Medicare
New & Noteworthy
- Trust FUnd
FAQs on Medicare Financing and Trust Fund Solvency
The Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2026. The projected deficit amounts to $517 billion between 2026 and 2031. Our FAQs answer key questions about Medicare financing and trust fund solvency. In the 30 years prior to 2021, the trust fund has come within five years of depletion only twice – in 1996 and 1997. To date, Congress has never allowed the trust fund to be fully depleted. - Health costs
Limiting Private Insurance Reimbursement to Medicare Rates Would Reduce Health Spending by About $350 Billion in 2021
Total health care spending for people with private health insurance would be an estimated $352 billion lower in 2021 if private insurers used Medicare rates to pay hospitals and other health care providers, rather than the substantially higher rates they currently pay, our analysis finds. - Part D
Options to Make Medicare More Affordable For Beneficiaries Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Medicare covers more than 60 million Americans, but gaps in coverage and high cost-sharing requirements can make health care difficult to afford. We examined policy options to make Medicare more affordable, including the likely cost & how many people would be helped. - income & Assets
Does Education Narrow the Gap in Wealth Among Older Adults, by Race and Ethnicity?
Income and wealth inequality persists across generations, adversely affecting people in communities of color at all ages. Older Black and Hispanic adults face their retirement years with less financial security and fewer resources to absorb the financial shock of a major health expense compared to older White adults. - Racial Disparities
Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities and Medicare
This chart collection examines the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of the Medicare population by race and ethnicity. It includes data to describe demographics, health status and disease prevalence, health coverage, access to care and service utilization, and health outcomes, including data pertaining to disparities related to COVID-19.
Medicare advantage statistics
Latest Polling59%
of Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans operated by UnitedHealthcare, Humana, or BlueCross BlueShield affiliates in 2019. (2019 Issue Brief)
29%
of new Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans during their first year on Medicare in 2016. (2019 Issue Brief)
34%
of all Medicare beneficiaries (22 million people) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. (2019 Issue Brief)
62%
of the 22 million Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2019 are in in HMOs, with the rest in local or regional PPOs. (2019 Fact Sheet)
The Essentials
- Basics
An Overview of Medicare Coverage
Medicare plays a key role in providing health care and financial security to more than 60 million older people and younger people with disabilities. - Supplemental Coverage
A Snapshot of Sources of Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries in 2018
This data note explores sources of coverage among beneficiaries in Medicare and the demographic characteristics of people with different types of coverage, based on data from the 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. - income and assets
Finances of Medicare Beneficiaries, 2016-2035
Half of all Medicare beneficiaries had incomes below $26,200 per person in 2016 and savings below $74,450. - medicare part d
An Overview of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit
- quiz
How Much Do You Know About Medicare?
Take this quiz to find out how much you know about Medicare, the people it serves, the benefits it covers, and its financial status.
Latest from Kaiser Health News
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Biden Seeks $400 Billion to Buttress Long-Term Care. A Look at What’s at Stake.
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KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Planning for Round Two
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Democrats Gave Americans a Big Boost Buying Health Insurance. It Didn’t Come Cheap.
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Democrats Eye Medicare Negotiations to Lower Drug Prices
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Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill
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Countless Homebound Patients Still Wait for Covid Vaccine Despite Seniors’ Priority