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This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan options available in 2015 and key changes from prior years. The analysis examines Part D plan availability, premiums, benefit design features, and low income subsidy plan availability.
COW – powerpoint on Medicare drug spending share increasing Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) Historical (1960-2016) and Projected (2017-2026) data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group (Accessed on May 2, 2018) for the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker.
With rising concern over increases in prescription drug costs, the Trump Administration has proposed what it calls a “5-part plan” that would change several features of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. This brief describes the Administration’s five Part D proposals and discusses the potential implications for people with Part D prescription drug coverage and Medicare program spending, based on estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
This issue brief provides an overview of the 2018 Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan landscape, the largest segment of the Part D marketplace, 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 top ten Part D plans in 2018.
For the first time, 1 in every 3 people with Medicare is enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the private Medicare plans that have played an increasingly large role in the Medicare program over the past decade, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicare Advantage enrollment has more than tripled since 2004, reaching 19 million, or 33 percent of enrollees, in 2017, the analysis shows. That milestone is up from 17.6 million beneficiaries…
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage continues to climb steadily as spending reductions enacted in the Affordable Care Act reduce historical overpayments to the private plans, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. But limits on out-of-pocket spending for Medicare-covered services are rising, providing less protection for enrollees with relatively high health care expenses. Medicare Advantage enrollment grew in virtually all states and reached 16.8 million beneficiaries as of March 2015, an increase of…
During the Medicare Part D annual enrollment period, people on Medicare can review and compare stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage plans and switch plans if they choose. Low-income beneficiaries who receive premium and cost-sharing assistance through the Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) program have a subset of premium-free PDPs (benchmark plans) available to them, but can also choose to enroll in a non-benchmark plan and pay a premium. This analysis examines plan…
Millions of current enrollees in stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will face premium and other cost increases next year unless they switch to lower-cost plans during the open enrollment period that began Oct. 15 and ends on Dec. 7, a new KFF analysis finds. This includes two-thirds of Part D stand-alone drug plan enrollees not receiving low-income subsidies—nine million enrollees—who will face higher monthly premiums if they keep their current plan in 2020.…
These FAQs provide the latest guidance on testing and treatment related to COVID-19 for Medicare beneficiaries, including questions related to out-of-pocket costs, the COVID-19 vaccine, telehealth, extended supplies of medication, skilled nursing facility stays, and issues for people in private Medicare Advantage plans.
A record 3,148 Medicare Advantage plans will be available across the country as alternatives to traditional Medicare, a new KFF analysis finds. That’s up 15% from last year’s 2,734 plans and results in a typical beneficiary having 28 plans available to them in their local market for the 2020 Medicare open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15 and runs until Dec. 7. About 22 million Medicare beneficiaries - a third of all beneficiaries - are…
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