step in improving health by supporting individuals' ability to access preventive and primary care and ongoing treatment of health conditions. This brief provides key data on the South and the current status of health and health coverage in the South to provide greater insight into the health needs in the region and the potential coverage gains that may be achieved through the ACA. State specific data for the indicators presented in the brief are available in Tables 1 through 6

Revisiting 'Skin in the Game' Among Medicare Beneficiaries: An Updated Analysis of the Increasing Financial Burden of Health Care Spending From 1997 to 2005

Presents data on the out-of-pocket expenses of Medicare beneficiaries as a share of income, analyzed by insurance status, region, and various demographics, as well as spending percentile. Breaks down out-of-pocket spending into eight categories

Medicare Spending and Use of Medical Services for Beneficiaries in Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care Facilities

Analyzes Medicare spending on and utilization by beneficiaries in long-term care facilities for hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and skilled nursing facilities. Explores ways to reduce hospitalizations, save costs, and improve the quality of care

Reaching for the Stars: Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, 2011

Outlines the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' quality ratings of Medicare Advantage plans, including locations and types of highly rated plans, and a proposed demonstration to modify the quality-based payments authorized by the reform law

Medicare Advantage Plan Star Ratings and Bonus Payments in 2012

Estimates total Medicare spending on and distribution of quality ratings-based bonus payments for Medicare Advantage plans in 2012 by company, tax status, state and county and in relation to cuts in plan payments under federal health reform

Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans: Key Changes in the Health Reform Law and 2010 Enrollment Data

Examines performance measures used to set plans' quality ratings, 2010 healthcare reform provisions for bonus payments to plans with high ratings, plan enrollment by rating, and ratings by plan type, analyzed by state and county. Considers implications

Examining Sources of Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Supplemental Insurance, Medicare Advantage, and Prescription Drug Coverage

Provides 2006 data on Medicare enrollees' supplemental and drug coverage. Compares traits of Medicare Advantage enrollees to those of fee-for-service Medicare enrollees, and examines drug coverage and subsidy status among low-income beneficiaries

The metrology of spherical shells using synchrotron x ray microtomography

With recent advances in solid state imaging technology and the increasing availability of synchrotron x-ray radiation sources, synchrotron x-ray microtomography is emerging as a nondestructive technique for the evaluation of the structure and composition of small specimens with spatial resolution in the micron range. Synchrotron radiation offers the following advantages over conventional x-ray sources: high brightness, continuous emission which is tunable over a large energy range, faster data collection rates, and a highly collimated beam of large cross section permitting the illumination of large specimens. Synchrotron x-ray microtomography enables the structure of individual spheres to be evaluated in order to reveal the concentricity and sphericity of the internal void and the uniformity of the shell wall in the case of high quality spherical shells for Sandia National Laboratories' Inertial Confinement Fusion project

Employer Health Benefits 2011 Annual Survey

Analyzes 2011 trends in employer-sponsored health plans, including premiums, offer rates, coverage, eligibility, enrollment, plan types and market shares, employee cost-sharing, prescription drug and retiree benefits, and the effects of health reform

Employer Health Benefits 2016 Annual Survey

This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, and employer opinions. The 2016 survey included almost 1,900 interviews with non-federal public and private firms.Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $18,142 this year, up 3 percent from last year, with workers on average paying$5,277 towards the cost of their coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Education Trust 2016 Employer Health Benefits Survey. The 2016 survey includes information on the use of incentives for employer wellness programs, plan cost-sharing as well as firm offer rate. Survey results are released here in a variety of ways, including a full report with downloadable tables on a variety of topics, summary of findings, and an article published in the journal Health Affairs