Category: affordability

Surprise Bills Vary by Diagnosis and Type of Admission

A new issue brief looks at the prevalence of potential surprise medical bills based on patient diagnosis, emergency visits, and type of inpatient admission.

Surprise Bills Often Hit in Emergencies

In an Axios column, Drew Altman previews new data highlighting that people with critical health issues are especially vulnerable to these bills. 

How Much Do Medicare Beneficiaries Spend Out of Pocket on Health Care?

This analysis presents the most current data on out-of-pocket health care spending by Medicare beneficiaries, both overall and among different groups of beneficiaries. The analysis explores how much Medicare beneficiaries spend out of pocket in total o…

Visualizing Health Policy: US Public’s Perspective on Prescription Drug Costs

This infographic examines public opinion on prescription drug costs in the United States as part of the Visualizing Health Policy infographic series, produced in partnership with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Benchmark Employer Survey Finds Average Family Premiums Now Top $20,000

Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 5% to average $20,576 this year, according to the 2019 benchmark KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey released today. Workers’ wages rose 3.4% and inflation rose 2% over the same period…

New Analysis of Large Employer Health Coverage: The Cost to Families for Health Coverage and Care Has Risen More Than 2X Faster Than Wages and 3X Faster Than Inflation Over the Last Decade 

A new KFF analysis that looked at both premiums and other out-of-pocket costs shows that families with coverage through a large employer paid 67 percent more for their health benefits and care in 2018 than a decade earlier. In 2018, a typical family of…

Tracking the Rise in Premium Contributions and Cost-Sharing for Families with Large Employer Coverage

An analysis of large employer health coverage on the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker finds that the cost to families for health coverage and care has risen more than two times faster than wages and three times faster than inflation over the last …

Public Opinion on Prescription Drugs and Their Prices

This slideshow draws on recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll findings to provide an in-depth look at the public’s attitudes toward prescription drugs and their prices. Results include Americans’ opinions on drug affordability, pharmaceutical companies,…

About 1 in 6 Emergency Visits and Hospital Stays Had At Least One Out-of-Network Charge in 2017

In roughly 1 of every 6 emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays in 2017, patients came home with at least one out-of-network medical bill, a new KFF analysis finds. More specifically, 18 percent of all emergency visits and 16 percent of in-n…

An Examination of Surprise Medical Bills and Proposals to Protect Consumers from Them

This analysis examines how often patients get hit with surprise medical bills, what circumstances tend to give rise to them and what proposals are being considered to protect consumers from this problem. The study of claims data from large employer hea…