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KFF’s policy research provides facts and analysis on a wide range of policy issues and public programs.
KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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Health Policy 101 is a comprehensive guide covering fundamental aspects of U.S. health policy and programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance, the uninsured population, health care costs and affordability, women's health issues, and health care politics. The Health Care Costs and Affordability chapter explores trends in health care costs in the U.S. and the factors that contribute to this spending. It also examines how health care spending varies across the population, the impact of costs on care affordability and individuals' overall financial vulnerability.
Distribution of Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries and Medicare Spending, 2009 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of the CMS Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use File, 2009.
Median Out-of-Pocket Health Care Spending As a Percent of Income Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 1997-2006 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of CMS Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use files, 1997-2006.
Out-of-Pocket Health Care Spending As a Percent of Income Among Medicare Beneficiaries, By Spending Percentile, 1997-2006 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of CMS Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use files, 1997-2006.
A comprehensive survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides a snapshot of women and their health coverage and care during a time of transition as important Affordable Care Act insurance market changes began to take root. These include many changes that affect women including a prohibition on using gender in setting premiums, as well as broadening access to a more comprehensive range of preventive services benefits without cost sharing. The Kaiser Women’s Health…
A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis and chartbook break down what beneficiaries with traditional Medicare pay for their health care, including insurance premiums, and costs for medical and long-term care services. The analysis highlights the significant variations in what people pay based on the services they use, and their age, gender and other characteristics, and highlights trends in out-of-pocket spending. Based on the latest available data from a nationally representative survey of people on Medicare,…
Immigration Status and Fears Pose Challenges to Further Expanding Coverage Among Hispanics Affordability Key Obstacle to Enrollment for Those Who Remain Uninsured MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Nearly six in 10 (58%) previously uninsured Californians report getting health insurance since last summer, finds the second wave of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Longitudinal Panel Survey following the experiences of a randomly selected panel of uninsured Californians under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Based on official estimates of…
This brief describes the different forms of tax assistance for private health insurance, including subsidies offered through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces and benefits for people who are self-employed or who have employer-based coverage. The brief also provides examples of how the subsidies work and how the amounts may differ by income and type of coverage.
The Kaiser Family Foundation will host a web conversation to discuss the drivers of recent and forecasted trends in prescription drug spending and examine how drug prices are set.
This Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that for workers covered by their employer's health plans, out-of-pocket costs including deductibles and coinsurance have been increasing significantly faster than costs paid by insurers, reflecting a decade-long trend toward slightly less generous coverage.
The survey, conducted shortly after the close of the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment period, is the third in a series exploring the experiences of individuals who purchase their own health insurance in the nongroup market, including coverage purchased both inside and outside the ACA’s marketplaces. It examines enrollees’ satisfaction with their health plans’ premiums, deductibles, and provider networks, their views on affordability, shopping experiences, and problems encountered with their plans.
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