- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What's Behind the Flatlining of US Healthcare Spending Since 2009
The spending slowdown is about more than the recession (which ended in 2009) -- it's also structural, a significant part of the slowdown can be tied to the impact of the Affordable Care Act.
Many of you have seen or heard about the new Commonwealth Fund report: "Access, Affordability, and Insurance Complexity Are Often Worse in the United States Compared to 10 Other Countries." It's a familiar song we've been hearing for years, and, according to the Fund, it's not getting better:
"A 2013 survey conducted in 11 countries finds that U.S. adults are significantly more likely than their counterparts to forgo health care because of the cost, to have difficulty paying for care even when they have insurance, and to deal with time-consuming insurance issues."
Many noteworthy aspects here. For example, if we look back at 1980, the U.S. was clearly one of the most expensive systems, perhaps the most. And, it was also in the pack of the most expensive health systems that included Germany, Switzerland and others. Only in the 1980s did we break from the pack and see our medical spending increases far outstrip those of our peer nations. Boy, did it ever!
Read the full story here: http://bo.st/1fBaeAr
Source: Boston.com
Health Care Utilization and Cost of Diagnostic Testing for Respiratory Infections
September 17th 2025Syndromic reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction tests for respiratory infections were associated with lower health care resource utilization and costs, implicating potential for improved value in patient care.
Read More
AI in Health Care: Balancing Governance, Innovation, and Trust
September 2nd 2025In this conversation with Reuben Daniel, associate vice president of artificial intelligence at UPMC Health Plan, we dive into how UPMC Health Plan builds trust with providers and members, discuss challenges of scaling AI effectively, and hear about concrete examples of AI's positive impact.
Listen
Infertility Coverage Boosts ART Use and Pregnancy Success: Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA
August 26th 2025In this episode, Richard A. Brook, MS, MBA, discusses his study showing that infertility treatment coverage increases assisted reproductive technology (ART) use and improves pregnancy outcomes.
Listen
