Public Option
The Source Roundup: February 2021 Edition
Alex Montague, Health Policy Researcher February 1, 2021
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 …
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The Source Roundup: January 2021 Edition
Alex Montague, Health Policy Researcher January 4, 2021
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 …
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[Article Highlight] Why the Biden Administration Should Help States Develop Capitated Public Options
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor December 9, 2020
A new article published in the Milbank Quarterly Opinion proposes the new Biden administration should help states develop capitated public options as part of its health policy agenda, which could lay the groundwork for a federal public option. Authored by Source Advisory Board Member Richard Scheffler and Thomas Rice, the article examines the recent efforts of Washington and Colorado in developing quasi-public options in their states. The authors identify specific states, including California, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, as being most ready for such a risk-based capitation program. Finally, they call …
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The Source Roundup: October 2020 Edition
Alex Montague, Health Policy Researcher October 1, 2020
With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and nomination of Amy Coney Barret to the Supreme Court just weeks before the presidential election, many are turning their attention to health care and the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With this backdrop, this month’s Source Roundup looks at 1) what is at stake as the ACA faces the Supreme Court again in California v. Texas, 2) new information about rising healthcare prices, 3) anticompetitive contract practices between providers and insurers, and 4) the potential of a public option …
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The Source Roundup: July 2020 Edition
Kendall Kohlmeyer, Student Fellow July 1, 2020
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 …
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State Progress Toward a Healthcare Public Option: The State of Washington is the Trailblazer
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher May 9, 2019
*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 …
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The Source Roundup: December 2018 Edition
Source Fellow December 3, 2018
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 …
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California Legislative Beat: Transformative Healthcare Bills of 2018 (Pt. 1)
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher June 21, 2018
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 …
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Single-Payer vs. Public Option: Can Either System Address Rising Health Care Prices?
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher March 29, 2018
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 …
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Special California Assembly Hearings Provide Insights and Solutions to Increasing Healthcare Costs
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher February 20, 2018
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 …
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