This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Kentucky page. The Kentucky legislature has consistently pursued legislation aimed at improving access to healthcare price information to help rein in costs. In recent terms, Kentucky has enacted a number of legislation pertaining to prescription drug cost transparency, with particular focus on pharmacy benefit managers, including a law that prohibits PBMs from requiring …

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 …

California’s new fiscal year began on July 1 after the legislature approved a record state budget of $262.6 billion on June 28. The record budget was made possible by a $76 billion budget surplus and $27 billion in federal aid. This year’s budget process was especially confusing, as the California constitution requires the state legislature to pass a budget by June 15. This year, however, the legislature passed a placeholder budget on June 15 that allowed the state to spend the record sum, but the budget bill did not provide …

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 …

In February of this legislative session, California Assemblymember Jim Wood introduced AB 1130, titled the California Health Care Quality and Affordability Act. Wood was prompted to draft AB 1130 when a 2020 California Health Care Foundation poll found that 84% of Californians surveyed cited health care affordability as an extremely or very important issue to them.[1] The bill would establish the Office of Healthcare Affordability (the “office”) within the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and be tasked with analyzing health care markets for cost trends and drivers …

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 …

A year ago, Governor Newsom had projected a budget deficit of about $54.3 billion for California, resulting in a scramble to balance the precarious budget by cutting and deferring proposals. In a complete reversal, the May Revision to the Governor’s proposed budget, originally released in January, projected an unprecedented surplus of $75.7 billion this year. The Legislative Analyst’s Office reports that only about half of this surplus, about $38 billion, will be available for discretionary spending.[1] The updated spending plan proposed $267.8 billion in spending, an increase from $227 billion …

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 …