Home Medicare Topics

Medicare

Medicare Open Enrollment

Part D Premiums and Cost Sharing in 2027

The average monthly premium for Medicare Part D coverage in stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) will increase to $51 in 2027, up 50% from $34 in 2026, if current enrollees don’t switch into lower-premium plans during the open enrollment period. That is more than five times higher than the drug coverage premium in Medicare Advantage plans that offer Part D coverage, which is projected to average $9 per month in 2027. Most Part D enrollees also will face a deductible of several hundred dollars for drug coverage in 2027.

Also: Many Medicare Part D Stand-Alone Drug Plan Enrollees Will See Modest Premium Increases 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.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

How Much Do People With Medicare Pay For Coverage?

This brief provides an overview of the costs faced by Medicare beneficiaries in traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D, including premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance, focusing on costs in 2026.

What’s in a Name? From Today’s Medicare to Medicare for All

KFF’s Larry Levitt explains how proposals to create Medicare-for-All promise more generous benefits than the existing Medicare program, with no premiums or cost-sharing, but could end up looking more like Medicare if it became the subject of a serious national debate about the tradeoffs involved to implement it.

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.

MEDICARE PART D

Medicare Advantage

The Average Beneficiary has 28 Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan Options for 2027

On average, Medicare beneficiaries will have the option of 28 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2027, a decline from the 32 options available in 2026 (excluding employer plans and special needs plans not available for general enrollment).
The number varies across states. In 26 states and Puerto Rico, the average beneficiary has at least 20 MA-PD options in 2027, while in nine states and DC, the average beneficiary has fewer than 10 MA-PD options. Open enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7.

Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends

Medicare Advantage Enrollees Have Access to Half of the Physicians Available to Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries

Medicare Advantage Insurers Made Nearly 53 Million Prior Authorization Determinations in 2024

Medicare Will Spend More Than $13 Billion on the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Program in 2026

Prescription Drugs

CMS’s Decision to End Temporary Subsidies to Medicare’s Stand-Alone Drug Plans Could Mean Larger Premium Increases for Some Beneficiaries Next Year

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to end the temporary Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration after 2026. The goal of the demonstration, established in 2024, was to stabilize stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) premiums and enrollment amid the rollout of changes to the Part D benefit under the Inflation Reduction Act, including a new cap on annual out -of-pocket drug costs.

Key Facts About Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

Recent Trends in GLP-1 Use and Spending in Medicare

What to Know About Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and Federal Efforts at Regulation

Nearly Four Million Medicare Beneficiaries Met the Eligibility Criteria in 2023 for the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge

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.

Read More

Latest News

More KFF Health News

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on Medicare

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on Medicare

View the Latest: Medicare

Filter

List Grid

1,211-1,220 of 1,627 results

  • Medicare Advantage in 2008

    Issue Brief

    Medicare Advantage plans enrolled a record 9.8 million beneficiaries, more than one in five of the nation’s 44 million people on Medicare as of April 2008. That represents an increase of more than 800,000 beneficiaries in just four months, continuing a period of unprecedented growth for private plans in Medicare since 2003. This issue brief, prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Marsha Gold of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., analyzes recent developments in the Medicare…

  • Medicare 2008 Benefits Table

    Report

    2008 Medicare Benefits Table Summary of Traditional Medicare, 2008 PART A Financing: 1.45% for both workers and employers No premiums* Benefits: Inpatient hospital - Days 1-60 - Days 61-90 - Days 91-150 - After 150 days Deductible of $1,024 per benefit period** No coinsurance $256 a day $512 a day No benefits Skilled nursing facility - Days 1-20 - Days 21-100 - After 100 days No coinsurance $128 a day No benefits Home health No…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Low-Income Subsidy Plan Availability

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight focuses on the availability of drug plans for beneficiaries receiving the Part D low-income subsidy in 2008 and changes since 2006. It looks at data from the 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans available nationwide in 2008. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. The analysis was conducted jointed by Jack Hoadley of Georgetown University, Elizabeth Hargrave of NORC…

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Ten Most Common Brand-Name Drugs

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D Data Spotlight examines the variation in 2008 Part D plan coverage, cost sharing and utilization management tools for the 10 prescriptions most commonly used by Medicare beneficiaries, including treatments for cholesterol, cardiovascular health, osteoporosis, dementia, gastrointestinal reflux and ulcers. It looks at data from the 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans available nationwide in 2008. This data spotlight is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D…

  • Medicare Prescription Drug Plans in 2008 and Key Changes Since 2006: Summary of Findings

    Issue Brief

    This synthesis of key findings from analysis presented in a series of eight Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights describes key features of stand-alone prescription drug plans offered in 2008 and trends since 2006. The synthesis covers a range of topics, including premiums, the coverage gap, benefit design, cost sharing, specialty tiers, formularies, utilization management, the top 10 brand-name prescription drugs, and the availability of low-income subsidy plans. The analysis was conducted jointed by Jack…

  • Medicare and the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal

    Fact Sheet

    Medicare and the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal This fact sheet summarizes key Medicare-related provisions in the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2009 budget proposal, as well as additional legislation that responds to the Medicare Trustees' "Medicare Funding Warning." Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Formularies

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines the formularies (list of covered drugs) of Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2008, changes since 2006, and differences in how plans cover brand-name and generic drugs. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. It analyzes data from the 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans available nationwide using a sample of commonly-used and high-cost prescription drugs. The…

  • The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006

    Report

    The Value of Extra Benefits Offered by Medicare Advantage Plans in 2006 As Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to climb, this report prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation compares the value of extra benefits provided by private fee-for-service and other types of Medicare Advantage plans. As of January 2008, 8.8 million people with Medicare were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, an increase of 63% since 2005. Some say the recent growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment…

  • Methodology Appendix to the Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlights

    Issue Brief

    The Kaiser Family Foundation has also posted an appendix detailing the methodology used in the Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight series. The series analyzes key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. All of the spotlights in this series were prepared by a team of researchers at Georgetown University, NORC and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Data Spotlight Appendix (.pdf)

  • Medicare Part D 2008 Data Spotlight: Utilization Management

    Issue Brief

    This Medicare Part D data spotlight examines three common techniques used by Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans in 2008 to manage enrollees’ use of formulary drugs, such as quantity limits, prior authorization, and step therapy rules. This is one in a series analyzing key aspects of the 2008 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan choices. It analyzes data from the 47 stand-alone prescription drug plans available nationwide using a sample of 169 commonly-used and high-cost…