Medicare

Medicare Open Enrollment

Medicare Advantage Plan Availability Varies Widely by County for 2027

Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan (MA-PD) availability varies widely by county in 2027, with a modest reduction in the share of enrollees with more than 40 plans to choose from and some major insurers exiting many more counties than they are entering. 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries (20%) can choose from among more than 40 MA-PDs for 2027, down from 27% in 2026. 1% of all beneficiaries will have no plan option for 2027.

Medicare Open Enrollment and Coverage Options: Key Questions and Answers

Each year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period, which runs from October 15 through December 7. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.

Medigap

Medigap Guaranteed Issue Requirements: An Overview of Federal and State Rules

This issue brief analyzes federal and state rules related to guaranteed issue requirements for Medigap policies and how they impact beneficiaries’ access to Medigap, including the implications for Medicare beneficiaries with pre-existing medical conditions and those under age 65 with long-term disabilities.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Decoding Medicare Advantage Coding Intensity

Federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, and adjustments for health status, have come under increased scrutiny. This brief answers key questions about coding intensity, recent steps taken by CMS, the effects on beneficiaries, and other proposals to improve payment accuracy.

Data Visualization

The Facts About Medicare Spending

This interactive provides the facts on Medicare spending. Medicare, which serves 67 million people and accounts for 12 percent of the federal budget and 21 percent of national health spending, is often the focus of discussions about health expenditures, health care affordability and the sustainability of federal health programs. 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 by beneficiaries.

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  • Explaining the Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act

    Issue Brief

    The Inflation Reduction Act includes several provisions that will lower prescription drug costs for people with Medicare and reduce drug spending by the federal government. This brief summarizes these provisions and discusses the expected effects on people, program spending, and drug prices and innovation.

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll – October 2021: Home And Community Based Services And Seniors’ Health Care Needs

    Feature

    The October KFF Health Tracking Poll explores experiences with unpaid caregiving, and favorability of expansion of home and community based services (HCBS). It also examines experiences with difficulty affording and putting of health care services among seniors, favorability of the ACA and experience with determining eligibility for lower cost insurance as part of the COVID relief package.

  • The Public Weighs In On Medicare Drug Negotiations

    Feature

    This data note from the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll explores the public's views on Medicare drug price negotiation, including how arguments on both sides impact support and opposition; confidence in leaders to do the right thing on drug pricing; and experiences with prescription drug costs.

  • Decoding the HHS Reorganization

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the implications of Secretary Kennedy’s reorganization of HHS and why it’s a sharp break from past efforts to reorganize the department.

  • The Role Health PLAYED in the Election

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman provides an early post-mortem on the role health played in the election, discussing the many ways it did play a role in the campaign — even if not a decisive one.

  • Unraveling the Mysteries of Biden vs. Trump on Health Care

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman unravels the differences between Trump and Biden on Medicare, abortion, drug costs and other health-related issues that KFF's new side-by-side candidate analysis examines. From the bird’s eye view, these differences amount to a fork in the road in direction on the role of the federal government in health and federal health spending.

  • Si mi empleador ofrece beneficios de salud para jubilados, ¿debo inscribirme en Medicare cuando cumpla 65 años?

    FAQs

    Para la mayoría de las personas con beneficios de salud para jubilados (o retirados), tiene sentido inscribirse en Medicare cuando se es elegible por primera vez. Los planes de salud para jubilados generalmente están diseñados para complementar Medicare y es posible que no paguen sus costos médicos durante cualquier período en el que fuera elegible para Medicare pero no se inscribió. Debe revisar cualquier información proporcionada por su empleador para asegurarse de entender cómo sus…

  • ¿Me pueden cobrar una prima más alta por una póliza Medigap si tengo una condición preexistente o si fumo?

    FAQs

    Eso depende. Si está solicitando una póliza Medigap durante su período inicial de inscripción en Medicare, independientemente de sus problemas de salud pasados ​​o actuales, tiene garantizado el derecho a comprar cualquier póliza Medigap con la misma prima que la aseguradora le cobra a otras personas de su edad. Algunas pólizas pueden hacerle esperar hasta seis meses antes de cubrir una condición preexistente y algunas pueden ofrecer "descuentos" para no fumadores. Si está solicitando una…

  • ¿Puedo obtener información sobre las pólizas de Medigap en el sitio de Medicare para comparar coberturas?

    FAQs

    Sí, puede encontrar información sobre las pólizas de Medigap en el sitio para comparar coberturas de Medicare, yendo al enlace "Buscar una póliza de seguro suplementario de Medicare (Medigap)" en el menú Planes de salud y medicamentos: Buscar y comparar. Esta herramienta genera una lista de compañías en su área que ofrecen cada tipo de plan Medigap, aunque no puede inscribirse directamente en un plan de Medigap en este sitio. Puede encontrar más información sobre…