Strategies for Improving Health Coverage and Reducing Costs: Major Proposals and Key Considerations June 12, 2019 Issue Brief KFF’s Tricia Neuman’s testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on June 12, 2019 describes a range of proposals to broaden health insurance coverage and make health care more affordable, the similarities and differences among them, and the policy choices and trade-offs that could have significant implications for coverage and costs.
Less Than One-Third of New Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled in Medicare Advantage During Their First Year on Medicare June 6, 2019 News Release Twenty-nine percent of new beneficiaries chose to enroll in Medicare Advantage during their first year in Medicare in 2016, finds a new KFF analysis. That level generally matches the overall share of beneficiaries who opted for Medicare Advantage that year, but does not support the view that the aging Baby…
What Percent of New Medicare Beneficiaries Are Enrolling in Medicare Advantage? June 6, 2019 Issue Brief The analysis examines enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans during beneficiaries’ first year on Medicare and finds that less than one-third or 29% enrolled in these private health plans, including HMOs or PPOs. The majority of people new to Medicare are choosing traditional Medicare in the year they first go on Medicare. The study looks at how these findings vary across age, Medicaid status, states, and counties.
10 Things to Know About Medicare Part D Coverage and Costs in 2019 June 4, 2019 Issue Brief The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans. This analysis provides the latest data about Medicare Part D coverage and costs in 2019 and trends over time, including enrollment, premiums, cost sharing, and participation in the low-income subsidy program.
JAMA Forum: Medicare-For-All or Medicare-For-More? May 22, 2019 Perspective In this May 2019 post for The JAMA forum, Larry Levitt examines how the early discussion and positioning among the presidential candidates offers a glimpse into how a debate about Medicare-for-all might play out.
Web Briefing: Making Sense of Medicare-For-All and Other Plans to Expand Public Coverage May 21, 2019 Event This web briefing with senior policy analysts at KFF examine proposals to expand public coverage like Medicare-for-all and their implications for the nation’s health care system.
New Analysis Compares Prescription Drug Spending and Use Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid May 20, 2019 News Release As policymakers debate how to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a new KFF analysis compares data on prescription drug spending and use across large employer plans, Medicare Part D and Medicaid, and provides context for policy discussions about different approaches to curb rising drug costs that would affect…
How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid? May 20, 2019 Issue Brief Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which does not account for rebates.
Beneficiaries Who Switch to Medicare Advantage Have Lower Medicare Spending and Use Fewer Services – In the Prior Year – Than Those Who Stay in Traditional Medicare May 7, 2019 News Release Medicare Advantage plans gain beneficiaries from traditional Medicare who have lower average spending and use fewer health services than similar beneficiaries who choose to remain in traditional Medicare, according to a new KFF analysis. The analysis finds that people who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage in 2016 had…
Do People Who Sign Up for Medicare Advantage Plans Have Lower Medicare Spending? May 7, 2019 Issue Brief The analysis finds that people who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage in 2016 had health spending in 2015 that was $1,253 less, on average, than the average spending for beneficiaries who remained in traditional Medicare (after adjusting for health risk). The findings suggest that the current payment method may systematically overestimate expected costs of Medicare Advantage enrollees. Adjusting payments to reflect Medicare Advantage enrollees’ prior use of health services could potentially lower total Medicare spending by billions of dollars over a decade.