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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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  • Understanding Individual Health Insurance Markets

    Other Post

    : Structure, Practices, and Products in Ten States New Study of Individual Health Insurance Market: Major Barriers Identified in Individual Health Insurance Market for People with Health Problems. Rates and Regulations Vary Across Ten States Studied Denials, Waiting Periods, and High Premiums Pose Problems for Pre-Medicare Population For Immediate Release Tuesday, March 17, 1998 Washington, DC - For many people who have health problems or who are approaching the age of retirement, coverage through the…

  • Most People Enrolled in Marketplace Coverage are Satisfied with Plan’s Premiums, Cost-Sharing and Provider Networks, New Survey Finds

    News Release

      Affordability Remains Significant Concern for Many in Non-Group Plans Following the Affordable Care Act's second open enrollment period, most people enrolled in marketplace plans report being satisfied with a wide range of their plan's coverage and features, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of people who buy their own health insurance. A large majority (74%) of those in marketplace plans rate their coverage as excellent or good, the survey finds. Most (59%) also…

  • Workplace Wellness Programs Characteristics and Requirements

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief summarizes what’s known about workplace wellness programs offered by employers today and the use of financial incentives to encourage workers to participate. Findings are drawn from the KFF/HRET Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. In addition, the brief reviews proposed changes by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in federal standards governing financial incentives by workplace wellness programs and how these changes might balance the use of incentives against other discrimination and privacy…

  • Data Note: Predictors Of Positive And Negative Attitudes Towards The ACA Among Non-Group Insurance Enrollees

    Poll Finding

    One of the groups perhaps most affected by changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are people who purchase their own health insurance in the non-group market. In this Data Note, we examine data from the Kaiser Family Foundation Wave 2 Survey of Non-Group Health Insurance Enrollees to explore the characteristics of non-group enrollees that are associated with positive and negative attitudes towards the ACA, including feeling personally benefited or negatively affected by…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Late June 2015 – A Special Focus On The Supreme Court Decision

    Feature

    The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that when told that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to keep the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as it is, allowing subsidies to be provided to low- and moderate-income people in all states regardless of who runs their Marketplace, about 6 in 10 say they approve of the decision while about a third disapprove. The King v. Burwell ruling does not appear to have had an immediate effect on…

  • 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.

  • The Affordable Care Act Doesn’t Rank Highly As an Issue for Voters in the Presidential Primaries

    News Release

    Despite Anecdotal Reports about Narrow Networks, 87% of Working-Age Adults with Insurance Are Satisfied With Their Plan's Choice of Doctors; 12% Say They Had to Change Doctors in Past Year As the ACA's Open Enrollment Nears End, Most of Those Who Remain Uninsured Are Disengaged While this month Congress passed and President Obama vetoed legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, voters nationally aren't focused on the law in this year's presidential election, the latest…

  • Assessing ACA Marketplace Enrollment

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines factors that may have kept 2016 enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans from reaching early projections, and it estimates that sign-ups will continue to grow modestly in coming years.

  • New Analysis Suggests ACA Marketplace Enrollment Could Grow Modestly Over Next Few Years, up to 16.3 Million Sign-Ups, 14.7 Million Enrollees after Attrition

    News Release

    A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that sign-ups in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans could continue to grow modestly over the next few years to 16.3 million (up 28%), based on the experience of the top-performing states. Assessing ACA Marketplace Enrollment examines factors that may have kept enrollment in 2016 from reaching early projections, including smaller declines than expected in employer coverage and a substantial number of people buying their own insurance…

  • Average Individual Mandate Penalty to Rise 47 Percent to $969 in 2016 for Uninsured People Eligible for ACA Plans

    News Release

     3.5 Million Could Have a Zero-Dollar Premium Contribution or Pay Less for Health Insurance than Penalty Due to Premium Subsidies; 7.1 Million Would Pay More to Get Coverage A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that among uninsured people who are eligible for an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan, the average penalty for remaining without coverage in 2016 would be $969 per household – 47 percent higher than the 2015 estimated average of $661.…