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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  • KFF Examines Challenges in Navigating Coverage for Opill, the First Over-the-Counter Daily Oral Contraceptive Pill, Coming to Market Next Year 

    News Release

    As Opill—the first over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive pill in the United States—is expected to be available for purchase in early 2024, new research conducted by KFF examines barriers to its accessibility for consumers and challenges in providing insurance coverage for it. Based on interviews with nearly 80 representatives from private insurance plans, state Medicaid programs, chain pharmacies, and other key groups, the report provides a deeper view into the operational challenges in expanding access to…

  • Insurance Coverage of OTC Oral Contraceptives: Lessons from the Field

    Report

    This report is based on 35 structured interviews conducted from January to August 2023, with nearly 80 experts and key players such as pharmacists, health plans, and state Medicaid officials involved in the coverage and provision of OTC contraception in seven states with one or more of these coverage approaches (IL, NJ, NM, NY, OR, UT, and WA). It discusses the challenges and successes in coverage under private health insurance and Medicaid and reviews policy…

  • Already at Record High, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Could Increase Further

    News Release

    Enhanced Marketplace subsidies have continued to drive up enrollment in the individual market, and the loss of Medicaid coverage by millions of people could contribute to this trend, according to a new KFF analysis. Meanwhile, enrollment in non-ACA-compliant plans is at a record low. As of early 2023, an estimated 18.2 million people have individual market coverage, the highest since 2016. Individual market enrollment grew by about 29% between early 2020 and early 2023 —…

  • As ACA Marketplace Enrollment Reaches Record High, Fewer Are Buying Individual Market Coverage Elsewhere

    Issue Brief

    This analysis looks at how many people are signed up for each type of individual ACA Marketplace coverage—both on- and off-Marketplace and with or without subsidies—as of early 2023 based on federal enrollment data and administrative data insurers report to state regulators, as compiled by Mark Farrah Associates. The number of people enrolled in compliant and non-compliant plans was also evaluated.

  • Marketplace Insurers are Proposing a 6% Average Premium Hike for 2024 and Pointing to Inflation as a Key Driver of Costs

    News Release

    ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting a median premium increase of 6% for 2024, according to a new KFF analysis of the preliminary rate filings. Insurers’ proposed rate changes – most of which fall between 2% and 10% – may change during the review process. Although most Marketplace enrollees receive subsidies and are not expected to face these added costs, premium increases could result in higher federal spending on subsidies. Insurers cite price increases for medical…

  • KFF News Release

    New KFF Analysis Examines Rapidly Evolving Federal Policies For Substance Use Disorder Treatment for the Opioid Epidemic  

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds that 24 percent more buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder, was dispensed in 2022 than in 2019, the year before the pandemic brought a surge of opioid overdose deaths – and a focus on how to expand access and treatment. This upward trend in buprenorphine distribution, already in motion before the pandemic, continued throughout the COVID public health crisis, suggesting continued improvements in access to treatment even as…

  • KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance

    Poll Finding

    The survey finds nearly six in 10 people with health insurance experienced a problem using their insurance in the past year, with even larger shares reporting problems among people who are sick or who have mental health needs. It includes data for people with different types of coverage, including employer, Marketplace, Medicare and Medicaid, and also examines affordability issues and mental health access.