As the Ebola outbreak in the DRC continues, new KFF explainer examines the status of the response and the limited U.S. role to date July 29, 2019 News Release The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), recently declared a “public health emergency of international concern” by the WHO Director-General, is now second only to the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2015 in terms of number of cases and deaths. A new KFF explainer reviews the history…
Explainer Video Breaks Down Prescription Drug Rebates and Why They Matter in the Debate About Prescription Drug Costs July 26, 2019 News Release A new KFF animation explains how rebates for prescription drugs work, including how they are determined, who benefits from them, how they affect spending by insurers and consumers and the role of pharmacy benefit managers in the process. The Trump Administration had proposed banning such rebates in Medicare Part D,…
Among People with Employer Coverage, Those with Persistently High Spending for Several Years Averaged Almost $88,000 in Health Spending in 2017 July 24, 2019 News Release Among people with three consecutive years of coverage from a large employer, just 1.3 percent of enrollees accounted for 19.5 percent of overall health spending in 2017, finds a new KFF analysis. These “people with persistently high spending” – people in the top five percent of spending in each of…
New Online Resource Tracks Legislation Affecting Global Health July 22, 2019 News Release A new KFF online resource tracks more than 30 bills introduced in the current Congress that would affect global health policy. The U.S. Global Health Legislation Tracker covers current legislation on an array of topics, from implementing a strategy to help end preventable maternal and child deaths to creating an…
Kaiser/UNAIDS Analysis Finds Donor Governments Spent US$8 Billion for HIV in 2018, Similar to a Decade Ago July 16, 2019 News Release Donor government disbursements to combat HIV in low- and middle-income countries totaled US$8 billion in 2018, little changed from the US$8.1 billion total in 2017 and from the levels of a decade ago, finds a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on…
Analysis: ‘Cadillac Tax’ on High-Cost Health Plans Could Affect 1 in 5 Employers in 2022 July 12, 2019 News Release A new KFF analysis estimates that the Affordable Care Act’s tax on high-cost health plans would affect one in five (21%) employers offering health benefits when it takes effect in 2022 unless employers change their health plans. An even larger share (31%) could be affected when workers’ voluntary contributions to…
Explaining Texas v. U.S.: A Guide to the 5th Circuit Appeal in the Lawsuit Challenging the Affordable Care Act July 3, 2019 News Release The outcome of the Texas v. U.S. legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s health system, from rolling back the expansion of Medicaid to removing protections for people with pre-existing conditions and revoking the ability of adult children to stay on their…
Brief Examines Proposed Changes to Federal Anti-Discrimination Protections in Health Care that Would Limit Protections related to Gender Identity, Access to Abortion and Language Access July 1, 2019 News Release A new brief analyzes the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to federal anti-discrimination regulations that would eliminate existing protections in health care related to gender identity and access to abortion, and narrow protections for non-English speakers.
Poll: Most Americans See Antibiotic Resistance as a Public Health Problem, But Nearly Half Have Not Taken Antibiotics As Prescribed June 21, 2019 News Release While most Americans believe that antibiotic resistance poses a public health problem, new KFF polling finds nearly half (45%) say they personally have not taken antibiotics as prescribed – one factor contributing to the rise of “superbugs” that are resistant to existing treatment. Those misusing antibiotics includes people who say…
About 1 in 6 Emergency Visits and Hospital Stays Had At Least One Out-of-Network Charge in 2017 June 20, 2019 News Release In roughly 1 of every 6 emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays in 2017, patients came home with at least one out-of-network medical bill, a new KFF analysis finds. More specifically, 18 percent of all emergency visits and 16 percent of in-network hospital stays had at least one out-of-network…