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

Subscribe to KFF Emails

Choose which emails are best for you.
Sign up here

Filter

661 - 670 of 888 Results

  • What would ACA Subsidies Have Been in 2022 if COVID-19 Relief Had not passed?

    Interactive

    This calculator is for illustration purposes and shows the tax credits and premiums that marketplace customers would have paid in 2022 if not for the enhanced subsidies included in the 2021 COVID relief legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act, (ARPA). The enhanced subsidies expire at the end of the year.

  • Examining Prior Authorization in Health Insurance

    Policy Watch

    This post explains what's known about how insurers use prior authorization as a tool to control costs and encourage cost-effective care, the state and federal laws that govern it, and ongoing policy debates over efforts to impose standards to limit or regulate its use.

  • Millions of Uninsured People Can Get Free ACA Plans

    Policy Watch

    This post estimates that about 5 million uninsured people across the country could get coverage through an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace health plan with virtually no monthly premium if they enroll during the 2023 open enrollment period, which runs through Jan. 15 in most states.

  • Medicare Advantage Insurers Report Much Higher Gross Margins Per Enrollee Than Insurers in Other Markets

    News Release

    A new analysis of health insurers’ 2021 financial data shows that insurers continue to report much higher gross margins per enrollee in the Medicare Advantage market than in other health insurance markets. The analysis examines insurers’ financial data in the Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, individual (non-group), and fully insured group (employer) markets.

  • Preventive Services Use Among People with Private Insurance Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This analysis of claims data estimates that six in ten people with private health insurance - or about 100 million people - used at least one preventive service covered without any out-of-pocket costs through a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a typical year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2018).

  • ACA Mandate Repeal May Be Less Popular Than GOP Thinks

    From Drew Altman

    In this Axios column, Drew Altman discusses how public opinion seems to flip on eliminating the individual mandate as part of the tax legislation, from for it to against, when the public considers the consequences.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – January 2018: The Public’s Priorities and Next Steps for the Affordable Care Act

    Feature

    With the 2018 midterm elections still about ten months away, the January Kaiser Health Tracking poll examines what issues voters most want 2018 midterm candidates to talk about during their upcoming campaigns. Health care is at the top of a group of issues but health care is less important to Republicans and among voters in battleground states. While Congress is currently debating a budget to keep the government funded beyond February 8, 2018, the poll also examines the public’s priorities for President Trump and Congress and measures support for reducing federal funding for government programs.