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Hospital Prices Have Risen Much Faster for Private Insurance Than Medicare Since 2019

Hospitals account for nearly one-third of US health spending and 40% of spending growth from 2022-2024. Analysis shows hospital prices paid by private insurers have risen faster than Medicare rates since 2019, a trend with implications for affordability.

Hospital prices paid by private insurers rose 30% from 2019-2026, compared to a 21% increase in Medicare payment rates. The disparate growth widened an existing gap between what Medicare and private plans pay for hospital services.

What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage?

Policy Changes Bring Renewed Focus on High-Deductible Health Plans

Health Insurer Financial Performance in 2024

Examining Short-Term Limited-Duration Health Plans

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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  • The Requirement to Buy Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

    Other Post

    Note:  Congress eliminated the federal tax penalty for not having health insurance, effective January 1, 2019. Along with changes to the health insurance system that guarantee access to coverage to everyone regardless of pre-existing health conditions, the Affordable Care Act includes a requirement that many people be insured or pay a penalty. This simple flowchart illustrates how that requirement (sometimes known as an "individual mandate") works.     >>Download the PDF

  • Testimony: Wellness Programs and Nondiscrimination Under Employer-Sponsored Group Health Plans

    Issue Brief

    This testimony by the Foundation's Karen Pollitz before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission included background on wellness programs, wellness incentives and nondiscrimination since 1996, and questions and issues related to proposed regulations governing the design and application of wellness programs offered in conjunction with employer-sponsored group health plans.

  • Beyond Rebates: How Much Are Consumers Saving from the ACA’s Medical Loss Ratio Provision?

    Perspective

    The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion last year, in the form of lower premiums and rebates, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Under health reform, insurers must issue consumer rebates if they fail to spend a certain portion of premium income on health care claims and quality improvement expenses, thereby limiting what they may spend on administrative expenses or…

  • Using Payment to Promote Better Medicaid Managed Care for People with AIDS

    Report

    This paper suggests methods of financing managed care for people with HIV or AIDS. Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a few copies may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that could be xeroxed. Please email order@kff.org if you would like to pursue this option.

  • Explaining Health Care Reform: Questions About the Extension of Dependent Coverage to Age 26

    Issue Brief

    The new health reform law requires private health insurers that offer dependent coverage to children to allow young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parent's insurance plan. This provision is among the first in the reform law to take effect, and it increases the availability of insurance to a population that currently has a high uninsured rate. This short summary answers basic questions about the dependent coverage expansion and explains how the…

  • Pulling it Together: What Conservatives Are Winning

    Perspective

    Conservatives are out of sorts these days about the direction in which health care is headed. They think the new health reform law expands the role of government too much and spends too much at a time when they believe deficit reduction should be a higher priority. The claims about death panels and a government takeover of the health system aside, these are principled positions for conservatives to take – they are supposed to be…

  • Kaiser Health Poll Report Selected Findings on 2006 State of the Union Address and Health Care

    Poll Finding

    A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines what the public took away from President Bush's State of the Union address, finding that the health messages in the speech have yet to register with most Americans. Despite extensive news coverage both before and after the speech giving information about the President's proposals for expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), seventy-one percent of adults have not heard the term "health savings account." Survey…