Publications
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Birthing People in the U.S. Pay Nearly $2,000 Out-of-Pocket to Have a Baby
Read more: Birthing People in the U.S. Pay Nearly $2,000 Out-of-Pocket to Have a BabyThe birth of a child is momentous for any person and family. New parents may face a range of challenges, including a lack of paid family leave, the rising costs of childcare, and potential health-related complications for the birthing person and new baby. In the midst of this major life transition, parents also face new…
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As COVID-19 Hit, Birthing People Spent Less Time in the Hospital for Delivery
Read more: As COVID-19 Hit, Birthing People Spent Less Time in the Hospital for DeliveryThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Americans in a myriad of ways, including their use of the health care system for both COVID- and non-COVID related services. In this brief, we explore the ways in which the first year of the pandemic affected people for one of the most common hospital services – childbirth. In 2020,…
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COVID Tests Cost $0 for Most People in 2020
for Most People in 2020″ style=”border-radius:5px;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;” decoding=”async” />Read more: COVID Tests Cost $0 for Most People in 2020COVID-19 testing has become a regular part of life for many Americans over the last two years. In addition to facilitating individual returns to work, school, and other activities, testing is a crucial component of the public health strategy to monitor and address the spread of the virus. Even as testing becomes more available, there…
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Love is Expensive; So is a Trip to the Emergency Room
Tags: Emergency Room
Read more: Love is Expensive; So is a Trip to the Emergency RoomWe further explored state variation in the difference between per person ER spending and per person Valentine’s Day spending. We find that if you live in Texas, Colorado, Alaska, or Nevada, you might end up paying over $200 more for an ER visit than a Valentine’s Day gift. If you live in California, Hawaii, or…
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Assessing the Long-Term Viability of Data Platforms for Research
Read more: Assessing the Long-Term Viability of Data Platforms for ResearchHealth care in the United States is notoriously fragmented. A patient may receive care from a variety of health systems, physicians, and other providers, and that care may or may not be recorded in a patchwork of administrative claims data systems and electronic health record (EHR) systems. At the same time, health data has become…
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Ouch!: New Data reveals ER spending increased by 51% from 2012 – 2019, with patient out of pocket payments increasing by 85%
Tags: Emergency Room
Read more: Ouch!: New Data reveals ER spending increased by 51% from 2012 – 2019, with patient out of pocket payments increasing by 85%Introduction Excessive emergency room (ER) spending and utilization have long been major areas of focus for health care stakeholders. The ER is an important source of health care for many individuals, especially those who lack a usual source of care, or those with work schedules that limit the ability to access care during “normal business…
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Capping Out-of-Pocket Spending on Insulin would Lower Costs for a Substantial Proportion of Commercially Insured Individuals
Read more: Capping Out-of-Pocket Spending on Insulin would Lower Costs for a Substantial Proportion of Commercially Insured IndividualsPrevious HCCI analysis documented rapid growth in insulin spending over the 2012-17 period. High out-of-pocket spending may deter adherence to insulin among individuals with diabetes, with potentially fatal effects. In this blog, we update our analysis of out-of-pocket insulin spending to 2019 using HCCI’s unique commercial claims dataset, which includes prescription drug claims for 29 million…
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Real World Consequences of the Qualifying Payment Amount in the No Surprises Act
Tags: Surprise Billing
Read more: Real World Consequences of the Qualifying Payment Amount in the No Surprises ActThe United States Congress passed the No Surprises Act last year, offering several protections to consumers. Beginning in 2022, providers can no longer bill patients for more than their insurance’s in-network cost sharing. The law also bans balance billing except in situations where a patient is notified in advance and their written consent is obtained….
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2019 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report
Read more: 2019 Health Care Cost and Utilization ReportThe 2019 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report presents data on health care spending, utilization, and average prices from 2015 through 2019 for individuals under the age of 65 who receive health insurance coverage through an employer. This report examines trends within four categories of service: inpatient admissions, outpatient visits and procedures, professional services, and prescription drugs. All data…
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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Preventive Health Care
Tags: COVID-19
Read more: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Preventive Health CareUpdated 4/16/2021 to include data through 12/30/2020. Since the original post on 9/9/2020, the data have been adjusted to account for claims submission lags. For more information, see Methods Note below. COVID-19 has had an extraordinary impact on the US health care system since its emergence in early 2020. One of the largest and most immediate impacts has…