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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How Unaffordable is Health Care and What Can We Do About It?

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On Tuesday, July 21, three experts joined Health Wonk Shop series moderator Larry Levitt in an hour-long discussion of health care affordability. During the discussion, panelists considered affordability from a variety of perspectives, including how to define affordability and the question of affordability for whom, how to measure it, and what can be done to address affordability and the underlying cost of health care.

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  • Health Insurer Financial Performance Through September 2020

    Issue Brief

    In this brief, we analyze third quarter data from 2018 to 2020 to examine how insurance markets performed financially through the end of September. Average margins remained relatively high compared to the same point in recent years, suggesting many insurers remained profitable even as non-COVID-related care returned in the summer and fall.

  • Medicaid’s Disabled Population and Managed Care

    Other Post

    Medicaid's Disabled Population and Managed Care This fact sheet highlights the key facts about the Medicaid managed care programs that serve persons with disabilities. It describes the Medicaid disabled population and the role managed care plays in serving them. It also provides information on enrollment in managed care, program features, and issues such as quality assurance, rate setting, and benefits. A detailed report is also available (#2114) Medicaid's Disabled Population and Managed Care

  • 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.

  • Join the Debate: Health Issues in the 2000 Election

    Other Post

    Developed as part of a nonpartisan public education initiative of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the League of Women Voters Education Fund, this guide provides basic facts about five key health policy topics candidates are discussing in the 2000 election. These topics include health coverage for the uninsured, managed care and patients' rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors, and long-term care. The guide frames each area and describes major proposals that…

  • Medicare+Choice in California: Lessons and Insights

    Report

    Thirty-five percent of all California Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a M+C plan, far in excess of the 14 percent rate nationwide. This report seeks to identify what lessons for the nation can be drawn from the California M+C experience, as Congress debates the implications of major withdrawals from the M+C program and potential policy changes aimed at reversing this trend. The report is based largely on analysis of M+C data on plan participation, withdrawals,…

  • External Review of Health Plan Decisions — Policy Brief

    Issue Brief

    An 8-page policy brief on the external review of health plan decisions to inform the policy debate in California and nationally. The policy brief covers external review systems in other states and the Medicare program, the current status of external review in California, and issues regarding the design and implementation of external review. Policy Brief: External Review of Health Plan Decisions Policy Brief: External Review of Health Plan Decisions

  • Medicaid Managed Care for Persons With Disabilities: State Profiles-2114

    Report

    Medicaid Managed Care for Persons With Disabilities: State Profiles This report provides state estimates of the number of Medicaid disabled enrolled in managed care and profiles these programs. It provides detailed comparative state information on enrollment, program features, rate setting, quality issues, and special enrollment features for the disabled in Medicaid managed care. It also highlights individual state profiles on the Medicaid managed care programs that include persons with disabilities. Report

  • California Health Insurance Act (SB2) Data Update

    Report

    On October 5, 2003, Governor Gray Davis signed into law the California Health Insurance Act of 2003 (also referred to as SB2). This law would require employers with 200 or more workers to either pay into a fund that will provide coverage to their workers or to pay for 80% of the premium costs for their workers and dependents (effective January 1, 2006). Medium-sized employers (between 50 and 199 workers) would be required either to…