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Analysis Finds that Medications for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Are the Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid, While Diabetes Drugs Have Posted the Sharpest Rise in Costs
Antiviral medications, including those that treat hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, cost the Medicaid program more money (before rebates) than any other group of outpatient prescription drugs for each year from 2014 to 2017, according to a new KFF analysis. The analysis of utilization and spending trends finds that antivirals accounted…
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Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs
Although the outpatient drug benefit accounts for only 6% of total Medicaid spending, drug spending has increased by double digits in recent years, and is expected to grow faster than most other Medicaid services in the next 10 years. This issue brief examines drug spending and utilization from 2014 through 2017 by drug group, brand and generic status, and biologic status to understand the causes for this increase in spending.
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The Out-of-Pocket Cost Burden for Specialty Drugs in Medicare Part D in 2019
Medicare Part D has helped to make prescription drugs more affordable for people with Medicare, yet many beneficiaries continue to face high out-of-pocket costs for their medications. Specialty tier drugs are a particular concern for Part D enrollees in this context. This analysis draws on data from Medicare’s Plan Finder website to calculate expected annual 2019 out-of-pocket costs for 30 specialty tier drugs used to treat four health conditions—cancer, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Issue Brief Read MoreLong-Term Trends in Employer-Based Coverage
A new issue brief looks at long-term trends in employer-based health insurance coverage, and finds that although the share of nonelderly Americans with employer-based health insurance has risen modestly in recent years, the long-term trend still shows a decline. If coverage rates had stayed at the 1999 level (67.3%), almost 24…
Issue Brief Read MoreMedicare Part D Enrollees with Serious Health Conditions Can Face Thousands of Dollars in Out-of-Pocket Costs Annually for Specialty Drugs
Despite Medicare’s protections, Part D enrollees with serious health conditions can face thousands of dollars in annual out-of-pocket costs for expensive specialty drugs, a new KFF anaylsis finds. The analysis draws on data from Medicare’s Plan Finder website to calculate expected annual 2019 costs for more than two dozen specialty tier…
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Initiative 18|11: What Can We Do About The Cost Of Health Care?
This conference report summarizes discussions at a March 2018 conference in Washington with 30 leaders from the health care community to launch Initiative 18/11, a partnership between the Society of Actuaries and KFF to address the rising cost of health care in the United States. It also lays out the next steps for the initiative.
Issue Brief Read MoreThe Detail That Could Make Medicare for All Generous — and Expensive
In this Axios column, Drew Altman wades in to the Medicare for All discussion focusing on the pros and cons of a critical but under-discussed feature of the proposals-they have no cost sharing.
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Health Spending Explorer
The Health Spending Explorer on the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker helps users examine five decades worth of numbers documenting expenditures by federal and local governments, private insurers, and individuals on 15 categories of health services, including hospitals, physician and clinic care, and prescription drugs.
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