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  • Trump Administration Actions to Curb Data Collection Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)

    Issue Brief

    This brief describes Trump Administration efforts to scale back or modify data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity variables in federal surveys. It specifically focuses on changes in three national surveys that are representative of these efforts: the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).

  • Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight: A First Look at Plan Offerings

    Issue Brief

    This brief provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage plans that are available for 2026 and key trends over time. In 2026, the average Medicare beneficiary has a choice of 32 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans, two fewer than the 34 in 2025. Virtually all Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 provide multiple extra benefits like vision, hearing, and dental benefits, similar to last year.

  • The Facts About Medicare Spending

    Interactive

    This interactive provides the facts on Medicare spending. Medicare, which serves 65 million people and accounts for 12 percent of the federal budget and 20 percent of national health spending, is at the heart of discussions about health expenditures and affordability. Explore data on enrollment growth, Medicare spending trends overall and per person, growth in Medicare spending relative to private insurance, spending on benefits and Medicare Advantage, Part A trust fund solvency challenges, and growth in out-of-pocket spending.

  • Chart Reviews Increase Payments to Medicare Advantage Insurers for 1 in 6 Enrollees

    Issue Brief

    Using Medicare Advantage encounter data, this analysis finds that 62% of Medicare Advantage enrollees have at least one chart review record and that diagnoses added from chart reviews increase payments from CMS to insurers for 17% of enrollees. The use of chart reviews varies across the largest Medicare Advantage insurers.

  • Medicare Beneficiaries Are Not Luddites

    From Drew Altman

    In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman discusses new KFF survey data that shows that a surprising share of older adults with Medicare are using health tech regularly, and a solid majority support many of CMS’ goals to make it more widely available. But there are also big income gaps in the use of health tech, and concerns about AI, privacy, and other barriers to rapid and more widespread adoption. “Apparently… a lot of Medicare beneficiaries—but not all beneficiaries equally—are ready for more health tech, and have become tech savvy to survive,” Altman writes.