An Examination of Surprise Medical Bills and Proposals to Protect Consumers from Them June 20, 2019 Issue Brief This analysis examines how often patients get hit with surprise medical bills, what circumstances tend to give rise to them and what proposals are being considered to protect consumers from this problem.
Strategies for Improving Health Coverage and Reducing Costs: Major Proposals and Key Considerations June 12, 2019 Issue Brief KFF’s Tricia Neuman’s testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on June 12, 2019 describes a range of proposals to broaden health insurance coverage and make health care more affordable, the similarities and differences among them, and the policy choices and trade-offs that could have significant implications for coverage and costs.
Dissatisfaction With Employer Coverage Rises As Deductibles Climb May 31, 2019 Slide As deductibles have increased over the past five years, those with higher deductibles are more likely to say that health insurance has gotten worse over the past five years.
JAMA Forum: Medicare-For-All or Medicare-For-More? May 22, 2019 Perspective In this May 2019 post for The JAMA forum, Larry Levitt examines how the early discussion and positioning among the presidential candidates offers a glimpse into how a debate about Medicare-for-all might play out.
New Analysis Compares Prescription Drug Spending and Use Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid May 20, 2019 News Release As policymakers debate how to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a new KFF analysis compares data on prescription drug spending and use across large employer plans, Medicare Part D and Medicaid, and provides context for policy discussions about different approaches to curb rising drug costs that would affect…
How Does Prescription Drug Spending and Use Compare Across Large Employer Plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid? May 20, 2019 Issue Brief Prescription drug costs are a pressing concern for both consumers and policymakers. This analysis compares prescription drug spending and use in large private employer plans, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid, based primarily on claims data by payer, which does not account for rebates.
“Deductible Relief Day” is May 19 May 16, 2019 News Release Deductible Relief Day is May 19. That’s the date by which average spending for people with employer-sponsored health insurance is sufficient to satisfy the average deductible, the amount they must pay out-of-pocket for most health care services before their insurance plan kicks in to help pay the bills, KFF analysts…
Deductible Relief Day: How Rising Deductibles are Affecting People with Employer Coverage May 16, 2019 Issue Brief This analysis examines how health insurance deductibles are affecting consumers with employer-sponsored insurance. Deductibles have risen in recent years and become an increasingly prominent feature of job-based health plans. “Deductible Relief Day” refers to the date by which average spending for people with employer-sponsored health insurance is sufficient to satisfy the average deductible.
Individual Market Insurers Are Expecting to Pay a Record $800 Million in Rebates to Consumers for Excessive Premiums in 2018 May 8, 2019 News Release Individual market insurers are expecting to return to consumers a record total of about $800 million in excess premiums for 2018, a year in which the insurance companies posted their best annual financial performance under the Affordable Care Act to date, finds a new KFF analysis. The rebates to more…
The Silent Affordability Crisis Facing Sick People May 8, 2019 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman shows that employer coverage for lower wage workers is much worse than ACA marketplace coverage for similar populations. It’s a bigger problem we need to talk about more, he says.