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  • Examining Medicare Part D Policies for Extended Supplies of Medication

    Issue Brief

    Medicare Part D plan sponsors, which provide drug coverage to 45 million older adults and people with disabilities, have the option to relax their ‘refill too soon’ restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of efforts to ensure adequate access to medications in disasters or emergencies. This analysis examines the share of Part D enrollees who currently have access to extended supplies of generic, brand-name, and specialty-tier drugs covered by their plan in…

  • Insulin Out-of-Pocket Costs in Medicare Part D

    Issue Brief

    Addressing the cost of insulin continues to be at the forefront of policy discussions around prescription drugs. This analysis describes out-of-pocket spending on insulin products by Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D drug plans, along with state-level use and spending data.

  • Medicare Part D 2012 Data Spotlights

    Report

    The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued this collection of analyses related to the Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plan options available to seniors in 2012. These spotlights focuses on key aspects of the drug plan choices available and relevant trends since the Medicare drug benefit took effect in 2006. They were prepared by a team of researchers at Georgetown University, NORC at the University of Chicago and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Analysis Of Medicare Prescription…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Benefit Design

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the benefit design of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) in 2008, focusing on national plans. It shows that in 2008, as in previous years, only about 10 percent of national prescription drug plans offered the defined standard benefit. The spotlight also looks at cost sharing structures, the use of flat dollar copayments, the upward trend in cost sharing for non-preferred drugs, and recent changes in cost…

  • Medicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap

    Report

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or "doughnut hole," in Medicare drug plans available in 2009. While in the gap in coverage, Part D enrollees (other than those receiving low-income subsidies) are required to pay 100 percent of total drug costs until they reach the catastrophic coverage level. In 2009, nearly all Part D plans have a coverage gap, though one in four plans offer limited coverage in the gap --…

  • Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries: How the House and Senate Prescription Drug Bills Address Their Drug Needs

    Report

    The House and Senate versions of a Medicare prescription drug bill treat the drug costs of those dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and other low-income Medicare beneficiaries quite differently. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured cosponsored a policy briefing on the key issues in the two bills that would impact low-income beneficiaries and released a brief and background report on the topic. A Prescription Drug Benefit in Medicare: Implications for Medicaid and Low-Income…

  • Medicare and the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal

    Fact Sheet

    Medicare and the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal This fact sheet summarizes key Medicare-related provisions in the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2009 budget proposal, as well as additional legislation that responds to the Medicare Trustees' "Medicare Funding Warning." Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Report, Briefing Examine How Seniors Choose Among Their Medicare Plan Options

    News Release

    Report & Briefing Examine How Seniors Choose Among Their Medicare Plan Options Seniors appreciate having a wide range of Medicare private plan choices available to them but often feel unqualified to choose among them, a new Kaiser Family Foundation report concludes. Based on discussions with seniors in four cities around the country, the report captures seniors' experiences and frustrations in making decisions about their Medicare plans. Seniors cite many factors as influencing their initial choice…

  • The Growth of Private Plans in Medicare, 2006

    Issue Brief

    , details the different types of private plan options available to people on Medicare. These include Medicare Advantage plans (such as Medicare HMOs, PPOs and private fee-for-service plans) and new stand-alone prescription drug plans. • In 2006, all Medicare beneficiaries have access to at least one type of private Medicare Advantage plan, up from 77% in 2004. The increase in access stems largely from the creation of new Medicare regional PPOs and the expansion of…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Low-Income Subsidy Plan Availability

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight focuses on the availability of drug plans for beneficiaries receiving the Part D low-income subsidy in 2008 and changes since 2006. It looks at data from the 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans available nationwide in 2008. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. The analysis was conducted jointed by Jack Hoadley of Georgetown University, Elizabeth Hargrave of NORC…