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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An Implementation Perspective on Part D, the Medicare Prescription Drug Program
This focus group of 12 state Medicaid officials conducted in November 2005 explores the current status and likely results of the Part D dual eligible transition efforts as well as other Part D-related issues of particular importance to states. It includes discussion of the transition of dual eligibles from Medicaid…
Report Read MoreObservations on the Initial Implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Program: Perspectives of State Medicaid Directors Through a Focus Group Discussion
Observations on the Initial Implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Program: Perspectives of State Medicaid Directors Through a Focus Group DiscussionMedicaid directors express the need to continue to focus on the interaction between Medicaid and the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to address the key system and coordination issues that…
Report Read MoreThe Role of Part D for People With HIV/AIDS: Coverage and Cost of Antiretrovirals Under Medicare Drug Plans
The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new report on the implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people living with HIV/AIDS. The report looks at the coverage and cost of antiretroviral drugs under the new private, stand-alone Medicare drug plans. Report (.pdf)
Issue Brief Read MoreNPR/Kaiser/Harvard Survey – Children’s OTC Cold Medicines: The Public, and Parents, Weigh In: Toplines
These toplines present detailed survey results from a November 2007 survey conducted jointly by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health on the public’s views of over-the-counter children’s cold and cough medications in the wake of recent concerns regarding their safety and effectiveness. A nationally…
Poll Finding Read MoreSurvey Brief: Economic Problems Facing Families
This poll finds that health care costs rank among Americans’ top personal economic problems, and their struggles to deal with those costs have affected both their financial well-being and their family’s health care. Conducted by the Foundation’s public opinion researchers, the poll probes into the economic concerns facing Americans and…
Poll Finding Read MoreHow Do M+C Plans Manage Pharmacy Benefits? Implications for Medicare Reform
Understanding how Medicare+Choice (M+C) plans manage their drug benefits may generate important lessons for Medicare. This report, based on interviews with both national and regional managed care firms, provides an in-depth look at how plans have managed their M+C outpatient pharmacy benefits in recent years. Findings show that plans rely…
Report Read MoreNational ADAP Monitoring Project, Annual Report, 2006
The National ADAP Monitoring Report, 2006 provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, authorized under Title II of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, provide HIV/AIDS-related prescription drugs to uninsured and underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ADAPs operate in 57 U.S. states,…
Report Read MoreMedicare Part D 2010 Data Spotlight: The Coverage Gap
This data spotlight examines the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole,” in Medicare stand-alone drug plans available in 2010. While in the gap in coverage, Part D enrollees (other than those receiving low-income subsidies) are required to pay 100 percent of total drug costs until they reach the catastrophic coverage level.…
Report Read MoreRetiree Health Benefits Now and in the Future, Report
Retiree Health Benefits Now and In the Future – ReportThis survey, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Hewitt Associates between June and September 2003 provides detailed information on retiree health programs offered by large private-sector employers. The data in this survey reflect the responses of 408 large firms (private-sector…
Report Read MoreTrends in Medicare Supplemental Insurance and Prescription Drug Benefits, 1996-2001Data Update
Trends in Medicare Supplemental Insurance and Prescription Drug Benefits, 1996-2001 Data UpdateThis data update provides estimates of supplemental insurance and prescription drug coverage rates and trends between 1996 and 2001, which will help to provide important context for assessing future changes in supplemental insurance and drug coverage rates after provisions…
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