President Donald Trump and the GOP congressional leaders have talked about modernizing Medicare, including a proposal from House Republicans to create a premium-support system for Medicare. In the wake of passage of the GOP tax bill, which is expected to add to the national debt, there may be a focus on reining in the cost of entitlement programs such as Medicare, which may have significant implications for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries. The Trump administration also has shown interest in prescription drug spending in Medicare as well as in Medicare delivery system reform efforts such as Accountable Care Organizations, bundled payments and medical homes. Medicare Advantage now covers 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries and recent trends toward consolidation among insurers could have implications for beneficiaries.
Featured Medicare’s Future Resources
Income and Assets of Medicare Beneficiaries, 2016-2035
This issue brief, co-authored by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute, describes the income, savings, and home equity of current Medicare beneficiaries, considers variations by race, ethnicity and other demographic characteristics, and examines the extent to which income and assets are projected to be higher among the next generation of beneficiaries.
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Related Medicare’s Future Resources
- 10 Essential Facts About Medicare and Prescription Drug Spending
- No Limit: Medicare Part D Enrollees Exposed to High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs Without a Hard Cap on Spending
- “What is CMMI?” and 11 other FAQs about the CMS Innovation Center
- Web Briefing: The Future of Delivery System Reform in Medicare: Assessing the Evidence and Looking Ahead
- Private Contracts Between Doctors and Medicare Patients: Key Questions and Implications of Proposed Policy Changes
- Turning Medicare Into a Premium Support System: Frequently Asked Questions
- Health Affairs Blog: Medicare Premium Support Proposals Could Increase Costs for Today’s Seniors, Despite Assurances
- Medicare Part D in 2018: The Latest on Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing
- Medicare’s Income-Related Premiums Under Current Law and Proposed Changes
- An Overview of Medicare
- The Facts on Medicare Spending and Financing
- Medicare Advantage 2017 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update
- Medicare Advantage: How Robust Are Plans’ Physician Networks?
- Medicare Delivery System Reform: The Evidence Link
10 Essential Facts About Medicare’s Financial Outlook
Medicare, the nation’s federal health insurance program for 57 million people age 65 and over and younger people with disabilities, often plays a major role in federal health policy and budget discussions. Medicare is likely to be back on the federal policy agenda as Congress debates repealing and replacing the ACA, and also if policymakers turn their attention to reducing entitlement spending as part of efforts to reduce the growing federal budget deficit and debt. This issue brief presents 10 facts and figures about Medicare’s financial status today and the outlook for the future.
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Health Issues and the Election Quiz
Test your knowledge about health facts, policy issues and proposals that are emerging among the 2020 presidential candidates. The 10 questions focus on health issues in the 2020 election, including: health care costs, prescription drug prices, the Affordable Care Act and changes in health insurance coverage, reproductive health, and Medicare-for-all and public option proposals.
KFF Health Tracking Poll – October 2019: Health Care In The Democratic Debates, Congress, And The Courts
This poll examines health care issues in the Democratic presidential primary , government negotiation of prescription drug prices, party trust on health care, Medicare-for-all, and the pending Texas v. US lawsuit affecting the Affordable Care Act and pre-existing condition protections.
The Facts on Medicare Spending and Financing
This issue brief examines the latest facts about Medicare spending and financing, including the most recent historical and projected Medicare spending data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary, the 2019 annual report of the Boards of Medicare Trustees, and the 2019 Medicare baseline and projections from the Congressional Budget Office. It discusses historical and projected spending trends, program financing, Medicare’s financial condition, and the future outlook.
Comparing Poverty Rates under the Official Census Poverty Measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure
This interactive graphic illustrates how poverty rates among seniors in each of the 50 states change under two different Census Bureau measures of poverty: the official poverty measure and an alternative supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account health care and housing costs among other factors.
New Chart Collection Examines the Public’s Malleable Views Around a National Health Plan and Expanding Access to Medicare
For many years, the Kaiser Family Foundation has been tracking public opinion on the idea of national health plan. Since the 2016 Democratic presidential primary and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ rallying cry for “Medicare-for-all,” our polls have shown a modest increase in support for the idea of a national health plan,…
In All But Four States, Seniors on Medicare Can Be Denied a Medigap Policy Due to Pre-existing Conditions, Except During Specified Windows of Opportunity
In all but four states, insurance companies can deny private Medigap insurance policies to seniors after their initial enrollment in Medicare because of a pre-existing medical condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, except under limited, qualifying circumstances, a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds. Medigap policies provide supplemental health insurance…
What’s in the Administration’s 5-Part Plan for Medicare Part D and What Would it Mean for Beneficiaries and Program Savings?
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.
KFF/EHF Poll: Texans’ Top State Health Priorities Include Lowering Out-of-Pocket Costs and Reducing Maternal Mortality
Most Texans Don’t Know their State has the Nation’s Highest Uninsured Rate Texans’ top health care priorities for the state revolve around making health care and prescription drugs more affordable, reducing maternal mortality and increasing access to health insurance coverage, finds a new statewide Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation survey…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – January 2018: The Public’s Priorities and Next Steps for the Affordable Care Act
With the 2018 midterm elections still about ten months away, the January Kaiser Health Tracking poll examines what issues voters most want 2018 midterm candidates to talk about during their upcoming campaigns. Health care is at the top of a group of issues but health care is less important to Republicans and among voters in battleground states. While Congress is currently debating a budget to keep the government funded beyond February 8, 2018, the poll also examines the public’s priorities for President Trump and Congress and measures support for reducing federal funding for government programs.