In a new Considering Health Spending paper, Michael Chernew and coauthors examine the effects of commercial price increases from market consolidation on cost shifting from public to private payers.

The authors find that operating margins for hospitals where Medicare revenue accounted for more than 65 percent of total revenue in 2010 were substantially lower than for hospitals with a Medicare share below 35 percent. Further, between 2010 and 2016, hospitals with a higher Medicare share were more likely to close or be acquired.

In another article in the series, Scott Howell and coauthors investigate drug pricing and spending, as well as the intensification of payers’ utilization management efforts.

They find that combined costs shared among stakeholders totaled to at least $93.3 billion per year. The authors deem drug utilization management "one of the most counterproductive uses of resources in the US health care system."

Our Considering Health Spending series provides a focal point for analysis and discussion about how much the nation spends on health care, what we get for our money, and how we might change the spending trajectory.

Today on Health Affairs Blog, Taleed El-Sabawi and coauthors argue that the Drug Enforcement Agency’s new rule on mobile methadone units doesn't address regulations that stigmatize and decrease its access.

Check out our COVID-19 Resource Center for content about all things related to the pandemic.

On Thursday, August 12, 2021, you are invited to join Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil when he welcomes Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the US Department of Health and Human Services. At CMS, Brooks-LaSure oversees programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the HealthCare.gov health insurance Marketplace.

There will be an opportunity for viewers to contribute questions before and during the live session.

Date:    Thursday, August 12, 2021
Time:    1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (EDT)
Place:    Online details will be shared with registrants 24 hours in advance of the event

About Health Affairs

Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.

Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.

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