Category: Private Insurance

Many households do not have enough money to pay cost-sharing typical in private health plans

This analysis assesses whether people can afford to pay cost-sharing amounts common with private insurance plans. It finds that large shares of non-elderly households do not have enough liquid assets to meet typical plan cost-sharing amounts.

Outpatient telehealth use soared early in the COVID-19 pandemic but has since receded

Telehealth use skyrocketed during the early months of the pandemic. While it has since decreased somewhat from that high, it still represents a much more substantial share of health care than before COVID, this KFF-Epic Research analysis finds.

Reports on Health Insurance and Health Care Costs from the Kaiser Family Foundation 2022-02-10 09:17:48

This updated analysis examines COVID-19’s effect on mortality rates, and estimates that in January 2022, COVID-19 was number two on the list of leading causes of death in the U.S.

How are Large Private Insurers Covering At-Home Rapid Tests?

Less than a week after a new federal mandate to cover such products took effect, about half of the nation’s largest private insurers allow enrollees to directly obtain rapid at-home COVID-19 tests from specific sources without having to pay anything up…

How Are Private Insurers Covering At-Home Rapid COVID Tests?

This policy watch provides an early look at how top private insurers are implementing a new requirement to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests. Initially about half offer a direct coverage option and half require an enrollee to pay upfront and the…

Surprise Medical Bills are Ending, But Controversy Continues

In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt examines how the No Surprises Act that prohibits unexpected out-of-network charges for patients could lead to lower payment rates and revenues for some doctors and other care providers.

5 Things You Should Know About ‘Free’ At-Home Covid Tests

Telling insurance companies to pay for rapid covid-19 tests is just the latest covid-related cost the federal government expects them to bear. But who really ends up paying for it?

A Federal Covid Testing Plan Finally Ramps Up. Strings Are Attached.

In this commentary for Barron’s, Cynthia Cox and Lindsey Dawson examine the cost and availability of at-home COVID-19 tests and how the new Biden administration policy requiring private insurances to cover their costs may work. 

County-Level Analysis Finds ACA Premiums are Falling in Many Areas of the Country, Though Changes Vary by County and Type of Plan

Premiums for the Affordable Care Act Marketplace benchmark silver plan are decreasing 3.1 percent on average across the country – the fourth year in a row that benchmark premiums have fallen – though the changes vary by county, a new KFF county-by-coun…

How ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Changing by County in 2022

Premiums for ACA Marketplace benchmark silver plans are decreasing on average across the U.S. in 2022. However, premium changes vary widely by location and by metal level, including premium increases in a number of counties and plans.