Prescription Drugs - Research and Data from KFF

Management and Delivery of the Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit

Dec 6, 2019

Issue Brief

States are limited in their leverage when it comes to controlling drug spending and use a variety of strategies to manage utilization, including an increased reliance on managed care and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). As policymakers debate proposals that include provisions related to Medicaid pharmacy benefits, it is important to understand the challenges state Medicaid programs face and how policy proposals may impact Medicaid beneficiaries and costs.

A Small Share of People with Medicare Advantage or Stand-alone Medicare Part D Coverage Voluntarily Switch Plans During Open Enrollment

Dec 2, 2019

News Release

A new KFF analysis finds that a relatively small share of people with Medicare Advantage or stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage voluntarily switch plans during Medicare’s open enrollment period, which runs annually from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

A Look at Recent Proposals to Control Drug Spending by Medicare and its Beneficiaries

Nov 26, 2019

Issue Brief

In response to higher drug spending growth and heightened attention to drug prices, policymakers have proposed a variety of policy initiatives to lower the cost of prescription drugs in Medicare. This brief examines in detail the range of proposals offered by the Trump Administration and members of Congress for lowering the cost of prescription drugs, their known effects on the federal budget, and their potential implications for beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Poll: On Health Care, Democrats and Democratic-Leaning Independents Trust Sen. Sanders the Most, but Significantly More People Support a Public Option than Medicare-for-All

Nov 20, 2019

News Release

3 in 4 Americans Do Not Expect Congress to Take Action to Lower Drug Costs Before the 2020 Election Ahead of tonight’s Democratic presidential debate, Sen.

KFF Health Tracking Poll – November 2019: Health Care In The 2020 Election, Medicare-for-all, And The State Of The ACA

Nov 20, 2019

Feature

This poll examines the issues Democrats most want to hear in the debates, their trust of the Democratic candidates on health care, attitudes towards Medicare-for-all and a public option, perceptions of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces, and prospects of legislation to address prescription drug costs.

Millions of Medicare Part D Enrollees Face Increases in Premiums and Other Costs in 2020 if They Do Not Switch Plans During Open Enrollment

Nov 14, 2019

News Release

Millions of current enrollees in stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans will face premium and other cost increases next year unless they switch to lower-cost plans during the open enrollment period that began Oct. 15 and ends on Dec. 7, a new KFF analysis finds.

Medicare Part D: A First Look at Prescription Drug Plans in 2020

Nov 14, 2019

Issue Brief

This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit plan landscape for 2020, with a focus on stand-alone drug plans, the largest segment of the Part D market. It includes national and state-level data on plan availability, premiums, benefit design, cost sharing, information about premium-free plans for low-income beneficiaries, and information about the national Part D plans available in 2020.

Understanding the Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Program

Nov 12, 2019

Issue Brief

Drug prices are at the center of health policy debates at both the state and federal levels. . Policymakers are currently debating significant changes to payment for prescription drugs through Medicare and commercial insurers that may also have implications for Medicaid and the Medicaid Prescription Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). This brief explains the MDRP to help policymakers and others understand how Medicaid pays for drugs and any potential consequences of policy changes for the program.

Medicare Beneficiaries Spent an Average of $5,460 Out-of-Pocket for Health Care in 2016, With Some Groups Spending Substantially More

Nov 4, 2019

News Release

The average person with traditional Medicare coverage paid $5,460 out of their own pocket for health care in 2016, according to a new KFF analysis and interactive tool. This $5,460 includes about $1,000 in out-of-pocket spending for long-term care facility services, averaged across all traditional Medicare beneficiaries.

How Much Do Medicare Beneficiaries Spend Out of Pocket on Health Care?

Nov 4, 2019

Issue Brief

This analysis presents the most current data on out-of-pocket health care spending by Medicare beneficiaries, both overall and among different groups of beneficiaries. The analysis explores how much Medicare beneficiaries spend out of pocket in total on health care premiums and health-related services, on average; how much beneficiaries spend out of pocket on different types of health-related services; and what share of income beneficiaries spend on out-of-pocket health care costs.

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