Health Care Costs

Event Overview Health Policy Academy is the Alliance for Health Policy’s annual in-person, bootcamp-style event held exclusively for current congressional and federal agency staff. For more than 30 years, the Academy has helped generations of staffers better navigate the fundamentals of health policy and the policymaking process.  This full-day bootcamp is ideal for staff who […]

Event Overview Health Policy Academy is an annual in-person event exclusively for Hill and federal agency staff. It has been hosted by the Alliance for Health Policy for more than 30 years, helping generations of staffers better navigate the complexities of health policy. It’s an opportunity for you to build foundational health policy knowledge in […]

AI in Health- Navigating New Frontiers Summit Thursday, July 25, 2024 Barbara Jordan Conference Center – 1330 G St NW, Washington, DC 20005 9:00 AM Registration | 9:30 – 3:30 PM Panel Presentations This year, the Signature Series delves into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in both health care and health policy. In […]

Event Description Research shows that health care issues are poised to play an important role in the upcoming 2024 presidential election and national health policy discourse. Expert panelists discussed the latest polling data identifying key health policy concerns that will drive election coverage and campaign discourse. This roundtable explored the intricacies of covering health policy […]

Event Overview This event was made possible with support from the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Agenda: Networking Breakfast 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. ET Enjoy coffee, juice, light breakfast items, and time to connect with your colleagues.  Introduction and Opening Remarks 9:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. ET Session #1: Health Care Coverage […]

This event featured an analysis of potential health policy priorities at both state and federal levels for this upcoming election year, and provided a review of major legislative milestones from 2023 and their potential implications for 2024.

As the health care system grapples with unprecedented challenges post-pandemic – from workforce to supply chain shortages, from technological advances to continued health inequities and affordability challenges – will the future of the health care system meet the needs of real people and communities? When “people” become “patients,” what happens? And what do health policy leaders need to know to put people first?

This panel provided a high-level overview of health care coverage programs in the United States, such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and employer-based insurance, as well as recent changes to coverage such as bolstering subsidies. This Session:

The November 8 midterm elections have reshaped the contours of federal health policymaking for the remainder of President Biden’s current term. While Democrats outperformed expectations retaining control of the Senate—with the potential of adding a seat—and limiting their losses in the House, Republicans have gained a majority in the House. As a result, avenues for […]

Over the last few decades, horizontal and vertical consolidation within health care markets has become a pressing issue – with competing market forces driving this dynamic. Horizontal consolidation occurs when two providers performing similar functions merge – such as when two hospitals merge or groups of physician practices merge to form larger group practices. For […]

This event was Part II of the Alliance’s Health Policy Roundup and 2022 Forecast series. Economic fallout and higher unemployment rates due to the pandemic have raised concerns about health insurance coverage enrollment and affordability in the U.S. Although the national uninsured rate remained mostly unchanged throughout the pandemic (at or around 10–11%), many eligible […]

While significant attention has been paid to shifts in federal health policy, it is equally important to understand the promises, tradeoffs, and impacts of state policies on the health care system.

The Alliance for Health Reform has released a new toolkit, “Biosimilars: Unpacking Complex Issues.” The Affordable Care Act created an expedited licensure pathway for biosimilars, and, in March 2015, the U.S. approved the first biosimilar, leaving policy makers, regulators, providers and stakeholders to grapple with regulatory and financial questions.

With the cost of repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate for Medicare Physician Payment lower than ever, many suggest that 2014 is the year that permanent change may finally be realized. This toolkit provides a brief summary of the history of the SGR, including the recent actions by the House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and Senate Finance committees to repeal and reform the flawed physician payment system.

The pace of health care consolidation is accelerating. Over half of hospitals were exploring a possible merger in 2013, and half were also planning to purchase physician practices. The dollar value of those acquisitions declined, however, as recent purchases have been less about megamergers and more about smaller entities as the newer targets of acquisition.

The public is keeping a close eye on federal budget deficit reduction efforts this year, including potential automatic spending cuts initially mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Yet one component of the debate has been largely ignored – the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). Indeed, because of the SGR, physicians in January 2013 faced a 26.5 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement rates. Last-minute congressional intervention delayed the cut until January 2014 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Without intervention, physicians will receive a 25 percent reimbursement cut in January 2014. At the same time, according to the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates, if Congress and the president agree to permanently eliminate the SGR, the deficit will grow by another $138 billion over 10 years. The cost of repealing the SGR has fallen significantly since last year, spiking a new interest in permanently fixing the problem.

This toolkit will help you understand trends in U.S. health spending, and some of the reasons why spending is going up. We also cover some ideas for restraining health care costs. In addition, this resource offers story ideas, selected experts with contact information, selected websites, and a glossary. This toolkit was compiled and written by Laura Covington. Updated Aug. 2008 by Sam Takvorian and Sanjay Mohanty. Key Facts Selected Articles Please email info@allhealth.org if you find that any of the links mentioned in this toolkit no longer work. Health Spending Basics Spending Trends Causes of Heath Cost Increases Effects of Spending Growth Some Ways to Curb Spending Story Ideas Selected Experts Drawn from the Alliance for Health Reform’s Find-an-Expert Service for reporters. Descriptions in quotes are written by the experts themselves. Credentialed reporters can see full profiles for these and other experts, including after-hours contact numbers, by going towww.allhealth.org/reporter_enroll.asp Selected Websites Glossary on the Uninsured CAPITATION – Method of payment for health services in which a health care provider is paid a fixed amount for each person on the provider’s patient roster, regardless of the actual number or nature of services provided to each person. CARRIER – An entity which may underwrite or administer a range of health benefit programs. May refer to an insurer or a managed health plan. CARVE-OUTS – A payer strategy in which an HMO or insurance company isolates (“carves out”) a benefit and hires another organization to provide this service. Common carve-outs include behavioral health...