This was a terrific discussion of the burden of medical debt in the U.S. with KFF's Cynthia Cox explaining that ~14mm people owe >$1K and how medical debt can create more debt. matteroffact.tv/americans-grap…

Latest health sector job numbers in charts:
-Employment in hospitals and clinics now back to pre-COVID projections
-Home- and nursing care jobs have seen higher average wage increases
KFF Peterson Center on Healthcare Imani Telesford Emma Wager Cynthia Cox Paul Hughes-Cromwick (Pooge)
healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collecti…

The No Surprises Act was supposed to eliminate surprise bills w/o increasing premiums.

But that goal now appears at risk.

We find that prices emerging from arbitration are much higher than prior in-network rates.

As a result, the law may perversely end up ↑ premiums.

Health spending as a share of GDP has stayed about the same since 2010. Average annual growth has slowed compared to prior decades. Insured rates now top 90%. Yet, health care affordability issues persist.

See Peterson Center on Healthcare KFF charts here: healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collecti…

So, did the ACA bend the cost curve? Call it coincidence, but excess cost growth — health spending growing faster than GDP — basically ended when it was passed

I’d say it’s a mixture of causality and coincidence. But, one thing is clear: The ACA did not cause health spending to accelerate, even as millions of people got insured or had their coverage improved.

That's assuming insurance doesn't deny any charges (they line item!)

People care more about a dog than my daughter.

The weight of that knowledge is like a brick in my belly.

They'll share a fundraiser about a dog, but not Savannah.

They'll give $15 for flyers, but not food.

PirateWenchArt gofundme.com/f/j2abqz-help-…

Every day I ask people to donate to political candidates.

Today I'm asking folks to chip in to help my friend cover her daughter's medical expenses. Please read the thread & donate if you're able to.

What has changed since the Affordable Care Act became law 14 years ago?

The number of people with Marketplace coverage has grown, reaching 21.3 million people in 2024 — exceeding 2023’s record high by almost 5 million people: bit.ly/4aRXg0g

A new KFF brief finds that gaps in data make it hard to answer some basic questions about hospitals and health systems. Examples of questions that are difficult to fully answer include : (1/7) kff.org/health-costs/i…

When you look back on the controversies of the early days of the ACA and the political opposition it ignited, it's all the more remarkable that it has not only survived 14 years, but now has record enrollment.

New federal data shows that ACA marketplace enrollees are saving $705 per year in their premiums due to the enhanced subsidies extended through the Inflation Reduction Act.

The enhanced subsidies expire at the end of 2025 unless they're extended further.

cms.gov/files/document…

We have badly needed a way to assess whether new digital medical technologies bring new benefits or only new profits. Government isn’t doing it but the Peterson Health Technology Institute is now filling the need. phti.com/assessment/dig…

Digital #Diabetes tools used by millions of Americans don't deliver meaningful health benefits and increase healthcare spending, according to PHTI's newest evaluation.

Read the report, which recommends a new path forward for patients, payers, providers: phti.com/assessment/dig…

Important context and breakdown on the factors driving the provider vs health plan battles

🧵What market forces are at play in the UnitedHealthcare $uhg and Mount Sinai New York contract negotiations? And why are we seeing more of these provider-health plan fights and fall outs of late?

3/ Price transparency data requirements can have some unintended consequences—hospitals find out what competitors are paid and demand higher prices. There’s also potential for vice versa but requirements are fairly new to say how things are going to net.
healthsystemtracker.org/brief/policy-i…

I have no expertise in the educational impacts of school closures, but don't doubt them.

However, I'm somewhat skeptical of the argument that school closures — however painful they may have been, — had no effect on temporarily slowing COVID spread.

Yes, ~100% of kids ....

The No Surprises Act prohibits many balance bills ('surprise billing') for privately insured patients.
Balance bills can still happen due to:
-billing mistakes
-not protected under NSA
-service is not covered by plan
What happens then? KFF finds out:
kff.org/health-costs/i…