How Have Costs Associated With Obesity Changed Over Time? March 24, 2023 Issue Brief This analysis finds that, among people with large employer health plans, those with an obesity diagnosis on average have higher total and out-of-pocket spending than those without an obesity diagnosis. It also examines the cost of common surgical and pharmacological treatments for obesity.
Nonprofit Hospitals’ Tax-Exempt Status Worth Nearly $28 Billion, New KFF Analysis Finds March 14, 2023 News Release The tax-exempt status of the nation’s nonprofit hospitals collectively was worth nearly $28 billion in 2020, a new KFF analysis of hospital financial data estimates. The total reflects the estimated federal, state and local taxes that nonprofit hospitals do not have to pay. It also includes estimated increases in charitable…
The Estimated Value of Tax Exemption for Nonprofit Hospitals Was Nearly $28 Billion in 2020 March 14, 2023 Issue Brief This data note estimates that the value of tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals was $28 billion in 2020. This amount exceeds estimated charity care costs among nonprofit hospitals in 2020 ($16 billion), though charity care represents only a portion of the community benefits reported by nonprofit hospitals.
How Much Could COVID-19 Vaccines Cost the U.S. After Commercialization? March 10, 2023 Issue Brief This analysis illustrates the potential total cost of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, based on their publicly-announced expected prices, once they enter the U.S. commercial market. It compares the average price paid by the federal government for the COVID-19 bivalent boosters to the estimated average commercial prices across different scenarios.
KFF’s Kaiser Health News and CBS News Team Up to Investigate a Dental Device That Allegedly Has Left a Trail of Mangled Mouths and Devastated Patients March 3, 2023 News Release In a months-long project, KFF’s Kaiser Health News correspondent Brett Kelman joined forces with CBS News National Consumer Investigative Correspondent Anna Werner to investigate an unregulated dental device that is at the heart of numerous accounts of pain and disfigurement. At least 10,000 dental patients have been fitted with the…
Outpatient Visits Are Growing More Complex: Implications for Health Costs February 27, 2023 Issue Brief This analysis for the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker uses claims data from private, large employer-based plan to examine trends in complexity coding across outpatient practice settings from 2004 to 2021. It finds a trend toward higher complexity codes that contributes to higher outpatient spending.
Rural Hospitals Have Fared Worse Financially in States that Haven’t Expanded Medicaid Coverage February 23, 2023 News Release Rural hospitals fared worse financially in states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act than in states that expanded Medicaid, a new KFF analysis finds. Nearly one third of all rural hospitals nationally are in the 11 states that have not approved the expansion of…
Rural Hospitals Face Renewed Financial Challenges, Especially in States That Have Not Expanded Medicaid February 23, 2023 Issue Brief This data note examines rural hospitals’ operating margins in recent years. After seeing higher margins early in the pandemic, likely due to government relief funds, rural hospitals now face renewed challenges, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid.
The Commercialization of Covid Vaccines Is Coming. Here’s What It Means. February 18, 2023 Perspective In this commentary for Barron’s, KFF’s Cynthia Cox and Jennifer Kates explore what will happen with costs to COVID-19 vaccines for people with and without insurance once the relevant public health emergency ends on May 11.