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Insurers estimate they will pay $1.1 billion in Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebates in 2024 to select individuals and employers that purchase their health coverage, according to a KFF analysis of preliminary data reported to state regulators. The estimated rebate for 2024 is larger than rebates issued in most prior years. Nearly $12 billion in rebates have been issued since 2012.
This analysis outlines the potential reach of a prominent conservative proposal — widely seen as a blueprint for another Trump administration — that recommends expanding the Mexico City Policy to include virtually all U.S. foreign assistance. It looks at the amount of funding, the number of organizations, the range of foreign assistance sectors, and other variables that could be affected should the proposal be implemented.
In discussions of Medicare’s financial condition, attention frequently centers on one specific measure—the solvency of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund, out of which Medicare Part A benefits are paid. Based on current projections from the Medicare Board of Trustees, the HI trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2036, 12 years from now. These FAQs answer key questions about Medicare financing and trust fund solvency.
As of May 21, 2024, half of all U.S. states have enacted a law that prohibits or limits youth access to gender affirming care. This Data Note examines the uptick in this lawmaking, which was slow at first but then quickened, increasing 7-fold in an eight-month period in 2023.
Oral health is key to overall health and well-being, and the use of dental services helps prevent and treat dental disease and improves oral health. The prevalence of unmet oral health needs is higher among people with low incomes, including those with Medicaid. This issue brief describes Medicaid dental coverage, examines the use of dental services for children and adults in Medicaid, and discusses current challenges and policy changes that impact access to oral health care for Medicaid enrollees.
This brief is focused on racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care, including use of mental health care, barriers to mental health care, the impact of prior experiences of unfair treatment or negative experiences with a provider on use of mental health care, and awareness of the 9-8-8 mental health hotline.
A KFF analysis of the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the national alcohol death rate has risen 70% in the past decade, accounting for 51,191 deaths in 2022 -- up from 27,762 deaths in 2012. The analysis has state-level data showing considerable variation in alcohol death rates across states. Deaths rose sharply during the pandemic, with the steepest increases among adults aged 26 to 44, American Indian and Alaska Native people, and females—all groups that experienced close to, or more than, a 100% rise in alcohol mortality rates since 2012.
This analysis examines performance metrics to assess utilization of 988’s LGBTQ service (which SAMHSA refers to as the LGBTQI+ subnetwork), compared to usage of 988’s main service, from December 2023 to March 2024 (the most current and comprehensive data available). It finds high demand for the specialty services but also certain challenges (e.g. higher call abandonment rates and longer call wait times than for the main 988 service).
This issue brief explains how misinformation about contraceptives and how pregnancy is defined in state abortion bans may impact contraceptive access, and outlines the legal protections some states have established to affirm the right to obtain contraceptives.
To provide context for understanding the financial needs and well-being of older adults, this brief analyzes the latest data on poverty rates among the 58 million non-institutionalized adults ages 65 and older in the U.S overall, based on both the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure.
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