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A promotional image for the the KFF Health Policy 101 Health Care Costs and Affordability chapter

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.

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  • Early Indications of the Impact of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Expiration on 2026 Marketplace Premiums

    Issue Brief

    Every summer, health insurers submit rate filings to state regulators detailing expectations and justifying premium rate changes for ACA-regulated health plans for the coming year. With the enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of 2025, consumers can expect increases in how much they pay for coverage. KFF examines 23 early insurer premium filings from Vermont, Oregon, Washington, and Washington, DC, which include an additional 4 percent increase in premiums, on average,…

  • More Than Half of the Public Worries Federal Medicaid Budget Cuts Would Affect Their Family’s Ability to Obtain and Afford Care; More Worry It Will Increase the Uninsured 

    News Release

    As Congress weighs spending cuts and other changes to Medicaid, more than half (54%) of the public say they are worried significant reductions in federal Medicaid spending would negatively affect their family’s ability to obtain and afford health care, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. This includes about three in 10 (29%) who say they are “very worried” about such an outcome.  Democrats (69%) and independents (68%) are much more likely to say they…

  • Poll: Most of the Public Support Extending the ACA’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, Including Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters

    News Release

    With the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of 2025, a large majority (77%) of the public favor Congress extending the credits while about one in five (22%) say they should let them expire, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Majorities of Democrats (91%), independents (80%), and Republicans (63%) say the enhanced tax credits should be extended by Congress, as do more than half (56%) of…

  • Pending Changes to Marketplace Plans Could Increase Cost Sharing for Consumers

    Policy Watch

    This brief looks at changes to Marketplace plans recently finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that may incentivize insurers to make their plans less generous. With less generous plans, consumers could face higher out-of-pocket costs, though those who don't qualify for premium tax credits could see lower premiums.

  • Nearly Half of Metro Areas Have Only One or Two Hospitals or Health Systems Providing Inpatient Care

    News Release

    Nearly half (47%) of metropolitan areas across the country had only one or two hospitals or health systems providing general inpatient hospital care in 2022, a new KFF analysis finds.The analysis examines the extent of competition among hospitals amid a wave of hospital consolidation that has drawn the attention of state and federal regulators. About one in five (19%) metropolitan statistical areas have only one hospital or health system providing hospital care, and more than…

  • 2024 Employer Health Benefits Chart Pack

    Feature

    This slideshow captures key data from the 2024 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey survey, providing a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing, abortion coverage, offer rates, wellness programs, and other employer practices.

  • Explaining the Muddle on ACA Tax Credits

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF’s President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman looks at why the issue of extending the enhanced ACA tax credits has languished in Congress without clear direction, despite its importance to the 24 million people who get their coverage in the ACA Marketplaces today and the potentially significant role the issue could play in the midterms if the credits are not extended.

  • A Guide to the Role of Health in the Midterms

    From Drew Altman

    In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman says health care costs are playing a significant role in the midterms as one dimension of voters’ concerns about cost of living, and explains why pollsters, analysts, and candidates should look at it that way, and not as a separate voting issue. He writes, “The ‘issue’ that matters most in this election is cost of living and the cost of health care is a central…

  • AI in Health Care: Who Gets Left Behind?

    Podcast

    Health care's AI future is being built right now. The open question is “for whom?” Dr. Uché Blackstock — emergency physician, former associate professor at NYU School of Medicine, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, and author of The New York Times bestseller “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine” — joins host Chip Kahn to argue that AI governance should be shaped not only by regulators and review boards, but by…