Medicare
Medicare now covers over 65 million Americans and remains a cornerstone of the U.S. health care system. Yet the program faces mounting challenges—rising costs, plan complexity, and variation in access and quality.
Dive into our work on Medicare — from academic research to policy briefs and real-world commentary.
Medicare
Medicare now covers over 65 million Americans and remains a cornerstone of the U.S. health care system. Yet the program faces mounting challenges—rising costs, plan complexity, and variation in access and quality.
About the Medicare Lab
CAHPR’s Medicare Lab brings together researchers evaluating reforms to address Medicare’s sustainability, transparency, and value for beneficiaries and taxpayers alike. Our work spans Medicare Advantage, Traditional Medicare, and supplemental coverage programs. Using administrative and claims data, the lab investigates issues such as coding intensity, price growth, plan performance, and benefit design. By combining rigorous evidence with policy simulation tools, we help inform legislative and regulatory reforms aimed at improving accountability, competition, and equity within Medicare.
The Big Questions
- Where can we design smarter incentives to reduce waste and unnecessary spending in Medicare?
- How do current payment rules and risk adjustment methods create incentives for upcoding or overbilling?
- How can oversight and accountability be strengthened to prevent inaccurate coding, inflated payments, or improper plan behavior?
Featured Work
Recent Publications
- Trends in Broker Enrollment and Spending in Medicare Advantage
- Third-Party Convener Firms And The Rise Of Geographically Dispersed, High-Earning Medicare ACOs
- Pre-Claim Review And Traditional Medicare Home Health Spending: Evidence From 4 States
- Algorithmic decision-making in health care: Evidence from post-acute care in Medicare Advantage
- Modeling the financial effects of an out-of-pocket cap for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries (Working Paper)
Related Policy Materials
- Request for Information: Strengthening the Medicare Physician Payment System – Patients First Act (H.R. 9693)
- Testimony: Medicare Advantage Payment Accuracy: Evidence on Coding, Selection, and Program Integrity
- Response to Request to Estimate Spending Impact of Proposed Saving MEDICARE Act
- Medicare Advantage Star Ratings: Background, Legal Action, and Policy Options
- Comments on the Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (CMS 1848 P)
MediCode Tool
The MediCode tool provides insights into how Medicare Advantage plans may be inflating risk scores and receiving billions in additional federal payments.
From Statehouses to Capitol Hill
Turning Evidence into Policy
Experts
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David J. Meyers Ph.D., MPH
Associate Director for the Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research, Medicare Lab Lead, Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice -
Cyrus M. Kosar Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice -
Jeffrey Marr Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice -
Andrew M. Ryan Ph.D.
Director for the Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research, Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice
Our funders:
Dive into our work on Medicare — from academic research to policy briefs and real-world commentary.