How Much (More) Will Seniors Pay for a Doc Fix? March 12, 2015 Perspective In this Policy Insight, the Foundation’s Cristina Boccuti and Tricia Neuman examine how Congress’ effort to permanently stave off scheduled cuts in Medicare’s physician payments could affect what Medicare beneficiaries pay for their care — both in premiums and in other potential changes — to offset the cost of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) “doc fix.”
JAMA Forum: Of SCOTUS and Chicken March 11, 2015 Perspective Larry Levitt’s March 2015 post explores what could happen if the U.S. Supreme Court rules for the plaintiffs in the King v. Burwell case, the lawsuit that challenges the federal government’s authority to provide financial assistance to people who buy insurance in federally-operated marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act.
Health-Care Deductibles Climbing Out of Reach March 11, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores the trend of higher deductibles in health plans and discusses a new analysis showing that many people with private insurance don’t have sufficient financial resources to pay a mid- or high-range deductible.
If Health Insurance Subsidies Are Struck Down, States Will Need Time March 4, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores a practical timetable for state action if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in King V. Burwell and ponders what Republicans in Congress might do.
The Diseases We Spend Our Health Dollars On March 3, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explains how a recent Bureau of Economic Analysis report makes the nation’s health care spending more tangible by breaking it down by disease.
Insurance Markets in a Post-King World February 25, 2015 Perspective This perspective addresses how insurance markets might respond if the US Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs in the King v. Burwell case. The case challenges the legality of premium and cost-sharing subsidies for low- and middle-income people buying insurance in states where the federal government rather than the state is operating the marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Medicare Spending Cuts and Hospital Productivity Gains February 25, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman and guest co-author Dana Goldman examine hospital productivity gains, and what they may mean for hospitals’ ability to absorb spending reductions.
The Health-Care Enrollment Story Is in the States February 19, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the variation among states beneath the national Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace enrollment numbers released by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Spending Is Rising More Sharply Again February 17, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses why high health care prices are a problem for consumers but not a cause of renewed growth in health spending.
Medicare Spending Peaks at Age 96 February 10, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses the implications of a Kaiser finding: per capita Medicare spending peaks at age 96, and the main reason is not end-of-life care.