Affordability


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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  • An analysis of out-of-network claims in large employer health plans

    Issue Brief

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation brief examines out-of-network claims in large employer plans, and finds that a significant share of inpatient hospital admissions includes bills from out-of-network providers, often leaving patients exposed to "surprise medical bills" and high out-of-pocket costs. The analysis of part of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.

  • Getting the Most Bang for Our Health Reform Buck: Enrolling and Retaining Everyone Who’s Eligible

    Event Date:
    Event

    As Congress looks for ways to increase access to health care, existing programs such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are often overlooked. Yet enrolling those who are eligible for such programs is one of the easiest ways to expand coverage. This briefing, co-sponsored by Alliance for Health Reform and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), looked at ways to streamline recruitment and enrollment, while exploring how expanding Medicaid and CHIP…

  • Key Issues in Understanding the Economic and Health Security of Current and Future Generations of Seniors

    Issue Brief

    As part of broad deficit-reduction plans, policymakers are considering reforms to the nation's three major entitlement programs - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - that could significantly affect the economic security of seniors in their retirement years. This brief examines the role of these programs in ensuring seniors' financial security as well as the challenges facing current and future generations when it comes to economic and health security. Drawing from current research and data, the…

  • Living Close to the Edge: Financial Challenges and Tradeoffs for People on Medicare

    Report

    As Congress and other policymakers weigh potentially major changes to the Medicare program as part of the deficit-reduction debate, this Kaiser Family Foundation report highlights the role Medicare now plays in the lives of beneficiaries and the challenges many face in paying for their health care and other living expenses on a fixed budget. Based on detailed profiles of 16 Medicare families, the report examines beneficiaries' incomes, retirement savings and routine expenses, including health care…

  • Health Care After the Supreme Court Decision: What’s Next?

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    Event

    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the health reform law. Panelists explore such questions as: What does the court's ruling mean for those without health insurance? Will states that choose to participate in the Medicaid expansion be ready to cover nearly all non-disabled adults under age 65 with household incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level as…

  • Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Boosted Medicare Spending by $7 Billion in 2019

    News Release

    The federal government spent $321 more per person for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans than for those in traditional Medicare in 2019, a gap that amounted to $7 billion in additional spending on the increasingly popular private plans that year, finds a new KFF analysis. The Medicare Advantage spending includes the cost of extra benefits, such as vision, dental and hearing coverage that are funded by rebates and not covered for beneficiaries in traditional…

  • Analysis: A Proposal Like Biden’s Health Plan Would Lower the Cost of ACA Marketplace Coverage for Nearly All Potential Enrollees and Lower Premiums for Over 12 Million Workers With Employer Coverage

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds that expanding Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies like Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has proposed would lower the cost of Marketplace coverage for nearly all potential enrollees, including the uninsured and others currently priced out of the Marketplace. While the former Vice President’s plan to create a public option has received substantial public attention, his companion proposal to expand ACA marketplace subsidies has been less discussed, even as it…

  • Many Women Use Preventive Services, but Gaps in Awareness of Insurance Coverage Requirements Persist: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey on women’s receipt of cancer screenings and other preventive services and differences between subgroups of women. We also present data on women’s and men’s awareness of federal requirements for private insurance coverage of preventive services.