A selection of our projects.

Assessment, Refinement, and Analysis of Medicare’s Prospective Payment System (PPS) for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)
This project assesses the Medicare SNF PPS, explores how the PPS could be improved, and analyzes Medicare SNF utilization, costs, and payments under the PPS. It will also compare options for improving Medicare’s case-mix classification system for SNF patients.

Evaluation of the Development and Early Implementation of Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) Demonstration Initiative
This project examined HIFA waivers to understand why states designed HIFA programs the way they did, how programs were implemented, what challenges were faced during implementation, and what were the effects of the programs.

Analytic Studies for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
This series of studies supporting MedPAC provides background on geographic adjusters in Medicare payment systems, explores shifts in the site of physician services, and examines physician fee schedules and other Medicare payment systems.

Evaluation of San Mateo County Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHI)
This five-year study examines San Mateo County’s CHI, an expansion of health insurance coverage to all children in the county below 400 percent of the federal poverty level. It analyzes the program implementation, insurance coverage and crowd-out, and the impacts on participants and providers.

Analytic Support for Kaiser
This project supports the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Data are analyzed to understand the characteristics of the uninsured and changes in the distribution of coverage. The project also examines recent growth in Medicaid spending and options for restructuring Medicaid.

Analytic Support for the District of Columbia’s Department of Health
Under this project, the Urban Institute provides support to the State Planning Grant team at the District of Columbia’s Department of Health to research problems of uninsurance in the District and to develop feasible options for expanding coverage.

Health Insurance Coverage from 1996 to 2000
This project examines the impact of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on health insurance coverage of both SCHIP-eligible children and previously Medicaid-eligible children from 1996 to 2000. It also analyzes how this period’s economic expansion affected the insurance coverage of uninsured adults.

Los Angeles Healthy Kids Initiative Evaluation
This project examines the Los Angeles County Healthy Kids Initiative. The study evaluates program implementation, monitors enrollment and service delivery, and analyzes the impacts on children’s health status, coverage, and access to and use of care.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities and Outcomes
This project links concerns about racial and ethnic disparities in medical care and outcomes with research literature showing that for many hospital services, there is a positive relationship between volume and outcomes.