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-----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Subject: Three New Reports on Medicare+Choice Dear Colleague, Despite its early promise, the Medicare+Choice program has a troubled recent history. The number of Medicare+Choice contracts that Medicare holds with private health plans dropped by more than half from 1998 to 2002, with plan withdrawals affecting more than 2.2 million beneficiaries. In addition, the program has failed to restrain federal spending on Medicare. Three new reports from The Commonwealth Fund shed new light on the difficulties the program faces. Medicare+Choice After Five Years: Lessons for Medicare's Future-Findings from Seven Major Cities, by Brian Biles, Geraldine Dallek, and Andrew Dennington of the Center for Health Services Research and Policy at George Washington University Medical Center, examines the reasons behind the widespread dissatisfaction of private health plans, health care providers, and beneficiaries with the Medicare+Choice program. The authors attempt not only to understand how the program could be stabilized but to help inform policy discussions concerning broader Medicare reform. Geographic Inequity in Medicare+Choice Benefits-Findings from Seven Communities, by Dallek, Dennington, and Biles, compares the 2002 benefit packages of Medicare+Choice plans to assess the degree of regional disparities in benefit packages. The authors find wide variations in out-of-pocket costs for Medicare+Choice enrollees depending on where beneficiaries live. Medicare+Choice in New York City: So Far, So Good?, by Jennifer Stuber, Andrew Dennington, and Brian Biles, looks at why the Medicare+Choice program-faltering in many regions-has thus far enjoyed relative stability in New York City. However, according to the report there are signs that these conditions may soon change. Click here to read, download, or order the reports. ( <http://www.cmwf.org/publist/publist2.asp?CategoryID=9> http://www.cmwf.org/publist/publist2.asp?CategoryID=9) Visit the Fund's website (http://www.cmwf.org/) to read, download, or order reports from The Commonwealth Fund. You can also order reports by calling toll-free 1-888-777-2744 or by sending an e-mail to [log in to unmask]