Medicare

This brief describes Medicare coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, and compares that coverage with private insurance plans and Medicaid. These benefits are particularly relevant to nearly 1 million women of reproductive age (20-49) who are eligible for Medicare due to having a long-term disability.

Many pandemic-era flexibilities around Medicare coverage of telehealth are due to expire in December 2024. There is bipartisan support for proposed legislation to extend these provisions for another two years, and Congress is weighing the potential benefits, risks, and costs of permanently expanding Medicare coverage of telehealth services. These FAQs provide answers to key questions about the current scope of Medicare telehealth coverage, including both temporary and permanent changes adopted through legislation and regulation, and policy considerations that lie ahead.

This chart collection draws on recent KFF poll findings to provide an in-depth look at the public’s attitudes toward prescription drugs and their prices. Results include Americans’ opinions on drug affordability, pharmaceutical companies, and various potential measures that could lower prices, including the Inflation Reduction Act.

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.

This list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Medicare Open Enrollment covers a range of topics related to Medicare enrollment, Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medigap, employer/retiree coverage, Medicaid and other low-income assistance, Medicare and the Marketplaces, and more.

This policy watch examines monthly premiums for Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plans in 2025, as changes to the Part D benefit are being implemented in 2025, including a new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug spending.

In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explores how America’s big health care programs — Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — provide popular benefits valued by Americans from across the political spectrum. As partisan debates move closer to legislation, people may focus more on their personal financial concerns.

This brief provides an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, including current data on plan availability, enrollment, and spending and financing, and highlights recent changes under the Inflation Reduction Act.

On October 8, 2024, Vice President Harris has proposed to expand Medicare to provide home care to help families who are struggling with the costs of long-term care. If enacted, this would be the first major expansion of Medicare since the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that added a prescription drug benefit to the program.

A review of the 2025 Medicare Advantage plans available for individual enrollment shows that the total number of plans declined by 7% (from 3,959 to 3,699). The average Medicare beneficiary will have the option of 34 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2025, just 2 fewer than the 36 options available in 2024. Since 2018, the number of plans available to the average beneficiary has doubled.