JAMA Forum: Is the Affordable Care Act Imploding? April 17, 2017 Perspective In this April 2017 post, Larry Levitt discusses the current status of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces, and explains how the Trump administration’s choices — including whether to continue cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers — could influence stability of the marketplaces going forward. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.
Why the Senate’s Health-Care Plan Wouldn’t work in the Real World June 27, 2017 Perspective In a Washington Post op-ed, Drew Altman dissects the difference between the talking points and the reality of the Senate health bill to replace the Affordable Care Act and change Medicaid.
The Republican Base is Getting Less Excited About Health Care June 29, 2017 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman explains that as Republican policymakers are focused on delivering a repeal of Obamacare for their base, polling shows that it’s not a top priority for Trump supporters, and their intensity on a replacement plan has declined, suggesting that the issue may not drive turnout for future elections.
The News Media and “Entitlement Reform” November 26, 2012 Perspective In the coming debate about the deficit, policymakers will struggle to craft a package of spending reductions and new revenues that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on, totaling as much as four trillion dollars over ten years. Medicare, Medicaid and potentially the Affordable Care Act will have their turn…
Holiday Reminder December 14, 2010 Perspective Like you, the holidays always make me think about those who are less fortunate. Last year around this time, I wrote a”Holiday Reminder” column about the health reform debate and people’s economic difficulties. The drive to pass the health reform law was struggling, and it would struggle even more in the…
KFF Survey Finds that a Majority of Individuals Who Buy Their Own Insurance Report Facing a Premium Increase June 21, 2010 Perspective People who buy their own insurance report that their insurers most recently requested premium increases averaging 20 percent, according to a new Kaiser survey examining the experiences and views of people who buy health coverage in the non-group or individual market. Overall roughly three in four people (77 percent) with…
A Public Opinion Surprise, The Latest “Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman” April 5, 2011 Perspective With Medicaid being the focus of federal and state debate on deficits, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s President and CEO examines recent poll findings about the program’s popularity that may be a surprise considering the current discussion.
The Economy and Medical Care November 15, 2011 Perspective Various market watchers have reported that the use of health care services has not been growing recently as it had in the past, resulting in lower than expected health care claims for people with private insurance and higher than expected earnings for insurers. A look at physician office visits by…
Uninsured Are Less Satisfied May 2, 2011 Perspective Given that people without health insurance have no protection from health care costs, it is not surprising that they are much less likely to say they are satisfied with costs than those with insurance (31 percent vs. 68 percent Majorities of both the uninsured and insured report being satisfied with…
Pulling it Together: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks July 7, 2009 Perspective Way back in the eighties when I was Human Services Commissioner in New Jersey, I established something called the Garden State Health Plan (GSHP). It was the first — and I think the only — federally qualified state-run HMO for Medicaid beneficiaries. One goal of the GSHP was to reallocate…
