Low-Wage Workers Feel the Pinch on Health Insurance September 18, 2014 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores how low-wage firms and their workers are faring in the employer-based health insurance market and how the Affordable Care Act may influence future trends.
Tax Subsidies for Private Health Insurance October 27, 2014 Issue Brief 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.
Consumer Assets and Patient Cost Sharing March 11, 2015 Issue Brief Higher cost sharing in private insurance has been credited with helping to slow the growth of health care costs in recent years. For families with low incomes or moderate incomes, however, high deductibles, out-of-pocket limits and other cost sharing can be a potential barrier to care and may lead these families to significant financial difficulties. This issue brief uses information from the Federal Reserve Board’s 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances to look at how household resources match up against potential cost-sharing requirements for plans offered by employers or available in the individual market, including in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
What’s The Role of Private Health Insurance Today and Under Medicare-for-all and Other Public Option Proposals? July 30, 2019 Issue Brief This brief examines the role private insurers play in providing health coverage for Americans today in employer plans and the individual market, as well as in Medicare and Medicaid, and how that would likely change under Medicare-for-all and other proposals.
Employer-based Coverage is Unaffordable for Low-wage Workers September 26, 2019 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman digs into 2019 data on employer-provided health coverage and explains why employer coverage is often unaffordable for lower wage workers.
How Corporate Executives View Rising Health Care Cost and the Role of Government April 29, 2021 Report This survey of executive decision-makers at over 300 large private employers finds most see rising health costs as a threat to their businesses and believe a broader government role will be necessary to control health costs and ensure coverage.
Lowering the Age of Medicare Eligibility Would Likely Reduce Health Spending for Employers, But Raise Costs for the Federal Government by Covering More People in Medicare April 27, 2021 News Release Two new KFF analyses find that lowering the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60 could significantly reduce health spending for employers, who could potentially pass savings to employees in the form of lower premiums or higher wages. Additionally, per person health spending for older adults who move from…
Health Insurance Coverage in 2013: Gains in Public Coverage Continue to Offset Loss of Private Insurance April 21, 2015 Issue Brief The recession accelerated the long-standing decline in employer-sponsored health insurance and through 2013 most of the recovery in the uninsured rate was due to increased enrollment in public insurance, primarily Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). With the exception of young adults ages 19 to 25, who are able to remain on their parents’ health plan until age 26 under the ACA, ESI coverage rates for adults and children continued to decrease between 2010 and 2013.
Private Insurance Coverage of Contraception December 7, 2016 Issue Brief Insurance coverage of contraceptive services has been the focus of policy attention by state and federal policymakers, as well as in the courts, over the past two decades. This issue brief explains the rules for private insurance coverage of contraceptives at the federal and state level and discusses key issues regarding the provision and coverage of contraception by private insurance plans, including the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Two Substantive Sides to Debate Over Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ October 2, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman says debate about whether to keep or repeal the Cadillac tax is more than a debate between sound policy and good politics, there are strong substantive arguments on both sides.