The retirement of the baby boom generation, the rising cost of healthcare and the need to improve healthcare services for older adults -- all of these concerns raise critical questions about the future of Medicare. AARP’s Public Policy Institute asked 20 nationally recognized health policy experts from a variety of backgrounds to address these issues and to suggest how Medicare can deliver better care, how can it operate more efficiently and how its financial viability can be assured. Keith Lind and Jackson Williams share the resulting policy proposals. Read More >>

Under Medicare Part D, beneficiaries can choose from multiple stand-alone prescription drug plans or a managed care plan that includes a prescription drug benefit. For low-income elders, both cost-sharing requirements and the complex range of plans available can present obstacles to coverage -- yet a few basic changes to federal policy and state programs could go a long way toward addressing the problems. Ellyce Anapolsky and John Coburn provide an overview of the challenges -- and a look at initiatives that would ensure appropriate Part D benefits for all older adults. Read More >>

Medicare has always presented challenges to providers, but the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 brought new complications, particularly with the creation of the Part D prescription drug plan. Healthcare professionals encountered multiple learning curves with Part D: The law established a complicated new administrative terminology, a shifting marketplace of drug plans and a complex new formulary system. For providers, knowledge of all three is required to ensure correct care for older patients and to receive proper reimbursement for services. Read More >>

Pam Parker is manager of special needs purchasing at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where she has been responsible for development and oversight of integrated Medicare and Medicaid managed care programs since 1992. As an experienced administrator of healthcare benefits for older adults and other vulnerable individuals, she keeps an eye on model programs and demonstration projects across the country. Parker recently gave Healthcare and Aging a snapshot of innovative approaches states have developed for translating federal funding into effective healthcare services for older adults. Read More >>

“Those of us who work in agencies that provide healthcare directly to elders know that programs are local, local, local,” writes HAN Leadership Council chair Monika White. “This is particularly the case with services provided through traditional Medicare and related state reform efforts.” Wrapping up her final column before handing off her duties to new cochairs, Monika not only touches on Medicare -- the theme of this issue of the newsletter -- but also gives us a preview of leadership and governance changes in store for the Healthcare and Aging Network. Read More >>