FDA’s Approval of Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Drug Has Huge Cost Implications for Medicare and Beneficiaries June 10, 2021 Issue Brief The question of what would happen when a new, expensive prescription drug comes to market for a disease like Alzheimer’s that afflicts millions of people has loomed large in discussions over drug prices in the U.S. This brief analyzes the cost implications for Medicare and beneficiaries associated with Biogen’s new FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug, which will cost $56,000 per year.
Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs, 2015-2019 June 9, 2021 Issue Brief Prescription drug spending in Medicaid and other health programs has returned to the national policy debate. This analysis examines Medicaid outpatient prescription drug utilization and spending before rebates over the 2015 to 2019 period, which is helpful for understanding recent cost drivers and areas for targeted policy action.
Recent and Anticipated Actions to Reverse Trump Administration Section 1557 Non-Discrimination Rules June 9, 2021 Issue Brief The Biden Administration has started taking steps to reverse Trump Administration policy and regulations that significantly narrowed the implementation and administrative enforcement of Section 1557, the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provision, particularly as the regulations apply to gender identity and sexual orientation. In addition, several lawsuits challenging the regulations, which…
Key Facts About Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2021 June 8, 2021 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, including stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans. This analysis provides the latest data about Part D enrollment, premiums, and cost sharing in 2021 and trends over time.
Two-Thirds of the Public Say the U.S. Should Play a Major Role in Distributing COVID-19 Vaccines Globally, But Not Most Republicans June 3, 2021 News Release With increased attention to the global need for COVID-19 vaccines and the Biden administration’s announcement today about how it plans to distribute the first portion of the 80 million doses it will share by the end of this month, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that two-thirds of the…
KFF Health Tracking Poll – May 2021: Prescription Drug Prices Top Public’s Health Care Priorities June 3, 2021 Poll Finding The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll explores the public’s views on the U.S. role in distributing COVID vaccines to other countries, health care priorities for Congress, prescription drug regulations and price negotiations, and affordability changes in the COVID-19 relief bill.
Are Health Centers Facilitating Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations? A June 2021 Update. June 2, 2021 Issue Brief This analysis updates earlier work and examines the extent to which vaccination efforts through community health centers are reaching people of color using data from the federal government’s weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey. We include data from the survey weeks of January 8 through May 21, 2021, finding that people of color made up the majority of people who received vaccinations at community health centers.
Potential Impact of Additional Federal Funds for Medicaid HCBS for Seniors and People with Disabilities May 28, 2021 Issue Brief The American Rescue Plan includes a provision to increase the federal matching rate (FMAP) for spending on Medicaid HCBS by 10 percentage points from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022 provided states maintain state spending levels as of April 1, 2021. This brief discusses the proposal and provides state by state estimates of the potential effects of the policy change. It was updated on May 28 to include key points from the new CMS guidance about how states can access the funds and examples of how funds can be used.
A Look at Parental Consent and COVID-19 Vaccination for Adolescents May 28, 2021 Slide Most states require parental consent at this point, though the landscape may be shifting slightly as more jurisdictions seek to encourage vaccination of young people. Parents and parental consent laws will play a critical role in the COVID-19 vaccination effort to reach children in the U.S., particularly as authorization moves to even younger ages.