Analysis: Inconsistencies Within Hospital Price Transparency Data Make Cost Comparisons Difficult February 10, 2023 News Release Since 2021, federal law has required hospitals to publicly post information about their standard prices and negotiated discount rates for common health services to encourage consumers to compare prices and to promote competition. To date, however, the transparency data currently shared by hospitals to comply with the law are messy,…
Nearly Four in Ten Say Their Households Were Sick with COVID-19, the Flu, or RSV Recently Even as Most People Say They Aren’t Too Worried About Getting Seriously Ill February 7, 2023 News Release Booster update remains modest; half of those already boosted are waiting for updated CDC guidelines to get another dose Nearly four in ten (38%) people say their households were affected by this winter’s triple threat of viruses, with someone getting sick with the flu, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),…
Medicare Advantage Plans Denied 2 Million Prior Authorization Requests in 2021, About 6% of Such Requests February 2, 2023 News Release Medicare Advantage plans denied two million prior authorization requests for health care services in whole or in part in 2021, or about six percent of the 35 million requests submitted on behalf of enrollees that year, a new KFF analysis finds. Prior authorization is intended to ensure that health care…
The Public, Including Women of Childbearing Age, Are Largely Confused About the Legality of Medication Abortion and Emergency Contraceptives in Their States February 1, 2023 News Release More than six months since the Supreme Court issued their Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, there is widespread public confusion about the medication abortion pill and whether it is legal at the state level, according to the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll. The poll also finds many are…
Two KFF Analyses Explore the Demographics of People Jointly Enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid As Well As Program Enrollment and Spending for This Population January 31, 2023 News Release The 12.5 million people who are jointly enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid include some of the poorest individuals in the U.S. with some of the highest health needs, requiring disproportionately high spending from both programs to support them. Two new KFF analyses examine the demographics of this population as well…
Rates of Long COVID in the U.S. Have Declined Since June of 2022 January 26, 2023 News Release The share of people who say they have had long COVID has declined since the summer, according to a new KFF analysis of self-reported data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among people who have ever had COVID, the share who say they currently or have ever had…
As States Prepare to “Unwind” the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision, Past Patterns Show That Most People Who Are Disenrolled from Medicaid Become Uninsured for All or Part of the Next 12 Months January 25, 2023 News Release Roughly two-thirds (65%) of people who were disenrolled from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in a recent year became uninsured for all or part of the 12 months that followed, a new KFF analysis finds. The analysis of enrollment data from the 2016-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey…
KFF’s Kaiser Health News Launches Weekly “KHN Health Minute” on CBS News Radio January 20, 2023 News Release KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) is launching a weekly one-minute health information segment for CBS News Radio stations that will help millions of listeners stay informed and make better health decisions. CBS News Radio began offering the KHN Health Minute to its more than 700 affiliate stations weekly on Jan.…
Leading up to the 50th Anniversary of the Now-Overturned Roe, New KFF Brief Presents an Analysis of Current Legal Challenges to State Abortion Bans January 20, 2023 News Release As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court of the United States landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which the Supreme Court overturned, 14 states have active litigation challenging state abortion bans and restrictions. A new KFF brief explains how individuals and organizations suing to block the bans…
Recent Studies Show That Medicaid Expansion Has Improved the Financial Performance of Hospitals and Other Providers, In Line With Prior Research January 18, 2023 News Release A KFF synthesis of recent studies finds that Medicaid expansion has been beneficial to the finances of hospitals and providers, driving decreases in the share of uninsured patients, increases in Medicaid-covered patients and declines in uncompensated care. By financing coverage for low-income people who are likely to otherwise be uninsured,…