Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues
An archived webcast of this forum is now available at http://www.healthsystemtracker.org . Nearly a fifth of the United States’ economy goes to healthcare spending – a far larger share than in any other large, wealthy country in the world. Research suggests that price, rather than the volume of services, is…
Two new chart collections examine trends in healthcare prices and utilization and compare health spending in the United States with that of other wealthy countries.
The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds health care ranking among the top issues voters want to hear candidates talk about during their congressional campaigns, with health care cost ranking as the top health care issue for voters across partisanship. However, for many voters, including one-third of Republican voters, a candidate’ position on President Trump will make the biggest difference in how they vote in 2018. This month’s poll also takes an in-depth look at voters who say a candidate’s position on health care will be the “most important factor” in their 2018 congressional vote choice, otherwise known as “health care voters.”
Research demonstrates that improving population health and achieving health equity will require broad approaches that address social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health. This brief provides an overview of the broad factors that influence health and describes efforts to address them, including initiatives within Medicaid.
In an Axios column, Drew Altman analyzes the narrowing gap between growth in health spending and GDP and discusses why it matters. The big question, he says, is will the narrowing have staying power?
More than four years after the implementation of the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act, debate and controversy around the implications of the expansion continue. Despite a large body of research that shows that the Medicaid expansion results in gains in coverage, improvements in access and financial security, and economic benefits for states and providers, some argue that the Medicaid expansion has broadened the program beyond its original intent diverting spending from the “truly needy”, offers poor quality and limited access to providers, and has increased state costs. New proposals allow states to implement policies never approved before including conditioning Medicaid eligibility on work or community engagement. New complex requirements run counter to the post-ACA movement of Medicaid integration with other health programs and streamlined enrollment processes. This brief examines evidence of the effects of the Medicaid expansion and some changes being implemented through waivers. Many of the findings on the effects of expansion cited in this brief are drawn from the 202 studies included in our comprehensive literature review that includes additional citations on coverage, access, and economic effects of the Medicaid expansion.
Insurers in 2017 had their best financial year selling individual market health insurance since the Affordable Care Act began requiring guaranteed access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions in 2014, though recent political and policy changes create new challenges for insurers trying to succeed in this market, new Kaiser…
The Kaiser Family Foundation today launched a tracker to monitor preliminary 2019 premiums in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces as insurers file rate information with state regulators. Beginning with data from eight states (Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington) plus the District of Columbia, the tracker shows…
Given the Trump Administration’s promotion of short-term limited-duration (STLD) health insurance policies, this brief examines what they mean for people with HIV. The analysis assesses whether people with HIV could enroll in STLD plans by applying to 38 plans across five states and getting in each case. It also assesses whether such plans could meet basic HIV care and treatment needs for someone diagnosed once enrolled. This finding takes on new importance in light of the Administration’s decision not to defend the ACA and to argue for eliminating pre-existing condition protections.
This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll asked the public about access to guns among seniors over the age of 65.
