Category: Peterson-KFF

The Changing Costs of Covid Care

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Cost Sharing, Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF, Vaccines / September 16, 2021 September 16, 2021

In this commentary for Barron’s, Cynthia Cox explores the impact to the American public as the U.S. health insurance system adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic. She uses the experience of the past year and a half to raise questions about broader issues of fairness in the distribution of health care costs in the country.

COVID-19 continues to be a leading cause of death in the U.S. in August 2021

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, mortality, Peterson-KFF / August 27, 2021 August 27, 2021

With the rapid uptake in vaccinations in recent months, COVID-19 deaths have fallen sharply. COVID-19 is now the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. This updated analysis looks at the pandemic’s effect on mortality rates.

COVID-19 Continues to Be a Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. In June 2021

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, mortality, Peterson-KFF / July 1, 2021 July 1, 2021

Analysis: Hospital Price Transparency Data Lacks Standardization, Limiting Its Use to Insurers, Employers, and Consumers

Affordability, Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF / April 9, 2021 April 9, 2021

In spite of a new price transparency rule that requires hospitals to publish the prices of common health services, comparing prices across hospitals remains challenging due to limited compliance with the law and a lack of standardization in the available data, a new KFF analysis finds. The federal rule, which went into effect on January…More

Early Results from Federal Price Transparency Rule Show Difficultly in Estimating the Cost of Care

Affordability, Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF / April 9, 2021 April 9, 2021

A new issue brief examines compliance with a new federal price transparency rule and variation in payer-negotiated rates at U.S. hospitals. The analysis looks at the websites of the two largest hospitals in each state and the District of Columbia, and finds that a lack of consistency in the data and limited compliance among the…More

COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Excess Mortality and Potential Years of Life Lost in the U.S. and Peer Countries

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, International Comparisons, mortality, Peterson-KFF / April 8, 2021 April 8, 2021

A new issue brief reviews excess death rates in the U.S. and peer countries by age groups to examine how the pandemic has affected excess mortality rate among younger people. The analysis looks specifically at the excess deaths that arose in 2020 to examine how the age at death during the pandemic has differed between…More

Compared to Peer Countries, the U.S. Had the Highest Rate of Mortality Among People Under Age 65 and Potential Years of Life Lost in 2020 due to the Pandemic

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, International Comparisons, mortality, Peterson-KFF / April 8, 2021 April 8, 2021

A new KFF issue brief examines 2020 data on excess mortality – the number of deaths above what is expected in a typical year – and finds that among similarly large and wealthy nations, the United States had the highest premature excess mortality rate in 2020, indicating that younger people in the U.S. were more…More

COVID-19 is the Number One Cause of Death in the U.S. in Early 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, mortality, Peterson-KFF / January 29, 2021 January 29, 2021

A new issue brief examines the most recent data on deaths from COVID-19 and other causes, and finds that COVID-19 is currently the number one cause of death in the United States. As of January 26, 2021, an average of more than 3,000 people per day died of COVID-19 in the U.S. during the first…More

Analysis Examines the Implications of Price Transparency for Providers and Patients as New Rules Go into Effect

Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF, Prices / January 13, 2021 January 13, 2021

A new KFF analysis examines how new federal rules on price transparency for health services may affect patient decision-making and market pricing. As of January 1, 2021, the United States Department of Health and Human Services requires that hospitals publish payer-negotiated rates for common services on their websites. A second set of rules, which requires…More

Price Transparency and Price Variation in U.S. Health Services

Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF, Prices / January 13, 2021 January 13, 2021

A new Peterson-KFF analysis examines the potential impact of new federal price transparency rules on patient decision-making and market pricing for health services. The brief also includes new analysis of geographic variation in health prices.

National Health Spending Explorer

Federal Budget, Health Costs, Health System Performance, Peterson-KFF / December 17, 2020 December 17, 2020

The Health Spending Explorer on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker helps users examine five decades worth of numbers documenting expenditures by federal and local governments, private insurers, and individuals on 15 categories of health services, including hospitals, physician and clinic care, and prescription drugs.

How Might Internet Connectivity Affect Health Care Access?

Access to Care, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, Peterson-KFF / December 15, 2020 December 15, 2020

A new chart collection looks at how internet access may affect health care in the U.S., as more providers turn to telemedicine during the pandemic. An estimated 25 million Americans – about 8% of the population – lack access to internet at home. Hispanic and Black Americans, seniors, rural residents, and those living in poverty…More

How Have Health Care Utilization and Spending Changed So Far During the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF, Utilization / December 2, 2020 December 2, 2020

This chart collection summarizes what is known so far about how health costs and utilization have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health spending is on track to be somewhat lower in 2020 than in 2019 – the first time that’s happened since the government started tracking it.

How Costly Are Common Health Services in the United States?

Affordability, Health Costs, hospitals, Peterson-KFF, Prices / November 4, 2020 November 4, 2020

A new chart collection examines what we know about the cost of common health services in the U.S. The analysis shows that costs for many common health services have risen more rapidly than inflation; for example, the average cost of hospital admission among large employer plans increased by about $10,000 (68%) between 2008 and 2018.…More

Analysis: COVID-19 Ranks as a Top 3 Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., Higher than in Almost All Other Peer Countries

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, International Comparisons, mortality, Peterson-KFF / October 22, 2020 October 22, 2020

A new KFF analysis examines leading causes of death and mortality rates in the United States and comparable countries. The U.S. has a higher COVID-19 mortality rate than many of its peer countries, with COVID-19 ranking as the nation’s third-leading cause of death in 2020, behind only heart disease and cancer. Among similarly large and…More

The Pandemic’s Effect on the Widening Gap in Mortality Rate between the U.S. and Peer Countries

coronavirus, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, International Comparisons, mortality, Peterson-KFF / October 22, 2020 October 22, 2020

A new KFF brief looks at where COVID-19 falls as a leading cause of death in the U.S. compared to similarly large and wealthy countries. The analysis finds that COVID-19 mortality rates are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., a ranking shared by only one peer country, Belgium. In several other peer…More

The Veterans Health Administration’s Role During the COVID-19 Response

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health Costs, Health System Performance, hospitals, Military, Peterson-KFF, Safety Net / August 6, 2020 August 6, 2020

A new issue brief examines the role of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) during the coronavirus pandemic, and public health emergencies more broadly. The analysis finds that the VHA has provided assistance to 46 states and D.C., including treating over 270 non-veteran patients with coronavirus.

Updated Dashboard Features New Data on U.S. Health System Performance

Health Costs, Health System Performance, International Comparisons, Peterson-KFF / July 23, 2020 July 23, 2020

Newly updated and expanded, the Peterson-KFF Health System Dashboard compiles data on the U.S. health system’s performance in four areas: access and affordability, health and well-being, health spending, and quality of care. Users can explore trends over time, as well as disparities and differences across demographic groups.

Health System Dashboard

Health Costs, Health System Performance, International Comparisons, Peterson-KFF / July 23, 2020 July 23, 2020

The Peterson-KFF Health System Dashboard examines the U.S. health system’s performance in four areas: access and affordability, health and well-being, health spending, and quality of care. Users can explore trends over time, as well as disparities and differences across demographic groups.

How does the quality of the U.S. health care system compare to other countries?

Health Costs, Health System Performance, International Comparisons, Peterson-KFF / July 9, 2020 July 9, 2020

This chart collection compares the quality of health care in the United States to that in other wealthy and sizable countries. While all have seen improvements in health outcomes, the United States continues to lag behind, with higher rates of overall mortality, premature death and preventable death, as well as higher-than-average morality rates for each …

How does the quality of the U.S. health care system compare to other countries? Read More »