Medicare

Medicare Open Enrollment

Medicare Advantage Plan Availability Varies Widely by County for 2027

Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan (MA-PD) availability varies widely by county in 2027, with a modest reduction in the share of enrollees with more than 40 plans to choose from and some major insurers exiting many more counties than they are entering. 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries (20%) can choose from among more than 40 MA-PDs for 2027, down from 27% in 2026. 1% of all beneficiaries will have no plan option for 2027.

Medicare Open Enrollment and Coverage Options: Key Questions and Answers

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, which runs from October 15 through December 7. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.

Medigap

Medigap Guaranteed Issue Requirements: An Overview of Federal and State Rules

This issue brief analyzes federal and state rules related to guaranteed issue requirements for Medigap policies and how they impact beneficiaries’ access to Medigap, including the implications for Medicare beneficiaries with pre-existing medical conditions and those under age 65 with long-term disabilities.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Decoding Medicare Advantage Coding Intensity

Federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, and adjustments for health status, have come under increased scrutiny. This brief answers key questions about coding intensity, recent steps taken by CMS, the effects on beneficiaries, and other proposals to improve payment accuracy.

Data Visualization

The Facts About Medicare Spending

This interactive provides the facts on Medicare spending. Medicare, which serves 67 million people and accounts for 12 percent of the federal budget and 21 percent of national health spending, is often the focus of discussions about health expenditures, health care affordability and the sustainability of federal health programs. Explore data on enrollment growth, Medicare spending trends overall and per person, growth in Medicare spending relative to private insurance, spending on benefits and Medicare Advantage, Part A trust fund solvency challenges, and growth in out-of-pocket spending by beneficiaries.

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  • Women’s Health Data Book: A Profile of Women’s Health in the United States

    Fact Sheet

    The Women's Health Data Book: A Profile of Women's Health in the United States, offers the latest data and trends on the wide range of health issues that affect women across their life spans. Published by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, the Data Book is edited by Dawn Misra, Ph.D. This book addresses social and economic factors and provides up-to-date information on chronic conditions, reproductive health, mental health, violence,…

  • The Future of Retiree Health Benefits: Challenges and Options

    Event Date:
    Event

    Tricia Neuman, Vice President and Director of the Medicare Policy Project testified before the House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations on retiree health coverage for older Americans. The statement describes the health needs of aging adults and the importance of health insurance coverage at a time in their lives when they face increasing health problems. It then reviews insurance challenges facing both early retirees, as well as retirees who are 65 and older, against the backdrop…

  • Prescription Drug Trends:  A Chartbook Update

    Report

    This November 2001 Chartbook updates data from last year's chartbook, including information about prescription drug coverage, expenditures and prices, utilization, drug promotion, and the pharmaceutical industry.

  • 2001 Retiree Health and Prescription Drug Coverage Survey-6020

    Report

    2001 Retiree Health and Prescription Drug Coverage Survey This survey, released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, and HRET, profiles retiree health coverage for Medicare-age (65+) retirees, including the amount retirees pay for coverage compared to active workers, cost-sharing for prescription drugs, and eligibility requirements for retiree benefits. The survey is based on the annual KFF/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey News Release: New Survey Shows Retiree Health Benefits Continue to Decline Chart Pack

  • Retiree Health Trends and Implications of Possible Medicare Reforms – Report

    Report

    Retiree Health Trends and Implications of Possible Medicare Reforms Prepared by: Hewitt Associates LLC Prepared for: Kaiser Medicare Policy Project September 1997 Preparation of this report was supported by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Grant Number 96-1710B. The study consists of a review and analysis of recent trends in the provision of employer-sponsored health benefits to retirees, as well as an assessment of potential changes to employer-sponsored retiree health plans in the future, including…

  • Retiree Health Trends and Implications of Possible Medicare Reforms

    Other Post

    Background Health care benefits had been offered to active employees for a long period of time before health coverage became a retiree benefit offered by employers. The key event that made employer-sponsored retiree health care a possible benefit for retirees was the enactment of Medicare in 1965. It was then felt possible to provide a widely desired benefit at a relatively low cost, since the Medicare program would pay the majority of the costs. Millions…

  • Health Care Agenda for the New Congress – Toplines

    Poll Finding

    This document includes the complete toplines from a survey of the public's attitudes regarding the health care agenda for Bush's second term and the new Congress in 2005. It assesses the relative priority placed on health-care concerns by the American public and also provides insight into public opinion on key issues likely to face the new Congress, such as implementing the Medicare drug law, controlling health care costs, reducing the nation’s uninsured population and reforming…

  • New Survey Assesses Senior’s Views of Medicare Drug Law

    Poll Finding

    New Survey Assesses Senior's Views of Medicare Drug Law Seniors are most likely to say they would turn to their doctor, pharmacist, or the Medicare program, for help in making decisions about the new Medicare drug benefit set to begin Jan. 1, 2006, according to new data from the Kaiser Health Poll Report tracking survey. The tracking survey also provides updated tracking data on seniors’ knowledge and views of the new Medicare law. Foundation President…