There are concerns that Medicare Advantage TV ads are misleading patients. A new KFF analysis of Medicare Advantage TV ads found that the ads often rely on celebrity endorsements and suggest that seniors are missing out on benefits that they’re entitled to.

MedCity News is launching a new podcast called MedCity FemFwd, which will discuss the breakthroughs and challenges in the women’s health space. In the inaugural episode, Michelle Long of KFF examines whether Opill — the first daily oral contraceptive approved for nonprescription use in the U.S. — will be covered by insurance.

When Medicaid expansion was first enacted, it was a hot topic debate between Democrats and Republicans. But more and more states are starting to expand Medicaid, including several conservative states.

In rural areas, the share of eligible beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans nearly quadrupled from 11% in 2010 to 40% in 2023, according to new research from KFF. This represents 400,000 rural MA beneficiaries in 2010 and 1.8 million in 2023.

A new KFF analysis compared list prices for Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus and Mounjaro. It found that the U.S. has much higher list prices for these drugs than other peer countries while also having the highest rate of obesity.

ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing an average 6% premium hike for 2024, with inflation being a driving factor, according to an analysis by KFF.

About half of adults, or 45%, said they are at least somewhat interested in taking a “safe, effective weight-loss drug,” according to a new survey by KFF. However, just 16% of adults are still interested in taking weight-loss drugs if they’re not covered by insurance.

On average, Medicare households spent 15% of their total spending on health-related expenses in 2021, versus 7% for non-Medicare households, according to a new KFF report.

KFF found that the 10 top-selling Part D drugs represented $47.7 billion of the $215.7 billion total gross Medicare Part D drug spending in 2021. Eliquis, a blood thinner by Bristol Myers Squibb, accounted for the most spending out of these 10 drugs at $12.6 billion. 

Of nonelderly people with limited English proficiency in 2021, 29% were uninsured, versus 9% of English proficient people, according to a new KFF analysis.

Due to the end of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, at least 1.5 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage as of June 29, according to KFF. About 71% of those who were disenrolled from Medicaid were disenrolled for procedural reasons.

Many insured Americans reported challenges with their insurance coverage in the last year, especially those in poorer health and those with mental health conditions, a KFF survey found.

A new KFF analysis showed that Medicare spending per person increased to $15,700 in 2022 from $5,800 in 2000, representing a 4.6% average annual growth.

Doulas — who provide physical, emotional and informational support to expectant mothers — have shown to improve maternal health outcomes, but there’s little insurance coverage of their services. That’s starting to change, however, particularly in Medicaid programs.

Under the proposed new rule, employers are no longer able to be exempt from covering contraception due to moral convictions, but religious exemptions still remain. It’s an important move from the government during the reproductive health crisis, one advocate said.