Jay Hancock joined Kaiser Health News in 2012 from The Baltimore Sun, where he wrote a column on business and finance. Previously he covered the State Department and the economics beat for The Sun and health care for The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk and the Daily Press of Newport News. He has a bachelor's degree from Colgate University and a master's in journalism from Northwestern University.
Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News
In the four years since Maryland implemented a statewide system of pushing hospitals to lower admissions, such savings are adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars for the taxpayers, employers and others who ultimately pay the bills, a new report shows.
The narrative from PhRMA's publicity campaign is only the rosiest, most self-serving version of pricing say critics.
Heated debates over replacing Obamacare and roadblocks erected via industry cash have slowed down lawmakers despite the general agreement with the public on the need for legislation.
Bigger and fewer doctor practices drive up prices for patients, employers and taxpayers, several studies confirm.
Two surveys of large employers show companies continue to try to control costs while backing away from shrinking or dropping health benefits.
A fresh attempt by the Republican Party to undo the Affordable Care Act injects more uncertainty into plans for people with pre-existing conditions.
Whether to cancel a company health insurance plan and let workers buy insurance on the online exchanges is an issue that arises for every small-group employer. But businesses shifting workers into the individual exchanges tend to be the very smallest.
Two years ago General Dynamics, one of the biggest federal contractors, reported a quarterly loss of $2 billion. An "eye-watering" result, one analyst called it.
The Obama administration took another step to close what many see as a health-law loophole that allows large employers to offer medical plans without hospital coverage and bars their workers from subsidies to buy their own insurance.
CMS health expenditure growth projections are not supported by cost indicator data from the Census Bureau.