Explaining Health Care Reform: Key Changes to the Medicare Part D Drug Benefit Coverage Gap
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law.
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Analysis of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans In 2012 And Key Trends Since 2006
ReportThis report presents findings from an analysis of the Medicare Part D marketplace in 2012 and changes in drug coverage and costs since 2006.
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Standard Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, 2013
FeatureStandard Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, 2013 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation illustration based on CMS standard benefit parameter update for 2013. Amounts rounded to nearest dollar.
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Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices Is A Popular Idea But May Not Produce Substantial Savings
News ReleaseIn response to rising drug costs, some policymakers and presidential candidates, including Republican Donald Trump and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have proposed allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies over the price of prescription drugs, in contrast to the current approach under Medicare Part D drug where private plans do the negotiating.
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Medicare Advantage 2022 Spotlight: First Look
Issue BriefFor 2022, the average Medicare beneficiary has access to 39 Medicare Advantage plans, the largest number of options available in the last decade, and can choose from plans offered by nine firms. Among the majority of Medicare Advantage plans that cover prescription drugs, 59 percent will charge no premium in addition to the monthly Medicare Part B premium. As in previous years, the vast majority of Medicare Advantage plans will offer supplemental fitness, dental, vision, and hearing benefits. In addition, virtually all will also offer telehealth benefits in 2022.
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Medicare Part D: A First Look at Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in 2022
Issue BriefThis issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit market for 2022, with a primary focus on stand-alone drug plans. It includes national and state-level data on plan availability, premiums, benefit design, cost sharing, information about premium-free plans for low-income beneficiaries, and information about the national Part D drug plans available in 2022.
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Analyzing Changes in Medicare Part D Enrollment for 2026
Issue BriefThe Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is provided by private plans, either Medicare Advantage plans that offer drug coverage (MA-PDs) or, for those in traditional Medicare, stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs). New data from CMS shows that 56 million people are enrolled in Part D plans as of February 2026, with more in MA-PDs than PDPs, reflecting higher overall enrollment in Medicare Advantage than in traditional Medicare. Enrollment in group MA-PD plans decreased while group PDP enrollment increased.
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The Trump Administration is Reducing Enhanced Support for the Part D Stand-Alone Drug Plan Market
Quick TakeIn announcing these changes, CMS states that it is “facilitating the Part D program’s return to operating under regular market conditions.” Increasingly, however, these regular conditions appear unfavorable to the ongoing stability of the stand-alone prescription drug plan market, further tilting the playing field towards Medicare Advantage.
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Recent Trends in GLP-1 Use and Spending in Medicare
Issue BriefAhead of the Trump administration’s planned expansion of Medicare coverage for GLP-1s to treat obesity through temporary models and the availability of Medicare’s negotiated price for certain GLP-1 products beginning in 2027, this analysis examines CMS’s Medicare Part D claims data from 2019 to 2024 to document the increase in the number of beneficiaries being treated with GLP-1 drugs and the growth in Medicare spending and claims for these drugs.
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The Medicare Drug Benefit: Beneficiary Perspectives Just Before Implementation – Toplines
Poll FindingThese toplines provide the complete results from a comprehensive survey of seniors on their understanding of and views toward the Medicare drug benefit. The survey of 802 seniors was conducted in late October 2005, prior to the start of the benefit's open enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 15, 2005 to May 15, 2006.