Key Facts About Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2025 July 16, 2025 Issue Brief The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to more than 50 million older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans, including stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) to supplement traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PDs) that include drug coverage and other Medicare-covered benefits. This brief analyzes Medicare Part D enrollment and costs in 2025 and trends over time, based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Uncertain Future of Medicare’s Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plan Market and Why It Matters July 16, 2025 Issue Brief This brief focuses on the stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan marketplace and its somewhat uncertain future, in light of recent trends in plan availability and the potential for another year of premium increases in 2026, in part depending on what the Trump administration decides to do with the temporary Part D premium stabilization demonstration. The brief explains why the stability of the PDP market matters, both for people in traditional Medicare who want prescription drug coverage but also for the viability of traditional Medicare as an option vis a vis Medicare Advantage.
Stand-Alone Drug Plans Cover a Larger Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Living in the Most Rural Areas Than Medicare Advantage Plans April 23, 2025 Issue Brief To understand the role of Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans in serving rural Medicare beneficiaries, this data note analyzes 2025 Part D enrollment in PDPs and Medicare Advantage drug plans by geographic area nationally and at the state level.
The Effect of Delaying the Selection of Small Molecule Drugs for Medicare Drug Price Negotiation April 16, 2025 Blog In a new Trump administration executive order, the Secretary of HHS is directed to work with Congress to implement a change in law to delay negotiation of so-called “small molecule” drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for an additional 4 years. This brief analyzes how many of the drugs previously selected for negotiation would not have been eligible if this policy had been in place at the time.
Health Spending Issues to Watch This Year April 10, 2025 Issue Brief KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare examine market trends contributing to rising health costs and identify several potential federal and state policy issues to watch throughout 2025, including high-cost drugs, federal funding cuts, and workforce shortages.
Classifying Misoprostol and Mifepristone as Controlled Substances: Implications for the Management of Non-Abortion Related Conditions April 3, 2025 Issue Brief This data note analyzes employer-sponsored insurance and Medicaid claims data to see how mifepristone and misoprostol—two drugs used in the medication abortion regimen—are prescribed for reasons other than abortion including management of miscarriages, abnormal bleeding or hemorrhage, as well as IUD insertions and other conditions.
Skepticism Surrounding ADHD Diagnoses and Medication — The Monitor February 13, 2025 Page This volume examines the impact of recent executive actions on federal health communication, along with concerns and stigmas surrounding ADHD diagnoses and treatments, including skepticism about pharmaceutical influence on medication promotion. It also explores distrust in food regulations following the FDA’s ban on Red Dye No. 3.
KFF Prescription Drug Advertisements Poll: January 2025 February 11, 2025 Poll Finding KFF’s January 2025 Prescription Drug Advertisements Poll looks at the public’s experiences with prescription drug advertisements, whether they’ve talked to a doctor about advertised drugs, and how this has influenced the care they receive.
FAQs about the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program January 23, 2025 Issue Brief The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the drugs selected for the second round of negotiation for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, which was established by the Inflation Reduction Act. These FAQs address several questions related to Medicare’s drug price negotiation program and CMS’s implementation of the program, with a focus on the details that apply for 2027, the second year that negotiated prices will be available under the program.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Health Care Spending and Other Priorities for Incoming Administration January 17, 2025 Poll Finding With the incoming Trump administration and Republican-led Congress looking to ways to reduce federal spending, this Poll finds that the Medicare and Medicaid programs remain broadly popular, and more people favor more spending on those programs than less spending. Among potential actions on health, the public sees price transparency and limiting chemicals in food as top priorities. Few say so about cuts to Medicaid and restrictions on abortion.