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
Mar 24, 2022
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
Feb 8, 2022
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).
Slideshow
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October 19, 2017 Report
This report provides an in-depth examination of the changes taking place in Medicaid programs across the country. Report findings are drawn from the annual budget survey of Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Management Associates (HMA), in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). This report examines the reforms, policy changes, and initiatives that occurred in FY 2017 and those adopted for implementation for FY 2018 (which began for most states on July 1, 2017). Key areas covered include changes in eligibility and enrollment, managed care and delivery system reforms, long-term services and supports, provider payment rates and taxes, covered benefits (including prescription drug policies), and opioid harm reduction strategies.
September 20, 2016 Issue Brief
The Medicare open enrollment period allows enrollees to compare plans, stick with their current plan, switch to another plan, or shift to traditional Medicare. This analysis examines the extent to which Medicare Advantage enrollees change plans when given the opportunity. It also analyzes the variation in the rate of plan switching by enrollee and plan characteristics and whether people who voluntarily switch plans tend to move to plans with lower premiums, lower out-of-pocket limits, or higher quality ratings.
October 13, 2016 Report
This report provides an in-depth examination of the changes taking place in Medicaid programs across the country. The findings in this report are drawn from the 16th annual budget survey of Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Health Management Associates (HMA), in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors. This report highlights policy changes implemented in state Medicaid programs in FY 2016 and those implemented or planned for FY 2017 based on information provided by the nation’s state Medicaid directors. Key areas covered include changes in eligibility and enrollment, managed care and delivery system reforms, long-term services and supports, provider payment rates and taxes, and covered benefits (including prescription drug policies).
October 7, 2016 Issue Brief
Medicaid is also a major provider of EpiPen and has been impacted by its increasing price. In this Data Note, we examine utilization, spending before rebates, and spending per prescription of EpiPen and other epinephrine auto-injectors before rebates in the Medicaid program.
October 17, 2016 Issue Brief
This issue brief provides an overview of the 2017 Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan marketplace, based on analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The brief focuses on data for 2017 and changes over time in plan availability, premiums, benefit design, cost sharing, and low-income subsidy plan availability.
May 10, 2018 News Release
Who are the “Health Care Voters”? Mostly Women, and Mostly Planning to Vote Democratic As primary season for the 2018 midterm elections heats up, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggests the elections are shaping up more as a referendum on President Trump than on health care or any other…
May 30, 2018 Issue Brief
This issue brief examines how the Trump Administration proposals to lower drug costs described in the Administration’s Blueprint affect Medicaid. These include proposals to change the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, as well as other approaches.
September 29, 2020 Slideshow
June 11, 2019 Issue Brief
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.
August 27, 2020 Blog
This policy watch examines the likely impact of an executive order signed by President Trump in July 2020 related to prescription drugs, which would use lower international drug prices to set prices for a limited set of drugs in the U.S.