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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.
This issue brief provides a snapshot of current state initiatives aimed at addressing the cost of prescription drugs in Medicaid.
In his first column for the new year, KFF CEO Dr. Drew Altman analyzes President Trump’s “make a deal” approach to health care. He explains that while the president doesn’t have a health reform plan, or even “concepts of a plan,” or a replacement for the ACA, he does have a distinctive set of tactics that features one-off deals with the health care industry that are more like “health policy by transaction.” He writes that…
To provide historical context for how changes to Medicaid spending may impact national health spending trends, this brief explores how Medicaid spending contributes to national health spending and how different service areas contribute to Medicaid costs.
As Congress and the Administration increasingly focus on the nation’s budget deficit, many policy experts and several bipartisan deficit reduction panels have proposed significant changes to Medicare to reduce federal spending and address rising health care costs. This primer provides an overview of Medicare spending trends, how the program is financed, and factors contributing to the growth in Medicare spending. Medicare now covers 47 million seniors and younger people with disabilities, with total expenditures of…
This Medicare Advantage Data Spotlight provides an overview of recent changes made to the Medicare Advantage program and examines trends in plan participation, premiums and certain benefits. About 12 million people, or nearly a quarter of the Medicare population, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the privately administered plans that are an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. The analysis was conducted by a team researchers at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and the Kaiser…
Tricia Neuman, Vice President and Director of the Medicare Policy Project, testified before the Senate Finance Committee on prescription drug coverage under Medicare. The statement reviews existing sources of prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and the importance of such coverage for this population. It reviews current approaches for improving prescription drug coverage, identifying significant areas of common ground, as well as the key decisions and challenges facing policymakers in designing a Medicare drug benefit.
Medicaid beneficiaries, particularly those with chronic conditions, will need access to medications even during social distancing and their ability to meet with providers to obtain refills may be hindered. States are updating policies to allow beneficiaries to access medications during this public health emergency.
States expect national Medicaid enrollment to decline by about 4% and state Medicaid spending to rise by 7% in fiscal year (FY) 2025. These rates follow a larger but anticipated enrollment decline and state spending increase in FY 2024, as pandemic-era policies and federal funding expired, according to KFF’s 24th annual survey of state Medicaid directors.While state fiscal conditions remain stable heading into FY 2025, the longer-term fiscal and policy outlook for Medicaid programs is…
This brief examines the two presidential candidates’ records and other recent policy proposals that could inform starkly different directions for the program across key areas, including Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion, financing, eligibility, benefits, and cost-sharing, prescription drugs, long-term services and supports, and managed care.
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