Healthcare Reform

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released new research on spending and utilization trends of Medicare Part B drugs, drugs administered in physicians' office or hospital outpatient departments rather than being purchased at the pharmacy counter or by mail order.

Effective January 1, 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) eliminated enrollee cost-sharing for recommended vaccines covered under Medicare Part D. In 2021, 3.4 million people received vaccines under Part D, and annual out-of-pocket costs were $234 million.

High prescription drug costs are a leading concern among Americans. Americans pay higher prices for prescription drugs than any other country in the world, with prescription drug prices in the U.S. more than 2.5 times as high as those in other similar high-income nations.

Payers across the health care spectrum have begun transitioning from paying for quantity toward paying for quality. These value-based payment (VBP) programs vary in scope and focus, but generally share the goals of improving cost-savings and linking payments to value rather than volume.

This issue brief analyzes changes in health insurance coverage and examines trends in access to care among Black Americans using data from 2011-2020. This Issue Brief is part of a series of ASPE reports examining the change in coverage rates and access to care after implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) among different racial and ethnic populations.

The Affordable Care Act provides premium subsidies for Marketplace eligible individuals to improve health insurance affordability, as well as cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) for many enrollees that limit out-of-pocket spending such as deductibles.

This Issue Brief presents current estimates of enrollment in health insurance coverage obtained through the ACA Marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion and the subsequent reductions in state-level uninsured rates since the ACA was implemented in 2014.Related Products

This project examined current collaborations between housing providers and health care providers. Recent delivery system reforms have provided new or expanded opportunities at the state, local, and organizational level to forge collaborations between health care and housing providers.

This project developed methods and measures that can be used to quantify the public benefits that result from Interoperable Health Information Exchange (IEHI). In the first phase of this project, a literature review was conducted and discussions were held with subject matter experts to identify areas where evidence suggests that the greatest benefits resulting from IEHI might be found.