Medicare
The Center conducts analyses of developments in Medicare policies and their impact on health care access, quality, and financing, including tracking and analyzing developments in Federal law and regulations, policy analysis, evaluation of implementation efforts, and identifying areas for future policy changes.
Related Publications
Publications Available Online
Biles, B., Pozen, J., and Guterman, S. Issue Brief: The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Jump to $11.4 Billion in 2009. The Commonwealth Fund. May 2009. [External Link to Publication]
Biles, B., Adrion, E., and Guterman, S. Medicare Advantage's Private Fee-for-Service Plans: Paying for Coordinated Care Without the Coordination. Issue Brief. The Commonwealth Fund. October 2008.
Biles, B., Adrion, E., and Guterman, S. The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans in 2008. Issue Brief. The Commonwealth Fund. September 2008.
Biles, B., Adrion, E. Primer on Medicare Advantage Payments in 2008. The Commonwealth Fund. June 2008.
Rosenbaum, S., Dor, A., Finnegan, B., and Jones, E. Medicare Competitive Acquisition: Implications for Persons with Diabetes. For the Diabetes Access Coalition.
Biles, B., and Adrion, E. Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Exceed Fee-for-Service Costs: Options for Medicare Savings from 2008 Through 2012. The Commonwealth Fund. June 2007.
Biles, B., Nicholas, L.H., Cooper, B., Adrion, E., and Guterman, S. The Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans—Updated and Revised. The Commonwealth Fund. November 2006.
Biles, B. and Adrion, E. The Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans; Updated Tables for 2007; February 2007 MA Plan Enrollment, 2007 MA and FFS Payment Rates. Supplemental to Biles, et. al., The Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans—Updated and Revised. The Commonwealth Fund. May 2007.
Biles, B., and Adrion, E. Payments to Medicare Advantage Exceed Fee-for-Service Costs: Options for Medicare Savings from 2007 through 2011. Commonwealth Fund. September 2006.
Biles, B., Dallek, G., and Nicholas, L.H. Medicare Advantage: Deja Vu All Over Again? The Commonwealth Fund. December 2004.
Nicholas, L.H., Dallek, G., and Biles, B. Medicare + Choice in Palm Beach: Watching and Waiting? May 2004.
Nicholas, L.H., Dallek, G., and Biles, B. Medicare + Choice in Phoenix, Arizona: So Far So Good? May 2004.
Lambrew, J., and Briesacher, B. Medicare Prescription Drug Legislation: What It Means for Rural Beneficiaries. Center for American Progress. September 2003.
Biles, B., Dallek, G., and Nicholas, L.H. Lessons from Medicare+Choice for Medicare Reform., The Commonwealth Fund. June 2003.
Dallek, G., Biles, B. and Nicholas, L. Policy Brief: Lessons from Medicare+Choice for Medicare Reform, The Commonwealth Fund. June 2003.
Biles, B., Dallek, G., and Dennington, A. Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Lessons For Medicare's Future., Findings From Seven Major Cities. The Commonwealth Fund. September 2002.
Biles, B., Dallek, G., and Dennington, A. Geographic Inequity in Medicare+Choice Benefits., Findings From Seven Communities. The Commonwealth Fund. September 2002.
Biles, B., Stuber, J., and Dennington, A. Medicare+Choice in New York City: So Far, So Good?, Field Report. The Commonwealth Fund. September 2002.
Testimony, Lambrew, J., "Issues with a State-Based Low-Income Prescription Drug Benefit for Medicare Beneficiaries," for the Hearing on "Creating a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Assessing Efforts to Help Low-Income Seniors," Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives (April 17, 2002) (Download PDF file now)
Daw, C., Dennington, A., Biles, B., and Dallek, G. Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Harris County, TX Site Visit Report. March 2002.(Download PDF file now)
Dallek, G., and Dennington, A. Physician Withdrawals: A Major Source of Instability in Medicare+Choice. The Commonwealth Fund. January 2002.
Stuber, J., Dallek, G., Edwards, C., Maloy, K., and Biles, B. Instability and Inequity in Medicare+Choice: The Impact for Medicare Beneficiaries. The Commonwealth Fund, January 2002.
Dallek, G., Biles, B., and Dennington, A. The 2002 Medicare+Choice Plan Lock-In: Should It Be Delayed? New York: The Commonwealth Fund, November 2001. (Download PDF now)
Dallek, G., Biles, B., and Dennington, A. Restoring Choice to Medicare+Choice: The Importance of Standardizing Health Plan Benefit Packages. The Commonwealth Fund, October 2001.(Download PDF now)
Stuber, J., Dallek, G., and Biles, B. National and Local Factors Driving Health Plan Withdrawals from Medicare+Choice: Analyses of Seven Medicare+Choice Markets. The Commonwealth Fund, October 2001.(Download PDF now)
Stuber, J., Maloy, K., Edwards, C., and Biles B. Monitoring the Implementationof Medicare+Choice: Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, MN. Site Visit Report. May 2001(Download PDF file now)
Dallek, G., Stuber, J., and Edwards, C. Monitoring the Implementation of Medicare+Choice: Pima County, AZ Site Visit Report. May 2001. (Download PDF file now)
Stuber, J., Maloy, K., Edwards, C., and Biles, B. Monitoring the Implementation of Medicare+Choice: Harris County, TX Site Visit Report. May 2001. (Download PDF file now)
Rosenbaum, S., Smith, B.M. Behavioral Health Issue Brief 10: Medicare, Managed Care, and Behavioral Health Care. November 2000. 20 pages. 721K
Smith, B.S., and Rosenbaum, S. Potential Effects of the 'Premium Support' Proposal on the Security of Medicare, JAMA 282:18 (Nov. 10, 1999) pp. 1760-1763.