Kaiser family foundation

Democrats say the recent seizure of Canadian prescription drugs at the border are a "ploy" to force seniors citizens to move to Medicare Part D. Florida senator Bill Nelson (D), who charges that the White House has acted improperly, is calling for an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security into possible illegalities. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 10 percent of Florida seniors order prescription drugs from Canada. This week, customs officials announced that …

Some people enrolled in Medicare Part D plans are not receiving coverage for supplies necessary for them to receive at home infusion treatment, the Los Angeles Times reports. Thousands of people receiving intravenous antibiotics and other drugs at home may be affected. That includes many who are seriously ill with diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer. In many cases coverage for the nursing help necessary to administer home infusion therapy is being affected. Pharmacies …

Fewer kids are going without health insurance thanks to state efforts to fill in the gaps left by federal programs, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The non-profit group released new data which shows that 250,000 fewer children are uninsured than five years ago. The New York Times examines changes in state programs in Illinois, Vermont and Tennessee which have significantly impacted national uninsured levels among children. The 1997 federal law which provides assistance …

Two surveys released today show that seniors are still very confused about the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan that will start in January 2006. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that while 20 percent plan to enroll and 37 percent plan not to, 43 percent don't know. These numbers are somewhat in contrast to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll which now has 50 percent of seniors planning to enroll, although 24 percent of those are only "somewhat …

An error in the Medicare and You handbook mailed out to millions of Americans may lead some people to apply to prescription drug plans they will be unable to afford. CMS officials sent out a memo detailing the problem yesterday. According to the agency, the handbook erroneously states that low-income beneficiaries will not have to pay any monthly premium. That is only true of some plans, however. Democrats were quick to attack the mistake, calling it more evidence of how …

Following Friday's announcement that CMS has selected 10 companies to provide Medicare Part D coverage nationwide, much attention is on the market. Initial media reports stress how difficult choosing between competing plans offered under the government's new prescription drug benefit may be for seniors. That explains why both insurers and CMS are taking pains to make the enrollment process as easy as possible and why we can expect to see a series of major ad campaigns kick off after …

The federal government and the state of Texas said they have reached a compromise which will guarantee health coverage for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Under the plan, health care benefits for Medicaid recipients will be extended for six months. Officials also said government coverage will be extended to more people in the disaster zone, although precise details on what that means were not released. Texas also increased its official estimate of the number of evacuees it has …

A new survey from The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Education Trust confirms that the number of people with employer-based health insurance is falling rapidly. Sixty percent of firms offered coverage to workers in 2005, down significantly from 69 percent in 2000 and 66 percent in 2003. The drop stems almost entirely from fewer small businesses offering health benefits, as nearly all businesses with 200 or more workers offer such benefits. This survey confirms a …

President Bush made visits to Rancho Cucamonga, California, and El Mirage, Arizona, to talk up the Medicare prescription drug plan on Monday. In his comments Bush acknowledged that the details of the benefit may be difficult for some seniors to absorb, but he said that the savings the program enables make it worth the trouble. The President said children with elderly parents have an obligation to help their parents understand and sign up for the plan. Enrollment for the benefit begins …

> American seniors are warming to Medicare Part D, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation. KFF said 22 percent of seniors interviewed in its August poll say they plan to enroll, up from 9 percent in its last poll. Story

> Massachusetts officials say they will probe the sale of cosmetics by physicians due to the …