Prescription Drugs - Research and Data from KFF

How Many Medicare Part D Enrollees Had High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs in 2017?

Jun 21, 2019

Issue Brief

The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit has helped improve the affordability of medications for people with Medicare. Yet Part D enrollees can face relatively high out-of-pocket costs because the Part D benefit does not have a hard cap on out-of-pocket spending. This analysis presents the latest data on out-of-pocket drug spending among Medicare Part D enrollees without low-income subsidies who have costs above the catastrophic coverage threshold.

10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019

Jun 4, 2019

Issue Brief

The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans. This analysis provides the latest data about Medicare Part D coverage and costs in 2019 and trends over time, including enrollment, premiums, cost sharing, and participation in the low-income subsidy program.

New Analysis Compares Prescription Drug Spending and Use Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid

May 20, 2019

News Release

As policymakers debate how to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a new KFF analysis compares data on prescription drug spending and use across large employer plans, Medicare Part D and Medicaid, and provides context for policy discussions about different approaches to curb rising drug costs that would affect people covered by each of…

How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid?

May 20, 2019

Issue Brief

Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which does not account for rebates.

Do People Who Sign Up for Medicare Advantage Plans Have Lower Medicare Spending?

May 7, 2019

Issue Brief

The analysis finds that people who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage in 2016 had health spending in 2015 that was $1,253 less, on average, than the average spending for beneficiaries who remained in traditional Medicare (after adjusting for health risk). The findings suggest that the current payment method may systematically overestimate expected costs of Medicare Advantage enrollees. Adjusting payments to reflect Medicare Advantage enrollees’ prior use of health services could potentially lower total Medicare spending by billions of dollars over a decade.

Medicaid’s Prescription Drug Benefit: Key Facts

May 1, 2019

Fact Sheet

Medicaid provides health coverage for millions of Americans, including prescription drug coverage for many people with substantial health needs. This fact sheet provides an overview of Medicaid’s prescription drug benefit and recent trends in spending and utilization

Annual Out-of-Pocket Costs for Insulin Nearly Doubled Over a Decade for Medicare Part D Enrollees

Apr 4, 2019

Feature

Out-of-pocket insulin costs for Medicare Part D enrollees with incomes too high to qualify for low-income subsidies increased 81% from 2007 to 2016. Learn more in the latest Chart of the Week.

Medicare Part D Spending on Insulin Increased 840 Percent Between 2007 and 2017

Apr 2, 2019

News Release

Medicare Part D spending on insulin increased 840 percent between 2007 and 2017, far outpacing growth in the number of beneficiaries using insulin therapy, according to a new KFF analysis.

How Much Does Medicare Spend on Insulin?

Apr 1, 2019

Issue Brief

The price of insulin, used by people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to control blood glucose levels, has come under increasing scrutiny as policymakers grapple with rising drug costs. This data note finds spending on insulin by Medicare and beneficiaries enrolled in private Part D drug plans has increased sharply between 2007 and 2017.

Poll: Nearly 1 in 4 Americans Taking Prescription Drugs Say It’s Difficult to Afford Their Medicines, including Larger Shares Among Those with Health Issues, with Low Incomes and Nearing Medicare Age

Mar 1, 2019

News Release

As the Trump Administration and Congress weigh policy options to address high prescription drug prices, a fourth of people taking prescription drugs (24%) and seniors taking drugs (23%) say it is difficult for them to afford their medications, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds.

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