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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  • Employer Family Health Premiums Rise 4 Percent to $17,545 in 2015, Extending a Decade-Long Trend of Relatively Moderate Increases

    News Release

    Since 2010, Deductibles for All Workers Have Risen Almost Three Times as Fast as Premiums and About Seven Times as Fast as Wages and Inflation Facing New Requirements, Few Employers Make Changes to Workers' Hours Menlo Park, Calif. – Single and family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 4 percent this year, continuing a decade-long period of moderate growth, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) 2015 Employer Health Benefits…

  • Why Consumer Issues Are Rising on the Health Agenda

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the trends that may be leading to a rise in consumer cost issues on the health agenda. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • Individual Insurance Market Performance in 2019

    Issue Brief

    New data from 2019 suggest that insurers in the individual market remain profitable, even with average premiums falling for the first time since the ACA was implemented. These data indicate that the individual market appears to be stable in 2019, despite the repeal of the individual mandate penalty and the proliferation of loosely-regulated short-term insurance plans.

  • Eligibility for ACA Health Coverage Following Job Loss

    Issue Brief

    As unemployment claims skyrocket amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, this analysis examines the potential loss of job-based coverage among people in families where someone lost employment between March 1 and May 2 and estimate their eligibility for ACA coverage as of May and January 2021, when most will have exhausted their unemployment benefits.

  • As Unemployment Skyrockets, KFF Estimates More than 20 Million People Losing Job-Based Health Coverage Will Become Eligible for ACA Coverage through Medicaid or Marketplace Tax Credits

    News Release

    Coverage Losses Will Affect At Least a Million Residents in Each of Eight States: California, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, Florida, Michigan and Ohio With more than 31 million workers filing unemployment claims between March 1 and May 2 as the coronavirus crisis hit the nation’s economy, a new KFF analysis estimates 26.8 million people across the country would become uninsured due to loss of job-based health coverage if they don't sign up for other…

  • Key Issues Related to COBRA Subsidies

    Issue Brief

    Congress is considering proposals to subsidize COBRA coverage. We discuss the group market coverage that would be extended by COBRA subsidies, how COBRA costs and coverage compare to other common coverage options for those who lose job-based coverage (ACA Marketplace plans or Medicaid), and key considerations regarding COBRA subsidies for consumers and employers.

  • Nearly One in Four Workers are at High Risk of Serious Illness with COVID-19, Posing Challenges for Employers as They Reopen 

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds nearly one in four workers (24%) are considered at high risk of serious illness if they get infected by the novel coronavirus, highlighting the challenges that businesses, public offices and other employers face as they move toward reopening. The analysis estimates 37.7 million workers (based on their work status in 2018) are at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19.  This includes 10 million who are at least 65 years…

  • Individual Insurance Market Performance in Early 2020

    Issue Brief

    Individual market insurers, on average, remained profitable through the first three months of 2020 as claims costs rose only slightly compared to the same period last year. It is likely that the most significant impacts of the coronavirus on the individual market will not be evident nationally until second or third quarter data are released.