Category: prices

What is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ New AHEAD Model?

In September 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new opportunity for states to leverage federal funding on health care: the Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) model. With this model, …

What are the recent and forecasted trends in prescription drug spending?

This slideshow looks at past, present and future trends in prescription drug spending with a focus on the role of specialty drugs.

The 4 Arguments You Will Hear Against Drug Price Negotiation

As the Biden administration begins the process of negotiation drug prices for Medicare as authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act, KFF’s Larry Levitt probes some of the arguments against it and the policy and political implications of the debate in t…

Understanding Mergers Between Hospitals and Health Systems in Different Markets

This brief explains the role and implications of cross-market mergers between hospitals and health systems that operate in different regions and describes the approaches that government antitrust agencies have taken in reviewing these types of transact…

Understanding the Role of the FTC, DOJ, and States in Challenging Anticompetitive Practices Of Hospitals and Other Health Care Providers

This brief explains the role of federal and state antitrust agencies in challenging anticompetitive practices among hospitals and other health care providers, including the legal authority of federal and state agencies, the role that they play in enfor…

How Does Medical Inflation Compare to Inflation in the Rest of the Economy?

Prices for medical services typically rise more quickly than the broader economy, but the reverse has been true recently as general inflation rose rapidly. This analysis finds that overall prices grew by 6% in February 2023 from the previous year, whil…

Privately Insured People with Depression and Anxiety Face High Out-of-Pocket Costs

This analysis finds that privately insured adults who were treated for depression and/or anxiety in 2021 spent almost twice as much on annual out-of-pocket costs compared to enrollees who were not treated for a mental health diagnosis.

Privately Insured People with Depression and Anxiety Face High Out-of-Pocket Costs

This analysis finds that privately insured adults who were treated for depression and/or anxiety in 2021 spent almost twice as much on annual out-of-pocket costs compared to enrollees who were not treated for a mental health diagnosis.

After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends on May 11, Some Consumers Could Face High Prices for COVID-19 Testing

After the public health emergency ends on May 11, private health plans will no longer be required to cover the full cost of COVID-19 tests ordered or administered by a clinician or to reimburse consumers for at-home rapid tests. To estimate what consum…

Prices for COVID-19 Testing

This analysis examines the potential costs for COVID-19 testing that some consumers may face once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends on May 11, 2023., depending on whether they have insurance and how their insurance covers testing.