Health Care Costs - California Health Care Foundation

Health Care Costs
Rising health care costs remain a major challenge in California and across the nation. CHCF's work sheds light on trends in state and national health care spending, as well as on the affordability of health care for consumers, to spur dialogue and action toward policy solutions.

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COVID-19 Financial Costs Are Surging Too

September 20, 2021

Heather Tirado Gilligan

Health Care Costs

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Insurance companies across the country have been reinstating cost sharing for people being treated for the disease, and it isn't cheap.

The Financial Impact of COVID-19 on California Hospitals: January 2020 Through June 2021

Glenn Melnick, Susan Maerki

Health Care Costs

While hospital utilization fell dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, California's hospitals still recorded nearly $3.5 billion in net revenue in 2020, with Medi-Cal providing the greatest revenue increase.

Pulling Back the Curtain: How Many California Hospitals Are Complying with Federal Price Transparency Rules?

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Health Care Costs

Federal regulations that went into effect in January 2021 require hospitals to release "clear, accessible pricing information" about their services. This analysis shows that only a minority of California hospitals are fully compliant with this new policy.

Infographic — US Health Care Spending: Who Pays?

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

Over the past 60 years, the way health care is financed has changed, with public insurance paying for more care. This graphic shows who paid for health care and how much it cost.

2021 Edition — Health Care Costs 101

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

Health Care Costs 101: US Spending Growth Outpaces Economy provides a detailed look at national health care spending in 2019, just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community Health Centers’ Journey Through the Pandemic

Health Care Costs

This collection highlights the financial challenges faced by California's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they adapted to keep serving patients. It also highlights policy changes that are needed to stabilize FQHCs so they can continue to play their vital role in providing care to Californians with low incomes.

Aligning Health Cost Growth with Economic Growth Would Save Californians Billions

Kristof Stremikis

Health Care Costs

California policymakers are turning their attention to a public health crisis that has bedeviled the state for decades: unjustifiably high and rising health care costs.

The Financial Impact of COVID-19 on California Hospitals: March Through July 2020

Glenn Melnick, Susan Maerki

Health Care Costs

As COVID-19 containment efforts took hold, patient volume at California hospitals fell precipitously as hospitals discontinued elective and nonurgent care while drastically increasing inpatient bed supply to treat a predicted surge of COVID-19 patients. This analysis provides initial estimates of some of the immediate financial and longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on California’s hospitals and health care system.

Health Care Costs Accounted for 17.7 Percent of GDP in 2018

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

New CHCF Almanac shows hospital care was the biggest spending category.

2020 Edition — Health Care Costs 101

Katherine Wilson

Health Care Costs, Payment & Financing

US health spending reached $3.6 trillion in 2018. National health spending grew 4.6% in 2018, a slightly higher rate than the 4.2% growth in 2017.

Examining the Authority of California’s Attorney General in Health Care Mergers

Samuel M. Chang, Thomas Greaney, Katherine L. Gudiksen, Jaime S. King

Health Care Costs

The health care industry has recently experienced horizontal, vertical, and cross-market consolidation unprecedented in scale and scope. This report examines the California attorney general's existing merger oversight authority, compares that to the authority held by other state AGs, and then offers a series of considerations for policymakers interested in ensuring that California’s health care markets operate in a more consumer-friendly manner.

Ever-Rising Health Costs Worsen California’s Coronavirus Threat

Kristof Stremikis

Health Care Costs

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, it is important to remember another significant threat to the health of our people — soaring health costs.

Controlling Health Care Costs

Health Care Costs

Health care is too expensive for many Californians. CHCF offers these resources that detail where health spending happens, why health care costs are increasing so rapidly, and what policymakers could consider to improve value in the system.

Getting to Affordability: Spending Trends and Waste in California’s Health Care System

RAND Corporation

Health Care Costs

Health care is still far too expensive for many Californians. Crucial to any cost containment effort is a detailed understanding of what costs are being reduced, where they are coming from, and who has the potential to capture the savings. This report focuses on the landscape of health care spending and a framework for understanding cost containment approaches in California.

Commissioning Change: How Four States Use Advisory Boards to Contain Health Spending

Glenn Melnick, Susan Maerki

Health Care Costs

Controlling the growth of health spending is central to any state effort to achieve universal coverage and to relieve consumers struggling with out-of-pocket costs. California can learn from four states that have established state commissions to measure, monitor, and set targets to control health care cost increases.