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  • Nearly 7 in 10 Medicare Beneficiaries Did Not Compare Plans During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines the share of Medicare beneficiaries who reviewed their coverage and compared plans during the open enrollment period for 2022 (that takes place in the Fall of 2021), and who made use of Medicare’s official information resources, as well as variations by demographic groups. Overall, nearly 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries did not compare their own source of Medicare coverage with other Medicare options offered in their area.

  • What to Know about Medicare Spending and Financing

    Issue Brief

    This brief provides an overview of Medicare spending and financing, based on the most recent historical and projected data from the Medicare Trustees and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The brief highlights trends in Medicare spending and key drivers of spending growth, including higher enrollment, growth in health care costs, and increases in payments to Medicare Advantage plans.

  • Prior Authorization Metrics Provide New Insights into Insurer Practices, but Gaps Remain

    Issue Brief

    This analysis of available 2025 prior authorization data finds insurers denied at least 1 in 8 standard requests for prior authorization across three insurance markets: Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, and the federally facilitated ACA Marketplaces. Denial rates varied wide segments by insurer. The analysis highlights limitations of the data and challenges for consumers interpreting it.

  • Three firms Account for Over Half of All Medicare Part D Enrollees in 2018, and Pending Mergers Would Further Consolidate the Marketplace

    News Release

    In 2018, three Medicare Part D plan sponsors—UnitedHealth, Humana, and CVS Health—account for more than half of the program’s 43 million Part D enrollees (55%) and two-thirds of all stand-alone drug plan enrollees, indicating a marketplace that is dominated by a handful of major insurers, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Part D enrollment, premiums and cost-sharing data. The proposed mergers of CVS Health and Aetna, and Cigna and Express Scripts would…

  • Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage Plans: How Often Is It Used?

    Issue Brief

    Medicare Advantage enrollees are encouraged to select their plan based on a number of factors, including premiums, cost-sharing, extra benefits, drug coverage, quality of care, and provider networks, but a potentially overlooked factor is access to covered services and the potential impact of prior authorization requirements. In this data note, we examine the share of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are in plans requiring prior authorization and approval before covering the costs of services.

  • Medicare Advantage Chartpack

    Report

    These charts highlight key data about the Medicare Advantage program, which has grown rapidly in terms of enrollment and number of plans since the enactment of the Medicare Modernization Act in 2003. The package includes a map showing Medicare Advantage penetration by state as well as key facts about private fee-for-service plans, which have contributed significantly to the recent growth of the Medicare Advantage program. Chartpack (.pdf)

  • Special Needs Plans: Availability and Enrollment

    Report

    Special Needs Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage plan authorized to provide a managed care option for beneficiaries with significant or relatively specialized care needs, including Medicare beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, beneficiaries living in nursing homes or other institutions, and beneficiaries with severe chronic or disabling conditions. This data spotlight examines availability and enrollment trends for Special Needs Plans, which account for a small share of enrollment today but…

  • The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006

    Report

    The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006 As Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to climb, this report prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation compares the value of extra benefits provided by private fee-for-service and other types of Medicare Advantage plans. As of January 2008, 8.8 million people with Medicare were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, an increase of 63% since 2005. Some say the recent growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment…

  • Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Report

    Other Post

    Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plans Monthly Tracking Reports These briefs present monthly data on Medicare Advantage participation, enrollment and penetration. They also summarize recent activities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), participating health plans, and the research community pertaining to the Medicare Advantage program and prescription drug plans that began serving the Medicare population in January 2006. The reports were prepared by researchers at Mathematica Policy Research Inc. April 2010 Report…