Public Health Insurance Programs Evaluation

With the growing elderly population, we are aware of§the increasing resource needs for medical care and§anticipate an increasing burden on social welfare§system. Medicaid and Medicare are at the edge of§financing crisis at both the federal and state level.§This book examines effects of Medicaid and Medicare§on medical care use for U.S. elderly from an academic§perspective of economics. Medicaid studies identify§elderly eligible for Medicaid who consist of two§groups the targeted pre-existing poor and the§non-targeted elderly who may spend down to be§eligible. Exploring Medicaid participation§determinants and spend-down behaviors, we estimate§effects of Medicaid on medical services use. Medicare§study tracks adults for a period of ten years, that§is four years prior to Medicare and six years§afterward. Identifying individuals private health§insurance status prior to Medicare as previously§insured and uninsured, we compare their medical§expenses and health outcomes biannually before and§after coming into Medicare. The studies should shed§some light on how Medicaid and Medicare fare to date,§and should be especially useful to researchers and§policy-makers in health related areas.