Employer Health

In this data note, based on KFF’s 2023 Employer Health Benefit Survey, we assess the current status of domestic partner health insurance benefit offerings for same-sex spouses.

This analysis looks at the share of family income people with employer-based coverage pay toward their premiums and out-of-pocket payments for medical care. The cost of employer sponsored health insurance—including premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs—has risen steadily over time.

This document includes the toplines from the joint USA Today/Kaiser/Harvard School of Public Health survey exploring Americans’ views on health care costs.Survey Toplines (.pdf)

As deductibles have increased over the past five years, those with higher deductibles are more likely to say that health insurance has gotten worse over the past five years.

As open enrollment begins for Marketplace plans, this Policy Watch provides information about consumer experiences with Marketplace sign up from the 2023 KFF Consumer Survey. Data from the survey show that Marketplace sign up has been a challenge to many consumers—often more complicated than enrollment in other kinds of health insurance. The Policy Watch also spotlights efforts to address common enrollment problems such as option overload and transitioning to Marketplace coverage from other forms of coverage.

This brief discusses the longstanding legal doctrine, Chevron deference, being challenged in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and includes examples of what could be at stake for health care consumers should federal courts no longer use this doctrine to address litigation related to federal health regulations. The focus here is on patient and consumer protection regulation, but overturning the Chevron deference would have implications in all areas of health care.