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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  • Amid Merger Talk, a Look at Health Insurers’ Medicare Business

    From Drew Altman

    With recent news about possible health insurance company mergers, Drew Altman looks beyond the impact on Wall Street to how mergers could affect Medicare beneficiaries in this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: June 2014

    Feature

    As many employers begin to expand their wellness programs under new guidelines set forth by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds workers oppose programs that make them pay higher premiums if they fail to participate or meet specific health goals. Overall public opinion of the ACA remains about the same as it has for the last several months, with a somewhat higher share of the public continuing to express an unfavorable view of the law (45%) than a favorable one (39%).

  • What’s Trending in Health Care? Conservative Ideas

    News Release

    What’s Trending in Health Care? Conservative Ideas In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman cuts through the political debate and reviews how some ideas conservatives like are taking hold in the American health system. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • The Effects of Ending the Affordable Care Act’s Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments

    Issue Brief

    This analysis estimates that total federal spending on Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies would rise $2.3 billion, or 23 percent, in 2018 if payments for the cost-sharing reduction program were eliminated and insurers increased premiums to compensate. Established to reduce out-of-pocket costs for marketplace enrollees with lower incomes, the cost-sharing payments are being challenged in a lawsuit from the U.S. House.

  • State Flexibility to Address Health Insurance Challenges under the American Health Care Act, H.R. 1628

    Issue Brief

    The American Health Care Act (AHCA), a bill passed by the House in May 2017 to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), would present states with new authority in individual insurance markets, along with a number of difficult problems and choices and limited resources with which to address them. States would be able to obtain waivers and would be eligible for $123 billion in grant funds, including money from a new Patient and State Stability fund, to help offset these impacts, but would face difficult tradeoffs.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – September 2017: What’s Next for Health Care?

    Feature

    This poll finds large majorities across all parties say reauthorizing funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is an important priority for Congress; however, a larger share of Republicans also say it is important for Congress to work on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). This month's Kaiser Health Tracking Poll also examines public support for a variety of competing health care policies aimed at improving or replacing the 2010 health care law, including single-payer.