Congressional Research Service Reports - 556 Matching Results
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- Medicare: FY2007 Budget Issues
- This report discusses President's budget request to Congress for Medicare, for the following federal fiscal year, along with projections for the five-year budget window. The President’s 2007 budget includes Medicare legislative proposals for Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) spending with estimated savings of $2.5 billion in 2007 and $35.9 billion over the five-year budget window.
- Health Insurance Coverage: Characteristics of the Insured and Uninsured Populations in 2007
- Based on data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), 45.7 million people in the United States had no health insurance in 2007 — a decrease of approximately 1.3 million people when compared with 2006. This report briefly examines the characteristics of this uninsured population.
- Medicare Primer
- This report provides an overview of Medicare, the nation's federal insurance program, which pays for covered health care services of qualified beneficiaries.
- TRICARE and VA Health Care: Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report addresses key questions concerning the impact of enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the TRICARE and VA health care programs. To provide some context to this discussion, the report begins with a brief overview of the two health systems and eligibility for care under each system.
- Affordable Care Act: Litigation Resources
- This report discusses the lawsuits challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Moreover, the report also discusses how the Supreme Court granted three petitions of certiorari and scheduled oral arguments in 2012.
- Health Insurance Coverage of Children, 2003
- In 2003, 9.1 million children went without health insurance in the U.S. This was not significantly different than in 2002. However, for the third year in a row, the number of children covered by employment-based health insurance dropped but was more than offset by the increase in public coverage. This report provides an overview of the health insurance coverage of children in 2003.
- Alcohol Beverages: Labeling and Health Claims
- This report concerns rules created in 2003 by the Alcohol and Tobacco and Trade Bureau that prohibits manufacturers from advertising substantive health benefits from alcoholic beverages. Moreover, the report covers the history and debate on this issue and of the Bureau.
- Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis
- This report first analyzes the authority of Congress to pass a law of this nature, as well as how a court could analyze this provision in light of a constitutional challenge based on various provisions of the Fifth and Tenth Amendments. Finally, this report discusses whether the exceptions to the individual responsibility requirement to purchase health insurance satisfy First Amendment freedom of religion protections.
- The Title X Family Planning Program
- This report discusses Title X of the Public Health Service Act. The program, enacted in 1970, is the only federal program devoted solely to family planning and related preventive health services. Although the authorization for Title X ended with FY1985, funding for the program has been provided through bills that provide appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies.
- Environmental Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors: What Are the Human Health Risks?
- This report discusses the human health risks, specifically from endocrine disruptors that are chemical compounds in drugs, food, consumer products, or the ambient environment that can interfere with internal biological processes of animals that normally are regulated by their hormones.
- Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) Under Medicaid
- This report provides an overview of transitional medical assistance (TMA). While Section 1925 of the Social Security Act outlines the provisions requiring states to provide TMA for up to 12 months, states have considerable flexibility in designing and implementing their TMA programs.
- Medicaid and CHIP Maintenance of Effort (MOE): Requirements and Responses
- This report summarizes the MOE requirements enacted under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and what these requirements have meant for states in terms of their actions to restrict Medicaid and/or CHIP eligibility. It also summarizes recent legislative activity to repeal the MOE requirements.
- Public Health, Workforce, Quality, and Related Provisions in H.R. 3962
- This report discusses health care reform, which was at the top of the domestic policy agenda for the 111th Congress, driven by concerns about the growing ranks of the uninsured and the unsustainable growth in spending on health care and health insurance.
- Self-Insured Health Insurance Coverage
- This report provides background information on private health insurance coverage, state and federal regulation of private coverage, and self-insured health plans. It includes data on the prevalence of self-insurance and discusses the employer decision to self-insure. Lastly, it describes selected private health insurance provisions under federal health reform, and application of such provisions on self-insured plans.
- Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
- This report first discusses the cost and financing for long-term care (LTC) services as well as the current market for private LTC insurance. It then details those CLASS program requirements for enrollment, premiums, eligibility, benefits, administration, and oversight. The report also discusses federal budget implications, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Finally, the report provides a timeline of the CLASS program provisions enacted under PPACA.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: President’s FY2013 Budget
- This report summarizes the President's budget estimates for each section of the CMS budget. Then, for each legislative proposal included in the President's budget, this report provides a description of current law and the President's proposal. The explanations of the President's legislative proposals are grouped by the following program areas: Medicare, Medicaid, program integrity, and health insurance programs.
- Health Savings Accounts: Overview of Rules for 2012
- This report provides a summary of the principal rules governing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), covering such matters as eligibility, qualifying health insurance, contributions, and withdrawals.
- Mental Health Parity and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
- This report provides a brief background on mental health parity and the policy discussion around parity in health insurance coverage; an overview of federal mental health parity law prior to the enactment of the ACA; and an analysis of the impact of the ACA.
- Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis
- This report first analyzes the authority of Congress to pass a proposal of this nature, as well as how a court could analyze this type of proposal if there were to be a constitutional challenge based on various provisions of the Fifth Amendment. Finally, this report discusses whether there must be exceptions to a requirement to purchase health insurance based on First Amendment freedom of religion.
- Medicare Physician Payment Updates and the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) System
- This report discusses the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), which is the statutory method for determining the annual updates to the Medicare physician fee schedule. The SGR system was established because of the concern that the Medicare fee schedule itself would not adequately constrain overall increases in spending for physicians’ services.
- Federal Drug Price Negotiation: Implications for Medicare Part D
- This report discusses what it means for the federal government to “negotiate” drug prices under existing public programs, the arguments for and against such activities, and some implications for the pharmaceutical industry, Medicare beneficiaries, and others if similar federal involvement were to occur on behalf of the Medicare Part D program.
- Recent Developments in Medicare Affecting Long-Term Care Hospitals
- Medicare pays about $36 billion annually for post-acute care in four separate settings: long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), inpatient rehabilitation settings (IRFs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and in the home. This report provides background information on several operational issues affecting LTCHs that are currently attracting attention from Congress, specifically efforts to develop a patient assessment tool, to develop qualification criteria that should be imposed on LTCHs, and to change Medicare’s LTCH payment methods.
- Medicaid Expenditures, FY2003 and FY2004
- This report discusses the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP), which is the percentage of Medicaid benefit costs paid for by the federal government.
- Medicare Physician Payment Updates and the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) System
- This report provides a background on the Medicare fee schedule, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) system, and the annual updates and discusses recent proposals to address this issue.
- Health Care and Markets
- Health care spending is one of the most rapidly growing portions of the federal budget. Projections suggest if the rapid growth in health care costs is not curtailed, governments at all levels will face an uncomfortable choice between significant cuts in other spending priorities or major tax increases. This report examines the economic justification for government intervention and involvement in health care markets.
- Medicaid Reimbursement Policy
- This report begins with a summary of basic federal requirements applicable to payments for all services and an overview of major developments in federal Medicaid reimbursement policy over the last 20 years. This overview provides a historical context for current policies and highlights some issues that have been perennial concerns for federal and state policymakers. The next four sections of the report provide a detailed discussion of Medicaid reimbursement for four basic categories of services or providers.
- Contractors and HealthCare.gov: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to 20 frequently asked questions regarding contractors and HealthCare.gov, the federal online health insurance portal called for by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148, as amended). Over 50 contractors, including CGI Federal and Quality Software Services, Inc. (QSSI), helped in building the site, which was reportedly largely unusable when it first became available to the public on October 1, 2013.
- Medicare: FY2008 Budget Issues
- This report discusses President's budget request to Congress for Medicare, for the following federal fiscal year, along with projections for the five-year budget window. The President’s 2008 budget includes Medicare legislative proposals with estimated savings of $4.3 billion in 2008 and $65.6 billion over the five-year budget window.
- Olmstead v. L.C.: Implications and Subsequent Judicial, Administrative, and Legislative Actions
- This report will discuss the Supreme Court's decision, subsequent lower court decisions, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) letter, and selected legislation.
- ACA: A Brief Overview of the Law, Implementation, and Legal Challenges
- This report summarizes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal challenges it has faced. The report contains information on various lawsuits due to the ACA and provides the reasoning behind them as Congress violating its enumerated powers in the constitution. Moreover, the report covers the challenges of implementing the law.
- Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis
- This report first analyzes the authority of Congress to enact the minimum essential coverage requirement contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), as well as how a court might analyze this provision if challenged based on various provisions of the Fifth and Tenth Amendments. This report discusses whether there must be exceptions to a requirement to purchase health insurance based on First Amendment freedom of religion, and finally, discusses some of the legal challenges to this federal requirement.
- AIDS: The Ryan White CARE Act
- This report discusses the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which makes federal funds available to metropolitan areas and states to assist in health care costs and support services for individuals and families affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This report discusses related legislation and appropriations.
- Health Insurance Coverage of Children, 2007
- Based on data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, 8.9 million children under age 19 were uninsured in 2007, a statistically significant decline compared to 9.4 million in 2006. This report provides an overview of the health insurance coverage of children in 2007.
- Health Insurance: Uninsured Children, by State, 2005-2007
- Based on data from the Census Bureau's current population survey, an estimated 8.9 million children under age 19 were uninsured in 2007, representing 11.3% of all children in the United States. This report contains information on uninsured children in the United States by state.
- Access to Medical Records Under Federal Law
- This report highlights the contentions surrounding the release of health care information when it is meant to be confidential. In addition, the report summarizes the federal laws that govern how this information is distributed and when it is to be distributed. Finally, the report discusses the tension between the federal government and state governments in implementing a uniform standard for this type of law.
- The Affordable Care Act’s Contraceptive Coverage Requirement: History of Regulations for Religious Objections
- This report summarizes the issues involved with the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) requirement in group health plans for contraceptive coverage. Moreover, the report covers the history of how religious objections to this provision of the ACA have been handled. Specifically, the report discuses this topic in relation to employers providing health insurance for employees.
- Health Insurance: Uninsured by State, 2005
- An estimated 15.9% of the U.S. populations lacked health insurance coverage in 2005. When examined by state, estimates of the percent uninsured ranged from a low of 8.4% in Minnesota to a high of 24.2% in Texas. Generally, states in the Midwest and New England have lower rates of uninsured, while states in the Southwestern and Southern portion of the nation have higher shares of their populations without coverage.
- Health Care Spending: Context and Policy
- The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2006, health spending is expected to approach $2.2 trillion and account for more than 16% of gross domestic product. This report contains information on the background of the healthcare industry in the United States, key issues for Congress in this policy area, and three policy directions to consider: changing health care, changing federal programs, and changing tax policy.
- Health Care Spending: Context and Policy
- The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2005, health spending is expected to approach $1.9 trillion and account for more than 15% of gross domestic product. This report contains information on the background of the healthcare industry in the United States, key issues for Congress in this policy area, and three policy directions to consider: changing health care, changing federal programs, and changing tax policy.
- Health Care Spending: Context and Policy
- The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2006, health spending is expected to approach $2.2 trillion and account for more than 16% of gross domestic product. This report contains information on the background of the healthcare industry in the United States, key issues for Congress in this policy area, and three policy directions to consider: changing health care, changing federal programs, and changing tax policy.
- Health Insurance Coverage for Retirees
- With the retirement of the baby boom generation looming ahead, employers offering coverage to their retired workers will face a huge future financial commitment. Some employers have already reduced or eliminated their commitment to insure their retirees. Recent trends indicate that retiree health benefits are increasingly subject to higher beneficiary cost-sharing. Further, among employers who provide health insurance for current retirees, their current workers are less likely to be guaranteed these benefits upon retirement. This report discusses issues regarding health insurance coverage for retirees.
- Self-Insured Health Insurance Coverage
- This report provides background information on private health insurance coverage, state and federal regulation of private coverage, and self-insured health plans. It includes data on the prevalence of self-insurance and discusses the employer decision to self-insure. Lastly, it describes selected private health insurance provisions under federal health reform, and application of such provisions on self-insured plans.
- The 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Outbreak: Selected Legal Issues
- This report summarizes the legal issues concerning the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) outbreak. The report also includes information on how containment may occur to extrapolate the legal implications of the various ways to reduce the level of contamination. The report ultimately explores the questions that may be raised as the government implements a solution to remedy the situation.
- Health Care Spending: Context and Policy
- The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2007, health spending is expected to approach $2.3 trillion and account for more than 16% of gross domestic product. This report contains information on the background of the healthcare industry in the United States, key issues for Congress in this policy area, and three policy directions to consider: changing health care, changing federal programs, and changing tax policy.
- Medicare Home Health Benefit Primer: Benefit Basics and Issues
- This report describes home health eligibility criteria, home health services, characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries who use home health services, and home health providers. Further, this report describes in detail the Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS), provides an overview of Medicare home health payments, and discusses issues for Congress related to the Medicare home health benefit.
- Abortion, Hospital Admitting Privileges, and Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole
- This report revolves around the contentious issue of admitting privileges as can be seen in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole. The report also includes information on how admitting privileges have been used to impose an undue burden on a woman's ability to seek abortions.
- ACA: A Brief Overview of the Law, Implementation, and Legal Challenges
- This report summarizes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal challenges it has faced. The report contains information on various lawsuits due to the ACA and provides the reasoning behind them as Congress violating its enumerated powers in the constitution. Moreover, the report covers the challenges of implementing the law.
- Mental Health Parity and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
- This report provides a brief background on mental health parity and the policy discussion around parity in health insurance coverage; an overview of federal mental health parity law prior to the enactment of the ACA; and an analysis of the impact of the ACA.
- Affordable Care Act (ACA): Employer Shared Responsibility Determinations and Potential Penalties
- This report describes the potential employer penalties related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
- Addressing Medicare Hospital Readmissions
- This report highlights the issue of one-fifth of medicare patients in 2005 being readmitted to a hospital within thirty days time. These readmissions put a strain on the budget, the majority of which it is estimated may be avoidable. The report notes that Medicare as a program is working on moving around those difficulties, without reducing the quality of care.