Seniors - Research and Data from KFF

Although a Small Share of Medicare Part D Enrollees Take Specialty Drugs, A New Analysis Finds Those Who Do Can Face Thousands of Dollars in Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs Despite Plan Limits on Catastrophic Expenses

Dec 2, 2015

News Release

Some Medicare Part D enrollees can expect to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for a single specialty drug in 2016, even though Part D plans provide substantial protection against catastrophic costs, according to a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The findings illustrate how high prescription drug prices, one of the public's top health care concerns, pose a financial challenge not only for Medicare and other federal health programs but for people on Medicare…

It Pays to Shop: Variation in Out-of-Pocket Costs for Medicare Part D Enrollees in 2016

Dec 2, 2015

Issue Brief

This analysis focuses on out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare Part D enrollees in 2016 for specialty, brand, and generic drugs. Part D drug plans differ considerably in the drugs they list on their formularies, their use of formulary tiers, and the level and structure of cost sharing applied to those tiers. Plan decisions affect different beneficiaries in different ways, depending on the drugs they use. The financial consequences for Part D plan enrollees can be…

The Latest Trends in Income, Assets, and Personal Health Care Spending Among People on Medicare

Nov 20, 2015

Feature

This slideshow presents the latest data on income, assets, and personal health care spending among people on Medicare.

Brief Explains Why Medicare Part B Premiums Will Increase by 16 percent, not 52 percent, in 2016 for 3 in 10 Beneficiaries Due to the Recent Budget Deal

Nov 11, 2015

News Release

As a result of the recently enacted budget deal in Congress, the 2016 Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $121.80, increasing by 16 percent over the 2015 amount—far lower than the increase initially projected by the Medicare actuaries, a new brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation explains. The Part B premium increase will affect 3 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries. The remaining 7 in 10 beneficiaries will pay the same $104.90 monthly premium in 2016…

What’s in Store for Medicare’s Part B Premiums and Deductible in 2016, and Why?

Nov 11, 2015

Issue Brief

As a result of the recently-enacted Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, the Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $121.80 in 2016 according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an increase of 16 percent over the 2015 amount for 30 percent of beneficiaries —far lower than the 52 percent increase initially projected by the Medicare actuaries. This Issue Brief reviews how Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles are affected by the recent budget…

Medicaid’s Role for People with Dementia

Oct 19, 2015

Issue Brief

This issue brief describes Medicaid’s role for people with dementia, including how they qualify, what services Medicaid provides, and what their utilization and spending is, and builds on our work examining Medicaid’s role for vulnerable populations and Medicaid's role in the provision of long-term services and supports.

Medicare Drug Plan Enrollees Would Face Average 13 Percent Premium Increase Unless They Switch Plans During Open Enrollment, New Analysis Finds

Oct 13, 2015

News Release

Second Analysis Finds Modest Shifts in Medicare Advantage Plan Options When Medicare's 2016 open enrollment begins Oct. 15, current enrollees in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans are projected to face an average 13 percent increase in premiums if they remain in their current plan for 2016, a new analysis finds. Medicare Part D: A First Look at Plan Offerings in 2016 finds that for the coming year, the average beneficiary will have a choice of…

Medicare Part D: A First Look at Plan Offerings in 2016

Oct 13, 2015

Issue Brief

During the Medicare open enrollment period, beneficiaries have the opportunity to enroll in a plan that provides Part D prescription drug coverage, either a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) to supplement traditional Medicare, or a Medicare Advantage drug plan. This issue brief provides an overview of the 2016 PDP marketplace, focusing on key changes from 2015, based on analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It presents analysis of PDP availability,…

What’s In and What’s Out? Medicare Advantage Market Entries and Exits for 2016

Oct 13, 2015

Issue Brief

This Issue Brief examines the availability of Medicare Advantage plans nationwide and by state in 2016, and tracks changes in plan availability since 2012. It documents the number and share of Medicare Advantage enrollees affected by plan withdrawals each year, the characteristics of plans that will be entering or exiting the market in 2016, and the potential implications of these changes for Medicare Advantage enrollees.

Financial and Administrative Alignment Demonstrations for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Compared: States with Memoranda of Understanding Approved by CMS

Sep 8, 2015

Issue Brief

This issue brief compares the financial alignment demonstrations for beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in states that have memoranda of understanding approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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