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.
How Many Older Adults Live in Poverty?
In 2022, about 6 million (10.2%) seniors had incomes below the official poverty measure, with this figure rising to about 8 million (14.2%) under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for medical expenses.
1 in 4 Medicare Beneficiaries with Obesity or Overweight Could Be Eligible for Coverage of Wegovy
KFF finds that 3.6 million people with Medicare could be eligible for coverage of Wegovy now that the FDA has approved the use of the anti-obesity drug to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in certain patients.
A Majority of States Offer Medicare Advantage Plans to Their State Retirees
Almost all states, 48 states and DC, offer retiree health benefits to their Medicare-age retirees. In 12 states, Medicare Advantage is the only option for retiree health coverage for Medicare-age retirees.

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.