[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 …

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 …

“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

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 …

Distinguished Fellow and Advisory Board Member Tim Greaney’s letter to editor was featured in the New York Times 4/7/2020 Opinion Don’t Play Favorites in Doling Out Supplies to States: To the Editor: Re “Trump’s Son-in-Law Puts Himself in Middle of Response” (news article, April 3): Your report that supplies needed by hospitals to deal with the Covid pandemic were being dispatched to states that had not even submitted requests “based on which governor got Mr. Trump on the telephone” is deeply troubling. Most obviously, allocating scarce resources without oversight and …

Hot off the press: JAMA Health Forum article Promoting Health Care Transparency via State Legislative Efforts highlights state health transparency legislation from The State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost (SLIHCQ) Database, a public database established by The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition and Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR). The article looks at specific examples of state transparency legislation catalogued in the database including: All-payer claims database (APCD) – New Hampshire, Colorado Right-to-shop – Maine, Utah Surprise or balance billing – New York Find out details of these state legislation and …

California State Assembly on Health: Hearing on Cost Containment: Key Policy Considerations for California Presentation: “Trends and Approaches to Health Care Industry Consolidation”

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – February 25, 2020 – High commercial health care prices are a main driver of US health care spending, due in large part to consolidation among providers. While employers, other health care purchasers and payers can drive competition in the marketplace through benefit and provider network design, public policies can also strengthen and support those efforts. Catalyst for Payment Reform and The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition at UC Hastings College of the Law have catalogued state measures to enhance market competitiveness and control costs through legislation. The report, State Policies …

Early in January, the Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), released a new draft guideline for vertical merger review and sought public comments. On February 24, The Source Executor Editor Jaime King, along with health economists and policy experts including Source Advisory members Tim Greaney and Richard Scheffler, jointly released “Comments on the Draft Vertical Merger Guidelines with Special Consideration to Health Care”. The comments raise concerns and urge that special attention be paid to the effects of vertical mergers in the health care sector, …