High and rising prescription drug prices force consumers to skip doses or even avoid filling their prescriptions for life-saving medications altogether. Now is the perfect time for Congress to finally begin to take action by including the bipartisan CREATES Act in the omnibus legislation to fund the government, which must pass Congress by March 23rd.
We know how the House Republican bill could affect people who get insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace and Medicaid. But what has been overlooked is how the bill, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), could affect the coverage people get through their jobs. In other words: The Republican bill could make everybody’s coverage worse.
Through our new Community Health Worker Sustainability Collaborative, launched with the support of the Kresge Foundation, we will work with CHW organizations, health care and health equity advocates, policy makers, and other stakeholders to promote using Medicaid funds to provide more sustainable support to CHW programs and better integrate them into the health care system.
We know that unleashing the power of CHWs in communities across the country will make a tremendous difference in health and health care, especially in communities of color.
Nothing about high-deductible plans makes health care more affordable for families. While the Republicans have yet to agree on how they propose to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one thing is clear—whatever they pursue will push more families into high-deductible plans. Every single replacement plan put forth so far would very likely increase deductibles for millions of people.
Millions of people in this country face significant barriers to obtaining the basic dental care they need to achieve good oral health. As a result, more than half of people in the U.S. go without any dental care each year, and many struggle with untreated dental disease that can have far-reaching, serious effects on their overall health.
Learn how to encourage adoption of value-based insurance design (VBID) in our health insurance system. This guide explains options at both the federal and state level. Around the country, advocates working to improve the health outcomes and value that our health care system delivers are exploring ways to implement VBID.
Public and private health insurers can design health plans to promote the use of health care services and providers that offer the best health results, at the best price. Known as value-based insurance design, this approach can improve patients’ health and promote use of high value care.
This brief discusses the value of community health workers (CHWs) in improving care while reducing disparities for vulnerable populations. It also walks advocates through how they can get sustainable funding for CHWs in their state.
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is the biggest change to how Medicare pays for services in decades. It will accelerate the movement towards value-based payments—where what health care providers get paid depends, at least partially, on the quality of care they provide, not just the volume of services. On June 27, Families USA submitted comments about how the law will be implemented.
