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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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  • External Review of Health Plan Decisions in the States and Medicare

    Report

    An analysis of the external review process, the formal dispute resolution process established by state or federal agencies, independent of disputing parties, that has the capacity to evaluate and resolve at least those disputes involving medical issues. This paper identifies critical features of external review systems in thirteen states and in the Medicare program. Executive Summary Report

  • External Review of Health Plan Decisions in the States and Medicare – Report

    Report

    External Review of Health Plan Decisions:An Overview of Key Program Features in the States and Medicare External Review of Health Plan Decisions:An Overview of Key Program Features in the States and Medicare Prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by:Karen Pollitz, M.P.P., Geraldine Dallek, M.P.H., and Nicole Tapay, J.D.Institute for Health Care Research and Policy, Georgetown University Executive Summary In 1978, the state of Michigan established a system to call on independent medical experts to help…

  • Managed Care Consumer Protections Offered by Medium and Large Employers

    Fact Sheet

    A fact sheet summarizing data from a survey conducted between January and March of 1998 with 1,583 firms with 200 or more workers. The survey, which is conducted annually, focuses on the characteristics of the health benefit plans sponsored by employers.The supplemental questions discussed in this brief were developed jointly by staff from the Kaiser Family Foundation and KPMG and funded by the Foundation. Fact Sheet Fact Sheet

  • Managed Care Consumer Protections Offered by Medium and Large Employers – Fact Sheet

    Fact Sheet

    Managed Care Consumer Protections Offered by Medium and Large Employers November 1998 Background During the past year, Congress and the states considered a number of proposals that would have provided additional protections to consumers in health insurance plans, particularly managed care plans. Among the key issues raised in these debates was how much the protections would increase health insurance premiums, which depends in part on the extent to which these proposed protections are already in…

  • Medicare: The Basics, A Public Dialogue on Health Care: The Future of Medicare

    Other Post

    Medicare: The Basics Part Two A Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Report Coverage Under Managed Care Plans and Other Options The vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries have their health care bills paid directly by Medicare's traditional fee-for-service program. The rest-nearly 6 million people-are covered under managed care plans, mostly HMOs, which contract with Medicare. Since the mid-1980s, a growing number of beneficiaries have elected to receive the benefits covered by Medicare Parts A and B…

  • Medicare: The Basics, A Public Dialogue on Health Care: The Future of Medicare

    Report

    A public education brochure describing basic facts about the current Medicare program and how it works. This fact sheet is included in a full packet of information as part of a joint public information project between Kaiser Family Foundation and League of Women Voters of public meetings held across the United States in October 1998 (#1427 - available in print). Report Report