HEALTHCARE COSTS
The Source Roundup: September 2019 Edition
Source Fellow September 3, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Hello September! As we see cooler days slowly roll in, there are still many sizzling topics in this month’s health policy literature. In this Roundup, we take a dive into article and reports that discuss 1) the prevalence of surprise billing, 2) the effects of California’s AB 72 on provider networks, 3) increasing hospital prices, 4) hospital quality ratings, 4) increasing insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and 5) health plan profitability. Surprise Billing and Provider Networks Eric C. Sun, Michelle Mello, and Jasmin Moshfegh explore …
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California Budget Watch (Part 4 of 4): The Legislature Implements Major Healthcare Reforms in Trailer Bills SB 78 and SB 104
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher August 30, 2019
Last month, we recapped the appropriations allocated to healthcare reform in the 2019 California Budget. These budget allocations, however, do not provide much guidance on how the money should be spent. Trailer bills provide the statutory language to implement the budget. With the enacted 2019 budget, the Governor signed two healthcare trailer bills passed by the Legislature, SB 78 and SB 104. In this post, we dissect these trailers bills which create and implement various programs impacting healthcare access and costs. What are Trailer Bills? SB 78 and SB …
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Health Affairs Blog Highlights The SLIHCQ Database
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 22, 2019
Hot off the press: Health Affairs Blog post The State Of State Legislation Addressing Health Care Costs And Quality highlights The State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost (SLIHCQ) Database established by The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition and Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR). The Source Executive Editor Jaime King and CPR Director Suzanne Delbanco discuss key approaches states are taking to develop high-quality, affordable health care, including transparency laws, payment reform and benefit design laws, laws that encourage provider competition, and laws that govern oversight and regulation of costs. Check …
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Are Medicaid Health Plans Making Too Much Money?
Gary Ko August 9, 2019
Medicaid health plans are often criticized for making too much money at the expense of tax payers and the indigent population, measured in billions of dollars. However, real profitability goes far beyond the simple measure of profit dollars. This post explores the profitability of Medicaid health plans from a corporate finance point of view, how the levels have changed over the years, and how they compare in today’s corporate context. Beyond Profit Dollars: Evaluating Profitability on Operating Margin The public often focus on absolute profit dollars as a measure …
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The Source Roundup: August 2019 Edition
Source Fellow August 1, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy August! Even as the summer winds down, there is no waning of health policy literature. In this month’s Source Roundup, we take a look at academic articles and studies that analyze 1) potential prescription drug savings from generics and biosimilars, 2) the need for price transparency, and 4) a multitude of efforts in health system reform. Potential Prescription Drug Savings from Generics and Biosimilars As prescription drug pricing continue to capture the nation’s attention, Stacie B. Dusetzina et al. take a dive into cost …
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California Budget Watch (Part 3 of 4): California’s Newly Enacted Budget Contains Impactful Healthcare Initiatives That Will Help Increase Healthcare Access
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher July 31, 2019
On June 27, 2019, Governor Newsom signed AB 74, the Legislature’s final budget with no line item changes related to health care. Previously, we glimpsed at the Governor’s May Revise and the Legislature’s final proposal. While not much has changed, we recap and delve deeper this month into specific programs under the enacted budget that could impact healthcare access and costs. Final Allocations for New Healthcare Programs While many different healthcare initiatives are included in the enacted budget, we focus our discussion specifically on programs laid out in the …
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The Source Roundup: July 2019 Edition
Source Fellow July 1, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy July! Hope everyone is staying cool in the summer heat. In this month’s Source Roundup, we take a dive into academic articles and studies that look at 1) healthcare system reform on a national and state level 2) health care markets concentration and competition, and 3) developing trends in prescription drug pricing. Healthcare System Reform Ever since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation nine years ago, it has become one of the most polarizing topics in American political culture, spawning debates both in support …
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California Budget Watch 2019 (Part 2 of 4): Compromise! Five Quick Insights into AB 74 – The Legislature’s Budget Act of 2019
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher June 24, 2019
On June 13, using the Governor’s May Revise as a starting point, the Assembly and Senate adopted AB 74, the Budget Act of 2019, and sent it to the Governor. This bill provides in detail the Legislature’s compromise of the proposals from the Assembly, Senate, and the Governor. While this bill only provides the appropriation and not the full language of implementation, the proposed budget provides a great preview for what health reforms are in store for California. To better digest specifics of this budget compromise, we’ll break this down …
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The Lower Health Care Costs Act: A Bipartisan Federal Effort to Improve Competition in Healthcare Markets
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher June 21, 2019
The Lower Health Care Costs Act, released in May 2019 by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, addresses many inefficiencies in healthcare markets and has the potential to both increase competition and lower costs for healthcare services. The 195-page draft federal bill, also known as the Alexander-Murray Bill (S 1895), contains more than three dozen provisions designed to address health care costs. The bill is divided into five titles: 1) Ending Surprise Medical Bills, 2) Reducing the Prices of Prescription Drugs, 3) Improving Transparency in Health Care, 4) Improving Public …
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The Source Roundup: June 2019 Edition
Source Fellow June 3, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy June! Summer is just around the corner and healthcare policy discussion is heating up. In this month’s Source Roundup, we highlight academic articles and studies that look at 1) the high costs of employer-sponsored insurance, 2) how much private insurers are paying hospitals compared to Medicare, and 3) implications of single payer system reform. Increasing Employer-based Insurance Costs Present Difficulties to Many Americans In the last twelve years, annual deductibles in employer-based health plans have sky-rocketed and now average more than $1,300 annually. A …
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