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  • Half of Admissions in the Large Group Market Are Paid Above 150% of Medicare Rates, Excluding Maternity Admissions

    Issue Brief

    This analysis looks at in-network payment rates for inpatient hospital stays, other than maternity/newborn admissions, among large employer plans relative to Medicare payment rates. We find that a cap of 150% of Medicare rates would affect 52% of in-network admissions and 36% of in-network spending, while a cap of 300% of Medicare rates would affect 13% of in-network admissions and 13% of in-network spending, with variation across types of admissions.

  • Simulating the Impact of the Drug Price Negotiation Proposal in the Build Back Better Act

    Issue Brief

    The Build Back Better Act (BBBA) includes a range of health and other proposals supported by President Biden, including a proposal to allow the federal government to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part B (administered by physicians) and Medicare Part D (retail outpatient drugs). This brief illustrates the potential scope of the drug price negotiation proposal in the BBBA. This analysis is designed to highlight the types of Medicare-covered drugs that could be subject to negotiation, and which of the current top-spending drugs covered by Part B and Part D could be subject to price negotiation, and in what years, if the BBBA is enacted.

  • Why are Healthcare Prices So High, and What can be Done about Them?

    Event Date:
    Event

    An archived webcast of this forum is now available at www.healthsystemtracker.org . Nearly a fifth of the United States’ economy goes to healthcare spending – a far larger share than in any other large, wealthy country in the world.

  • What is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ New AHEAD Model?

    Issue Brief

    In September 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new opportunity for states to leverage federal funding on health care: the Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model. With this model, CMS – under the auspices of the CMS Innovation Center, also known as CMMI -- aims to reduce the rate of growth in health care spending, improve people's health, and reduce disparities in health outcomes. This issue brief answers some key questions about the new model and explores considerations for potential state and private participants.

  • Health Spending is Rising More Sharply Again

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses why high health care prices are a problem for consumers, but not a cause of renewed growth in health spending. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • Initiative 18|11: What Can We Do About The Cost Of Health Care?

    Issue Brief

    This conference report summarizes discussions at a March 2018 conference in Washington with 30 leaders from the health care community to launch Initiative 18/11, a partnership between the Society of Actuaries and KFF to address the rising cost of health care in the United States. It also lays out the next steps for the initiative.

  • Prescription Drug Rebates, Explained

    Video

    This animation explains how rebates for prescription drugs work and why they matter in the debate about lowering drug costs. The video breaks down how prescription drug rebates are determined, who benefits from them, how they affect spending by insurers and consumers and the role of pharmacy benefit managers in the process.

  • Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices

    Poll Finding

    This chart collection draws on recent KFF poll findings to provide an in-depth look at the public's attitudes toward prescription drugs and their prices. Results include the U.S. public’s experiences with prescription drug costs, use of GLP-1 medications, and support for policy solutions.

  • A Preview of the Role Health Care May Play in the 2026 Election

    Issue Brief

    Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, this KFF issue brief examines the role health care has played in previous elections and what that may suggest about its potential role in 2026. KFF polls have consistently found that the cost of health care is an important part of voters’ economic concerns.