News Release Archives

Analysis: Marketplace Plans Denied an Average of Nearly One in Five Claims in 2017 with Wide Variations across Insurers

Feb 25, 2019

News Release

Healthcare.gov marketplace insurers denied nearly one out of every five claims (19%) submitted for in-network services in 2017, and enrollees only appeal a tiny share (0.5%) of those denied claims, a KFF analysis of recently released claims data finds. The analysis finds a huge variation across insurers, with average denial rates as low as 1 percent and as high as 45 percent. Denial rates also vary across states, though individual insurers in the same state…

The Real Cost of Health Care: Interactive Calculator Estimates Both Direct and Hidden Household Spending

Feb 21, 2019

News Release

A new interactive tool from KFF estimates total household health spending for individuals and families in the U.S., including costs that are often less visible to consumers. Users can generate scenarios based on family size, income level, insurance source, and health status. In addition to estimating direct costs like deductibles and copayments, the tool highlights indirect spending on health care, such as state and federal taxes paid to fund public programs like Medicare and Medicaid,…

“Partial” Medicaid Expansions Could Limit States’ Spending But Cover Fewer People at a Higher Federal Cost Compared to Traditional ACA Expansions

Feb 21, 2019

News Release

If states were able to receive enhanced Affordable Care Act matching funds for “partial” expansions of Medicaid, fewer people would get health coverage and the federal government would spend more, compared to a traditional expansion under the law, KFF explains in a new brief. The explainer describes how a partial expansion would differ from a traditional ACA Medicaid expansion and summarizes some of the expected effects. It also documents which states have sought federal approval…

Analysis Finds that Medications for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Are the Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid, While Diabetes Drugs Have Posted the Sharpest Rise in Costs

Feb 15, 2019

News Release

Antiviral medications, including those that treat hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, cost the Medicaid program more money (before rebates) than any other group of outpatient prescription drugs for each year from 2014 to 2017, according to a new KFF analysis. The analysis of utilization and spending trends finds that antivirals accounted for more than 13 percent of the $63.6 billion in Medicaid outpatient drug spending pre-rebates in 2017 -- a level disproportionate to their utilization and…

Missouri Foundation for Health and KFF Announce New Long-term Partnership, Establish Kaiser Health News Midwest Bureau in St. Louis

Feb 14, 2019

News Release

ST. LOUIS, Mo. & SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) and KFF (the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation) have entered into a new long-term partnership to establish a KHN (Kaiser Health News) Midwest Bureau, based in St. Louis, Missouri. KFF – the trusted source of health policy information – produces health policy analysis, polling, and journalism, and KHN is its national health and health policy newsroom, producing in-depth news coverage of health…

Coverage at Work: The Share of Nonelderly Americans with Employer-Based Insurance Rose Modestly in Recent Years, but Has Declined Markedly Over the Long Term

Feb 1, 2019

News Release

An improving economy and the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate may be behind a modest increase in the share of Americans with job-based health insurance in recent years, but the long-term trend remains a downward one, according to a new KFF analysis. Data from the federal National Health Interview Survey show the share of the nonelderly population covered by workplace plans rose from 56.3 percent in 2013 to 58.4 percent in 2017. That was still…

Medicare Part D Enrollees with Serious Health Conditions Can Face Thousands of Dollars in Out-of-Pocket Costs Annually for Specialty Drugs

Jan 29, 2019

News Release

Despite Medicare’s protections, Part D enrollees with serious health conditions can face thousands of dollars in annual out-of-pocket costs for expensive specialty drugs, a new KFF anaylsis finds. The analysis draws on data from Medicare’s Plan Finder website to calculate expected annual 2019 costs for more than two dozen specialty tier drugs used to treat four health conditions -- cancer, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis – based on coverage and costs in national and…

California Poll: Access to Mental Health Care, Insurance Coverage, and Affordability Rank among Californians’ Top Health Care Priorities for the New Governor and Legislature

Jan 24, 2019

News Release

Large Majorities across Parties Say Medi-Cal is Important to the State; Most Residents Say Program is Important to Their Families; Access to Care Remains a Challenge for Some Enrollees Californians rank making health care more affordable among their top overall priorities for the state’s new governor and legislature, with 45 percent citing it as “extremely important,” just behind improving public education (48%) and ahead of affordable housing (40%), finds a new KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)/California…

Poll: Majorities Favor a Range of Options to Expand Public Coverage, Including Medicare-for-All

Jan 23, 2019

News Release

At a time when debate is beginning about a national Medicare-for-all plan and other approaches to expanding coverage through public programs, this month’s KFF Health Tracking poll examines Americans’ early opinion on a range of options under consideration. The poll finds majority support for four different approaches: 77 percent of the public, including most Republican (69%), favor allowing people between the ages of 50 to 64 to buy health insurance through Medicare; 75 percent, including…

Ebola Spreads amid Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and U.S. Role Remains Limited

Jan 18, 2019

News Release

A new KFF issue brief examines the international and U.S. response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, now the second largest ever recorded, as authorities struggle to contain the virus’ spread amid violence in an active combat zone. Conflict in the Ebola-affected region has impeded the response from the start, but conditions worsened following the DRC’s contested national elections in December. The brief notes the limited U.S. role with restricted…

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