Seniors - Research and Data from KFF

Medicare Advantage 2025 Spotlight: A First Look at Plan Premiums and Benefits

Nov 15, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief provides an overview of premiums and benefits in Medicare Advantage plans that are available for 2025 and key trends over time. Two-thirds of all Medicare Advantage plans with Part D prescription drug coverage (MA-PDs) (67%) will charge no premium (other than the Part B premium) in 2025, similar to 2024 (66%). Nearly all Medicare Advantage plans (97% or more) are offering vision, dental and hearing, as they have in previous years. However, the share of plans offering certain benefits has declined, such as over-the-counter benefits (85% in 2024 vs. 72% in 2025), remote access technologies (74% in 2024 vs. 53% in 2025), meal benefits (72% in 2024 vs. 65% in 2025) and transportation (36% in 2024 vs. 29% in 2025).

A Look at Waiting Lists for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services from 2016 to 2024

Oct 31, 2024

Issue Brief

This data note provides new information about waiting lists for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services, including a discussion of why waiting lists are an incomplete measure of unmet need and why they are not necessarily comparable across states or over time.

Experiences of Direct Care Workers and Family Caregivers of Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

Oct 30, 2024

Issue Brief

This issue brief presents findings from the focus groups including caregiver characteristics; physical, emotional, and mental caregiving demands of caregiving; their wages, finances, and opportunities for advancement; and what caregivers would like policymakers to know about their work.

What Are the Primary Medicaid Eligibility Pathways for Dual-Eligible Individuals?

Oct 22, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief examines current Medicaid eligibility policies and enrollment patterns using data from KFF’s 2024 50-state survey of states’ eligibility and enrollment policies for seniors and people with disabilities, and 2021 Medicare and Medicaid claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Vice President Harris’ Proposal to Broaden Medicare Coverage of Home Care

Oct 11, 2024

Issue Brief

On October 8, 2024, Vice President Harris has proposed to expand Medicare to provide home care to help families who are struggling with the costs of long-term care. If enacted, this would be the first major expansion of Medicare since the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that added a prescription drug benefit to the program.

A Current Snapshot of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit

Oct 9, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, including current data on plan availability, enrollment, and spending and financing, and highlights recent changes under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Medicare Part D Premiums Are Increasing for Many But Not All Stand-Alone Plans in 2025, Reflecting Effects of New Premium Stabilization Demonstration

Oct 3, 2024

Policy Watch

This policy watch examines monthly premiums for Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plans in 2025, as changes to the Part D benefit are being implemented in 2025, including a new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug spending.

What to Know about the Medicare Open Enrollment Period and Medicare Coverage Options

Sep 26, 2024

Issue Brief

Each year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.

Nearly 7 in 10 Medicare Beneficiaries Did Not Compare Plans During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period

Sep 26, 2024

Issue Brief

This brief examines the share of Medicare beneficiaries who reviewed their coverage and compared plans during the open enrollment period for 2022 (that takes place in the Fall of 2021), and who made use of Medicare’s official information resources, as well as variations by demographic groups. Overall, nearly 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries did not compare their own source of Medicare coverage with other Medicare options offered in their area.

Nearly 7 in 10 Medicare Beneficiaries Do Not Compare Coverage Options During Open Enrollment

Sep 26, 2024

News Release

With open enrollment less than a month away, a new KFF analysis suggests that the vast majority of the nation’s 67 million Medicare beneficiaries will not shop around among the coverage options for 2025 or switch plans. It’s a decision that could have a significant impact on enrollees’ coverage and costs.

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