Description: Two Medicare risk funding provisions that were radically changed by the BBA of 1997 funding variations by geographic area and risk adjustment. Issue No. 36

Description: Congress has been debating a revision to Medicare Advantage payments including limiting payments to the Medicare Fee-For-Service FFS cost. A county-specific impact study to the benchmark payment rates for each county nationally based on the FFS limitation criteria was performed. This article includes results for Florida, California, Pennsylvania and New York.

Description: Provides background about Prescription Drug Plans, PDPs, and the standard benefit package offered under Medicare Part D. It also provides a basic overview of the bid-development process for a PDP and summarizes some general strategies and observations used in developing the 2006 bids that will likely be used for 2007.

Description: Map of MA Regions Receiving Bids for Regional PPO Products

Description: This article discusses Medicare cost, specifically the hospital utilization rate and the average daily cost of hospitalization and the effect of Medicare on the great increases in health care costs since 1965.

Description: Issue No. 36. Issues relating to Provider Sponsored Organizations PSOs contracting with HCFA to sponsor Medicare + Choice. Article discusses revenue and the addition of non-Medicare covered benefits.

Description: This article from The Actuary, April 1971, volume 5, Issue 4 is about Social Security and Medicare. This note compares actual experience for both fiscal year 1970 and calendar year 1970 with the short-range cost estimates given in the 1970 Trustees’ Reports.

Description: Highlights the recent changes to Social Security and Medicare from enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Also highlights some changes voted in by one of the houses but not by both, and therefore not enacted.

Description: This article discusses Social Security amendments of 1983 that include triggering devices based on trust-fund ratios that affect the funding or benefits of the system for both OASDI and Medicare.

Description: Risk adjustment is used to adjust the revenue stream to health insurers that sell ACA eligible plans and Medicare Advantage plans. This article compares and contrasts these risk adjustment programs.