Health Costs

The MIDTERMS

Democrats Hold a Nearly 2-to-1 Advantage Over Republicans on Handling the Cost of Health Care

Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns; Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs and Cost of Living 

Prior to the 2026 midterm elections, health care costs remain tied with gas as voters’ top midterm concerns and the Democrats hold a clear edge over the Republicans Party on who voters trust to handle many top electoral issues, including the cost of health care and the cost of living. Two-thirds of U.S. adults now favor Medicare-for-all, a new high in KFF Polling, but support shifts when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard.

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Health System Tracker

Is This A Healthcare Economy?

Health care employment has grown faster than other sectors of the economy, with jobs in physician offices, hospitals, outpatient care centers, home health, and other settings increasing over the past year even as the rest of the job market plateaued. 

U.S. Health Spending Is Expected to Reach $9 Trillion by 2034

How Much is Health Spending Expected to Grow?

This chart collection explores how much health spending is expected to grow in the coming years, with a look at growth in prescription drug spending, out-of-pocket spending, and related trends.

How TrumpRx Brand-Name Drug Prices Compare

TrumpRx prices for brand-name drugs are about as likely to be higher as lower compared to average prices in other wealthy countries, according to an analysis that compares 32 brand-name drugs.

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  • Potential Costs of Coronavirus Treatment for People with Employer Coverage

    Issue Brief

    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 the hook for large treatment costs. A new brief examines the potential cost of COVID-19 treatment to employer health plans and their enrollees by looking…

  • Snapshots: Effect of Tying Eligibility for Health Insurance Subsidies to the Federal Poverty Level

    Issue Brief

    Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the rapid growth of health insurance premiums and its impact on coverage affordability. Premium growth has far outpaced growth in workers earnings, which means that workers have to spend more of their income each year on health care to maintain current coverage levels. Less attention has been given to the disconnection between the growing cost of health insurance and eligibility for health care subsidies in public…

  • Health Affairs Article: Impact of State Tort Reforms on Physician Malpractice Payments

    Issue Brief

    A study in the March/April 2007 issue of Health Affairs analyzes the impact of state tort reforms on physician malpractice claims. The study finds that the tort law changes have had a measurable but limited impact on physician malpractice claims, depending on the type and strength of the tort reform. Commissioned by Kaiser, the study was authored by Teresa M. Waters of the University of Tennessee, and Peter P. Budetti of the University of Oklahoma, and Gary…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/LA Times Survey Of Adults With Employer-Sponsored Insurance

    Report

    This KFF/LA Times survey explores the attitudes and experiences of adults with employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), including views of their health plans and affordability challenges related to premiums, deductibles, and unexpected medical bills. The survey takes a special look at those in high deductible plans (including those paired with a health savings account or HSA), those with chronic health conditions, and those with lower incomes. It also examines factors related to health plan decision-making and…

  • MarketFacts: A Financial Overview of the Managed Care Industry

    Other Post

    A Financial Overview of the Managed Care Industry March 1999 Part 2 Recent HMO Activity After 6 years of steady growth, HMO profits declined in 1994, 1995, and 1996; in 1997, nearly 60 percent of HMOs lost money (Weiss Ratings). Although HMO net income plunged from 1994 through 1997, HMO enroll-ments were up 72% and total revenues rose 77% over that period (Best's Aggregates & Averages HMO, 1998). At the same time, health services companies…

  • Average Annual Growth Rates for NHE and GDP, Per Capita, for Selected Time Periods

    Feature

    Average Annual Growth Rates for NHE and GDP, Per Capita, for Selected Time Periods-HEALTHCOSTS 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/ (Historical data from National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, file nhe12.zip; Projected data from NHE Historical and projections 1965-2023, file nhe65-23.zip); Gross Domestic Product data from Bureau of Economic Analysis,…

  • Health Care Costs: A Primer

    Issue Brief

    This primer on health care spending in the United States reviews the growth in health care spending since 1970 and the impact of health care costs on families and employers.

  • Our Fragmented Approach to Health-Care Costs

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses this week's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report on health spending and assesses the current effort to control health-care costs.