Age, Gender & Gender Identities

Recent legislative and administrative policy initiatives have built on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) expansion of health insurance coverage and improvements in access to and utilization of health care services.

The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-432) requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to prepare an annual report to Congress on indicators and predictors of “welfare dependence.” That Act requires the report to include three programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

Prior research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) show older adults receiving federal housing assistance face disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions and health care utilization.

This issue brief summarizes analyses of Medicare fee-for-service data examining beneficiary use of tele-behavioral health services during 2019 and 2020. Results demonstrate that the number of Medicare beneficiaries receiving behavioral health care via telehealth increased dramatically during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This Issue Brief explores telehealth use for people and Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and examines questions on the use of audio-only telehealth during the second and third years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Effective January 1, 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) eliminated cost sharing and deductibles for adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) covered under Medicare Part D. In 2023, 10.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees received a recommended vaccine free of charge, which saved enrollees more than $400 million in out-of-pocket costs.

Patient navigation provides support and information to patients and their families to help navigate the complexities of health care services. These programs or services may include providing support and resources to inform clinical patient choices, financial responsibilities, and available social and community services.

This issue brief uses Medicare fee-for-service data to conduct illustrative analyses of primary care spending using a methodology that has been frequently used by policymakers and academics and can be applied to claims data.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is helping people with Medicare, including nearly 30 million women enrolled in Part D. Our review shows that, in 2020, about 733,000 women enrolled in Part D and B would have benefited from the IRA’s $35 insulin cap and, in 2021, about 2 million women would not have had any out-of-pocket costs for recommended adult vaccines covered by Part D.

This issue brief presents estimates of children’s average monthly gains in Medicaid and CHIP eligibility under a federal 12-month CE requirement. Characteristics and household income of children gaining eligibility under a national, 12-month CE policy are also presented.