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Promotional Image for the KFF video Health Care Affordability at the Macro Level

Health Care Costs Keep Rising … Why and Who Pays?

The U.S. spends more on health care than other large, wealthy countries. Concerns about rising costs aren’t new, yet somehow we keep paying the bill. In this video, KFF’s Larry Levitt explains how we got here, who bears the consequences and why reining in spending systematically may be central to the next big health care debate. KFF’s Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy, explains how we got here, who bears the consequences and why reining in spending systematically may be central to the next big health care debate.

The MIDTERMS

KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms

Chemical food additive and pesticide concerns associated with the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement are shared broadly across the public. But when it comes to voters, health care costs are a higher priority and bigger motivator, even among MAHA supporters, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. When asked to identify their most important health priority for government to address, far more MAHA-supporting voters identify lowering the cost of health care (42%) than other issues more closely associated with the movement.

Health System Tracker

Among adults 18 - 64 with private insurance, mental health and substance use treatment accounted for 10% of all overnight stays at hospitals or other medical facilities in 2023.

Cost and Utilization of Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment This analysis describes the most common diagnoses for inpatient treatment and total associated costs.

What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage? Employer-sponsored health insurance is the largest source of health coverage for people under 65, but its reach is uneven.

How Does U.S. Life Expectancy Compare to Other Countries? The life expectancy gap between the U.S. and peer countries decreased from 4.1 years in 2023 to 3.7 years in 2024 as U.S. mortality dropped.

How Does Health Spending in the U.S. Compare to Other Countries? While the U.S. still spends the most in total dollars, eight OECD nations had a higher percentage increase in per-person health spending in 2024.

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  • Net Cost of Private Health Insurance, Including Administrative Costs, per Person Covered, 1987-2011

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    Net-Cost-of-Private-Health-Insurance-Including-Administrative-Costs-per-Person-Covered-1987-2011-HEALTHCOSTS Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (see Historical; National Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, CY1960-2011, file nhe2011.zip, Total Admin. & Total Net Cost of Hlth Insurance Exp, Pvt Health Insurance); and private health insurance enrollment data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group,…

  • Per Capita Total Current Health Care Expenditures, U.S. and Selected Countries, 2010

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    Per Capita Total Current Health Care Expenditures, U.S. and Selected Countries, 2010 Download Source Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. “OECD Health Data: Health Expenditures and Financing”, OECD Health Statistics Data from internet subscription database. http://www.oecd-library.org, data accessed on 03/04/13.

  • Percent Annual Increase in National Health Expenditures (NHE) per Capita vs. Increase in Consumer Price Index (CPI), 1980-2011

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    Percent Annual Increase in National Health Expenditures (NHE) per Capita vs. Increase in Consumer Price Index (CPI), 1980-2011 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (see Historical; National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds; file nhe11.zip), and CPI data from Bureau of Labor Statistics at ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt (All Urban Consumers, All Items, 1982-1984=100,…

  • Percent Distribution of National Health Expenditures, by Source of Funds, 1960-2011

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    Percent Distribution of National Health Expenditures, by Source of Funds, 1960-2011 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (see Historical; National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, CY 1960-2011; file nhe2011.zip). 

  • Interactive Maps Highlight Urban-Rural Differences in Hospital Bed Capacity

    News Release

    As the U.S. coronavirus outbreak spreads beyond densely populated metropolitan areas, a new KFF analysis finds that rural areas typically have fewer intensive care hospital resources than their urban counterparts, and populations at greater risk of developing serious illness and complications from COVID-19. While metro and non-metro areas have similar numbers of hospital beds per capita (23.5 vs 23.8 beds per 10,000 people), non-metro areas have fewer intensive care (ICU) beds – about 1.7 per 10,000 people,…

  • Update on COVID-19 Funding for Hospitals and Other Providers

    Policy Watch

    This blog is an overview of the outstanding questions related to the $100 billion for hospitals and other providers in the CARES Act and whether there will be meaningful protections for the uninsured and people with private coverage who could face surprise bills.

  • COVID-19 Poses a Particular Threat to Low-Wage Workers’ Physical and Financial Health

    News Release

    The nation’s low-wage workers face a particular kind of bind. They tend to work in service industries -- such as the restaurant, hospitality and retail sectors – that are especially at risk for loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic, or in jobs such as health care workers, grocery store workers and delivery drivers, where they may continue to work but face a higher risk of contracting the disease. According to a new KFF analysis,…

  • FAQs on Medicare Coverage and Costs Related to COVID-19 Testing and Treatment

    Issue Brief

    These FAQs provide the latest guidance on testing and treatment related to COVID-19 for Medicare beneficiaries, including questions related to out-of-pocket costs, the COVID-19 vaccine, telehealth, extended supplies of medication, skilled nursing facility stays, and issues for people in private Medicare Advantage plans.