Private Insurance

Health Care Affordability

BTD Health Policy in 2026

Health Policy in 2026

President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman forecasts eight things to look for in health policy in 2026. “First and foremost,” he writes, “is the role health care affordability will play in the midterms.” And, he notes: “The average cost of a family policy for employers could approach $30,000 and cost sharing and deductibles will rise again after plateauing for several years.”

View all of Drew’s Beyond the Data Columns

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  • Analysis: Before ACA Benefits Rules, Care for Maternity, Mental Health, Substance Abuse Most Often Uncovered by Non-Group Health Plans

    News Release

    Three in four health plans in the non-group insurance market did not cover delivery and inpatient maternity care in 2013, before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) essential health benefits requirement took effect, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Other major benefits most often left uncovered before the ACA include substance abuse disorder services (inpatient and outpatient services each not covered by 45% of 2013 non-group plans) and mental/behavioral health services (inpatient and outpatient services…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – June 2017: ACA, Replacement Plan, and Medicaid

    Feature

    As the Senate prepares to vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and limit federal Medicaid funding, a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll finds the Affordable Care Act itself remains far more popular than the bill that would replace it. A majority of Republicans, however, continue to support the Republican plan, though by a significantly narrower margin than last month. Furthermore, the Tracking Poll finds that the most…

  • New England Journal of Medicine: Undermining Genetic Privacy? Employee Wellness Programs and the Law

    Perspective

    In this May 2017 post, Karen Pollitz and co-author Kathy L. Hudson discuss how H.R. 1313, the Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act, could substantially change current legal protections for the collection and treatment of genetic information and other personal health information under workplace wellness programs. The post is now available from the New England Journal of Medicine.

  • How Many of the Uninsured Can Purchase a Marketplace Plan for Less Than Their Shared Responsibility Penalty?

    Issue Brief

    For people who are uninsured and eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, the analysis compares the cost of a premium for the lowest-cost bronze plan with the estimated individual mandate tax penalty for 2018. It finds that more than half (54% or 5.9 million) of the 10.7 million people could pay less in premiums for health insurance than they would owe as an individual mandate tax penalty for lacking coverage.

  • New Individual Mandate Penalty Calculator Helps Consumers Estimate Their Penalty for Being Uninsured in 2018

    News Release

    A new individual mandate penalty calculator from the Kaiser Family Foundation allows consumers to estimate how much they would owe as a tax penalty for lacking health coverage in 2018, and to compare that amount to the cost of the least expensive 2018 Affordable Care Act marketplace plan in their local area. Using household income, family size, ages of family members, and zip code data, the tool provides a projection of an individual’s penalty for…

  • Public Ranks Children’s Health Insurance, Marketplace Stabilization Higher Priorities than ACA Repeal

    News Release

    Majorities Support Buy-In Ideas for Medicaid and Medicare Among health priorities facing urgent deadlines in Washington in September, the public ranks repeal of the Affordable Care Act lower than reauthorizing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and stabilizing individual health insurance marketplaces established by the ACA, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s new tracking poll finds. About seven in 10 Americans -- and majorities across parties -- say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to reauthorize…

  • The Public, Managed Care and Consumer Protection

    Other Post

    The Kaiser Public Opinion Update -Revised, 2000 This new and revised Public Opinion Update summarizes key findings from surveys conducted between 1997 and 2000, a period in which the intensity of public debate and media attention paid to managed care issues varied substantially. Trends used in this Public Opinion Update are from the following Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University, School of Public Health Surveys: September, 1997: Survey of Americans' Views on Managed Care (11/97, #1328); December,…

  • Trends in Employer-Sponsored Insurance Offer and Coverage Rates, 1999-2014

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief uses data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine trends in employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) for different of individuals and households in the United States. While ESI remains the leading source of coverage for nonelderly people, the percentage covered by an employer plan has declined over the past 15 years. A similar pattern exists with firm offer rates; fewer workers were offered health insurance from their employer in 2014 than…

  • Lower-Income People with Employer Coverage are More Likely to Report Negative Outcomes Due to Insurance Problems Than Their Higher-Income Peers

    News Release

    Lower-income adults with employer coverage are more likely than their higher-income peers to report negative outcomes due to problems using their insurance, a new KFF analysis shows. Drawing on data from the KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance, the analysis shows that similar shares of lower- and higher-income adults with employer coverage report having common problems with their insurance such as denied claims or prior authorization issues. At the same time, those with lower incomes…