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The Slowdown in Health Care Spending in 2009-11 Reflected Factors Other Than the Weak Economy and Thus may Persist

May 6, 2013 | Journal Article

This study examines two factors that might account for slower health spending: job loss and benefit changes that shifted more costs to insured people.

Additional Reductions in Medicare Spending Growth Will Likely Require Shifting Costs to Beneficiaries

May 6, 2013 | Journal Article

The primary policy issue facing the U.S. health care system is the rate of spending growth in public programs, and solving that problem will probably require reforms to the entire health care sector.

Financial Burden of Medical Spending by State and the Implications of the 2014 Medicaid Expansions

April 2, 2013 | Issue Brief

The 2014 Medicaid expansion will lessen the burden of medical expenses for many people, but the impact will vary by state.

Collaborating with Medicaid to Improve Health Care

October 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

This brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies profiles two multi-payer quality improvement Alliances that are part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative.

The Sharp Slowdown in Growth of Medical Imaging

August 1, 2012 | Journal Article

The growth in the use of advanced imaging for Medicare beneficiaries decelerated in 2006 and 2007, ending a decade of growth that had exceeded 6 percent annually. The slowdown raises three questions. Did the slowdown in growth of imaging under Medic ...

Recent Proposals to Limit Medigap Coverage and Modify Medicare Cost Sharing

February 24, 2012 | Issue Brief

This paper discusses Medicare’s current cost-sharing requirements, Medigap insurance, and proposals to modify Medicare’s cost-sharing and eliminate first-dollar coverage in Medigap plans. It reviews the evidence on the effects of first-dollar covera ...

Cost-Sharing: Effects on Spending and Outcomes

December 1, 2011 | Issue Brief

This synthesis examines how cost-sharing affects the use of services, whether some patients are more sensitive to cost-sharing than others, and whether reduced use of services as a result of cost-sharing has an effect on health outcomes.

Cost Sharing and the ACA

October 11, 2011 | Video

This short infographic video explains what cost sharing is and how it changes under health reform.

Video Vocab: Understanding the Affordable Care Act

October 11, 2011 | Video

This series of short infographic videos explains concepts of health reform.

Lower-Income Families Pay a Higher Share of Income Toward National Health Care Spending Than Higher-Income Families Do

September 8, 2011 | Journal Article

All health care spending from public and private sources, such as governments and businesses, is ultimately paid by individuals and families.

Insurance Cost Sharing