Medicare: A Primer

http://www.kff.org/medicare/7615.cfm

This primer prepared by Kaiser Family Foundation researchers explains key elements of the Medicare program that provides health coverage to nearly 44 million people—including about 37 million people age 65 and older and another 7 million younger adults with permanent disabilities. It looks at the characteristics of the Medicare population, what benefits are covered, how much people with Medicare pay for their benefits and the program’s overall costs and future financing challenges. It also provides information about the Medicare Advantage program and the Medicare drug benefit, and includes detailed tables showing the number of Medicare beneficiaries in each state, broken out by age, income level, source of drug coverage, and by enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans.

Eight Topics are found via the link posted above.


Medicaid: A Primer

http://www.kff.org/medicaid/7334-02.cfm

The primer provides an overview of the basic components of the nation’s largest health coverage program that covers 55 million low-income individuals (including families, people with disabilities and the elderly) and is the dominant source of the country’s long-term care financing. It examines the structure of Medicaid, who the program covers, what services it provides and spending. Because Medicaid is jointly financed by the federal and state governments and the states administer the program within broad federal guidelines, programs vary across states. Tables examining the state-to-state variation in eligibility, enrollment and spending for Medicaid enrollees are included.

Eleven Topics are found via the link posted above.