Health Costs
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The U.S. Has Fewer Physicians and Hospital Beds Per Capita Than Italy and Other Countries Overwhelmed by COVID-19
A new analysis and chart collection finds that the U.S. has fewer hospital beds and practicing physicians per capita than many similarly large and wealthy countries with health care systems already strained by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to Italy and Spain, two countries in which hospitals have already been…
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How Much More Than Medicare Do Private Insurers Pay? A Review of the Literature
This brief reviews findings from recent studies that compare Medicare and private health insurance payment rates for both hospital and physician services.
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How Health Costs Might Change with COVID-19
As the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the United States, private health insurers and government health programs could potentially be burdened with higher health care costs. However, the extent to which costs grow, and how the burden is distributed across payers, programs, individuals, and geography are still very much unknown. A…
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Potential Costs of Coronavirus Treatment for People with Employer Coverage
As COVID-19 spreads within the United States, questions have arisen over the potential costs people may face if they become severely ill and need treatment. While many large insurers have agreed to waive copayments and deductibles for COVID-19 tests, people with private insurance who face deductibles could still be on…
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It May Be Time To Waive Patients’ Costs for Coronavirus Treatment
Drew Altman looks at the numbers for COVID-19 treatment, and why it may soon be necessary for Congress to waive out-of-pocket costs for treatment.
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Hospitals with More Private Insurance Revenue, Larger Operating Margins and Less Uncompensated Care Received More Federal Coronavirus Relief Funding Than Others
Hospitals that in normal times derive most of their revenue from patients with private insurance received more than twice as much federal coronavirus relief funding per bed than the hospitals that get the smallest share of private insurance money, finds a new KFF analysis of the first $50 billion in…
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What Impact Has the Coronavirus Pandemic Had on Health Care Employment?
A new chart collection examines where changes in health care employment have been concentrated amid the coronavirus pandemic, and what these changes might tell us about short-term health spending. Health care employment decreased 9.5% from February through April 2020, as more than 1.5 million healthcare workers lost their jobs. While…
Issue Brief Read MoreAnalysis Finds List Prices for COVID-19 Tests Range from $20 to $850 At Large Hospitals Nationwide
A new KFF analysis of what large hospitals nationwide charge for out-of-network COVID-19 tests show a wide range of publicly posted prices — from $20 to $850 for a single test. In many cases, the prices exceed what Medicare pays for COVID testing, which is either $51 or $100 depending…
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