MHA Press Room

Study estimates new Medicaid enrollees by state under health reform

A study released May 27 by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates the state-by-state distribution of new Medicaid enrollees under health reform and the associated reduction in uninsured adults. California and Texas are expected to see the largest reduction in uninsured adults, about 1.4 million each.

Nationally, the study estimates the health reform law will increase Medicaid enrollment by 15.9 million people by 2019 and decrease the number of uninsured low-income adults by 11.2 million. The federal government would pay $443.5 billion, or 95.4%, of the cost of the Medicaid expansion between 2014 and 2019 while states would pay $21.2 billion.

In addition to this "standard scenario," which approximates participation rates used by the Congressional Budget Office, the study examines the potential impact of more aggressive outreach efforts and the influence of the law's requirement that most people obtain health coverage.

The report shows that Mississippi will receive federal payments covering about 96% of coverage expenditures. Mississippi will still see spending of state funds increased by 4.8%.

CDC report looks at ability of states to support physical activity

Many states could do more to promote policies and environments that support physical activity for good health, according to a report released May 25 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For example, only half of young people report having access to parks, playgrounds, community centers and sidewalks, and only 17% of high school students report getting at least an hour of daily physical activity, the recommended minimum.

"As chronic diseases place an increasing burden on the nation's health care system, the need for improving policies and environments for physical activity is more important than ever," said William Dietz, M.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

Alzheimer's Disease to Cost U.S. $20 Trillion over next 40 years

The cumulative care costs of Alzheimer's disease over the next 40 years will exceed $20 trillion unless treatments to modify or delay onset of the incurable disease are discovered, according to a report from the Alzheimer's Association. The report examines the outlook for Alzheimer's based on a model from the Lewin Group. It projects that the number of Americans age 65 and older who have Alzheimer's will increase from the 5.1 million today to 13.5 million by mid-century if nothing is done to address the disease.

Report: Most young adults could gain coverage under health reform law

The recently enacted health reform law has the potential to cover most of the nation's 13.7 million uninsured adults under age 30, according to a report released May 21 by the Commonwealth Fund. Up to 650,000 uninsured young adults could be covered by a provision requiring insurers to cover dependents through age 26, 7.1 million could be covered by expanded Medicaid eligibility for adults, and 6 million could gain coverage through insurance exchanges and premium subsidies for lower and moderate income families, the report estimates.

"This new legislation will not only make coverage more affordable, but also more comprehensive and secure, allowing young adults to pursue careers and start families without having to worry about losing their health insurance or falling into medical debt," said lead author Sara Collins.

Report: COBRA subsidy helped middle-income families keep health coverage

The COBRA health insurance subsidy provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been especially important for middle-class families by helping them maintain health insurance coverage during the recession, according to a report released May 19 by the Department of the Treasury. Between one-quarter and one-third of eligible unemployed workers enrolled in subsidized COBRA coverage, based on the agency's analysis of a representative sample of workers in New Jersey. An estimated 80% of individuals who made use of the subsidy were from households earning between $30,000 and $134,000 a year.