THE SOURCE BLOG

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the nation, it has underscored and brought national attention to many of the issues in the U.S. healthcare system and the pressing needs for policy reform. On the new “COVID-19 Crisis” key issue page, The Source looks at the implications of the pandemic as it pertains to healthcare markets, costs, and delivery, as well as federal and state responses to address them. This new page will compile the latest curated news and academic articles relating to healthcare issues that arise from the COVID-19 …

[Press Release] BERKELEY, CA – May 5, 2020 – Around 40% of Americans could not cover an unexpected $400 expense in 2018, which is less than one-third of the average health insurance deductible for an individual that year. Health care costs and deductibles have since continued to rise, along with the need for American consumers to have access to price information. Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) looked for laws in each state that ensure such transparency and today, the grades are in. CPR developed the 2020 Report Card on State …

By: Swaja Khanna, Student Fellow With the coronavirus pandemic causing shelter-in-place restrictions around the world, we here at The Source hope you are staying safe and healthy as we catch you up on some of the articles and reports in health policy this month. In this edition of the Source Roundup, we cover articles and reports that discuss: (1) the cost of hospital care for COVID-19 for the uninsured, (2) how health costs may change in the pandemic, (3) surprise out-of-network billing from ambulance transportation, (4) in-network ASC episodes that …

In a report just published by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), The Source’s Sammy Chang, Tim Greaney, Katie Gudiksen, and Jaime King examine the California Attorney General’s merger review authority and compare it to those of other state AGs. As state antitrust enforcement can be used as an alternative to federal enforcement, the team suggests expansion of the AG’s oversight of health care mergers to address the escalating scope and impact of health care industry consolidation. Download the report “Examining the Authority of California’s Attorney General in Health Care …

[Post Updated: April 20, 2020] Earlier this year, the federal government appeared poised to address the problem of surprise billing,[1] but the coronavirus pandemic shifted policy priorities before Congress had a chance to act. While some lawmakers may try to include surprise billing protections in the next COVID-19 stimulus package, the pandemic and its ripple effects make action by lawmakers to address surprise billing critical. Surprise bills, also known as balance bills, may occur when a patient unavoidably sees an out-of-network provider for an emergency situation or unexpectedly sees an …

“The Proposed Vertical Merger Guidelines And Health Care: Little Guidance And Dubious Economics” Authors: Thomas L. Greaney and Richard M. Scheffler

“Covid-19 and the Need for Health Care Reform” Author: Jaime S. King

As society changes in unexpected ways due to the coronavirus outbreak, litigation and enforcement issues have come into the spotlight and become more important than ever. In this Litigation and Enforcement issue, we take a look at how COVID-19 is impacting healthcare markets and law and enforcement.   Uncertainty From Outbreak Impacts Court Cases and Law Enforcement As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on globally, both essential and nonessential industries have been affected in unprecedented ways. Across the country, legislatures and courthouses have postponed or indefinitely suspended activities due to the …

As part of The Source’s ongoing collaborative research series to present evidence-based analyses on strategies to address consolidating healthcare markets, we are excited to unveil a new legal resource table detailing major cases in federal and state antitrust enforcement of healthcare provider and insurer consolidation. This interactive table, now available on the Market Consolidation interactive key issue page, provides a short case summary of each case, and allows searching and sorting by keyword and criteria including year, jurisdiction, enforcement agency, and outcome of the cases. With support from Arnold Ventures and …

Distinguished Fellow and Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney was quoted in the 4/9/2020 Courthouse New Service article Biden Beefs Up Student Debt, Medicare Plans to Woo Sanders Voters: It’s not clear how many older workers would actually opt for Medicare rather than an employer plan since many larger employers’ plans are relatively generous, according to Thomas Greaney, who teaches health care law at the University of California Hastings Law School. “Traditional Medicare has a lot of holes in it. There are very high co-pays and no out-of-pocket limits. I’m not …