Public Strongly Favors End-of-Life Conversations Between Doctors and Patients, With About Eight in 10 Saying Medicare and Other Insurers Should Cover These Visits September 30, 2015 News Release Six in 10 Oppose ‘Cadillac Plan Tax’ on High-Cost Health Plans Set to Take Effect in 2018, But Cost Savings Argument Can Change Some Opinions Views on the Affordable Care Act Remain Divided: 45% Unfavorable, 41% Favorable As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prepares to finalize a plan…
Why Consumer Issues Are Rising on the Health Agenda September 22, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the trends that may be leading to a rise in consumer cost issues on the health agenda. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.
Employer Family Health Premiums Rise 4 Percent to $17,545 in 2015, Extending a Decade-Long Trend of Relatively Moderate Increases September 22, 2015 News Release Since 2010, Deductibles for All Workers Have Risen Almost Three Times as Fast as Premiums and About Seven Times as Fast as Wages and Inflation Facing New Requirements, Few Employers Make Changes to Workers’ Hours Menlo Park, Calif. – Single and family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of…
How Primary-Care Physicians Are Handling the Influx of Newly Insured September 18, 2015 News Release In his column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Kaiser’s President Drew Altman is joined by The Commonwealth Fund’s President David Blumenthal to discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion on the primary care delivery system. Their analysis is based on the Kaiser-Commonwealth National Survey of…
US Improving in Health Care Quality, But Still Lagging Behind Other Countries, New Analysis Finds September 10, 2015 News Release A new brief on the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker finds that the quality of the U.S. health system is improving in many areas, but comparable countries continue to outperform the United States on key measures. Analysts from the Kaiser Family Foundation compiled an overall picture of health care quality in…
New Tracker Monitors Affordable Care Act Preventive Services Coverage September 9, 2015 News Release The Affordable Care Act requires private insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services with no out-of-pocket charges for patients. This slate of covered services can change when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other authorized groups add or modify recommendations; the federal government also periodically issues clarifications to guide…
Why Higher Drug Costs Are Consumers’ Biggest Cost Worry September 8, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses why public concern over drug prices is the “tip of the iceberg” representing broader concerns about out-of-pocket health care costs. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.
The ‘Private Option’ Medicaid Expansion in Arkansas Has Helped Reduce the Uninsured Rate and Uncompensated Care Costs While Boosting the State’s ACA Marketplace August 26, 2015 News Release A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Arkansas’ “private option” Medicaid expansion has helped reduce the number of uninsured and bring down uncompensated care costs while strengthening the state’s ACA marketplace. A Look at the Private Option in Arkansas draws upon early data as well as…
Will GOP Candidates’ Positions on Obamacare Matter in Crowded Field? August 25, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman analyzes the politics of Republican Affordable Care Act replacement plans and the challenges all Republican candidates will face distinguishing themselves from others on the ACA in a crowded primary field. All previous columns by Drew Altman are…
Analysis Estimates 1 in 4 Employers Offering Health Benefits Could Be Affected by the ‘Cadillac Tax’ in 2018 if Current Trends Continue August 25, 2015 News Release Share of Potentially-Affected Employers Could Grow to 30% in 2023, 42% in 2028, Analysis Finds New projections from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimate that one in four employers (26%) offering health benefits could be subject to the Affordable Care Act’s tax on high-cost health plans, also known as the “Cadillac…
