State Budget Conditions and Actions Affecting Health Coverage
The KFF has announced an Oct. 19 briefing on three forthcoming reports relating to health coverage and state budget issues:
As states struggle tobalance their budgets and congress considers options to reduce federalMedicaid spending, constraining Medicaid spending in the short term andrestructuring the program in the long term is under activeconsideration. At the same time, Medicaid continues to be an importantsafety net program for low-income individuals and, more broadly, play akey role in the nation’s response to crises like Hurricane Katrina.Additionally, states and beneficiaries eligible for both Medicaid andMedicare are experiencing a monumental transition with theimplementation of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2006.
The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsuredwill release three new surveys of the states that describe the trendsand changes in Medicaid programs across the country at a Washington, DCbriefing on October 19 th. The Commission briefing will focus on thecurrent status of Medicaid in the states and emerging issues and trendsin state actions overall. It will also provide a more in-depth look ateligibility and enrollment issues and prescription drug coverage.