Prescription Drugs - Research and Data from KFF

Six Months ahead of the Midterm Elections, Democratic and Republican Voters’ Views about President Trump Outweigh their Views on Issues, Including Health Care

May 10, 2018

News Release

Who are the “Health Care Voters”? Mostly Women, and Mostly Planning to Vote Democratic As primary season for the 2018 midterm elections heats up, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggests the elections are shaping up more as a referendum on President Trump than on health care or any other issue. When asked what will make the biggest difference in how they vote in the Congressional elections, larger shares of Democrats and Republicans cite candidates’…

Medicare Part D in 2018: The Latest on Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing

May 17, 2018

Issue Brief

This brief about the 2018 Medicare Part D marketplace analyzes the latest data on Medicare drug coverage and trends over time, including both stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans. The analysis focuses on enrollment, premiums, cost sharing, and the low-income subsidy.

Three firms Account for Over Half of All Medicare Part D Enrollees in 2018, and Pending Mergers Would Further Consolidate the Marketplace

May 17, 2018

News Release

In 2018, three Medicare Part D plan sponsors—UnitedHealth, Humana, and CVS Health—account for more than half of the program’s 43 million Part D enrollees (55%) and two-thirds of all stand-alone drug plan enrollees, indicating a marketplace that is dominated by a handful of major insurers, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Part D enrollment, premiums and cost-sharing data. The proposed mergers of CVS Health and Aetna, and Cigna and Express Scripts would…

How Does the Trump Administration Drug Pricing Blueprint Affect Medicaid?

May 30, 2018

Issue Brief

This issue brief examines how the Trump Administration proposals to lower drug costs described in the Administration's Blueprint affect Medicaid. These include proposals to change the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, as well as other approaches.

Most Say They Can Afford Their Prescription Drugs, But One in Four Say Paying is Difficult, Including More Than Four in Ten People Who are Sick

Aug 20, 2015

News Release

Large Bipartisan Majorities Support Range of Policy Changes They Believe Would Curb Drug Costs Opinion on the Affordable Care Act Remains Largely Unchanged In August About half of Americans (54%) report currently taking a prescription drug, and a large majority of them (72%) say their prescriptions are very or somewhat easy to afford. However, about a quarter (24%) say paying for their drugs is difficult, and the share facing difficulties rises among those with low…

How Might the FDA’s Approval of a New Alzheimer’s Drug Impact Medicaid?

Jul 13, 2021

Issue Brief

The brief examines the potential impact of Aduhelm, a newly approved drug for Alzheimer's disease, on state and federal Medicaid costs and looks at potential policy actions that could limit Medicaid’s potential costs.

Millions of Medicare Part D Enrollees Have Had Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs High Enough to Exceed the Catastrophic Threshold Over Time

Jul 23, 2021

News Release

Nearly 3 million Medicare Part D enrollees had out-of-pocket drug spending above the catastrophic threshold in a recent five-year period, finds a new KFF analysis that takes a comprehensive look at how many people on Medicare have drug expenses high enough to push them above that limit. 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…

How Would Drug Price Negotiation Affect Medicare Part D Premiums?

Aug 12, 2021

Issue Brief

Proposals to allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices, such as H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, aim to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and private plan enrollees and achieve savings for Medicare. This data note estimates average premium savings attributable to the negotiations provision of H.R. 3 on a per capita basis for Part D enrollees who pay premiums in dollar amounts and as a…

Potential Costs and Impact of Health Provisions in the Build Back Better Act

Nov 23, 2021

Issue Brief

A summary of 10 of the major health coverage and financing provisions of the current Build Back Better Act, with discussion of the potential implications for people and the federal budget.

Medicare Part D: A First Look at Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in 2022

Nov 2, 2021

Issue Brief

This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit market for 2022, with a primary focus on stand-alone drug plans. 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 drug plans available in 2022.

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