Category: Kaiser Family Foundation

3 Charts About Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government for the first time will negotiate directly with drug companies to determine the prices that Medicare will pay for certain high expenditure drugs covered under Medicare Part D (starting in 2026) …

Health Cost and Affordability Policy Issues and Trends to Watch in 2024

While issues of health care costs and affordability may not be at the forefront of this year’s election issues, they remain a major concern among the public. About a quarter of Americans say they or a family member struggled to pay their medical bills …

What to Watch in 2024: The Latest Health Cost and Affordability Issues and Trends 

While issues of health care costs and affordability may not be at the forefront of this year’s election issues, they remain a major concern among the public. About a quarter of Americans say they or a family member struggled to pay their medical bills …

The Two Health Care Cost Crises

In this column, KFF’s President and CEO Drew Altman explores the nation’s twin health cost crises of affordability, especially for people who are sick and need a lot of health care, and national health spending, and why the solutions often work at cros…

Florida’s Plan to Import Prescription Drugs from Canada, the First of its Kind, May Face Obstacles that Could Delay Implementation and Savings

A new KFF policy watch explains some of the hurdles the state of Florida still must clear before it can implement its novel plan to make some prescription drugs more affordable by importing them from Canada. Florida’s plan represents the first time the…

What to Know About the FDA’s Recent Decision to Allow Florida to Import Prescription Drugs from Canada

Florida’s plan to import certain prescription drugs from Canada represents the first time the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted authority for a state to safely import prescription drugs from another country. This policy watch analysis unpa…

Most Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Had “Strong” Days of Cash on Hand in 2022, Though About One-in-10 Were “Vulnerable”

Most nonprofit hospitals and hospital systems had enough cash on hand in 2022 to cover operating expenses for an extended period of time, though about one-in-10 had relatively low levels to cover their expenses, which potentially could leave them vulne…

Most Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Analyzed Had “Adequate” or “Strong” Days of Cash on Hand in 2022, Though About One in Ten Did Not

This data note examines recent trends in “days cash on hand” to understand how well nonprofit hospitals and health systems may be able to weather financial challenges, such as low operating margins.

How Do Health Expenditures Vary Across the Population?

This slideshow explores the variation in health spending across the population through an analysis of the 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. It finds that 5% of the population with the highest health expenditures accounted for nearly ha…

The CBO Report That Didn’t Roar

In his latest column, President and CEO Drew Altman discusses a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)’s payment and delivery demonstrations have cost Medicare money, and what it m…