The Latest Reports in Health Policy | Reports Examine Extra MA Benefits, Link Between Technological Changes and Health Care Spending

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

[Feb 01, 2008]

"The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006," Kaiser Family Foundation: The report compares the value of extra benefits provided by private fee-for-service and other types of Medicare Advantage plans, as MA enrollment continues to increase. The analysis confirms that MA plans on average provided extra benefits above what traditional Medicare covered in 2006. The analysis also finds that the value of extra benefits were lower for private fee-for-service plans than for other MA plans in the same year (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 1/30).
"Technological Change and the Growth of Health Care Spending," Congressional Budget Office: The paper details the historical growth in U.S. health care spending and examines the factors that determine health care spending, as well as how they have contributed to spending over time. The paper gives special emphasis to the "largest single factor driving spending growth" -- the use of technological advances in developing new medicines and treatments. The paper also discusses the implications of continued technological change for future growth of health care spending (CBO, January 2008).

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