The Center for State Rx Drug Pricing. This center is a division of the National Academy for State Health Policy and provides information that follows legislative actions in the states; a legal resource section; and model legislation such as on bills that would affect transparency, importation and rate setting.
Medical cost trend: Behind the numbers 2018: PwC projects 2018 medical costs will grow at a slightly faster rate than 2017. Future reductions in cost trend will require more focus on price.
Finding and reading a balance sheet: Accounting basics for journalists – This tip sheet from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy points out that “understanding a company’s books helps you know which questions to ask about a company’s operations and business dealings, allowing you to look beyond the press releases.”
The Health Care Cost Institute
This independent, nonprofit organization holds data on more than 50 million commercially insured individuals per year since 2008 and, as a Medicare Qualified Entity, HCCI also has 100 percent of Medicare Fee-for-Service claims data on roughly 40 million individuals per year since 2012. HCCI data enables world class research and sheds light on health care spending as a product of prices and utilization. The Institute produces reports and issue briefsthroughout the year based on its independent analysis and also provides data access for researchers and partners.
Drivers of 2015 Health Insurance Premium Changes
The American Academy of Actuaries has released the Health Practice Council’s new issue brief providing an overview of the factors underlying general premium rate setting and highlighting the major drivers behind why 2015 premiums could differ from those in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
eHealth Insurance Price Index
The eHealth Health Insurance Price Index is designed to report on what consumers actually pay for insurance under the Affordable Care Act. eHealth operates a private health insurance exchange. Updated daily and showing what individuals actually pay without subsidies, the index shows that health insurance under the ACA is more expensive than it was before the ACA became effective on Jan. 1, 2014, eHealth reported. As of Feb. 24, the average premium for an individual health plan selected through eHealth without a subsidy was $274 per month, an amount that is 39 percent higher than what the average individual paid before the ACA became effective, eHealth said.
The State of the Art of Price Transparency Tools and Solutions
A report released on Nov. 20, 2013, by Catalyst for Payment Reform examines the leading price transparency tools and solutions available from health plans and independent vendors and offers insight on where they excel and where they may fall short. A high-level summary can be found in the Health Affairs blog.
Reference Pricing: Will Price Caps Help Contain Health Care Costs?
On Nov. 18, 2013, a panel of experts addressed a new strategy employers have begun known as “reference pricing” to help reduce health care costs. Under this benefit design, employees get insurance plans that set price caps on certain services and procedures. Enrollees are allowed to use any provider. But if they use providers with fees higher than the “reference price,” they must pay the difference between the reference price limit, determined by the employer or insurer, and the actual charge. The transcript and video are available here. The event was sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and WellPoint.