Prescription Drugs - Research and Data from KFF

One Million Medicare Part D Enrollees Had Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs above the Catastrophic Threshold in 2015

Nov 7, 2017

News Release

One million Medicare beneficiaries had out-of-pocket drug spending above the Part D catastrophic threshold in 2015, and the number with such high spending has risen sharply in recent years, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. While the Part D drug benefit has helped make drugs more affordable for people with Medicare, the lack of a hard cap on annual out-of-pocket spending under Part D exposes enrollees to significant costs, unless they…

What to Know About Medicare Part D Premiums

Aug 1, 2024

Issue Brief

Changes to the Medicare Part D benefit in the Inflation Reduction Act will mean lower out-of-pocket costs for Part D enrollees but higher costs for Part D plans overall, leading to concerns about possible premium increases. These FAQs provide context for understanding Part D premiums in 2025 and changes in recent years, and describe actions the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking to mitigate potential premium increases.

Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices Remains Broadly Popular Among Voters, Though Most Are Unaware of the Law and Its Projected Savings

Sep 13, 2024

News Release

Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of older Americans remains broadly popular across partisans, though many voters are unaware of the new law and the billions of dollars it is expected to save in 2026, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds.A large majority (85%) of voters say they support allowing the federal government to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs for people with Medicare. This includes at least three quarters of…

List Prices Increased As Much As 9 Times Faster Than Inflation for 20 of the Top 25 Part D Drugs, Suggesting Potential for Savings Under Proposed Inflation Rebate Policies

Oct 18, 2019

News Release

A new KFF analysis finds that the list prices for most of the top Medicare Part D drugs by total spending increased as much as nine times the rate of inflation (1.7%) between 2016 and 2017, suggesting recent Congressional proposals targeting such increases could generate savings for Medicare and Part D enrollees. The analysis finds 20 of the top 25 drugs, all of which were brand-name medications, had price increases between three and more than…

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. Bernie Sanders is the candidate most trusted on health care by Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, though the Medicare-for-all plan he has championed is significantly less popular than the “public option” approach put forward by some other candidates, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Among the overall public, a…

Visualizing Health Policy: US Statistics on Surprise Medical Billing

Feb 11, 2020

JAMA Forum: Don’t Be Surprised if the Next Big Health Care Debate Is About Drug Prices

Feb 6, 2020

Perspective

In this post for The JAMA Forum, Larry Levitt examines both the Democratic candidates' proposals and the Trump administration's record on lowering drug prices, which remains a top issue for the public with bi-partisan support.

Visualizing Health Policy: US Statistics on Surprise Medical Billing

Feb 11, 2020

News Release

This Visualizing Health Policy infographic looks at the experience of unexpected or “surprise” medical bills in the United States. Out-of-network charges typically expose individuals to higher cost-sharing when they use services, and may lead to balance billing – in which providers bill patients directly, and often unexpectedly, at a higher rate. In the past two years, one in five insured adults had an unexpected medical bill from an out-of-network provider. Overall, two-thirds of adults are…

Coverage of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Medicare

Apr 30, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief describes Medicare coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, and compares that coverage with private insurance plans and Medicaid. These benefits are particularly relevant to nearly 1 million women of reproductive age (20-49) who are eligible for Medicare due to having a long-term disability.

Quick Takes: Timely insights and analysis from KFF staff

Why Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Matters for Potential Medicare Coverage of Obesity Drugs

Dec 2, 2024

Quick Insights

It’s quite likely that one of these popular anti-obesity medications will be selected for negotiation in the next round of Medicare’s relatively new drug price negotiation program.

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