Fast Fact

More Uninsured Children

Terrance Heath — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:32:12 -0400

In 2006, 11.7% of children, or 8.7 million kids, went without health insurance. That's up from the previous year, when 10.9%, or 8 million children, were uninsured.

Americans Lack Health Insurance

Alex Carter — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:39:50 -0400

47 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2006, up from 38 million in 2000.

Medicare becoming more cost-efficient

Molly Swartz — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:22:49 -0400

Medicare cost savings rose to $1.2 billion in 2006 from $136 million in 2001

Pharmacy Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Contributes to High Costs for Medicare Part D

Molly Swartz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:50:17 -0400

Approximately 1 percent of prescription costs are likely due to fraud, waste, or abuse. This amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary costs for the Medicare Part D program and its beneficiaries.

Medicare is a large part of physicians' revenue

Molly Swartz — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:42:45 -0400

Medicare made up 22 percent of physicians’ revenue in 2006.

Medicare out-of-pocket Costs Increase

Molly Swartz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:11:28 -0400

Medicare beneficiaries will pay more out of pocket for their prescription drugs next year. The Part D standard benefit deductible will increase from $275 to $295 and the initial coverage limit — the threshold amount shared by the insurance company and the beneficiary — will increase from $2,510 to $2,700.

With one month of Iraq War funding could have...

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:07:19 -0400

With one month of Iraq war funding we could have bought more than a year’s health insurance for the 4 million children Bush vetoed under SCHIP.

Bush's vetoed children's healthcare while defending tax cuts for the wealthy

Molly Swartz — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:01:54 -0400

Bush vetoed spending $35 billion over five years to provide health care for 4 million children, while defending the tax break that allows billionaire hedge fund operators to pay a lower rate than their receptionists

New GAO Report: Extra subsidy makes private Medicare Advantage more expensive than traditional Medicare

Eric Lotke — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:24:26 -0400

The GAO reports that Medicare spends more per beneficiary in private Medicare Advantage plans than it does for beneficiaries in the original Medicare program - a projected $54 billion more from 2009 to 2012.

Under Medicare Advantage, the government first reimburses insurance companies for medical expenditures. Then it provides an additional payment for nonmedical expenses such as marketing, sales and profits.

Drug Prices Increase Under Part D

Terrance Heath — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:18:56 -0500

Pharmaceutical companies have drastically raised prices on brand name drugs commonly prescribed to elderly people in Medicare Part D, since its implementation in 2006. The prices of 220 brand name drugs used by people in Part D increased by an average of 7.4 percent in 2007 — more than two times the general inflation rate. The average cost per perscription rose from $80 to $151 in 2007, threatening consumers by increasing the likelihood of higher premiums and the chance that people will fall into the gap created by this "donut hole," and increase their out-of-pocket spending.