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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

New and Noteworthy

Policy Changes Bring Renewed Focus on High-Deductible Health Plans

Policy changes, anticipated increases in premium costs for enrollees, and new standards for health savings accounts may encourage consumers to seek out plans with lower premiums but higher deductibles. This issue brief explores the features of bronze and catastrophic plans, coverage and costs, and the complicated choices consumers face.

Explaining Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs)

Examining Short-Term Limited-Duration Health Plans

Health Savings Account Provisions in the 2025 Tax and Spending Law

Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance

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  • Most private insurers are no longer waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment

    Issue Brief

    This analysis finds nearly three quarters of the largest health plans in each state are no longer waiving enrollees’ cost-sharing requirements for COVID-19 treatment as of August 2021. Insurers largely waived those costs early in the pandemic, before safe and effetive vaccines were available.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – August 2017: The Politics of ACA Repeal and Replace Efforts

    Feature

    Following the U.S. Senate’s failed vote on the “skinny repeal”, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that the majority of the public say it is a “good thing” that the Senate did not pass the bill that would have repealed and replaced the ACA. A large share of Americans think President Trump and his administration should do what they can to make the current health care law work and a majority of the public want to see bipartisan efforts to improve the 2010 health care law. However, about half of Republicans and Trump supporters would like to see Republicans in Congress keep working on a plan to repeal the ACA, and most Republicans and Trump supporters endorse using hard-ball tactics to encourage Democrats to start negotiating with President Trump on a replacement plan. The majority of the public are also unaware that health insurance companies choosing not to sell insurance plans or charging higher premiums in certain marketplaces only affect those who purchase their own insurance on these marketplaces.

  • ACA Replacement Plans and the Individual Market

    Feature

    This slideshow compares premiums and tax credits under proposed replacement plans for the Affordable Care Act, including the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act and the House-passed American Health Care Act.

  • JAMA Forum: Why Health Insurance Literacy Matters

    Perspective

    Larry Levitt's November 2014 post looks at the challenges with people not understanding basic health insurance concepts as millions of them evaluate and choose health plans during open enrollment season for insurance in 2015.

  • Change in Benchmark Silver Premiums, 2014 – 2015

    Feature

    Change in Benchmark Silver Premiums 2015 MAP_HI_and_MA.ppt Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data from Healthcare.gov and insurer rate filings to state regulators. For more information see  “Analysis of 2015 Premium Changes in the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces” Sept. 2014.

  • What Do We Know About Health Care Access and Quality in Medicare Advantage Versus the Traditional Medicare Program?

    Report

    As the number of Medicare Advantage enrollees continues to climb, there is growing interest in understanding how the care provided to Medicare beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans differs from the care received by beneficiaries in traditional Medicare. This literature review of more than 40 studies synthesizes the evidence to date comparing access and quality for beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans and traditional Medicare.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – June 2017: ACA, Replacement Plan, and Medicaid

    Feature

    As the Senate prepares to vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and limit federal Medicaid funding, a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll finds the Affordable Care Act itself remains far more popular than the bill that would replace it. A majority of Republicans, however, continue to support the Republican plan, though by a significantly narrower margin than last month. Furthermore, the Tracking Poll finds that the most of the public - regardless of partisanship - holds favorable views of Medicaid.