Examines the Sterling Life Insurance Company's private fee-for-service plan, the first and only such plan offered since the Balanced Budget Act authorized this option. Notes that although enrollment remains low, it has grown rapidly this year, coinciding with increased payment rates and...

This new data spotlight reviews changes to Medicare Advantage plans and examines trends in plan participation, premiums, and certain benefits. Overall, enrollees can expect modest changes in 2011. On average, beneficiaries will be able to choose from among 24 plans.

This issue brief describes organizations offering the new Medicare drug benefit and analyzes how companies are positioning themselves to attract enrollees. It notes that 7 of the 10 organizations that sponsor stand-alone PDPs nationwide are based in commercial insurance firms with substantial...

This data spotlight examines availability and enrollment trends for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans, which provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs. These plans account for a small share of Medicare enrollment today, but are...

Assessing health status is a core function of public health on the state level. This report summarizes the data available in each state for health assessment, a necessary step in achieving public health goals. Using the leading indicators from Healthy People 2010, the authors found that while...

This issue brief focuses on Colorado's Medicaid reform initiative, the Accountable Care Collaborative, and one of its three core components, the Statewide Data Analytics Contractor. This component supports primary care providers networked to seven regional care collaboratives and provides data...