Medicare
Coronavirus
Vaccines
Vaccinating Older Adults in the US Against COVID-19: A Work in Progress
Twenty-two states and D.C. have vaccinated at least one-third of their residents who are 65 and older against COVID-19 as of February 23, our updated analysis finds. No state has crossed the threshold of vaccinating 50% or more of its older population. The share of adults 65 and older who have received at least one dose of a vaccine ranges from 49% in North Carolina to 27% in Pennsylvania. Moreover, between February 4 and February 23, vaccination rates among older adults have increased across each state that reported consistently at both points in time, with increases ranging from 10 to 22 percentage points.
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.
Prescription Drugs
Reform Proposals
A Status Report on Prescription Drug Policies and Proposals at the Start of the Biden Administration
The cost of prescription drugs remains a big concern for policy makers and the public. While dealing with such costs takes a back seat to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, a raft of rules and proposals to rein in prescription drug spending are still on the table. We review final rules advanced by the Trump Administration regarding Medicare, importation, 340B pricing for insulin and epinephrine, and summarize Medicare-related drug pricing proposals backed by President Biden during the presidential campaign.
Medicare Open Enrollment
Data Note
More Than Half of All People on Medicare Do Not Compare Their Coverage Options Annually
Fifty-seven percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not review or compare their coverage options annually – a decision that can lead to unanticipated costs or coverage disruptions as beneficiaries pick Part D stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare’s annual open enrollment period runs from October 15 through December 7.
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