Amid heightened public concern, the cost of prescription drugs is the focus of renewed attention by the Trump administration and lawmakers in Congress and state capitals. Proposed actions range from sweeping health care system changes to targeted initiatives that could affect Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. See KFF’s research, analysis and public opinion data, as well as Kaiser Health News’ journalism, related to prescription drugs and their costs.
Featured Prescription Drugs Resources
KFF Health Tracking Poll – February 2019: Prescription Drugs
With increased national attention towards prescription drug costs, this poll examines the public’s experiences with prescription medicine and their views on current policy proposals brought forth by congressional lawmakers and the Trump administration, including international reference pricing, transparency in drug advertisements, and negotiations with drug companies. The survey also dives into the attitudes and experiences of adults, 65 and older – a group that is more likely to report taking prescription medication and shopped for prescription drug coverage.
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Related Prescription Drugs Resources
- What’s the Latest on Medicare Drug Price Negotiations?
- What are the recent and forecasted trends in prescription drug spending?
- Kaiser Health News Coverage of Prescription Drug Issues
- 10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019
- Medicaid’s Prescription Drug Benefit: Key Facts
- Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs
- How Much Does Medicare Spend on Insulin?
- How Does the Trump Administration Drug Pricing Blueprint Affect Medicaid?
- What’s in the Administration’s 5-Part Plan for Medicare Part D and What Would it Mean for Beneficiaries and Program Savings?
- Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices
- What Are Recent Trends and Characteristics of Workers with High Drug Spending?
- Closing the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Trends, Recent Changes, and What’s Ahead
- Snapshots of Recent State Initiatives in Medicaid Prescription Drug Cost Control
- 10 Essential Facts About Medicare and Prescription Drug Spending
- Retail Prescription Drugs Filled at Pharmacies per Capita
How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid?
Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which does not account for rebates.
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What’s the Latest on Medicare Drug Price Negotiations?
In response to higher drug spending growth and heightened attention to drug prices, some policymakers have proposed allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. This issue brief provides a short history of this proposal, describes various approaches, and assessments of their potential savings from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and considers the prospects for action in the future.
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How Many Medicare Part D Enrollees Had High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs in 2017?
The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit has helped improve the affordability of medications for people with Medicare. Yet Part D enrollees can face relatively high out-of-pocket costs because the Part D benefit does not have a hard cap on out-of-pocket spending. This analysis presents the latest data on out-of-pocket drug spending among Medicare Part D enrollees without low-income subsidies who have costs above the catastrophic coverage threshold.
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Data Note: Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs
This data note summarizes our most recent polling on the public’s experiences with and worries about health care costs, and it highlights where Americans place costs on their list of health care issues for the government to address and for political candidates to discuss.
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10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019
The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans. This analysis provides the latest data about Medicare Part D coverage and costs in 2019 and trends over time, including enrollment, premiums, cost sharing, and participation in the low-income subsidy program.
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Oral Contraceptive Pills
Oral contraceptives are the most widely used form of contraception. This factsheet provides an overview of oral contraception, discusses private insurance and Medicaid coverage, and reviews emerging strategies to promote and expand women’s access to oral contraceptives.
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New Analysis Compares Prescription Drug Spending and Use Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid
As policymakers debate how to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a new KFF analysis compares data on prescription drug spending and use across large employer plans, Medicare Part D and Medicaid, and provides context for policy discussions about different approaches to curb rising drug costs that would affect…
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How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid?
Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which does not account for rebates.
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Medicaid’s Prescription Drug Benefit: Key Facts
Medicaid provides health coverage for millions of Americans, including prescription drug coverage for many people with substantial health needs. This fact sheet provides an overview of Medicaid’s prescription drug benefit and recent trends in spending and utilization
Fact Sheet Read MoreMedicare Part D Spending on Insulin Increased 840 Percent Between 2007 and 2017
Medicare Part D spending on insulin increased 840 percent between 2007 and 2017, far outpacing growth in the number of beneficiaries using insulin therapy, according to a new KFF analysis. The findings come at a time when the cost of prescription drugs is a major focus for policymakers in Washington,…
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How Much Does Medicare Spend on Insulin?
The price of insulin, used by people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to control blood glucose levels, has come under increasing scrutiny as policymakers grapple with rising drug costs. This data note finds spending on insulin by Medicare and beneficiaries enrolled in private Part D drug plans has increased sharply between 2007 and 2017.
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