Home Health Costs Topics

Health Costs

COSTS and Affordability

A Preview of the Role Health Care May Play in the 2026 Election

Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, this KFF issue brief examines the role health care has played in previous elections and what that may suggest about its potential role in 2026. KFF polls have consistently found that the cost of health care is an important part of voters’ economic concerns.

Affordable care act

ACA Marketplace Survey Feature Image - Website

Cost Concerns and Coverage Changes: A Follow-Up Survey of ACA Marketplace Enrollees

This KFF survey is a follow-up survey of adults who had ACA Marketplace insurance in 2025. The survey examines the cost concerns and coverage changes of Marketplace enrollees following the end of the enhanced premium tax credits and finds that half of returning enrollees say their health care costs are “a lot higher” and most expect to cut back on basic household expenses to afford coverage.

Health System Tracker

In 2024, life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 79 years but remained years behind the average in comparable countries

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 Cost Affect Access to Health Care? In 2024, about 1 in 6 adults reported delaying or not getting healthcare due to cost, including medical or mental health care.

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.

NHE explorer

National Health Spending Explorer: Get up-to-date information on U.S. health spending by federal and local governments, private companies, and individuals.

Latest News

More KFF Health News

View the Latest: Health Costs

Filter

List Grid

541 - 550 of 1,570 Results

  • How Many Employers Could Be Affected by the High-Cost Plan Tax

    Issue Brief

    The high cost plan tax (HCPT) sometimes referred to as the Cadillac tax, is an excise tax on the cost of employer health benefit exceeding certain threshold. The HCPT provides a powerful incentive to control health plans costs over time, whether through efficiency gains or shifts in costs to workers. While many employers do not expect that the tax will take effect in 2022, others are already amending their health programs in anticipation. We estimate if the tax takes effect in 2022, 21% will be subject to the tax, increasing to 37% by 2030 unless firms reduce costs. Larger shares would be affected when counting workers' voluntary contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

  • Do People Who Sign Up for Medicare Advantage Plans Have Lower Medicare Spending?

    Issue Brief

    The analysis finds that people who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage in 2016 had health spending in 2015 that was $1,253 less, on average, than the average spending for beneficiaries who remained in traditional Medicare (after adjusting for health risk). The findings suggest that the current payment method may systematically overestimate expected costs of Medicare Advantage enrollees. Adjusting payments to reflect Medicare Advantage enrollees’ prior use of health services could potentially lower total Medicare spending by billions of dollars over a decade.

  • What to Look for in 2017 ACA Marketplace Premium Changes

    Perspective

    This brief discusses the key factors that will influence the rate changes that insurers are requesting in 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, including current premiums, forecasted enrollment changes, increases in price and use of services, changes in policy design or network, changes in law or regulation, and competition.

  • Web Briefing for Journalists: Key Issues Ahead of Marketplace Open Enrollment

    Event Date:
    Event

    Marketplace open enrollment, the period during which consumers can shop for health plans or renew existing coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces, begins on Nov. 1. Recent policy changes at the state and federal levels have the potential to impact individuals and families purchasing health insurance for 2019.

  • 3 Charts: Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

    News Release

    Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government for the first time will negotiate directly with drug companies to determine the prices that Medicare will pay for certain high expenditure drugs covered under Medicare Part D (starting in 2026) and Part B (starting in 2028).