Brief Details Options for Improving Medicare Part D Choice, Web Site Provides Health Policy-Related Information
- "Medicare Part D: Simplifying the Program and Improving the Value of Information for Beneficiaries," Commonwealth Fund: The issue brief details specific options for improving beneficiaries' choices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit through increased standardization. Author Jack Hoadley of Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute also discusses possible changes to the benefit in three areas: standardizing benefit descriptions and procedures used by plans and Medicare; standardizing plans' cost-sharing requirements, including deductibles, coinsurance and copayments; and simplifying the rules governing plan formularies (Commonwealth Fund release, 6/2).
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New Web site, Urban Institute: The new Web site -- www.healthpolicycenter.org, created by the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center -- provides research, commentaries, congressional testimonies, statistics and facts. It also highlights the institute's work on a variety of health-related topics, including state and federal health reform, public health coverage, Medicaid, SCHIP, Medicare and private health insurance, among others (Urban Institute release, 6/2).
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