A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) underscores these challenges. According to the report, people with Original Medicare spent an average of $5,460 out of their own pockets for health care in 2016. Nearly half of this spending was for services outside of Medicare, such as LTSS (32%) and dental care (14%). The other half was largely devoted to meeting beneficiary cost-sharing obligations, including for provider-based care (22%) and prescription drugs (21%).

This week, a federal court blocked a Trump administration rule that would have allowed health plans and providers to refuse to provide certain types of care they disagreed with on moral or religious grounds. Set to take effect on November 22, the rule would have permitted individuals to deny care even in circumstances where performing the refused service was a significant portion of their jobs, and even where the refusal could prevent patients from receiving the service altogether.

With more than 22 million people with Medicare (34%) enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2019, the private plan alternative to the

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in guidance the phase out and extension of a critical relief

In recent weeks, several committees within the U.S. House of Representatives—Energy & Commerce, Education & Labor, and Ways & Means—have been working to finalize the House’s drug pricing bill, HR 3. While the bill advanced by each committee differs slightly, the underlying goals are unchanged from the version initially introduced.

This month, five federal courts temporarily blocked a Trump administration final rule that would greatly harm families and prevent people

Some changes are in store for Part D in 2020 and policymakers are contemplating even more. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on national health issues, recently outlined what the program will look like next year under current law, and under recent legislative and administrative proposals.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are continuing work on their drug pricing bill, H.R. 3, with hopes of holding a vote later this month.

Unveiled in September, H.R. 3 includes a number of provisions that would improve prescription drug access and affordability for people with Medicare. Among the bill’s critical reforms are those allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices; the imposition of inflationary rebates on certain drugs in Parts B and D; and a restructuring of the Part D benefit that would cap out-of-pocket costs, reduce the federal government’s liability, and better align pricing incentives.

The Social Security Administration announced today that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2020 will be 1.6%. The COLA is the mechanism that keeps Social Security benefits in line with inflation. As the cost of living increases, so do Social Security benefits.

Last week, the Trump Administration released a wide-ranging yet ambiguous Executive Order (EO) focused on the Medicare program.

Many of the EO provisions lack specifics, making it difficult to predict what, if any, policies or recommendations may emerge. Since any policies that do emerge would likely require legislative or regulatory action before taking effect, the EO’s prospects for impacting the program are also unknown.