Category: Private Insurance

An Early Look at What is Driving Health Costs in 2023 ACA Markets

This analysis of marketplace insurers’ early rate filings in 13 states and the District of Columbia finds that they are seeking higher premium increases than in recent years, largely due to rising prices paid to hospitals, doctors and drug companies an…

Marketplace Insurers Are Proposing 10% Premium Hikes for 2023 in 13 States and DC, Though Many Enrollees Could Face Much Higher Increases if Congress Doesn’t Extend Enhanced Tax Credits

A new analysis of marketplace insurers’ early rate filings in 13 states and the District of Columbia finds that they are seeking higher premium increases than in recent years, largely due to rising prices paid to hospitals, doctors and drug companies a…

Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs

This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.

Could Consumer Assistance be Helpful to People Facing Medical Debt?

Most (53%) adults with health care debt say they have received a medical or dental bill they thought contained an error at some point in the past 5 years, and most say a state consumer assistance program would be helpful to them.

Women who Give Birth Incur Nearly $19,000 in Additional Health Costs, Including $2,854 More that They Pay Out of Pocket

The health care costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth average almost $19,000, including $2,854 paid out-of-pocket, a new KFF analysis of large employers’ insurance claims finds. Unlike other analyses that examine costs of specific pregnancy-re…

Health Costs Associated with Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Postpartum Care

This analysis looks at the health care costs associated with pregnancy, including prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care. It finds women who give birth incur an extra $18,865 in total health care spending than other women. including $2,854 pa…

Data Note: 2022 Medical Loss Ratio Rebates

We find that insurers estimate they will issue a total of about $1 billion in Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) rebates this year across all commercial markets under a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that limits the share of premiums that insurers c…

Private Insurers Expect to Pay $1 Billion in Rebates to Consumers This Year for Setting Premiums Too High Relative to Medical Costs

Private insurance companies are expecting to pay out $1 billion in rebates to consumers this fall under an Affordable Care Act provision that requires insurers to spend the bulk of customers’ premium payments on care, a new KFF analysis finds. Rebates …

The Uncertain Future of Policies to Promote Access and Affordability Put in Place During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt highlights four changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that helped to make health care more accessible and affordable and the prospects for those changes to telehealth, COVID-19 coverage,…

For ACA Enrollees, How Much Premiums Rise Next Year is Mostly up to Congress

Most customers with coverage through Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces will face big premium increases next year if Congress doesn’t extend the temporary enhanced tax credits included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. If the outcome isn’…