As we splashed into summer, CHIR soaked up the latest health policy research along with some rays. In June, we read about trends in coverage and access for LGBT adults, the rise of facility fees, and the out-of-pocket cost burden of mental health care.
April showers bring May flowers, and May was abloom with health policy research. Last month, we read about the impact of ending pandemic-related coverage policies, consumer awareness of the resumption of Medicaid renewals, and approaches to tackling rising health care costs in commercial health insurance markets.
Along with “Health Policy Valentines,” February brought a host of new health policy research. This month, we read about trends in medical and pharmacy spending, the relationship between health systems’ financial performance and amounts paid by commercial plans, and mental health provider network adequacy.
High and rising health care prices are a key driver of increased cost sharing in employer plans. A significant contributor to rising prices is the consolidation in health care provider markets. In the third post of a series on policy options to improve the affordability of employer-sponsored insurance, CHIR’s Maanasa Kona and Sabrina Corlette explore strategies to limit provider consolidation and anti-competitive behavior.
As private equity involvement in the health care industry increases, policymakers and other stakeholders are sounding the alarm and calling for better regulation to control costs and protect patients. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a look at the role of private equity in the health care sector and how it impacts consumers.
Employer-sponsored health insurance costs had their highest annual increase since 2010 last year, and some experts are projecting additional health spending increases in 2022. Research has found that provider prices are the leading cause of high and rising health care spending in the US, and many policy experts have advocated for moving towards value-based, alternative payment models (APMs). CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a look how APMs have performed thus far and what the future may hold.
A new investigative report shows that even the COVID-19 crisis has not stopped many hospital systems from using aggressive collections practices to collect on unpaid medical debt. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a deep dive into the problem of medical debt and aggressive collections practices, and how the government can step in to protect consumers.
Last month, health insurers reported on their third-quarter (Q3) financial earnings, offering insights on their yearly performance to date and commenting on the market and regulatory challenges they see ahead. CHIR reviewed the quarterly filings and earnings call transcripts for seven publicly traded health insurers, and found that many continue to experience financial stability in the individual market and are closely monitoring major policy changes that could have an impact on their businesses moving forward.
Many people make New Year’s resolutions, with popular ones being to get healthy and save money. In that spirit, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe highlights three December studies that focus on families’ spending on health care and a new federal proposal to encourage the use of health reimbursement accounts.
The Justice Department just stepped in to prevent two health insurance mergers. The health care market consolidation trend isn’t new – insurers and provider groups alike just keep getting larger. But what does it mean for consumers? CHIR’s legal intern Emma Chapman examines the evidence.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the individual blog post authors and do not represent the views of Georgetown University, the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, any organization that the author is affiliated with, or the opinions of any other author who publishes on this blog.
