CENTER UPDATE | MARCH 2024
In this Issue:
- 2024 V-BID Summit Recording Available!
- 9 States Pass Bills to Fix Prior Authorization
- Medicare Households Spend More on Health Care Than Other Households
- How Health Care Behavior Has Changed Over Time
- Preventing Prevention: Braidwood v. Becerra
Last week’s V-BID Summit: Overcoming Financial Toxicity brought together stakeholders from across the healthcare spectrum for discussions across four areas: successes and challenges of HDHPs, enhancing preventive service use in the backdrop of Braidwood v. Becerra, improving access to essential medications, and why it’s so hard to reduce low-value care.
Watch the summit recording and click the button below to learn more and access additional resources!
9 States Pass Bills to Fix Prior Authorization
Efforts to reform prior authorization processes, both at state and federal levels, aim to alleviate administrative burdens and ensure timely access to care. As discussions around prior authorization intensify, understanding its role in streamlining healthcare services becomes paramount. By focusing on modernizing processes and increasing transparency, policymakers and healthcare providers can work together to prioritize high-value care and enhance patient outcomes.
Medicare Households Spend More on Health Care Than Other Households
According to research, 2022 health care expenses comprised 13.6% of total spending for Medicare households, compared to 6.5% for non-Medicare households. Additionally, 29% of Medicare households spent 20% or more of their total spending on health-related expenses, versus 7% for non-Medicare households. Despite rising costs, the share of health care spending relative to total household spending remained stable. These findings underscore the financial strain on Medicare beneficiaries, emphasizing the need for policies to enhance their financial protections.
How Health Care Behavior Has Changed Over Time
A recent EBRI publication indicates a shift in health plan participants’ cost-conscious behavior. While in the past, HDHP enrollees were more vigilant about costs, this trend faded in 2023. Both HDHP and traditional plan enrollees increasingly adopted cost-saving behaviors, with traditional plan enrollees catching up. This suggests rising cost-sharing across plans and similar access to cost-management tools for all enrollees.
Preventing Prevention: Braidwood v. Becerra
According to a recent health care blog, the Fifth Circuit Court has signaled support to repeal ACA’s mandate on preventive services coverage. This move may jeopardize public health, prompting a Supreme Court challenge. The decision could impact over 900 committees advising federal agencies, potentially undermining health care access and accountability.
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