The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
What to Look for in 2017 ACA Marketplace Premium Changes
This brief discusses the key factors that will influence the rate changes that insurers are requesting in 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, including current premiums, forecasted enrollment changes, increases in price and use of services, changes in policy design or network, changes in law or regulation, and competition.
Policy Insights Read PostClinton-Sanders Contest Fuels Democratic Support for Expanding Obamacare
In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how the debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders about how to get to universal coverage has generated more support among Democrats for expanding the Affordable Care Act (and less support for the law as is).
Column Read PostJAMA Forum: Reports of Obamacare’s Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated
In this post for The JAMA Forum, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Larry Levitt discusses UnitedHealth’s exit from Affordable Care Act marketplaces, the possibility of bigger premium increases in 2017, and why these challenges are unlikely to significantly affect long-term sustainability of the market and the law.
Column Read PostObamacare? Zika? Which Health Stories Americans Actually Follow
In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman analyzes the Kaiser Health Policy News Index to determine which health stories in the news have broken through to the public the most in the last year. One conclusion: it wasn’t the Affordable Care Act.
Column Read PostZika Virus: The Challenge for Women
In the latest post in the Policy Insights series, Jen Kates, Josh Michaud, and Allison Valentine examine how rapid emergence of Zika virus in the Americas, and its association with a severe birth defect, impact women as some health officials are calling for women to avoid pregnancy even though they have limited reproductive health access in some of the affected countries. They also examine the role of the U.S. government in addressing Zika and its impact on women in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Policy Insights Read PostWhat Paul Ryan’s Stance on 2016 Means for Health Care
In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses the implications of Paul Ryan’s decision to rule out being drafted as a Republican presidential candidate for the 2017 health care agenda and how it could focus greater attention on proposals to change Medicare and Medicaid along with the Affordable Care Act.
Column Read Post