Prescription Drugs - Research and Data from KFF

Medicare Part D: A First Look at Plan Offerings in 2014

Oct 10, 2013

Issue Brief

The 2014 Part D Data Spotlight analyzes information about the Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) options available to beneficiaries in 2014. The analysis shows that Medicare beneficiaries on average will have a choice of 35 stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2014, and somewhat more “benchmark” plans available to Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) beneficiaries nationwide. The weighted average premium will increase by 5 percent between 2013 and 2014 if enrollees remain in the same plans next year. The analysis also finds more plans are using preferred pharmacy networks and adopting a growing number of cost-sharing formulary tiers for different drugs.

To Switch or Not to Switch: Are Medicare Beneficiaries Switching Drug Plans To Save Money?

Oct 10, 2013

Issue Brief

This analysis finds that relatively few Medicare beneficiaries have switched Part D prescription drug plans voluntarily during the annual open enrollment period -- even though those who do switch often lower their out-of-pocket costs as a result of changing plans. The vast majority (87% on average between 2006 and 2010) stayed in the same Part D plan, even though the plans can change premiums, deductibles, cost-sharing amounts, and their list of covered drugs each year. Higher rates of plan switching were observed in PDPs that increased premiums, increased deductibles, or dropped coverage of brand-name drugs in the coverage gap.

Managing Medicaid Pharmacy Benefits: Current Issues and Options

Sep 1, 2011

Report

This report examines reimbursement, benefit management and cost sharing issues in Medicaid pharmacy programs.

Snapshots: Employer Sponsored Health Insurance – A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large Firms

Nov 14, 2008

Issue Brief

Employer Sponsored Health Insurance – A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large FirmsNovember 2008 The majority of businesses in the United States are small businesses. Of the over three million firms with three or more workers, roughly 98% have between three and 199 employees.

Snapshots: The Prevalence and Cost of Deductibles in Employer Sponsored Insurance

Nov 2, 2012

Issue Brief

Over the past several years enrollees in employer-sponsored health plans have contributed more towards their care through the use of increased cost sharing. The growth in deductibles is one of the more visible increases in employee cost sharing.

Snapshots: Premiums, Cost-Sharing and Coverage at Public, Private and Non-Profit Firms

Nov 9, 2012

Issue Brief

There are important differences in the legal organization and mission of different employers in the United States. In addition to collecting information about premiums and employee cost sharing, the 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey asked respondents to characterize their ownership structure.

JAMA Forum: Trump vs Biden on Health Care

Sep 3, 2020

Perspective

In this September 2020 post for The JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt highlights differences in the records and policy plans of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on key health care issues.

Most People Are Unlikely to See Drug Cost Savings From President Trump’s “Most Favored Nation” Proposal

Aug 27, 2020

Policy Watch

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.

Amid the Coronavirus Crisis, President Trump and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden Offer Widely Different Views on Health Care

Aug 20, 2020

News Release

President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hold widely divergent views on health issues, with the president’s record and response to the coronavirus pandemic likely to play a central role in November’s elections.

Analysis Finds 14 Million Medicare Part D and Large Employer Plan Enrollees Used Mail-Order Pharmacies Pre-Pandemic, Top Drugs Filled Were to Treat Chronic Conditions

Aug 20, 2020

News Release

With questions being raised about potential delays in U.S. Postal Service delivery, a new KFF data note estimates 14 million enrollees in Medicare Part D and large employer plans relied on mail-order pharmacies for at least one prescription in 2018, with a total of over 170 million prescriptions fulfilled.

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