Medicare

New & Noteworthy

Health Policy 101: Medicare
Medicare provides health insurance coverage to 66 million people. It covers a comprehensive set of health care services, including hospitalizations, physician visits, and prescription drugs, along with post-acute care, skilled nursing facility care, home health care, hospice, and preventive services.
What Does the Federal Government Spend on Health Care?
The federal government spent $1.9 trillion on health care programs and services in fiscal year (FY) 2024, 27% of all federal outlays in that year, and collectively the largest category of federal spending.
What to Know About How Medicare Pays Physicians
This issue brief answers key questions about how Medicare pays physicians and other clinicians. It is focused primarily on traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans have flexibility to pay providers differently and there is no systematic publicly-available information on how much such plans pay providers.
5 Key Facts About Medicaid Coverage for People with Medicare
12.2 million Medicare beneficiaries (nearly 1 in 5) also have Medicaid coverage. Most in this group have low incomes and modest savings, as well as greater health care needs. They account for a disproportionately high share of spending in both programs.

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.