Congressional Research Service Reports - 113 Matching Results
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- Overview of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
- No Description Available.
- Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions of S.1, as Passed by the Senate, and H.R. 1, as Passed by the House
- This report discusses differences in the specifics of the prescription drug provisions in S. 1 and H.R. 1 and provides a side-by-side comparison of the Title I provisions of both bills.
- Medicare's Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit
- No Description Available.
- Trends in Medicare Spending: Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- The Cost of Prescription Drugs for the Uninsured Elderly and Legislative Approaches
- The purpose of this report is to explain why many of those who are least able to afford high drug costs are those who are most frequently charged the most. This report describes the basic economic theory underlying price differentiation and, in the context of the pharmaceutical market, analyzes the role and behavior of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), pharmaceutical manufacturers, and retail pharmacies, respectively. It also looks at a number of the criticisms that have been made of the practice of differential pricing. Finally, this report discusses various policy approaches aimed at assisting the elderly to purchase prescription drugs.
- President Bush's Proposed Medicare-Endorsed Drug Discount Card Initiative: Status and Issues
- No Description Available.
- President Bush's Proposed Medicare-Endorsed Drug Discount Card Initiative: Status and Issues
- No Description Available.
- President Bush's Proposed Medicare-Endorsed Drug Discount Card Initiative: Status and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Medicare: Major Prescription Drug Provisions of Selected Bills
- No Description Available.
- Medicare: Major Prescription Drug Provisions of Selected Bills
- No Description Available.
- Medicare: Major Prescription Drug Provisions of Selected Bills
- No Description Available.
- Civil Service Retirement Bills in the 106th Congress
- Among the civil service retirement issues addressed in bills introduced thus far in the 106th Congress are the correction of retirement coverage errors for federal employees assigned to the wrong retirement system; immediate eligibility for federal employees to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); improved portability of pension benefits; and repeal of the temporary increase in employee retirement contributions that was mandated by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Other bills would expand TSP eligibility to include members of the armed services; improve pension coverage for temporary and part-time federal employees; and designate several categories of federal employees as law enforcement officers for purposes of determining their retirement benefits.
- Housing for the Elderly: Legislation in the 106th Congress
- This report
- Pharmacy Benefit Managers
- No Description Available.
- Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Premiums: Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Premiums: Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- Social Security and Medicare "Lock Boxes"
- With the onset of burgeoning federal budget surpluses, Social Security and Medicare's treatment in the budget has become a major policy issue. Congressional views about what to do with the surpluses are diverse -- ranging from "buying down" the federal government's outstanding debt to cutting taxes to increasing spending.
- Social Security and Medicare "Lock Boxes"
- No Description Available.
- Medicare Payment Policies
- No Description Available.
- Medicare Endorsed Prescription Drug Discount Card Program
- No Description Available.
- Beneficiary Information and Decision Supports for the Medicare-Endorsed Prescription Drug Discount Card
- On December 8, 2003 the President signed into law the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA, P.L. 108-173). This legislation establishes a Medicare prescription drug benefit, effective January 1, 2006. In the interim, the legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a temporary program of Medicare-endorsed prescription drug discount cards. This report discusses the objectives and benefits of this legislation.
- Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends
- No Description Available.
- Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends
- As the members of the “baby boom” generation — people born between 1946 and 1964— approach retirement, the demographic profile of the U.S. workforce will undergo a substantial shift: a large number of older workers will be joined by relatively few new entrants to the labor force. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, while the number of people between the ages of 55 and 64 will grow by about 11 million between 2005 and 2025, the number of people who are 25 to 54 years old will grow by only 5 million. This trend could affect economic growth because labor force participation begins to fall after age 55. In 2004, 91% of men ages 25 to 54 and 75% of women in this age group participated in the labor force. In contrast, just 69% of men ages 55 to 64 and 56% of women ages 55 to 64 were either working or looking for work in 2004.
- Medicaid: Eligibility for the Aged and Disabled
- No Description Available.
- Medicare: Financing the Part A Hospital Insurance Program
- No Description Available.
- Medicare: Part B Premium Penalty
- No Description Available.
- Implications of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for State Budgets
- No Description Available.
- Prescription Drug Coverage Under Medicaid
- Medicaid is a joint federal-state entitlement program that pays for medical services on behalf of certain groups of low-income persons. It is the third largest social program in the federal budget, exceeded only by Social Security and Medicare and is typically the second largest spending item for states. This report discusses prescription drug policies under the program.
- Benefits for the Aged and the Federal Budget: Short- and Long-Term Projections
- As the 108th Congress addresses short-term budget decisions, it may also want to consider the long-run impacts of those decisions and the major shifts in budget composition that are underway. Congress may be pressed to add new benefits in response to population aging, such as improved support for long-term care and broader Medicare drug coverage.
- Older Americans Act: Disaster Assistance for Older Persons After Hurricane Katrina
- The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is having significant negative effects on older persons with physical and mental disabilities. Persons who are socially isolated and dependent upon informal caregivers and social service programs to assist them live independently have immediate and long-term needs. The Administration on Aging (AoA) has allocated $750,000 in disaster relief funds available through the Older Americans Act to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi (divided equally among the three states). Congress may consider whether additional actions are necessary to assist state and area agencies on aging in their efforts to assist the frail elderly in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
- The Pros and Cons of Allowing the Federal Government to Negotiate Prescription Drug Prices
- The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) expressly forbids the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from negotiating the price of prescription drugs on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. This report outlines the arguments for and against allowing the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. This report will be updated, as needed.
- A CRS Review of 10 States: Home and Community-Based Services — States Seek to Change the Face of Long-Term Care: Indiana
- Many states have devoted significant efforts to respond to the desire for home and community-based care for persons with disabilities and their families. Nevertheless, financing of nursing home care, chiefly by Medicaid, still dominates most states’ spending for long-term care today. To assist Congress in understanding issues that states face in providing long-term care services, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) undertook a study of 10 states in 2002. This report, one in a series of 10 state reports, presents background and analysis about long-term care in Indiana.
- Topics in Aging: Income and Poverty Among Older Americans in 2004
- Older Americans are an economically diverse group. In 2004, the median income of individuals age 65 and over was $15,199, but incomes varied widely around this average. Twenty-eight percent of Americans 65 or older had incomes of less than $10,000 in 2004, while 10% had incomes of $50,000 or more. As Congress considers reforms to Social Security and the laws governing pensions and retirement savings plans, it may be helpful to consider how changes to one income source would affect each of the others, and thus the total income of older Americans
- Nursing Homes and the Congress: A Brief History of Developments and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement: Selected References
- This report is a compilation of selected articles, books, and executive agency and congressional publications on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, primarily to health facilities and physicians.
- Medicare: Physician Payments
- This report discusses payments for physicians services under Medicare that are made on the basis of a fee schedule.
- Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: An Overview of Implementation for Dual Eligibles
- This report provides background information on the early stages of the implementation of the Medicare Part D outpatient prescription drug program. This report describes certain policies and implementation issues related to those who are not dually eligible.
- Retirement Savings and Household Wealth: A Summary of Recent Data
- No Description Available.
- Retirement Savings and Household Wealth: Trends from 2001 to 2004
- No Description Available.
- Side-by-Side Comparison of Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
- From the summary: "This report provides a comparison of Medicare, Medicaid and State Child Health Insurance Program provisions contained in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932) as amended and passed by the Senate. The report compares the bill's provisions with current law."
- Standardized Choices: Medigap Lessons for Medicare Part D
- No Description Available.
- Pension Sponsorship and Participation: Summary of Recent Trends
- According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), the number of private-sector workers between the ages of 25 and 64 whose employer sponsored a retirement plan fell from 53.1 million in 2004 to 52.5 million in 2005. The number of workers who participated in an employer-sponsored retirement plan fell from 43.3 million in 2004 to 43.1 million in 2005. The percentage of 25 to 64- year-old workers in the private sector who participated in an employer-sponsored retirement plan declined from 46.3% in 2004 to 45.0% in 2005.
- Topics in Aging: Income of Americans Age 65 and Older, 1969 to 2004
- No Description Available.
- Topics in Aging: Income of Americans Age 65 and Older, 1969 to 2004
- No Description Available.
- Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress
- In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are limited. Defense health care spending will likely remain an issue for the DOD in the next Administration, and Congress can anticipate being asked to consider new proposals to constrain costs.
- Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress
- In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are limited. Defense health care spending will likely remain an issue for the DOD in the next Administration, and Congress can anticipate being asked to consider new proposals to constrain costs.
- Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress
- In its FY2007 budget submission, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. The raises were justified by DOD as necessary to constrain the growth of health care spending as a proportion of the overall defense budget in the next decade. Many beneficiaries argued that the proposed hikes were unfair and unnecessary. The FY2007 Defense Authorization Act prohibited increases in premiums, deductibles, and co-payments prior to September 30, 2007. The FY2008 National Defense Authoriztion Act extended the prohibition of increases in co-payments and enrollment fees until October 2008 and Congress may move to extend them further.
- Increases in Tricare Costs: Background and Options for Congress
- In its FY2007, FY2008, and FY2009 budget submissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) proposed increases in Tricare enrollment fees, deductibles, and pharmacy co-payments for retired beneficiaries not yet eligible for Medicare. In passing the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress included measures establishing demonstration projects intended to find ways to contain costs through increased use of preventive care services by TRICARE beneficiaries. The scope of these measures are limited. Defense health care spending will likely remain an issue for the DOD in the next Administration, and Congress can anticipate being asked to consider new proposals to constrain costs.
- H.R. 6500, The Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2008
- This report describes the various aspects of the Thrift Savings Plan Enhancement Act of 2008.
- Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Premiums: Fact Sheet
- Financing for social security -- Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance -- and the Hospital Insurance part of Medicare is provided primarily by taxes levied on wages and net self-employment income. Financing for the Supplementary Medical Insurance portion of Medicare is provided by premiums from enrollees and payments from the government. This report describes these taxes and premiums.