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

61-70 of 1,627 results

  • I have Medigap and I’m finding it difficult to afford. What are my other options for supplemental coverage?

    FAQs

    You may want to find out if you qualify for Medicaid, if your income and assets are low enough. Medicaid helps many low-income people on Medicare with their Medicare premiums and cost-sharing requirements, and may also cover some benefits that are not covered by Medicare, such as dental services and long-term services and supports. To find out if you qualify, you can contact the State Medical Assistance Office or the State Health Insurance Assistance Program…

  • What is Medigap?

    FAQs

    Medicare supplement insurance policies, or Medigap policies, help to pay the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles for Medicare-covered benefits under traditional Medicare (Part A and Part B services). Some Medigap policies also cover services that traditional Medicare does not cover, such as medical care when you travel outside the country. Medigap policies do not work with Medicare Advantage plans and will not help to cover Medicare Advantage enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs.

  • There are a lot of Medicare Part D plan options in my area. How do I decide which plan is best for me?

    FAQs

    There are two ways you can get drug coverage. If you have traditional Medicare, you can sign up for a stand-alone prescription drug plan. Or you can join a Medicare Advantage plan that covers all your Medicare benefits including the prescription drug benefit. Whichever you choose, your costs and coverage can vary from one plan to another. In picking the drug coverage that best meets your needs, you can compare plan costs for the premium,…

  • I am enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, and I’m happy with my coverage. Do I need to do anything during the Medicare Open Enrollment period?

    FAQs

    No, you do not need to do anything during the Medicare Open Enrollment period if you like your current Medicare Advantage plan, as long as it continues to be offered the following year. However, it is still a good idea to compare your plan options each year, since plans often make changes to their benefits, cost-sharing, premiums, and/or provider networks from year-to-year. By comparing your current plan to others available in your area, you can…

  • Medicare Open Enrollment and Coverage Options: Key Questions and Answers

    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.

  • If my employer offers retiree health benefits, do I need to sign up for Medicare when I turn 65?

    FAQs

    For most people with retiree health benefits, it makes sense to sign up for Medicare when you are first eligible to do so. Retiree health plans are typically designed to supplement Medicare and might not pay your medical costs during any period that you were eligible for Medicare but not signed up for it. You should review any information provided by your employer to be sure you understand how your retiree health benefits coordinate with…

  • I am 66 years old, work for a large employer, and have health insurance coverage through my job. I am planning to keep working for a few more years and keep the coverage that my employer offers. What ar...

    FAQs

    When you stop working and/or your group health insurance coverage ends, you should enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B. If you’re eligible for premium-free Part A, you can sign up any time after you’re first eligible for Medicare. Your Part A coverage will go back retroactively 6 months from when you sign up (but no earlier than the first month you were eligible). You have an 8-month Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll…

  • I have Medicare Part A and Part B. I’ve heard about Part C and Part D, but I don’t know what those are. Do I need to sign up for those during the Medicare Open Enrollment period?

    FAQs

    Medicare Part C plans, also known as Medicare Advantage plans, are private health insurance plans, mainly HMOs and PPOs, for people enrolled in Medicare. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you still have Medicare, but you get all of your Medicare-covered benefits through a private plan. Most Medicare Advantage plans also cover prescription drugs and most also cover other services, such as vision, dental, and hearing benefits. If you have Part A and…

  • “…voters’ concerns about health care costs are having a moment, and will continue to do so through 2028, because voters see them as a dimension of their worries about the cost of living, which is their dominant concern right now.” — Drew Altman, KFF Founding President and CEO

    A Guide to the Role of Health in the Midterms

    From Drew Altman

    In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman says health care costs are playing a significant role in the midterms as one dimension of voters’ concerns about cost of living, and explains why pollsters, analysts, and candidates should look at it that way, and not as a separate voting issue. He writes, “The ‘issue’ that matters most in this election is cost of living and the cost of health care is a central…