As drug prices continue to rise, policymakers debate drug pricing reform. The United States spends more on prescription drugs per capita than any other developed country. For example, Germany spends an average of $685 on retail prescription drugs per capita, while the United States spends over $1,000. Yet, Germany has a similar health care system […]
NCHC: Drug Pricing Primer
High prescription drug prices contribute to high total health care costs in the United States. Prices in the United States are higher than any other developed country, outpacing the effects of volume, types of drugs, or population size on total drug spending. Retail prescription drugs accounted for 9% of the $3.6 trillion (17.7% of GDP) […]
Primary Care & COVID-19
On June 17, NCHC published a one-pager discussing COVID-19’s impact on primary care. Recent policy solutions have not offered direct financial assistance to independent primary care practices. Without financial assistance, some independent primary care practices may close indefinitely, which will harm chronic disease management, COVID-19 diagnoses, and much more. This one-pager offers policy solutions to […]
NCHC: Surprise Medical Billing Primer
Surprise medical billing contributes to unpredictable, high out-of-pocket costs for consumers. Patients often encounter surprise medical bills when receiving emergency or ancillary health services from out-of-network practitioners. Recent studies indicate that surprise billing is concentrated in specific specialties like pathology.1 These providers “balance bill” patients for the difference between the full charge for services and […]
NCHC 2019 State Legislative Summary
Governors and state legislatures have been taking action in 2019 to lower health care costs and promote affordable coverage options for their residents. We reviewed 2019 state legislation and executive actions, and highlight some of the boldest approaches to lower drug, provider, and health insurance costs. Please click here to read the report in its […]