Health care costs keep rising (predicted to hit $9T by 2034!)-- here's a new explainer from @KFF about #healthcare costs.

Health care costs keep rising…why and who pays?

The U.S. spends more on health care than other large, wealthy countries. Concerns about rising costs aren't new, yet somehow we keep paying the bill. KFF’s Larry Levitt explains how we got here,…

youtu.be

Happy to speak with Berkeley from NBC about our latest analysis on ACA Marketplace premiums. Find the analysis at www.healthsystemtracker.org

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 4w ago

Health insurance premiums for millions of people who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act are on track to rise sharply again next year, according to a report by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group.

Insurers proposed to increase ACA Marketplace premiums for 2027 by 14% on average. Detailed analysis: www.healthsystemtracker.org And coverage by @nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

ACA premiums likely set for another double-digit rise next year

Insurers are proposing a rate hike of about 14%, driven by rising healthcare costs, inflation and the loss of enhanced tax subsidies.

nbcnews.com

ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting an average double digit rate hike for 2027; that's for the second year in a row. www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-mu... At 14% it's smaller than last year's increase. Most insurers requested rates between 10-15%.

How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027 - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

For 2027, across 77 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from the 16 states and DC, the median proposed premium increase is 14%.

healthsystemtracker.org

18–24-year-olds, make up 36% of enrollees with mental health hospitalizations, much higher than the 14% of all enrollees with employer-sponsored insurance who are 18–24 years old. Read more in our new report: www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/cost-a...

Six carriers have announced that they will exit the #ACA #Marketplaces. Want to keep track of exits and entries into the market?

Tracking Insurer Participation Changes in the ACA Marketplaces in 2027 | KFF

This interactive tracks announced insurer exits from and entries into the ACA Marketplaces for 2027.

kff.org

The average out-of-pocket cost for patients with employer-insurance needing a mental health hospitalization was $1,300 for a mental health admission and $1,400 for a substance use admission. Link to report on inpatient mental health and substance use treatments ⬇️

Private health insurance costs are projected to increase 6.3% in 2026, but slow to around 5% each year between 2027 and 2034. #Healthcare #Affordability

Health insurers in the ACA Marketplace have started announcing they will not continue to offer plans. 6️⃣ Six have announced exits partially or fully for 2027. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

Tracking Insurer Participation Changes in the ACA Marketplaces in 2027 | KFF

This interactive tracks announced insurer exits from and entries into the ACA Marketplaces for 2027.

kff.org

Shape healthcare policy at scale. @kff.org We're looking for a Senior Policy Researcher to lead research that influences real policies. Remote possible, collaborative, and genuinely autonomous work. Learn more: kff.bamboohr.com/careers/113

Senior Policy Analyst

KFF KFF is the leading health policy organization in the U.S. As a one-of-a-kind information organization, we bring together substantial capabilities in policy research, polling, and journalism in one...

kff.bamboohr.com

MAJOR UPDATE: I found the best free restaurant bread in the United States www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America

Thirteen thousand miles. Infinite contenders. One beautiful loaf.

theatlantic.com

Caity Weaver@caity.bsky.social · 10mo ago

IMPORTANT QUESTION: What is the best free restaurant bread in the United States? (ANY restaurant is eligible, but the bread must be free provided free to *every* table.)

"What occupies the free-bread space in others' minds?" I absolutely adore this piece in the @theatlantic.com from @caity.bsky.social She is clearly my soul sister. I often bemoan the limited number of restaurants with free bread in Madison. Oliva is the place to go, FWIW.

I'm listening to the new RFK Jr podcast. pca.st/episode/1ca1... The secretary is asking people to eat less processed food, making food from scratch. I'm defrosting my salmon right now.

Fixing America's Food System - Robert Irvine

In this episode of The Secretary Kennedy Podcast, I sit down with Chef Robert Irvine to talk about how we can transform America's food system without increasing costs. We discuss why real food is…

pca.st

Life expectancy gap between the US and other countries has shrunk: Now averaging (only?) 3.7 years behind our peers.

How does U.S. life expectancy compare to other countries? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among comparable countries and spends nearly twice as much as them on healthcare per person, on average.

healthsystemtracker.org

KFF polling shows more than one-third of adults are skipping or delaying health care due to cost. On the @whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social podcast, KFF’s Ashley Kirzinger explains the impact. 🎧🔗: https://on.kff.org/4lXNvne

2026 started with political attention on health care + the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history over health insurance costs. What other health issues are policymakers considering for the rest of the year? www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

Eight Trends Shaping 2026 Healthcare Costs - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

trends shaping state and federal healthcare and health insurance policy in 2026

healthsystemtracker.org

The U.S. spends $15,474 per person per year on health. This is more than any other OECD country. However, health spending growth has been lower in the U.S. than in comparable peer countries over the past five years.

How does U.S. health spending compare to other, peer countries? New KFF Health System Tracker on #healthcosts forthcoming.

One in 5 *insured* adults with incomes under 200% federal poverty didn't get healthcare due to cost. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

17% of Americans delayed or did not get healthcare for cost reasons—New analysis from KFF Health System Tracker. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

How does cost affect access to healthcare? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Although most adults are in good health and have health insurance, about 1 in 6 adults (17%) reported delaying or foregoing healthcare due to cost.

healthsystemtracker.org

TrumpRx is up and running with 44 drugs (though some are different administrations like the Zepbound Kwik Pen or vial). Use of the website is self-reported to be stymied by naming the site after the president: yougov.com/en-us/articl...

GLP-1 agonists may be used to quell food AND substance cravings, making it a powerful drug for reducing the burden of substance use disorder. Also look at this great study overview image 😍: www.bmj.com/content/392/...

New analysis from KFF Health System Tracker on how health expenditures vary across populations in the U.S. See spending by: * Age * Diagnosis * Sex * Race/Ethnicity

How do health expenditures vary across the population? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

In a given year, a small portion of the population is responsible for a very large percentage of total health spending. We tend to focus on averages when discussing health spending, but individuals’...

healthsystemtracker.org

Americans us an uneven amount of health care. The top 1% of people with the highest health care spending incur 20% of the total. The bottom 50% uses only 3% of all health care $$. This makes it a great market for insurance -- the need for very expensive services is, to some degree, unpredictable.

People with a cancer diagnosis use an average of *$21,500/year* of health care services. People with an emphysema diagnosis have even higher health spending --- $24,500/year. More about how much health spending is in the U.S. for different people: www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

How do health expenditures vary across the population? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

In a given year, a small portion of the population is responsible for a very large percentage of total health spending. We tend to focus on averages when discussing health spending, but individuals’…

healthsystemtracker.org

20 more days before the February 23 deadline to submit comments for the #pricetransparency Transparency in Coverage final rule. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

When Tammy MacDonald needed a new family doctor outside Boston, she was told she would have to wait a year or more. Then, a nearby hospital offered her an AI tool to set up a telehealth visit. “I think I got an appointment the next day,” she said. More from @wbur.org ⤵️

Your Next Primary Care Doctor Could Be Online Only, Accessed Through an AI Tool - KFF Health News

The largest hospital chain in Massachusetts is offering a new AI-assisted telehealth tool to patients who need primary care. Mass General Brigham says this and other AI tools can help relieve staff bu...

kffhealthnews.org

Almost half of U.S. health spending is public dollars, which is expected to grow with the increasingly aging population. However, spending growth has 🐌slowed compared to earlier decades. Trends in #healthcarespeding www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

The Senate passed bipartisan PBM reform that is expected to pass the House and go to the President for signing. Reforming PBMs has been a multi-year bipartisan effort:

What to Know About Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and Federal Efforts at Regulation | KFF

This brief provides an overview of the role of PBMs in managing pharmacy benefits, discusses recent federal legislation focusing on several elements of PBM business practices, and explains the…

kff.org

Two in three adults worry about being able to pay for healthcare. It's no wonder, when even those with insurance through their employer have to pay thousands for premiums and hundreds or thousands more in deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

How much do people with employer plans spend out-of-pocket on cost-sharing? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Health insurance premiums for those with employer coverage are typically shared between the employer and enrollee. In addition to these premium contributions, most enrollees also face out-of-pocket…

healthsystemtracker.org