Births of Low Birthweight as a Percent of All Births by Race/Ethnicity March 6, 2024 State Indicator disparity, Disparities
Charges for Emails with Doctors and other Healthcare Providers March 6, 2024 Issue Brief Patient-provider email messaging accelerated early in the COVID-19 pandemic as more patients sought medical care remotely, and the addition of billing codes for digital health services and subsequent changes in insurers’ payment policies have enabled providers to bill insurers and patients for messaging. This analysis examines the typical cost of…
What to Know About How Medicare Pays Physicians March 6, 2024 Issue Brief In November 2023, CMS finalized a 3.4% decrease in the physician fee schedule conversion factor, a key aspect of payment rates under the Medicare program, resulting in a 1.25% decrease in overall payments that is expected to vary by specialty. This issue brief answers key questions about how physicians are paid under the Medicare program, and reviews policy options under discussion for payment reform.
3 Charts: The Cost and Coverage of Opill—the First FDA-approved Over-the-Counter Daily Oral Contraceptive Pill in the United States March 5, 2024 News Release The first FDA-approved over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive pill in the United States— Perrigo’s Opill— is now available for pre-order at major online retailers and will soon be available in stores. Although the new over-the-counter pill could broaden access to contraceptive options in the United States, KFF research suggests consumers are…
Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver Watch: A Closer Look at Recent Approvals to Address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) March 4, 2024 Issue Brief This issue brief provides an overview of how Section 1115 waivers have been used to address the health-related social needs of enrollees, including a summary of recent approvals for eight states.
Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs March 1, 2024 Issue Brief This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.
Employer Responsibility Under the Affordable Care Act February 29, 2024 Infographic The Affordable Care Act does not require businesses to provide health benefits to their workers, but applicable large employers may face penalties if they don’t make affordable coverage available. The employer shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act penalizes employers who either do not offer coverage or do not offer coverage that meets minimum value and affordability standards. These penalties apply to firms with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees. This flowchart illustrates how those employer responsibilities work.
