How Affordability of Health Care Varies by Income among People with Employer Coverage March 10, 2022 Issue Brief This analysis looks at the share of working families’ income that is spent on premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing for employer-sponsored care. It shows that lower-income families spend a greater share of their income on health costs than those with higher incomes.
Many households do not have enough money to pay cost-sharing typical in private health plans March 10, 2022 Issue Brief This analysis assesses whether people can afford to pay cost-sharing amounts common with private insurance plans. It finds that large shares of non-elderly households do not have enough liquid assets to meet typical plan cost-sharing amounts.
Outpatient telehealth use soared early in the COVID-19 pandemic but has since receded February 10, 2022 Issue Brief Telehealth use skyrocketed during the early months of the pandemic. While it has since decreased somewhat from that high, it still represents a much more substantial share of health care than before COVID, this KFF-Epic Research analysis finds.
How Do Prescription Drug Costs in the United States Compare to Other Countries? February 8, 2022 Slideshow
Tracking The Pandemic’s Effects On Health Outcomes, Costs, And Access To Care February 4, 2022 Perspective This Health Affairs Grantwatch article summarizes findings from several KFF-Peterson Health System Tracker analyses with an emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact through 2021 and a look ahead toward 2022.
Household Health Spending Calculator January 1, 2022 Interactive People generally think of their health spending as the amount paid for monthly premium contributions, as well as any out-of-pocket costs toward medical care or prescription drugs. However, a significant portion of health spending is not as visible to people in their everyday lives. This less direct health spending includes…
Unvaccinated COVID patients cost the U.S. health system billions of dollars December 22, 2021 Issue Brief This updated analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker estimates that the preventable costs of treating unvaccinated patients in hospitals total $13.8 billion during the six-month period from June through November when the delta variant led to a surge in admissions.
Characteristics of Vaccinated Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections December 15, 2021 Issue Brief This brief describes the characteristics of fully vaccinated hospitalized patients who have COVID-19 breakthrough infections, in comparison to people who are not fully vaccinated and hospitalized with COVID-19.
Vaccines Are Free. Covid Care Is Not. Who Should Pay? September 16, 2021 Perspective In this commentary for Barron’s, Cynthia Cox explores the impact to the American public as the U.S. health insurance system adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic. She uses the experience of the past year and a half to raise questions about broader issues of fairness in the distribution of health care costs in the country.
