Amid heightened public concern, the cost of prescription drugs is a focus of attention by the Biden administration and lawmakers in Congress and state capitals. Proposed actions range from allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain drugs to limiting some drug price increases to inflation and capping out of pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries in Part D, among other initiatives. 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
Out-of-pocket spending on insulin among people with private insurance
This analysis of insurance claims data finds that Congressional proposals to set a $35 per month cap on what people pay out of pocket for insulin would provide financial relief to at least 1 out of 5 insulin users with different types of private health insurance.
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Related Prescription Drugs Resources
- Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices
- Insulin Costs and Coverage in Medicare Part D
- Prices Increased Faster Than Inflation for Half of all Drugs Covered by Medicare in 2020
- Dec. 8 Event: Unpacking the Prescription Drug Provisions of the Build Back Better Act
- The Public Weighs In On Medicare Drug Negotiations
- Potential Savings for Medicare Part D Enrollees Under Proposals to Add a Hard Cap on Out-of-Pocket Spending
- Medicare Part B Drugs: Cost Implications for Beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage
- 10 FAQs on Prescription Drug Importation
- Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drug Trends During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Prescription Drug Rebates, Explained
- Who is most likely to have high prescription drug costs?
- Latest News on Prescription Drugs from Kaiser Health News
How Do Prescription Drug Costs in the United States Compare to Other Countries?
This chart collection examines what we know about prescription drug spending and use in the U.S. and comparably large and wealthy countries, using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
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State Variation in Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Use Among Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries
This study examines Medicaid pharmacy benefit use and spending among beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in 10 states by analyzing 1995 enrollment and claims data from a new 12-state database. The study finds that dual-eligibles are relatively high users of the Medicaid pharmacy benefit, with substantial variation in…
Report Read More The President’s Fiscal Year 2003 Budget: An Overview of Health Programs
The President's Fiscal Year 2003 Budget: An Overview of Health ProgramsA new chartbook describes the government's overall budget situation and examines the health policies and programs proposed in the President's latest budget.Chartbook View a webcast of A Capitol Hill briefing on budgets and health care
Report Read More Prescription Drug Discount Card Programs: Implications for Medicare Beneficiaries
This testimony was delivered by Tricia Neuman, a vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Bush Administration's Proposals for Medicare Modernization. The statement, which draws upon a report prepared for the Foundation by Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., provides an overview of existing…
Report Read More Prescription Drug Discount Cards: Current Programs and Issues
As policymakers consider a range of approaches to providing prescription drug coverage to the Medicare population in today s tight budgetary environment, one proposal that has been put forth by the Bush Administration is that of a Medicare-endorsed prescription drug discount card program. This report describes the range of existing…
Report Read More Health News Index January/February 2002
Health News Index January/February, 2002 The January/February 2002 edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/ Harvard School of Public Health Health News Index includes questions about major health stories covered in the news, including the public s knowledge of the ongoing anthrax investigation and prescription drug discount cards. The Health News…
Poll Finding Read More States Strive to Limit Medicaid Expenditures for Prescribed Drugs
A new report presenting year 2000 trends on prescription drug spending, summarizing states options in designing their benefit, and reviewing several ways states are using their flexibility to curb the rate of growth of their Medicaid drug budgets.Background Paper
Report Read More Florida’s Medicaid Prescription Drug Benefit: A Case Study
Florida's Medicaid Prescription Drug Benefit: A Case StudyA new study summarizes and discusses the state s attempt to reform its Medicaid prescription drug benefit program. Background Paper
Report Read More Medicaid: Purchasing Prescription Drugs
Medicaid: Purchasing Prescription DrugsA policy brief explaining how Medicaid purchases outpatient drugs and outlining the policy tools available to states to limit the rate of growth in spending on prescription drugs. Policy Brief (28 pages)
Issue Brief Read More Outpatient Prescription Drug Benefits Under Medicaid: Detailed Case Studies
A report on Indiana, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania prescription drug programs illustrating the issues and challenges for delivering drugs via Medicaid, managed care, and pharmaceutical assistance programs.Report
Report Read More Medicare Chartbook
The Medicare Chartbook includes data and background information critical to understanding the Medicare program and the challenges it faces in keeping up with the rising costs of health care and in ensuring the program s future financial security.
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