Health Costs
Unvaccinated COVID patients cost the U.S. health system billions of dollars
This updated analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker estimates that the preventable costs of treating unvaccinated patients in hospitals total $3.7 billion in August, almost twice the estimates for June and July combined. The three-month total now stand at an estimated $5.7 billion.
- private Insurance
Health Insurer Financial Performance in 2020
This analysis examines insurers’ financial data across markets through the end of 2020. It finds that average margins remained relatively high compared to recent years, suggesting many insurers remained profitable even as health spending rebounded and COVID-19 cases surged in the fall and winter.
- Health Costs
Ground Ambulance Rides and Potential for Surprise Billing
This analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker finds that half of emergency ground ambulance rides result in an out-of-network charge for people with private health insurance, potentially leaving patients at risk of getting a surprise bill.
- Consumer Protection
Surprise Medical Bills: New Protections for Consumers Take Effect in 2022
This summarizes key provisions of the No Surprises Act, enacted in December 2020 to address the problem of unexpected medical bills, and issues that could arise during implementation ahead of its Jan. 1, 2022 effective date.
- POLLING
Data Note: Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs
This data note compiles our recent polling on the public’s experiences with and worries about health care costs,.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Early 2021 Data Show No Rebound in Health Care Utilization
This analysis finds hospital admissions remained below expected levels in early 2021, suggesting much of the care people put off during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic may have been forgone altogether.
- interactive
National Health Spending Explorer
Explore up-to-date information on U.S. health spending by federal and local governments, private companies, and individuals. - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
COVID-19 Continues to Be a Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. In June 2021
With the rapid uptake in vaccinations in recent months, COVID-19 deaths have fallen sharply. COVID-19 is now the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. This updated analysis looks at the pandemic’s effect on mortality rates.
- PRICES
Price Transparency and Price Variation in U.S. Health Services
A new Peterson-KFF analysis examines the potential impact of new federal price transparency rules on patient decision-making and market pricing for health services. The brief also includes new analysis of geographic variation in health prices.
Average Family Premiums Rose 4% to $21,342 in 2020, Benchmark Employer Survey Finds
This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, wellness programs, and employer practices. Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $21,342 this year, up 4% from last year, with workers on average paying $5,588 toward the cost of their coverage.
