Amid heightened public concern, the cost of prescription drugs is the focus of renewed attention by the Trump administration, the Biden campaign 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 – 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.
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Related Prescription Drugs Resources
- Assessing Drug Price Increases in Medicare Part D and the Implications of Inflation Limits
- 10 FAQs on Prescription Drug Importation
- Pricing and Payment for Medicaid Prescription Drugs
- Management and Delivery of the Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit
- Understanding the Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Program
- A Look at Recent Proposals to Control Drug Spending by Medicare and its Beneficiaries
- Kaiser Health News Coverage of Prescription Drug Issues
- What are the recent and forecasted trends in prescription drug spending?
- What’s the Latest on Medicare Drug Price Negotiations?
- How Will The Medicare Part D Benefit Change Under Current Law and Leading Proposals?
- Medicaid’s Prescription Drug Benefit: Key Facts
- Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices
- Prescription Drug Rebates, Explained
- Who is Most Likely to Have High Prescription Drug Costs?
- Snapshots of Recent State Initiatives in Medicaid Prescription Drug Cost Control
- 10 Essential Facts About Medicare and Prescription Drug Spending
- Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs
- How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid?

What’s the Latest on Prescription Drug Proposals from the Trump Administration, Congress, and the Biden Campaign?
This slideshow explains the similarities and differences among major proposals to lower prescription drug costs introduced by the Trump Administration, members of Congress, and the Biden campaign.
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Voices of Beneficiaries: Early Experiences with the Medicare Drug Benefit
The Medicare Modernization Act established a voluntary prescription drug benefit for Medicare’s elderly and disabled beneficiaries provided by private plans that is open to all beneficiaries.This paper focuses on the decision-making process and the factors that influence decisions about Medicare drug plans, as well as beneficiaries’ early experiences and future…
Report Read MoreMedicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights
To better understand changes in the private plans providing drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries under the program's Part D benefit, the Kaiser Family Foundation is issuing a series of data spotlights analyzing key elements of Medicare's private drug plans. Each spotlight will focus on a key aspect of the drug…
Issue Brief Read MoreMedicare Part D 2009 Data Spotlight: Ten Most Common Brand-Name Drugs
This Data Spotlight focuses on Part D plan coverage of the ten brand-name drugs that were most commonly prescribed for Medicare beneficiaries in 2006 and lack generic equivalents in 2009. Findings are based on an analysis of data for the 44 unique, national and near-national stand-alone prescription drug plans. The…
Issue Brief Read MoreHealth 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 MoreSavings for Medicare Beneficiaries from the Use of Prescription Drug Discount Cards
This article, published online by Health Affairs on April 14, 2004, estimates the extent to which prescription drug discount cards could affect out-of-pocket spending by Medicare beneficiaries who lack drug coverage, based on an analysis of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. The Medicare discount card program is scheduled to go…
Report Read MoreMarch/April 2004 Kaiser Health Poll Report Survey – Selected Findings on the Knowledge and Understanding of the New Medicare Rx Drug Program (Toplines)
Toplines of selected findings of the March/April 2004 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Poll Report survey that underscores the need to educate seniors about the new Medicare prescription drug program.Survey Toplines (.pdf)
Poll Finding Read MoreHealth Care Agenda for the New Congress – Toplines
This document includes the complete toplines from a survey of the public’s attitudes regarding the health care agenda for Bush’s second term and the new Congress in 2005. It assesses the relative priority placed on health-care concerns by the American public and also provides insight into public opinion on key…
Poll Finding Read More2009 National ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report
The National ADAP Monitoring Project Annual Report provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, part of the Ryan White Program, provide HIV medications to low-income people with HIV/AIDS who have limited or no prescription drug coverage. ADAPs operate in all 50 states, the District of…
Event Read MoreMedicare Part D 2012 Data Spotlights
The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued this collection of analyses related to the Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plan options available to seniors in 2012. These spotlights focuses on key aspects of the drug plan choices available and relevant trends since the Medicare drug benefit took effect in 2006. They…
Report Read MoreAn In-Depth Examination of Formularies and Other Features of Medicare Drug Plans
This study of Medicare Part D plans offered in 2006 examines formularies, drug costs and utilization management tools in drug plans offered by 14 national and near-national organizations. Collectively, these organizations account for 1,222 of the 1,429 Part D plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. The analysis finds that Medicare’s new, private,…
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