Analysis: For Patients with Large Employer Coverage, About 1 in 6 Hospital Stays Includes an Out-of-Network Bill August 13, 2018 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of medical bills from large employer plans finds that a significant share of inpatient hospital admissions includes bills from providers not in the health plan’s networks, generally leaving patients subject to higher cost-sharing and potential additional bills from providers. Almost 18 percent of inpatient…
Why Some Employers are Turning to Progressive Health Benefits June 6, 2018 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines the status of progressive health benefits (health benefits linked to wage levels) and their pros and cons at a time when employee health costs are rising and wages are flat.
New Charts Track Growth in U.S. Health Care Prices, Draw Comparisons to Other Countries May 9, 2018 News Release Two new chart collections examine trends in healthcare prices and utilization and compare health spending in the United States with that of other wealthy countries.
Analysis: Cost of Treating Opioid Addiction Rose Rapidly for Large Employers as the Number of Prescriptions Has Declined April 5, 2018 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that while the use of prescription opioids among people with employer-based health coverage has declined to its lowest levels in over a decade, the cost of treating addiction and overdoses has increased sharply. The annual cost of treating opioid addiction and overdose –…
A Look at How the Opioid Crisis Has Affected People with Employer Coverage April 5, 2018 Issue Brief This Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that while prescription opioid use among people with private insurance has declined to its lowest levels in over a decade, the cost of treating opioid abuse has increased substantially.
State and Federal Contraceptive Coverage Requirements: Implications for Women and Employers March 29, 2018 Issue Brief Before the ACA was passed, many states had enacted contraceptive equity laws that required plans to treat contraceptives in the same way they covered other services. In addition, since the ACA was passed, a number of states have enacted laws that basically codify in state legislation the ACA benefit rules. This issue brief provides an update on the status of the continuing litigation on the federal contraceptive requirement and explains the interplay between the federal and state contraceptive coverage laws and the implications for employers and women.
Don’t Overhype the New Health Care Venture February 8, 2018 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman dissects the many dimensions of the health cost problem and discusses why the Bezos-Buffett-Dimon initiative is unlikely to have much impact on the larger health cost problems the public and policymakers care about most.
The Biggest Health Issue We Aren’t Debating November 22, 2017 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman raises a health care issue that isn’t being debated, a large share of the public don’t have the assets to cover the cost sharing in their health plan if they get sick.
Do Health Plan Enrollees have Enough Money to Pay Cost Sharing? November 3, 2017 Issue Brief This brief looks at the extent to which people have enough savings to meet the cost sharing requirements under private health insurance policies, which have risen substantially in recent years.
One Big Thing People Don’t Know About Single Payer November 2, 2017 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman discusses a challenge for single payer which has not received much attention – a large share of the American people do not think they would have to change their current health insurance arrangements if there were a Medicare-for-all style single payer plan.