Health Insurance Costs, Health Care & Health Care Services - Research, Public Opinion, Facts & Analysis

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2008 Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey
This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies and other relevant information.

The COBRA Subsidy and Health Insurance for the Unemployed
This issue brief written by Kaiser staff examines the potential impact and limitations of new temporary subsidies to help people maintain their employer-sponsored health coverage after a layoff created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Congressional Testimony on Expanding Health Care Coverage -- May 2009
This contains the prepared written testimony of Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland and Vice President Gary Claxton, who each testified May 5, 2009, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's Roundtable On Health Care Coverage.

The Obama Administration's 2010 Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans: Implications for Beneficiaries -- May 2009
The policy brief examines key provisions and proposed changes in plan requirements for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans as outlined in the Obama Administration's call letter for 2010 issued this spring.

Pulling it Together: About Kaiser Health News -- May 2009
In his latest essay for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO discusses the motivation behind launching Kaiser Health News, a new nonprofit health policy news service.

Pulling it Together: 19.7 -- April 2009
In his column, 19.7, from his "Pulling It Together" series, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s President and CEO Drew Altman calculates a key number from health reform efforts since World War Two to underscore the historic nature of this year's health reform debate.

Tutorial: Tax Subsidies for Health Care -- April 2009
This narrated presentation explains how tax subsidies for health insurance work and discusses the arguments for and against them.

Health Care Costs: A Primer -- March 2009
This primer on health care costs examines the rapid growth in the nation’s health care costs since 1970, when the average growth in health spending exceeded the growth of the economy as a whole by an average of 2.5 percentage points. It also examines the impact of health care costs on families, with insurance premiums rising 87% between 2000 and 2006, more than four times the growth in wages.

Trends in Health Care Costs and Spending -- March 2009
This fact sheet on health care costs presents key statistics about the growth, level and impact of rising U.S. health care costs. It covers spending on various medical services, sources of health spending, employer-sponsored health coverage and the impact on businesses and people.

Pulling It Together: Jobs, A Reason to Fast Track Coverage -- March 2009
In his latest column for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO explores what the latest employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics mean for priorities in health reform.

The COBRA Subsidy and Health Insurance for the Unemployed -- March 2009

This issue brief written by Kaiser staff examines the potential impact and limitations of new temporary subsidies created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help people maintain their employer-sponsored health coverage after a layoff.

Retiree Health VEBAs: A New Twist On An Old Paradigm -- March 2009
This issue brief provides an overview of stand-alone Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association trusts, through which employers have been able to rid themselves of future obligations to pay retiree health benefits in exchange for making a significant payment to designed to approximate the projected cost of these benefits. The paper include three case studies, including the VEBAs at the Big Three automakers.

This contains the prepared written testimony of Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland and Vice President Gary Claxton, who each testified May 5, 2009, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's Roundtable On Health Care Coverage.

The policy brief examines key provisions and proposed changes in plan requirements for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans as outlined in the Obama Administration's call letter for 2010 issued this spring.

In his latest essay for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO discusses the motivation behind launching Kaiser Health News, a new nonprofit health policy news service.

In his column, 19.7, from his "Pulling It Together" series, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s President and CEO Drew Altman calculates a key number from health reform efforts since World War Two to underscore the historic nature of this year's health reform debate.

This narrated presentation explains how tax subsidies for health insurance work and discusses the arguments for and against them.

This primer on health care costs examines the rapid growth in the nation’s health care costs since 1970, when the average growth in health spending exceeded the growth of the economy as a whole by an average of 2.5 percentage points. It also examines the impact of health care costs on families, with insurance premiums rising 87% between 2000 and 2006, more than four times the growth in wages.

This fact sheet on health care costs presents key statistics about the growth, level and impact of rising U.S. health care costs. It covers spending on various medical services, sources of health spending, employer-sponsored health coverage and the impact on businesses and people.

In his latest column for "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman," the Foundation's President and CEO explores what the latest employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics mean for priorities in health reform.

This issue brief provides an overview of stand-alone Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association trusts, through which employers have been able to rid themselves of future obligations to pay retiree health benefits in exchange for making a significant payment to designed to approximate the projected cost of these benefits. The paper include three case studies, including the VEBAs at the Big Three automakers.

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Health Insurance/Costs

Americans receive their health care coverage from a variety of sources including private insurance provided through their employment or purchased on their own, and public insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. About 160 million nonelderly Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance, and another 13 million purchase insurance directly from an insurer or HMO. Spending for health care services continues to rise, in total ($1.4 trillion in 2001; $3.1 trillion projected for 2012) and as a share of the country’s gross national product (14.1% in 2001; 17.7% projected for 2012).

Premium costs for people with private insurance have risen dramatically in recent years, with double-digit rate increases each of the first three years of the new millennium. At the same time, consumers have seen their out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, copayments, and other cost sharing rise significantly over the same period. While coverage availability has declined only modestly for those with job-based coverage, a slack economy and high unemployment have focused attention on access and cost issues faced by consumers seeking individual coverage. Coverage and cost issues have led to debate about how to control increases in health care costs and how to provide coverage for the uninsured.

Through its Health Care Marketplace Project, the Foundation provides information and analysis about issues and trends in health insurance, health care costs, and health care services. Descriptions of how the private health insurance market operates and how it is regulated are provided in a series of fact sheets, chart packs, and reports. Data from the annual KFF/HRET employer health benefit survey documents annual changes in the costs, availability, and benefits of job-based coverage. Information on insurance issues of importance to consumers, such as appeal rights and other consumer protections, is provided through reports and surveys. The Foundation also provides information on trends in health care costs and how these costs affect individuals and employers.