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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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  • Private Insurance Benefits and Cost-Sharing Under the ACA

    Perspective

    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released guidance on the two key components that determine the level of protection that private insurance plans will provide to consumers under health reform. The first involves the services that insurance plans must cover, and the second involves how much patients must pay out-of-pocket for those services. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes new rules for what insurers must provide for both components starting in 2014.…

  • Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives

    Perspective

    In this post, we answer some of the key questions about the new contraceptive coverage policy generally, and more specifically, how it will be applied to religious organizations.

  • Snapshots: Employer Sponsored Health Insurance – A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large Firms

    Issue Brief

    Employer Sponsored Health Insurance – A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large FirmsNovember 2008 The majority of businesses in the United States are small businesses. Of the over three million firms with three or more workers, roughly 98% have between three and 199 employees. Small firms employ about 40% of all workers and about 34% of workers who receive health insurance through their own job.1 Small…

  • New Policy Insight Examines Medical Debt Among Insured Consumers

    News Release

    In this new policy insight, Kaiser Family Foundation Senior Fellow Karen Pollitz explores how high cost sharing in health insurance plans can contribute to an individual’s medical debt, and explains how greater transparency in plan details could help consumers avoid some financial pitfalls. Medical Debt Among Insured Consumers: The Role of Cost Sharing, Transparency, and Consumer Assistance also provides an update on provisions of the Affordable Care Act meant to increase health plan transparency and…

  • A Perilous Gap in Health Insurance Literacy

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how progress in expanding coverage requires greater attention to the problem of health insurance literacy.

  • Employer-Sponsored Family Health Premiums Rise 3 Percent in 2014

    News Release

    Average Annual Family Premiums Stand at $16,834, With Workers Contributing $4,823 Workers Now Face Deductibles Averaging $1,217, Up 47 Percent Since 2009 Menlo Park, Calif. – Average annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $16,834 this year, up 3 percent from last year, continuing a recent trend of modest increases, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) 2014 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today. Workers on average pay $4,823 annually toward the cost…

  • Report Examines Potential for Private Health Insurance Exchanges to Change Employer Market

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation report examines private exchanges and how the approach could reshape employer-sponsored health insurance as it gains popularity. These private exchanges have gained currency as new health insurance marketplaces for individuals have begun operating under the Affordable Care Act, though the approaches are quite different. The report estimates that at least 2.5 million people now get health coverage through private exchanges, and the market is poised to grow. According to the…

  • Workers Wary of Wellness Programs that Tie Premiums to Participation and Outcomes

    News Release

    June Poll Finds No Change in Public's Overall View of the Affordable Care Act Most in Military Households Say VA Problems Are Systemic and Care Not As Good As What Other Americans Receive  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…