Health Costs

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“...the search for a single top issue through polling questions — whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food — is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, ‘cost of living.’” — Drew Altman, KFF Founding President and CEO

Are Health Care Costs THE Top Issue for Voters?

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO, analyzes the polling on health costs as a voting issue and concludes that there is no one top voting issue. He writes: “I have come to the conclusion that the search for a single top issue through polling questions—whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food—is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, “cost of living.”

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  • Section 12: Employer Opinions and Health Management Programs

    Report

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

  • Section 11: Retiree Health Benefits

    Report

    Exhibit 11.1 Exhibit 11.4 Exhibit 11.2 Exhibit 11.5 Exhibit 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.

  • Section 10: Plan Funding

    Report

    Exhibit 10.1 Exhibit 10.5 Exhibit 10.2 Exhibit 10.6 Exhibit 10.3 Exhibit 10.7 Exhibit 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.

  • Section 9: Prescription Drugs and Mental Health Benefits

    Report

    Exhibit 9.1 Exhibit 9.5 Exhibit 9.2 Exhibit 9.6 Exhibit 9.3 Exhibit 9.7 Exhibit 9.4 Exhibit 9.8 9 There are fewer observations for estimating the average copayment for four-tier drugs compared to other drug types.

  • Section 6: Employee Contributions for Premiums

    Report

    Exhibit 6.1 Exhibit 6.9 Exhibit 6.2 Exhibit 6.10 Exhibit 6.3 Exhibit 6.11 Exhibit 6.4 Exhibit 6.12 Exhibit 6.5 Exhibit 6.13 Exhibit 6.6 Exhibit 6.14 Exhibit 6.7 Exhibit 6.15 Exhibit 6.8  

  • Section 5: Market Shares of Health Plans

    Report

    The distribution of enrollment among types of health plans has remained fairly constant over the past several years. The majority of covered workers are enrolled in PPO plans (55%), followed by HMO plans (25%) (Exhibit 5.1). Although annual changes in plan enrollment have been moderate, enrollment in PPO plans has grown by nine percentage points since 2001. More than half of covered workers (55%) are enrolled in PPO plans, an increase from 46% in 2001…

  • Section 4: Health Insurance Choice

    Report

    Exhibit 4.1 Exhibit 4.6 Exhibit 4.2 Exhibit 4.7 Exhibit 4.3 Exhibit 4.8 Exhibit 4.4 Exhibit 4.9 Exhibit 4.5 Exhibit 4.10 5Survey respondents were asked whether the firm offers a personal or health savings account, including a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) or other type of health savings account option. 6There are several savings account options permitted under the law, including health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts and medical savings accounts. 7Due to the low number of…