1 in 10 Adults Owe Medical Debt, With Millions Owing More Than $10,000 March 10, 2022 News Release Americans Likely Owe Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Total Medical Debt A new KFF analysis of government data estimates that nearly 1 in 10 adults (9%) – or roughly 23 million people – owe medical debt. This includes 11 million who owe more than $2,000 and 3 million people…
How Affordability of Health Care Varies by Income among People with Employer Coverage March 10, 2022 Issue Brief This analysis looks at the share of working families’ income that is spent on premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing for employer-sponsored care. It shows that lower-income families spend a greater share of their income on health costs than those with higher incomes.
Many households do not have enough money to pay cost-sharing typical in private health plans March 10, 2022 Issue Brief This analysis assesses whether people can afford to pay cost-sharing amounts common with private insurance plans. It finds that large shares of non-elderly households do not have enough liquid assets to meet typical plan cost-sharing amounts.
Without Build Back Better, Will the End of the Public Health Emergency Leave Even More People Uninsured? March 2, 2022 Blog Continuous enrollment in Medicaid and enhanced premium assistance have helped millions afford and maintain coverage, but those gains could be reversed as the public emergency ends and if the provisions like those in the Build Back Better Act fail to pass.
Outpatient telehealth use soared early in the COVID-19 pandemic but has since receded February 10, 2022 Issue Brief Telehealth use skyrocketed during the early months of the pandemic. While it has since decreased somewhat from that high, it still represents a much more substantial share of health care than before COVID, this KFF-Epic Research analysis finds.
Network Adequacy Standards and Enforcement February 4, 2022 Issue Brief Health plan networks affect patient access to care. This brief reviews options for setting and enforcing network adequacy standards and tools for making differences in plan networks more transparent.
Marketplace Sign-ups Increased by 21% in 2022 January 28, 2022 Slide Forty-seven states saw Marketplace enrollment increase, ranging from 1% in Rhode Island to 42% in Texas. In 20 states, enrollment increased by more than 20%.
How are Large Private Insurers Covering At-Home Rapid Tests? January 20, 2022 News Release Less than a week after a new federal mandate to cover such products took effect, about half of the nation’s largest private insurers allow enrollees to directly obtain rapid at-home COVID-19 tests from specific sources without having to pay anything upfront, a new KFF analysis finds. The new coverage requirement…
How Are Private Insurers Covering At-Home Rapid COVID Tests? January 20, 2022 Blog This policy watch provides an early look at how top private insurers are implementing a new requirement to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests. Initially about half offer a direct coverage option and half require an enrollee to pay upfront and then seek reimbursement.
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.