What to Know About How Medicare Pays Physicians March 6, 2024 Issue Brief In November 2023, CMS finalized a 3.4% decrease in the physician fee schedule conversion factor, a key aspect of payment rates under the Medicare program, resulting in a 1.25% decrease in overall payments that is expected to vary by specialty. This issue brief answers key questions about how physicians are paid under the Medicare program, and reviews policy options under discussion for payment reform.
3 Charts: The Cost and Coverage of Opill—the First FDA-approved Over-the-Counter Daily Oral Contraceptive Pill in the United States March 5, 2024 News Release The first FDA-approved over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive pill in the United States— Perrigo’s Opill— is now available for pre-order at major online retailers and will soon be available in stores. Although the new over-the-counter pill could broaden access to contraceptive options in the United States, KFF research suggests consumers are…
Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver Watch: A Closer Look at Recent Approvals to Address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) March 4, 2024 Issue Brief This issue brief provides an overview of how Section 1115 waivers have been used to address the health-related social needs of enrollees, including a summary of recent approvals for eight states.
Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs March 1, 2024 Issue Brief This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.
Employer Responsibility Under the Affordable Care Act February 29, 2024 Infographic The Affordable Care Act does not require businesses to provide health benefits to their workers, but applicable large employers may face penalties if they don’t make affordable coverage available. The employer shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act penalizes employers who either do not offer coverage or do not offer coverage that meets minimum value and affordability standards. These penalties apply to firms with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees. This flowchart illustrates how those employer responsibilities work.
Five Key Facts About Immigrants’ Understanding of U.S. Immigration Laws, Including Public Charge February 29, 2024 Poll Finding From the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants – the largest nationally representative survey focused on this group – comes five key facts about information gaps regarding public charge rules and how these information gaps can prevent immigrants from getting financial assistance they need.
Since Dobbs, Few Large Firms Have Changed Their Plan’s Abortion Coverage Policy February 29, 2024 News Release According to an analysis of responses to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey in 2023, relatively few (8%) large firms (with 200 or more workers) offering health benefits report reducing or expanding coverage for abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling. Since…
Coverage of Abortion in Large Employer-Sponsored Plans in 2023 February 29, 2024 Issue Brief This brief presents findings from the 2023 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey on coverage of abortion services in large employer-sponsored health plans, changes employers made to abortion coverage since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, and employers’ provision of financial assistance for travel out of state to obtain an abortion.
Three Questions About Medicaid Unwinding: What We Know and What to Expect February 28, 2024 Blog Ten months into the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, states have conducted renewals for roughly half of all enrollees in the program. This policy watch examines three key questions to monitor as unwinding continues.
Preventive Services Covered by Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act February 28, 2024 Fact Sheet Note: This content was updated on February 28, 2024 to incorporate new FAQs from CMS. Tables 1 and 2 were also updated to include updated recommendations. It has been more than ten years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) required private insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services without any…