The Shifting Sands for State Medicaid Programs Lurking in Our Data February 12, 2024 From Drew Altman KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the coming squeeze on state budgets and state Medicaid programs, stemming from declining federal matching funds, weakening state revenues, and competing state priorities, and the challenges it poses for states seeking to strengthen their programs and try innovative new approaches.
Questions I Get About the Standards and Practices for Organizations in an Era of Misinformation and Declining Trust January 29, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explains the organization’s role in providing independent, authoritative policy analysis, polling and journalism and provides an overview of the standards and practices in place to maintain credibility in an era of declining trust and rampant misinformation.
The Two Health Care Cost Crises January 18, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explores the nation’s twin health cost crises of affordability, especially for people who are sick and need a lot of health care, and national health spending, and why the solutions often work at cross purposes.
The CBO Report That Didn’t Roar January 4, 2024 From Drew Altman In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman discusses a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)’s payment and delivery demonstrations have cost Medicare money, and what it means for the future of value-based payment.
Countering Health Misinformation, By the Numbers December 12, 2023 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the threat posed by health misinformation and opportunities to combat it by relying on the messengers the public trusts most for health information, which includes doctors and local television news sources.
Family Health Insurance Is No Longer Affordable Through Small Employers November 28, 2023 From Drew Altman In his Beyond the Data column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman discusses how how family health coverage is no longer affordable for workers at small employers, contributing to the health cost crisis affecting the American people.
Complexity in Our Health Care System is the Enemy of Access and Affordability October 26, 2023 Perspective In this JAMA Health Forum column, KFF’s Drew Altman and Larry Levitt examine how the complexity of the health care system – with all of its red tape – can be as big a problem for patients as the traditional big three problems of costs, quality and access.
Health Care Issues in the Early Stages of the 2024 Election July 20, 2023 Perspective In this JAMA Health Forum column, Larry Levitt examines differences in the Republican presidential candidates’ records and positions on health issues, including Medicaid and abortion, that could play a role in the primaries and would set up a sharp contrast in the general election against President Biden.
The Uncertain Future of Policies to Promote Access and Affordability Put in Place During the COVID-19 Pandemic May 19, 2022 Perspective In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt highlights four changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that helped to make health care more accessible and affordable and the prospects for those changes to telehealth, COVID-19 coverage, Medicaid and marketplace premiums continuing beyond the pandemic’s end.
Surprise Medical Bills are Ending, But Controversy Continues January 20, 2022 Perspective In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt examines how the No Surprises Act that prohibits unexpected out-of-network charges for patients could lead to lower payment rates and revenues for some doctors and other care providers.
