Sourcebook

Chapter 2 – Medicare

The federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older and for other adults who qualify due to having a permanent disability or end-stage renal disease.

The Future of Medicare

This report summarizes the three-part series "The Future of Medicare," which explored the basics of the Medicare program.

Policy Options to Promote Medicare Sustainability

This session helped attendees consider the implications of policy options to promote Medicare sustainability. Panelists explored trends in Medicare spending; introduced key concepts related to Medicare financing and solvency; and explored the implications of policy options to promote Medicare sustainability.

Understanding the Future of COVID-Related Medicare and Medicaid Flexibilities

This event helped the audience understand the current policy landscape shaping Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as principles of person- and community-centered care. Speakers discussed lessons learned from the PHE, including insights from recent research and on-the-ground experts, and highlighted policy levers available to state and federal policymakers to build upon these current flexibilities.

Advancing Patient-Centered Cancer Care

This 3-hour summit convened and informed health policy and oncology research communities about critical issues related to patient-centered cancer care and offered lessons, strategies, and policy approaches for the short and long term.

Policy Options to Advance Mental Health Care During Pregnancy

This briefing will examine the difference between perinatal health and perinatal mental health and their intrinsic relationship. Panelists will delve into factors contributing to perinatal health and mental health as well as policy levers and promising solutions available to stakeholders to reduce and prevent mental health symptoms and mood disorders.

Closing the Coverage Coordination Gap for Dual Eligibles

This briefing provided a brief landscape of the dual eligible population and the challenges they face when seeking comprehensive coverage and care. Attendees learned about the spectrum of integration of the Medicare and Medicaid programs on behalf of this population, and defined what success looks like in an integrated plan.

Medicare Part D Basics and Policy Options for Redesign

This briefing will clarify the defining characteristics of Medicare Part D including eligibility, coverage, and benefits. Attendees will understand the case for Medicare Part D redesign and the implications and tradeoffs of current policy options on beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Medicare Solvency Projections and Potential Policy Solutions

This briefing provided an overview of the Medicare Trust Funds, the nuances of solvency, and the consequences of not resolving funding shortfalls. Panelists explored short- and long-term policy options to address solvency and offer equitable access, as well as the potential impacts on providers, plans, and most importantly, Medicare beneficiaries.

Pandemic Flexibilities in Long-Term Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed both new and longstanding needs of long-term care patients. Experts will overview the recent changes, remaining gaps, and benefits and risks to long-term care patients, caregivers, providers, and payers.

Modernizing Medicare Part D

During this congressional lunch briefing, analysts will outline the mechanisms of the Medicare Part D program under current law and discuss the potential implications of reforms put forward by Congress and the administration.

Our 2018 Speakers

What’s Next for Medicare Provider Payment?

The goal of this briefing was to provide an update on MACRA implementation, the issues on the table as policymakers consider next steps around shifting the way providers are paid, by both public and private payers, and what this all means for improving health outcomes and quality.

Navigating Next Steps on Payment Reform

This briefing provided an update on the overall state of play with payment reform, and the effort to move away from fee for service and toward value-based payment. Panelists discussed the interplay between the public and private sectors, and, given likely future directions for the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, highlighted areas where the private sector may be best positioned to lead. Panelists shared what this means for future policy options and needs.