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…
Kaiser Health News (KHN) announces a new partnership with An Arm and A Leg podcast May 23, 2019 News Release KFF and Public Road Productions announce that Season 2 of An Arm and A Leg podcast will be co-produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News (KHN), KFF’s editorially independent national health and health policy newsroom.
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…
“Deductible Relief Day” is May 19 May 16, 2019 News Release Deductible Relief Day is May 19. That’s the date by which average spending for people with employer-sponsored health insurance is sufficient to satisfy the average deductible, the amount they must pay out-of-pocket for most health care services before their insurance plan kicks in to help pay the bills, KFF analysts…
Individual Market Insurers Are Expecting to Pay a Record $800 Million in Rebates to Consumers for Excessive Premiums in 2018 May 8, 2019 News Release Individual market insurers are expecting to return to consumers a record total of about $800 million in excess premiums for 2018, a year in which the insurance companies posted their best annual financial performance under the Affordable Care Act to date, finds a new KFF analysis. The rebates to more…
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…
Poll Finds Most Americans Oppose the Trump Administration’s Changes to Restrict Title X Family Planning Funds from Clinics that also Provide or Refer for Abortion May 3, 2019 News Release A new KFF poll of the public’s views on reproductive health issues finds most Americans, including majorities of women of reproductive age, are concerned that access to women’s reproductive health and preventive care services may be limited by the Trump administration’s changes to Title X, the nation’s federal family planning…
New KFF/Los Angeles Times Survey Highlights the Financial Challenges Facing People with Employer Health Benefits May 2, 2019 News Release A new KFF/Los Angeles Times survey of Americans with employer health benefits finds that although most are largely satisfied with their employer plan, many report financial challenges related to their health care costs, particularly among those facing high deductibles or suffering from chronic health conditions. The survey captures the experiences…
Poll: Most Americans Want Congress to Prioritize Targeted Actions that Address Personal Health Care Costs; Fewer Cite Broader Reforms like Medicare-for-All and ACA Repeal as Top Priorities April 24, 2019 News Release Most Do Not Want the Supreme Court to Overturn the ACA or its Pre-Existing Conditions Protections When it comes to tackling pressing health care issues, incremental actions to address personal health care costs take precedence over broader, more partisan reforms for most Americans, according to the latest KFF Health Tracking…
Medicare Part D Spending on Insulin Increased 840 Percent Between 2007 and 2017 April 2, 2019 News Release Medicare Part D spending on insulin increased 840 percent between 2007 and 2017, far outpacing growth in the number of beneficiaries using insulin therapy, according to a new KFF analysis. The findings come at a time when the cost of prescription drugs is a major focus for policymakers in Washington,…