Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Topics > Health Systems > Issue Modules > U.S. Health Care Costs |
U.S. Health Care Costs |
Policy Research
Overview
Cost Containment
Health Care Cost Drivers
Impact on Individuals
Medicaid and Medicare
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Axeen, S. and E. Carpenter. November 2008. The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why the Cost of Failing to Fix Our Health System is Greater than the Cost of Reform. New America Foundation.
This report quantifies the economic cost of failure to enact health reform in America versus the expected costs of such reform.
Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. July 2007. Financing Projected Spending in the Long Run.
This
report analyzes the potential economic effects of increasing taxes to
finance the expected increase in health spending over the next several
decades.
Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. January 2008. Geographic Variation in Health Care Spending.
This
report examines the amount of geographic variation in spending, the
reasons for that variation, and its implications for evaluating the
efficiency of the health care system.
Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. December 2008. Budget Options: Volume 1: Health Care.
This publication presents budget options related to health care,
including financing, delivery and access, within federal programs and
the general health system.
Cutler, D. M., A. B. Rosen, and S. Vijan. August 2006. The Value of Medical Spending in the United States, 1960-2000. New England Journal of Medicine, 355: 920-927.
This article examines the value of increased medical spending by
comparing gains in life expectancy with the increased costs of care.
Executive Office of the President Council of Economic Advisers. June 2009. The Economic Case for Health Care Reform.
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic impacts of health reform.
Farrell, D. et al. December 2008. Accounting for the cost of U.S. health care: A new look at why Americans spend more. McKinsey Global Institute.
The
United States spends a greater percentage of its GDP on health care
than any other industrialized country. This study takes a holistic
view of the health care system to identify the explanations for higher
U.S. health care spending.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. July 2008. Tax Subsidies for Health Insurance: An Issue Brief.
This issue brief examines the current system of tax subsidies for the purchase of employer-sponsored coverage.
Holahan, J., Bowen, G., Headen, I., and Lucas, A. May 2009. Health Reform: The Cost of Failure. The Urban Institute.
Using
the Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model, this paper analyzes the
intermediate and long-run implications if America's health system is
not significantly overhauled.
Nuzum, R., S. Mika, C. Schoen, and K. Davis. June 2009. Finding Resources for Health Reform and Bending the Health Care Cost Curve. The Commonwealth Fund.
This
report examines policy options that could slow growth in health
spending, improve health outcomes, and provide additional revenues to
finance comprehensive reform.
Posner, P., T. Mitchell, and J. Forrester. February 2005. 21st Century Challenges: Reexamining the Base of the Federal Government. Government Accountability Office GAO-05-325SP.
This
report is intended to help Congress in reviewing and reconsidering the
base of federal spending and tax programs, including a chapter that
focuses on Health Care Challenges.
Thorpe, K. E. November/December 2005. The Rise in Health Care Spending and What To Do About It. Health Affairs, 24(6): 1436-1445.
This article examines causes for the growth of health spending, such as
obesity and stress, over the past twenty years and suggests reform
options.
White, C. January/February 2007. Health Care Spending Growth: How Different Is the United States From the Rest of the OECD? Health Affairs, 26(1): 154-161.
This paper compares factors contributing to health care spending growth in the United States to that of other OECD countries.
Cost Containment
Altman, D. and L. Levitt. January 2002. The Sad History of Health Care Cost Containment As Told In One Chart. Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
This
commentary attempts to explain the factors affecting rising health care
costs and how past solutions to solve the expense problem have fared.
Altman, S. and S. Wallack. 1996. Health Care Spending: Can the United States Control it? Baxter Health Policy Review 2:1-32.
This
chapter begins with an examination of the problems facing health care,
outlines recent trends in health care spending, details reasons why
spending is rising so rapidly, and reviews health care reform proposals.
Anderson, G. F., B. K. Frogner, R. A. Johns, et. al. May/June 2006. Health Care Spending and Use of Information Technology in OECD Countries. Health Affairs, 25(3): 819-831.
This paper analyzes the differences in uses of health information
technology (HIT) in the United States and other OECD countries and
proposes a greater adoption of HIT to lower health care expenditures in
the United States.
Buntin, M. B., C. Damberg, A. Haviland, et. al. November/December 2006. Consumer-Directed Health Care: Early Evidence About Effects on Cost and Quality.Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
This report examines the advent of consumer-directed health care plans and their impact on health care costs.
Chernew, M.E., P.D. Jacobson, T.P. Hofer, et al. November/December 2004. Barriers to Constraining Health Care Cost Growth. Health Affairs 23(6):122-128.
These
authors conducted several semistructured interviews and present their
discussion of how to slow the growth of health care expenditures,
looking specifically at managed care as a method of cost containment.
Davis, K., C. Schoen, S. Guterman, et. al. January 2007. Slowing the Growth of U.S. Health Care Expenditures: Where Are the Options? The Commonwealth Fund.
This
report reviews factors that contribute to high spending on the health
care system in the United States and analyzes strategies for
accumulating savings, reducing spending growth, and improving health
system performance.
Fireman, B., J. Barlett, and J. Selby. November/December 2004. Can Disease Management Reduce Health Care Costs by Improving Quality? Health Affairs, 23(6):63-75.
This papers examines disease management programs (DPMs) in a Kaiser Permanente Medical Group setting.
Ginsburg, P. B. March/April 2007. Shopping for Price in Medical Care. Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
This report analyzes the way in which individuals select health care
services based on price and the influence that insurers and the
government can have on price selection.
Hoffman, A. and S. Pearson. June 2009. Marginal Medicine: Targeting Comparative Effectiveness Research to Reduce Waste. Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
This paper provides a framework for leveraging comparative effectiveness research to maximally improve health care services.
Newhouse, J. November/December 2004. Consumer-Directed Health Plans and the RAND Health Insurance Experiment. Health Affairs 23(6):107-113.
The author compares today's consumer-directed health plans to the RAND
Health Insurance Experiment of the 1970s and 1980s. He suggests policy
reforms to address the continual rise in health care costs, including a
combination of managed care and cost sharing.
Rosenthal, M.B. May 2009. What Works in Market-Oriented Health Policy? New England Journal of Medicine 360;21.
This perspective piece discusses how best to design and implement market-oriented reforms to improve the medical system.
Watson Wyatt. March 2009. The
14th Annual National Business Group on Health/Watson Wyatt Employer
Survey on Purchasing Value in Health Care-- The Keys to Continued
Success: Lessons Learned From Consistent Performers.
This survey of employers presents a profile of trends in employer
sponsored insurance, including large disparities between cost trends of
best- and worst-performing companies and growing interest in
consumer-directed health plans.
Zuvekas, S. H. and J. W. Cohen. January/February 2007. Prescription Drugs and the Changing Concentration of Health Care Expenditures. Health Affairs 26(1): 249-257.
This paper explores the concentration of health care spending in various sectors and possible implications for cost containment.
Health Care Cost Drivers
Bieder, P. January 2004. Limiting Tort Liability for Medical Malpractice. Congressional Budget Office Economic & Budget Issue Brief.
This
brief examines state activities related to reducing malpractice
litigation and some possible causes for the rise in malpractice
premiums. Although malpractice premiums continue to escalate at about
15 percent a year, the Congressional Budget Office notes that
significant reductions in this rate of growth would only modestly
affect overall health spending growth.
Bodenheimer, T. 2005. High and Rising Health Care Costs. Annals of Internal Medicine.
In this series, the author examines possible factors contributing to
the rise in national health expenditures and cost-containment
strategies that emphasize quality improvement as well as lowering
spending.
Part One looks at different explanations for rising health care costs;
Part Two looks specifically at technology as a major factor in expenditures;
Part Three looks at how prices and quantities of health care services affect spending; and
Part Four, written with Dr. Alicia Fernandez, looks at quality-enhancing strategies that might help slow the growth of health care costs.
Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office. January 2008. Technological Change and the Growth of Health Care Spending.
This
CBO paper describes the historical growth in spending on health care in
the U.S. It examines the factors that determine health care spending
and how they have contributed to spending growth over time.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. March 2007. Snapshots: Health Care Costs. How Changes in Medical Technology Affect Health Care Costs.
This report describes medical technology and the mechanisms by which it affects the growth in health care costs.
Fisher, E., D. Goodman, J. Skinner, and K. Bronner. February 2009. Health Care Spending, Quality, and Outcomes: More Isn't Always Better. Dartmouth Atlas Project Topic Brief.
This topic brief examines the relationship between regional differences
in spending and the quality of care, and implications of this
relationship for U.S. health reform.
Keenan, P. S. November 2004. What's Driving Health Care Costs? The Commonwealth Fund.
This paper discusses the causes of rising health care costs and analyzes the results of the increased spending.
Mullins, C.D., A.R. DeVries, V.D. Hsu, et al. July/August 2005. Variability and Growth in Spending for Outpatient Specialty Pharmaceuticals. Health Affairs 24(4):1117-1127.
This
study of ten Blue Cross Blue Shield plans documents large expenditures
on select specialty pharmaceutical categories and much variation in
spending across plans, age groups, and time.
Pauly, M. V. November/December 2005. Competition and New Technology. Health Affairs, 24(6): 1523-1535.
This paper discusses the effect of new technologies on health care
prices and ways in which adopting different policies toward technology
could increase competitiveness between insurers.
Reinhardt, U. November/December 2003. Does the Aging of the Population Really Drive the Demand for Health Care? Health Affairs 22(6):27-39.
This
essay draws on the research literature and on data from the Medical
Expenditure Panel Surveys to explore the impact that the aging of the
US population has on the annual growth in the demand for health care
and in national health spending.
Thorpe, K., C. Florence, and P. Joski. August 2004. Which Medical Conditions Account for the Rise in Health Care Spending? Health Affairs Web Exclusive.
This
research looks at the level and growth in health care spending
attributable to the fifteen most expensive medical conditions in 1987
and 2000. The authors found that a small number of conditions account
for most of the growth in health care spending.
Impact on Individuals
Collins, S. R., J. Kriss, and K. Davis. September 2006. Squeezed: Why Rising Exposure to Health Care Costs Threatens the Health and Financial Well-Being of American Families. The Commonwealth Fund.
This study compares adults with employer-based coverage and adults in
the individual insurance market on a variety of factors including
out-of-pocket payments, deductible rates, and percentage of income
spent on health care.
Doty, M., J. Edwards, and A. Holmgren. August 2005. Seeing Red: Americans Driven into Debt by Medical Bills. The Commonwealth Fund.
This
issue brief analyzes data from the 2003 Commonwealth Fund Biennial
Health Insurance Survey to examine trends in health care spending,
medical debt, and the uninsured.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. February 2007. Snapshots: Health Care Costs. Insurance Premium Cost-Sharing and Coverage Take-Up.
This issue brief looks at the connection between premiums and the percent of workers who enroll in employer plans.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. July 2009. Data Note: Footing the Bill.
This brief data note synthesizes several recent polls on the public's
willingness to pay for expansion of health coverage to their fellow
citizens.
Remler, D. K. and S. A. Glied. July/August 2006. How Much More Cost Sharing Will Health Savings Accounts Bring? Health Affairs, 25(4): 1070-1078.
This paper examines the impact of health savings accounts on out-of-pocket medical expenditures.
Weinick, R., S. Byron, and A. Bierman. June 2005. Who Can't Pay for Health Care? Journal of General Internal Medicine 20(6):504-509.
This
cross-sectional study uses data from the Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health
Care Quality Survey to examine barriers to health care.
Medicaid and Medicare
Congress of the United States Congressional Budget Office. November 2007. The Long-Term Outlook for Health Care Spending.
This study presents the Congressional Budget Office's projections of
federal spending on Medicaid and Medicare, as well as national spending
on health care, over the next 75 years.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. May 2009. Annual
Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and
Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds.
The
annual report by the Board of Trustees for Medicare to the Congress
contains information on the past and estimated future financial
operations of the Hospital Insurance and Supplementary Medical
Insurance Trust Funds.
Coughlin, T., T. Waidmann, and M. O. Watts. April 2009. Where Does the Burden Lie?: Medicaid and Medicare Spending for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries. Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
This
issue brief examines Medicare and Medicaid spending on "dual
eligibles," those who are simultaneously enrolled in both programs.
Garrett, B. et al. May 2009. The Coverage and Cost Impacts of Expanding Medicaid. Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
This
paper quantifies the impacts on coverage and cost of expanding Medicaid
to cover more of the low-income uninsured, including adults, at various
income levels and with improved participation rates.
Jaffe, J. and P. Fronstin. February 2005. Controlling Health Costs and Improving Health Care Quality for Retirees.Employee Benefit Research InstituteIssue Brief No. 278.
This
brief looks at the issue of rising health care costs, especially for
Medicare enrollees and other retirees and gives some policy reform
suggestions.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 2007. Medicare Spending and Financing Fact Sheet.
This
fact sheet provides an overview of spending on the Medicare program,
how the program is financed, and Medicare's future financial outlook.
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. May 2006. Medicaid Enrollment and Spending Trends. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
This
fact sheet summarizes enrollment growth, changes in health insurance
coverage, and spending growth for Medicaid from 2000 to 2004.
Kronick, R. and D. Rousseau. March/April 2007. Is Medicaid Sustainable? Spending Projections for the Program's Second Forty Years. Health Affairs 26(2): 271-287.
This article examines the long-term fiscal sustainability of the Medicaid program.
MedPAC. June 2007. Report to the Congress: Promoting Greater Efficiency in Medicare.
This report examines the issues affecting Medicare and makes specific recommendations to Congress.
Poisal, J. A., C. Truffer, S. Smith, et. al. March/April 2007. Health Spending Projections Through 2016: Modest Changes Obscure Part D's Impact. Health AffairsWeb Exclusive.
This
article analyzes the projected increase in health care spending through
2016 and the specific impact of the Medicare prescription drug program.
Riley, G. May/June 2007. Long-Term Trends in the Concentration of Medicare Spending. Health Affairs, 26(3): 808-816.
This paper analyzes the concentration of spending and cost containment
efforts within the population of Medicare enrollees over the past
thirty years.