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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  • Mental Health Parity at a Crossroads

    Issue Brief

    This brief discusses federal mental health parity protections -- what they are, who they apply to, who enforces them and key policy issues as Congress and federal agencies evaluate improvements to the law to address gaps in mental health coverage and access.

  • The average additional health spending associated with pregnancy, relative to women of the same age who do not give birth, among people with employer coverage, 2021-2023

    Health Costs Associated with Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines the health costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum care, and infancy. It finds that health costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum care average a total of $20,416, including $2,743 in out-of-pocket expenses, for women enrolled in employer plans.

  • Claims Denials and Appeals in ACA Marketplace Plans in 2021

    Issue Brief

    This analysis of HealthCare.gov Marketplace insurers' transparency data finds that 17% of in-network claims were denied in 2021, with denial rates varying widely across insurers. Consumers appealed less than two-tenths of 1% of denied in-network claims.

  • 1 in 10 Adults Owe Medical Debt, With Millions Owing More Than $10,000

    News Release

    Americans Likely Owe Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Total Medical Debt A new KFF analysis of government data estimates that nearly 1 in 10 adults (9%) - or roughly 23 million people - owe medical debt. This includes 11 million who owe more than $2,000 and 3 million people who owe more than $10,000.

  • Surprise Medical Bills are Ending, But Controversy Continues

    Perspective

    In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt examines how the No Surprises Act that prohibits unexpected out-of-network charges for patients could lead to lower payment rates and revenues for some doctors and other care providers.

  • JAMA Forum: Of SCOTUS and Chicken

    Perspective

    Larry Levitt's March 2015 post explores what could happen if the U.S. Supreme Court rules for the plaintiffs in the King v. Burwell case, the lawsuit that challenges the federal government’s authority to provide financial assistance to people who buy insurance in federally-operated marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act.

  • The Health-Care Enrollment Story Is in the States

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the variation among states beneath the national Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace enrollment numbers released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • National Survey Finds 10.6 Million People Helped By Navigators and Assisters During the Affordable Care Act’s First Open Enrollment Period

    News Release

    An estimated 10.6 million people nationally received personal help from navigators and assisters during the Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of navigators and assister programs nationally. The survey estimates that the 4,400 assister programs operating nationally had an estimated 28,000 full-time staff and volunteers, suggesting each assister would have helped more than 370 people on average during the six-month open enrollment period that ran from October 1 through March 31.