Reports on Health Insurance and Health Care Costs from the Kaiser Family Foundation

Health Care Costs: A Primer

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This primer on health care spending in the United States reviews the growth in health care spending since 1970 and the impact of health care costs on families and employers.

Prescription Drug Procurement and the Federal Budget

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This report considers areas where Medicare faces limited opportunity for market-based competition and price negotiation to drive down drug spending: drug purchasing for low-income people who face minimal cost-sharing requirements, and purchasing certain unique drugs, such as biologicals, that have no therapeutic alternatives or competitors.

Medicare Part D Spending Trends: Understanding Key Drivers and the Role of Competition

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

This brief examines the role of competition and other factors contributing to Medicare's lower-than-expected spending on prescription drugs under the Part D drug benefit. 

Insurer Rebates under the Medical Loss Ratio: 2012 Estimates

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Beginning in 2011, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurance plans to pay out a minimum percentage of premium dollars towards health care expenses and quality improvement activities, limiting the amount spent on administrative and marketing costs and profit. Under the law, large group plans are required to spend at least 85 percent of premium dollars on health care and quality improvement, while small group plans must spend at least 80 percent. These ratios are known as the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR). This analysis looks at the latest estimates provided by insurers to state insurance commissioners.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- April 2012

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The April Health Tracking Poll gauged Americans' opinions of the Affordable Care Act in the wake of the Supreme Court oral arguments in the legal challenges to the health reform law in March.

Patient Cost-Sharing Under the Affordable Care Act

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

This data note provides estimates of the potential cost-sharing levels for plans that will be available in the non-group market (including in new health insurance exchanges) when the ACA is fully implemented in 2014. It builds on previous work from Kaiser and reflects recent guidance from the federal government on benefits and cost-sharing for plans offered in those markets.

Pulling It Together: The Falloff in Utilization: "There's Something Happening, Here, What It Is Ain't Exactly Clear"

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman looks at the falloff in utilization of health services.

Federal Funding Under the Affordable Care Act

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

This fact sheet provides highlights from an analysis tracking the flow of federal Affordable Care Act funds to states as reporter in the Department of Health and Human Services grant database as well as periodic reports from HHS and the Internal Revenue Service.

Tracking Federal Funds from the Affordable Care Act

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

This tool allows users to track funds awarded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to a variety of governmental and private entities. This funding will go to states, local governments, employers, community health groups and health care providers to implement various provisions aimed at transforming areas of the existing health system and making health insurance coverage more affordable.

Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges: An Overview of State Efforts

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

This issue brief examines states' progress in setting up the state-based health insurance exchanges through which millions of Americans are expected to purchase coverage under The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) beginning in 2014.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- March 2012

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

As the oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) begin in two weeks before the Supreme Court, the March Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that Americans' views on the case mirror their views on the health reform law and that they expect parts of the ACA to continue whatever the Court rules.

Policy and Political Implications of the Supreme Court Case on the Affordable Care Act

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

The March 2012 briefing featured experts analyzing the policy and political implications of the pending U.S. Supreme Court case on the Affordable Care Act.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- February 2012

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

The February health tracking poll finds most Americans oppose Medicare premium support proposal even with a newly offered traditional Medicare option, though arguments in favor can lessen opposition. The poll also finds that among women, Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to support a Federal requirement that health insurance plans cover contraceptives.

Explaining Health Reform: Medical Loss Ratio (MLR)

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

This fact sheet explains how the Medical Loss Ratio provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect health insurers and consumers. The provision requires most insurance companies that cover individuals and small businesses to spend at least 80% of their premium dollars on health care (i.e. medical claims) and quality improvement, leaving no more than 20% for administration, marketing, and profit. Large group plans must spend at least 85 percent of premium dollars on health care. Insurers failing to meet these standards will have to pay rebates to consumers beginning late in 2012.

Quality Care for Less Money: Can Regional Successes Go National?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

This Kaiser Family Foundation event features clips from an upcoming PBS documentary with former Washington Post correspondent T.R. Reid – <i>U.S. Health Care: The Good News</i> – followed by a panel discussion examining the issues raised in the documentary and the challenges, constraints and potential solutions for achieving affordable, effective health care in the U.S.

A Guide to the Supreme Court's Review of the 2010 Health Care Reform Law

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

This brief examines the pending Supreme Court case challenging the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including the key constitutional questions issues and the parties' legal arguments.

How will the Affordable Care Act affect small businesses and their employees?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

This fact sheet summarizes key provisions in the Affordable Care Act that may affect small businesses and their employees.  The fact sheet explains the law’s small business tax credits and the Small Business Health Options Program exchanges to be established in each state by 2014, both of which are designed to make it easier for small businesses to purchase insurance for their workers.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- January 2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The January Health Tracking Poll probes the public's views and expectations about the Supreme Court case on the health reform law and the public's knowledge and opinions of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's health care positions.

Pulling it Together: 2012: The ACA, and More

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman looks ahead at the wide range of health policy issues and marketplace changes that will be in play inside and outside the Beltway in 2012.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- December 2011

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

The December Tracking Poll finds the recent dip in support of the health reform law has been fully reversed, and the concept of health exchanges has wide, bipartisan support.

Copy of Snapshots: Compensation for Workers with & without Access to Health Benefits at Work

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

This report analyzes the differences in payroll compensation at companies where health benefits are and are not offered. It finds that workers at companies that offer health benefits on average receive more than double the compensation of workers at companies that do. It is part of the online Snapshots: Health Care Costs series, written by Foundation staff.

Illustrating Health Reform: How Coverage Will Work

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

A new interactive feature from the Foundation, “Illustrating Health Reform: How Coverage Will Work,” clarifies how individuals and businesses in a variety of situations could be affected by health reform. Featuring the YouToons characters from the Foundation’s “Health Reform Hits Main Street” animated video, the new feature makes it easy to see how people’s health insurance coverage could change under reform.

Webcast: New CMS Estimates of State-by-State Health Expenditures

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

On Wednesday Dec. 7, 2011 the Kaiser Family Foundation held a live interactive webcast to discuss trends in state health care expenditures and the implications for national and state efforts to constrain health care costs.  The webcast examined new state-by-state estimates of public and private health spending from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Pulling it Together: The Most Popular Provision in the ACA?

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman discusses the importance of a surprise finding in this month’s tracking poll – the most popular provision in the ACA is a requirement that health plans provide consumers with a short, easy to understand summary of their health insurance benefits and coverage.

The HPV Vaccine: Access and Use in the U.S.

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines against infection by certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.  Initially, the vaccines were recommended only for girls and young women, but in 2011 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broadened them to include boys and young men. The fact sheet discusses HPV and cancers related to the virus, use of the HPV vaccines for both females and males, and insurance coverage and access to the vaccines.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- October 2011

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

The October health tracking poll finds a more negative overall public mood about the health reform law, driven largely by changes in support for the law among Democrats.  The poll also asked the public’s impressions of the Massachusetts health reform law enacted under then- Gov. Mitt Romney, who is now a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

Medicaid’s Long-Term Care Users: Spending Patterns Across Institutional and Community-based Settings

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

This report provides an overview of Medicaid's long-term care users and their acute and long-term care service spending. The report finds that although the individuals who rely on long-term care comprised only six percent of the Medicaid population in 2007, they accounted for nearly half of total Medicaid spending that year.

Pulling it Together: Business and Health Care Costs

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman explores employer attitudes about their own ability to control health costs based on the Foundation’s annual employer benefits survey.

How Competitive Are State Health Insurance Markets?

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

This analysis assesses the competitiveness of state insurance markets for individuals and small businesses to establish a baseline as implementation of the health reform law proceeds.

Uniform Coverage Summaries for Consumers

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

This brief explains the proposed federal rule that requires private health plans to provide a short, easy-to-read uniform summary of benefits and coverage to all health insurance applicants and enrollees.

Pulling It Together: Rising Health Costs Are Not Just a Federal Budget Problem

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman looks at the findings from the Foundation’s annual employer health benefits survey from the perspective of employers and families facing rising premiums in a weak economy.

2011 Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefit Survey

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

This benchmark annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies and other relevant information.

2011 Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefit Survey

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- September 2011

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

The September tracking poll examines public opinion about the “super committee” and explores the views and experience of individuals who have pre-existing health conditions, in addition to continuing tracking opinion about the health reform law. 

Comparison of Medicare Provisions in Deficit and Debt Reduction Proposals

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

With major changes to Medicare being considered as part of broader deficit and debt-reduction plans, the Foundation has prepared a side-by-side comparing the Medicare provisions in key reports and proposals.

Controlling Health Insurance Premiums: Perspectives from the States, the Federal Government and Industry

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Affordable Care Act creates a process for states and the Department of Health and Human Services to review “unreasonable” premium increases and provide information to consumers about the process. A briefing held by the Foundation in September 2011 addressed how these new rules might work and what the implications may be for the growth in health insurance premiums and the underlying cost of health care.

Health Affairs Article: The Growth In Cost Per Case Explains Far More Of US Health Spending Increases Than Rising Disease Prevalence

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

This article examines national health spending, focusing on trends in cost of care per case and treated prevalence.  It also presents initial estimates of the impact of clinical prevalence on overall spending.

Preventive Services Covered by Private Health Plans under the Affordable Care Act

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

This fact sheet outlines the new prevention services that private insurers must cover under the Affordable Care Act and discusses the impact they may have on several populations.

Pulling It Together: Uninsured But Not Yet Informed

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser President Drew Altman explores the surprise in Kaiser's latest tracking poll – what the uninsured know and don’t know about how the Affordable Care Act will affect them.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- August 2011

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

The August tracking poll examines the views of Americans without health insurance, with a particular focus on how they think the health reform law will affect them.

Mapping Premium Variation in the Individual Market

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

This issue brief examines how premiums for individual health insurance differ around the nation based on data available from insurer filings to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Given the fragmentation of the market and the lack of public data available about individual insurance premiums across the nation, the analysis provides an important baseline that consumers and policymakers can use to gauge the state of insurance affordability prior to the full implementation of health reform.

Pulling It Together: Are We Headed for a Government Takeover of Health Care?

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, Kaiser President Drew Altman looks at what the new report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Actuary says about a “government takeover of the health care system”.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- July 2011

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

The July Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that Americans of all political stripes see a role for both spending reductions and tax increases as part of an overall deficit reduction strategy.

Pulling It Together: Writing Regulations

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

In this column,  Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman examines the new federal regulations on health insurance exchanges, and the political dynamics of the regulation writing process.

Explaining Health Reform: Uses of Express Lane Strategies to Promote Participation in Coverage

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EST

This issue brief  examines how states can employ "express lane" principles to help simplify and expand enrollment in Medicaid and other health coverage for the millions of uninsured adults and children who will gain eligibility for such coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) beginning in 2014.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- June 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds a plurality of Americans (45%) say they would support minor reductions to current levels of Medicare spending, but fewer than one in five (18%) support major reductions for this purpose. As the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination gets underway, the economy and jobs dominate the list of issues voters say they want to hear about from candidates (60%), with health care ranking a distant second (26%).

Health Coverage for the Unemployed

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

This policy brief outlines the challenges facing the unemployed as they seek to remain insured after losing jobs and employer-sponsored health coverage.

Pulling It Together: Predictions

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 EST

In his latest column, the Kaiser Family Foundation's President and CEO makes three predictions about health policy issues.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- May 2011

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 EST

The May poll reports most Americans oppose converting Medicaid to a block grant in order to reduce the federal deficit, and more than half want to see no reductions at all in Medicaid spending. 

Women's Health Care Chartbook: Key Findings From the Kaiser Women's Health Survey

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 EST

This chartbook presents findings from a national survey of women ages 18 to 64 conducted in 2008, including data on insurance coverage, affordability of and access to care, use of health care services, prevention, and family health.