The Source continues to extend wishes of safety and good health to you and your loved ones.  As the pandemic causes the healthcare industry financial tragedy, health law experts share important considerations for policymakers, providers, and payers.  Many authors hope the pandemic will effect much-needed lasting improvements in the efficiency and efficacy of health care in the U.S.   Antitrust Experts Recommend More Rigorous Regulation of Healthcare Consolidation In Preventing Anticompetitive Healthcare Consolidation: Lessons from Five States, published by the Source on Healthcare Price & Competition, authors Jaime King, et …

*Update: On May 13, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed SB 5526 into law making Washington the first state public option plan. Washington now takes the first difficult steps toward implementing the law.  In the current political climate, debate continues at the state and federal level over the role of government in containing health care costs and ensuring coverage for all Americans. Specifically, in a survey done in March 2019 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a majority of Americans (56%) supported a national health plan.[1] Little consensus, however, exists on how …

By: Leah S. Gray, Student Fellow Happy December! ‘Tis the season for curling up next to the fire and catching up with what’s happening in the world of health policy. In this December Roundup, we highlight (1) effect of disclosing prescription drug price in advertisements, (2) a systematic review of cost-saving literature, (3) employer alliances for health plans, (4) how to decrease the cost of care for Alzheimer’s patients, and finally, already gearing up for the next election, (5) what types of health policies the Democratic and Republican 2020 presidential nominees …

Year two of California’s 2017-2018 legislative session has been an active one. As lawmakers work diligently, The Source will take a brief look at some 2018 bills that can potentially change the California healthcare landscape.   SB 1021: This bill removes the sunset provision for AB 339 (2015), which was enacted to cap cost sharing for a covered outpatient prescription drug at $250/$500 per 30-day supply.[1] Furthermore, the bill codifies the regulation that “prohibits an enrollee or insured from being charged more than the retail price for a prescription drug …

In February 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released data that National Health Expenditures accounted for 17.9% of Gross Domestic Product (GPD) and exceeded $10,300 per person.   Even more alarming, CMS predicts that health expenditures will increase at an average rate of 5.5%, faster than inflation or increase in GPD, so that by 2026, health care will cost almost 20% of GDP.  As a result of escalating costs of health care and increasing cost-sharing and co-pays for individual patients, those on the left of the political spectrum …

After the public outcry following last year’s tabling of SB 562 (Lara), which would have created a single-payer program in California, a special California Assembly committee was formed. The Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage began hearings in late October 2017 and adjourned on February 7th, 2018. While much of the hearings was a crash course on health insurance, some of them addressed high healthcare prices. This month, we will summarize two of the hearings that focused on understanding the origins of high healthcare pricing …

In the second presidential debate, an undecided voter asked Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump how they would each address high healthcare costs and improve insurance coverage. It was an opportunity for the campaigns to highlight their visions on health policy, which has been outside the spotlight for most of the campaign. Clinton’s answer focused on fixing the rising costs of ACA exchange plans, while Trump argued that the ACA should be repealed, and replaced with rules that allow insurance to be purchased across state lines. There’s a lot to discuss …