Health Costs

Medical Liability ReformDownload a printable .pdf of Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Medical Liability Reform.IssueBackgroundOptions for Assuring Access to Affordable Liability CoverageAssessing Candidate PositionsIssueSharp increases in medical liability insurance premiums in recent years, and the withdrawal of some insurers from this market have focused the attention of health care…

Medical Liability Reforms: Comparison of Candidate’s ProposalsBush-Cheney1Kerry-Edwards2Supports a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages and a reasonable cap on punitive damages.Supports limiting a party’s share of total damages to their proportionate share of blame for the injury inflicted.Supports action to allow providers to review best practices without fear of litigation.Opposes capping…

Prescription Drug CostsDownload a printable .pdf of Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Prescription Drug Costs.IssueBackgroundOptions for for making prescription drugs more affordableAssessing Candidate PositionsIssueHealth care costs in general have grown faster than the economy. Although still only a modest part of total health care spending in the United States…

Health Care CostsDownload a printable .pdf of Heath Care and the 2004 Elections: Health Care Costs.IssueBackgroundSources of Cost IncreasesCost Control StrategiesImpact of the ElectionAssessing Candidate PositionsIssueHealth cost increases threaten to make health insurance less affordable for all Americans, and make it harder to extend coverage to the 45 million Americans…

Exhibit 12.1Exhibit 12.6Exhibit 12.2Exhibit 12.7Exhibit 12.3Exhibit 12.8Exhibit 12.4Exhibit 12.9Exhibit 12.5 

Exhibit 12.1Exhibit 12.6Exhibit 12.2Exhibit 12.7Exhibit 12.3Exhibit 12.8Exhibit 12.4Exhibit 12.9Exhibit 12.5 12 Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Health Insurance Coverage in America, 2002 Data Update, December 2003.13 These answers are not exclusive: 11% of firms that shopped switched both carrier and type of health plan offered. 

Exhibit 11.1Exhibit 11.4Exhibit 11.2Exhibit 11.5Exhibit 11.3 11 Twenty-eight percent of Medicare beneficiaries receive prescription drug coverage from an employer, a far higher number than receive coverage through a Medicare HMO (15%), Medigap (7%) or Medicaid (10%). Laschober et. al., Health Affairs, February 2002.

Exhibit 10.1Exhibit 10.5Exhibit 10.2Exhibit 10.6Exhibit 10.3Exhibit 10.7Exhibit 10.4 10 A self-funded plan is one in which the employer assumes direct responsibility for the costs of enrollees’ medical claims. Employers sponsoring self-funded plans typically contract with a third-party administrator or insurer to provide administrative services for the self-funded plan.

Exhibit 9.1Exhibit 9.5Exhibit 9.2Exhibit 9.6Exhibit 9.3Exhibit 9.7Exhibit 9.4Exhibit 9.89 There are fewer observations for estimating the average copayment for four-tier drugs compared to other drug types.

Exhibit 8.1Exhibit 8.4Exhibit 8.2Exhibit 8.5Exhibit 8.3