Featured Research

Using SNAP Receipt to Establish, Verify, and Renew Medicaid
Stan Dorn, Laura Wheaton, Paul Johnson, Lisa Dubay

States expanding Medicaid eligibility under the ACA can substantially expedite Medicaid enrollment and retention for SNAP participants, 97 percent of whom will qualify for Medicaid, according to this study. Even in states where SNAP provides broad-based categorical eligibility that extends SNAP’s gross income limits to at least 185 percent of the federal poverty level, 94 percent of SNAP recipients will qualify for Medicaid. Data showing SNAP receipt can thus verify Medicaid applicants’ financial eligibility, allow administrative renewal for Medicaid beneficiaries, and facilitate Medicaid enrollment for numerous eligible consumers when expanded coverage begins in early 2014. Read more

Limiting the Tax Exclusion of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Premiums: Revenue Potential and Distributional Consequences
Lisa Clemans-Cope, Stephen Zuckerman, Dean Resnick

The exclusion of employer-sponsored health insurance premiums and medical benefits reduced federal tax revenues by $268 billion in 2011 alone—by far the largest federal tax expenditure. Moreover, the exclusion disproportionately subsidizes those with higher incomes. In this brief, we provide estimates of the revenue potential and distributional consequences of limiting the exclusion from income and payroll taxes at the 75th percentile of 2013 premiums, indexing by GDP. The policy would produce $264.0 billion in new tax revenues over the coming decade while preserving 93 percent of the tax subsidies available under the current policy. Read more 

What Drove the Recent Slowdown in Health Spending Growth and Can It Continue?
John Holahan, Stacey McMorrow

National health expenditures have grown at record-low rates for the past three years. The recession has been cited as an important driver of recent trends leading many to wonder if slower spending growth will continue as the economy recovers. We review the trends in health spending growth over the last decade and show that growth began to slow well before the most recent recession. We also consider trends in incomes and insurance coverage and suggest that declines in real incomes and a shift towards less generous insurance arrangements have slowed the growth in provider revenues and forced cost containment efforts. The question remains, however, as to whether the changes that slowed health spending growth over the last decade will be maintained or extended as the economy recovers and the Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage. Read more

Uninsured Veterans and Family Members: State and National Estimates of Expanded Medicaid Eligibility Under the ACA
Jennifer Haley, Genevieve M. Kenney

Analysis of the 2008–2010 American Community Survey indicates that 535,000 uninsured veterans and 174,000 uninsured spouses of veterans —or 4 in 10 uninsured veterans and 1 in 4 uninsured spouses—have incomes below 138 percent of poverty and could qualify for Medicaid or new subsidies for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Most have incomes below 100 percent of poverty and will only have new coverage options if their state expands Medicaid. Since uninsurance is related to greater problems accessing care, increased Medicaid enrollment could improve the likelihood that their health care needs are being met. Read more