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The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs

Friday, April 9, 2021

Dear John,

Many Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for additional health
subsidies, but what about the beneficiaries who aren't eligible
because they make just above the income limit?

Medicaid 'Cliff' Increases Expenses And Decreases Care For Near-Poor
Medicare Beneficiaries

Near-poor Medicare beneficiaries-those with incomes more than 100
percent but less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level-account
for nearly 30 percent of the Medicare population. They exceed the income
limit for Medicaid supplemental coverage and are less likely to have
private supplemental insurance than those with higher incomes.

New research published in the April edition of Health Affairs by Eric
Roberts and his coauthors exposes the burden this poses on near-poor
patients
.
They found that Medicare enrollees with incomes just above the coverage
"cliff" are estimated to face more than $2,200 in additional
out-of-pocket costs over two years and are more likely to incur
catastrophic health costs.

"We estimated that 73.3 percent of Medicare beneficiaries whose incomes
were just below Medicaid's eligibility threshold had any supplemental
coverage, compared with 47.5 percent of beneficiaries whose incomes were
above this threshold, resulting in a discontinuity in supplemental
coverage of 25.8 percentage points," write the authors.

This is a problem with many potential solutions. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
and coauthors in the March 2020 issue, The Affordable Care Act Turns 10
, discuss federal
strategies that build on the Affordable Care Act to address the coverage
cliff
.

Today on Health Affairs Blog, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), chairman of the
House Committee on Ways and Means, discusses how the newly launched
Racial Equity Initiative

will help his committee address racial inequities as a root cause of
health and economic disparities.

Also on the blog: Jeff Micklos and coauthors argue that, while the
prior administration had announced its intention to allow the Next
Generation Accountable Care Organization model

to expire, the Biden administration should revisit this decision and
closely consider the model's merits and worthiness as a permanent
program option.

Plus, a new GrantWatch post highlights the efforts that foundations
around the United States are funding to mitigate vaccine hesitancy

and help people get immunized. Equitable access to vaccines, appropriate
messaging, and communication by trusted messengers are strategies being
supported by funders.

Don't forget to listen to our latest podcasts
. On today's episode of Health
Affairs This Week
,
Senior Editor Leslie Erdelack and Health Equity Director Vabren Watts
discuss why Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra just
renewed the agency's emergency declaration for the opioid crisis
.

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Your Daily Digest

Medicaid Coverage 'Cliff' Increases Expenses And Decreases Care For
Near-Poor Medicare Beneficiaries

Eric T. Roberts, Alexandra Glynn, Noelle Cornelio, Julie M. Donohue,
Walid F. Gellad, J. Michael McWilliams, and Lindsay M. Sabik

Building On The Gains Of The ACA: Federal Proposals To Improve Coverage
And Affordability

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Elizabeth Fowler, and Gayle Mauser

The Time For Change: Prioritizing Health And Economic Equity In The
117th Congress And Beyond

Richard E. Neal

To Sustain The Value Movement, Make Next Generation ACOs A Permanent
Option

Jeff Micklos, Joshua Traylor, Mara McDermott, Kelsey Haag

What Are Foundations Doing To Help Understand And Diminish The Barriers
To People Getting Available COVID-19 Vaccines?

Allen Smart

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A Renewed Effort To Address The Opioid Epidemic

It's National Public Health Week, and Secretary of Health and Human
Services Xavier Becerra just renewed the agency's emergency
declaration for the opioid crisis. Listen to Senior Editor Leslie
Erdelack and Health Equity Director Vabren Watts discuss why.

Listen Here

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About Health Affairs

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, and Health Affairs Sunday
Update .  

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