Visualizing Health Policy: Recent Trends in Prescription Drug Costs April 5, 2016 Infographic This Visualizing Health Policy infographic with JAMA spotlights national spending on prescription drugs and the public’s views on pharmaceutical prices.
Visualizing Health Policy: Recent Trends in Prescription Drug Costs April 5, 2016 News Release This Visualizing Health Policy infographic spotlights national spending on prescription drugs and the public’s views on pharmaceutical prices. Prescription drug spending rose sharply in 2014, driven by growth in expenditures on specialty drugs, including medications to treat cancer and hepatitis C. Medicare’s spending on prescription pharmaceuticals also has risen, largely…
Medicare Payment System Reforms: What Do We Know? April 1, 2016 Event Medicare is testing new ways to pay for medical services, emphasizing value rather than volume, and evidence is beginning to build about successes and challenges. On Monday, April 11, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Alliance for Health Reform will host a briefing to examine what we know so far…
Policy Insight Examines How Current Rules May Deter Seniors From Switching from Medicare Advantage to Traditional Medicare and Implications for Medicare’s Future March 31, 2016 News Release In this new policy insight, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Tricia Neuman examines current rules that may discourage seniors from switching from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare.Traditional Medicare…Disadvantaged? explores this issue through the lens of a 67-year old Boomer who faced difficult financial and health coverage choices in the aftermath of…
Infographic: The Spread of the Zika Virus and the U.S. Response March 31, 2016 News Release What is Zika, how many countries are affected by it, and what is the U.S. doing to respond to the rapid spread of the virus? To better understand Zika, a new Kaiser Family Foundation infographic offers key facts about the virus, tracks the increasing number of countries reporting local transmission…
Traditional Medicare…Disadvantaged? March 31, 2016 Perspective In this new policy insight, Tricia Neuman examines current rules that may discourage seniors from switching from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare. The issue is explored through the lens of a 67-year-old beneficiary who faced difficult financial and health coverage choices in the aftermath of a serious biking accident.
Zubik v. Burwell: Contraceptives, Religious Freedom and the Courts March 30, 2016 Perspective In this Medium post, Alina Salganicoff outlines the legal arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case Zubik v. Burwell and discusses what the case could mean for contraceptive coverage.
Contraceptive-Only Plans: Questions and Answers March 30, 2016 Perspective In this post on The Huffington Post, Alina Salganicoff and Laurie Sobel offer a Q&A on “contraceptive-only” plans, an approach mentioned during oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case Zubik v. Burwell. In the Zubik case, a group of religiously affiliated nonprofits with religious objections to providing birth control coverage seek an exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s provision requiring most plans to offer such coverage without cost-sharing.
A New Way of Measuring Health Costs Sheds Light on Recent Health Spending Trends March 29, 2016 Issue Brief National health spending started to grow more rapidly recently after several years of unusually slow growth. This analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis helps to dissect why that may be happening. Using recently-released disease-based health spending data compiled by the federal government, the analysis finds…