JAMA Forum: Don’t Be Surprised if the Next Big Health Care Debate Is About Drug Prices February 6, 2020 Perspective In this post for The JAMA Forum, Larry Levitt examines both the Democratic candidates’ proposals and the Trump administration’s record on lowering drug prices, which remains a top issue for the public with bi-partisan support.
Self-insured Companies Do No Better on Cost Control January 27, 2020 Perspective A data surprise? Drew Altman, in his latest Axios column, shows there is no difference between large self-insured and fully insured companies when it comes to controlling health care costs, bucking conventional wisdom.
The ACA is Doing Fine Without a Mandate Penalty January 14, 2020 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman explains that the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty has had little impact on how the ACA’s insurance markets are working, showing that “the marketplaces continue to function, even when ‘severed’ from the mandate penalty,” and undercutting a central argument in the lawsuit seeking to strike down the entire law.
Health Policy in 2020 Will Be Made in the States January 6, 2020 Perspective With a questionable outlook for 2020 passage of legislation on prescription drug pricing and surprise medical bills, Drew Altman says the real action to watch in health policy is likely to be in the states.
Private Insurance’s Costs are Skyrocketing December 16, 2019 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman takes a long-term view of the recently released federal data on health spending showing that spending for private insurance is rising much faster than for Medicare and Medicaid, and predicts rising pressure in the health care industry as a result.
Surprise Bills Often Hit in Emergencies December 9, 2019 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman previews new data highlighting that people with critical health issues are especially vulnerable to these bills.
Democrats Like Medicare-for-All, but Swing Voters Don’t November 19, 2019 Perspective Medicare-for-all is popular with Democrats in battleground states, but not with swing voters. In this Axios column, Drew Altman discusses the implications of the KFF-Cook Political Report poll findings.
Medicare-for-All’s Popularity May Have Peaked November 6, 2019 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman looks at the polling trend on support for Medicare-for-all suggesting it may have crested as criticism has mounted. He considers what it means for the Democratic primary and continued debate for Medicare-for-all and other expansion proposals.
Voters Aren’t Buying Trump’s Promises of a Health Care Plan October 14, 2019 Perspective Drew Altman showcases new KFF polling on the public’s views of President Trump’s promise that he will have a “phenomenal” health care plan and protect Medicare, and analyzes what it means for health care politics.
Employer-based Coverage is Unaffordable for Low-wage Workers September 26, 2019 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman digs into 2019 data on employer-provided health coverage and explains why employer coverage is often unaffordable for lower wage workers.
