This month, we are pleased to highlight two recent publications co-authored by health policy researchers from The Source. We specifically examine articles and reports discussing market consolidation including 1) viable practices state policymakers can implement to address provider market power, 2) a critical look at legislation targeting concentrated markets, 3) statistical reports analyzing health insurance market consolidation, and 4) a study on the quality of care in post-merger rural hospitals. In addition, we cover articles that examine public option health plans recently enacted in some states, proposals to improve compliance …

This month, our round-up proudly features a new issue brief written by our Source colleagues that discuss what state regulators need to strengthen state antitrust laws and prevent further healthcare provider consolidation. Also highlighted in this month’s round-up are studies on the potential impact of the federal No Surprises Act on health care prices, state-level strategies to reduce health care spending, better methods to assess policy-relevant financial information of hospitals, a grassroots push towards the public option, and industry trends and implications in the pharmacy market.   Market Competition/Consolidation In …

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the American healthcare system to undergo drastic changes in a matter of months. Coupled with a new presidential administration, the health care system is likely to evolve. The Biden administration has already taken action on a number of key health policy areas in which significant changes might occur. In light of these changes, health policy experts are thinking about what health care will look like in the post-pandemic world. This month’s Roundup covers new research on 1) the impact and benefits of the No Surprises …

This month, we are proud to announce the publication of an issue brief by our Source colleagues Katherine L. Gudiksen, Alexandra D. Montague, and Jamie S. King on the topic of healthcare market consolidation—and more specifically, on what state and federal leaders are doing to deal with it. This month’s Roundup also discusses new research about a potential link between ACO participation and higher prices, hospitals’ lagging price transparency compliance efforts, surprise ambulance bills, the future of telehealth, enrollee satisfaction with public and private health plans, and state employee health …

The election of Joe Biden to the presidency could mean expanded access to healthcare coverage and increased government regulation of anticompetitive mergers and other practices. Already, Biden and Congress have increased access by temporarily expanding eligibility for health plan premium tax credits. Are other changes on the horizon? This month’s Roundup covers research on 1) the potential fiscal impacts of expanding eligibility for Medicare, 2) the views of a key stakeholder in conversations about expanding government’s role in providing care and regulating competition, 3) the potential savings that could be …

This month’s roundup covers academic articles and reports that examined: 1) early results and challenges of the new federal price transparency rule; 2) how to address increasing market consolidation and competition during the COVID-19 pandemic; 3) rising healthcare costs; and 4) how much patients pay and physicians receive when patients receive out-of-network emergency care.   Price Transparency In response to policymakers calling for greater price transparency of healthcare services for patients and other payers of healthcare, a federal rule from the Department of Health and Human Services took effect on …

Happy April! This month’s roundup centers on articles and reports that discuss: 1) healthcare markets and competition; 2) payment reform, and 3) healthcare costs, and 4) price transparency.   Healthcare Markets and Competition In a piece published in the Harvard Business Review titled The Pandemic Will Fuel Consolidation in U.S. Health Care, Lovisa Gustafsson and David Blumenthal, researchers at the Commonwealth Fund, predict that mergers of key players in the U.S. healthcare system will continue as a result of provider financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Federal Trade …

Happy March! This month’s roundup focuses on health policy pieces and reports that examine 1) the future of value-based care, 2) the efficacy of various policy options to address healthcare prices, including increasing price transparency and market competition, 3) comparisons of brand-name drug prices, and 4) the impact of the Affordable Care Act on uninsured young adults.   Valued-Based Reform In a white paper published this past month, The Future of Value-Based Payment: A Road Map to 2030, researchers from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University …

With the inauguration of a new administration in the White House, discussions ramped up on the future of health care and new legislative and regulatory possibilities. This month’s Roundup begins with three articles that look at ways to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as well as the potential for more significant health reform through the implementation of a public option. On the price transparency front, we cover a report that looks at the effect of New Jersey’s final-offer arbitration system for resolving surprise billing disputes and the new price …

Happy New Year Source readers! In this month’s roundup, we take a look back at the last health policy articles of 2020 and look ahead to what 2021 holds. These pieces examine the continuing rise of national healthcare spending, the impacts of health market consolidation under the guise of healthcare delivery integration, the importance of state-level all-claims payer databases (APCDs), and the potential healthcare system reforms under the Biden administration.   Healthcare Costs Underpinning most topics in this roundup is the issue of healthcare costs, prices, and spending. According to …