Increasing numbers of Medicare beneficiaries have turned to the Medigap market to insure against Medicare’s out-of-pocket costs. This publication reviews product types and average premiums of the 10 federally standardized Medigap products. It notes that trouble could be brewing in this...

This article outlines strategies proposed to expand health insurance, many of which have been tried in limited ways, and describes experiences with these attempts. The discussion is organized from the perspective of two opposing points of view: (1) approaches that would support private coverage...

Testimony notes that the Medigap market is not a good source of coverage for prescription drugs, and there are many reasons to expect that it will become much worse. Discusses advantages that Medicare coverage of prescription drugs may offer to policyholders and insurers in the Medigap market.

Recently, some states have revisited the concept of reinsurance to spread risk in insurance markets, improve the predictability of claims, and reduce the markup of premiums that insurers charge as a buffer against unanticipated claims. This brief examines efforts in Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho,...

Direct certification simplifies the process of certifying certain children for free school meals by eliminating the need for households to apply. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act required all local educations agencies (LEAs) to establish a system of direct certification by...