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Limited Options to Manage Specialty Drug Spending

April 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Spending on specialty drugs—typically high-cost biologics used to treat a variety of serious, complex conditions ranging from blood disorders to rheumatoid arthritis—has been growing at a persistently high rate in recent years.

Plan Management

May 1, 2012 | Report

This paper funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and authored by a joint team from Georgetown University's Health Policy institute and the National Academy of Social Insurance, provides insight for state and federal officials considering how they will assume responsibility for managing health plans once health insurance exchanges are established.

Selection in Massachusetts' Commonwealth Care Program

February 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

In this report, researchers at Mathematica Policy Research examined Massachusetts' CommCare program—a program serving low-income adults, much like the ACA's BHP is designed to do.

Growth of Consumer-Directed Health Plans to One-Half of All Employer-Sponsored Insurance Could Save $57 Billion Annually

May 1, 2012 | Journal Article

Enrollment is increasing in consumer-directed health insurance plans, which feature high deductibles and a personal health care savings account.

Evaluating Health Reform at the State Level

July 30, 2012 | Program Result

Researchers at the University of Southern Maine analyzed the impact of new health plans in Maine and Massachusetts that were designed to cover uninsured residents, as part of State Health Access Reform Evaluation, an RWJF national program.

We All Want it, but We Don't Know What it is

October 1, 2011 | Journal Article

An expert panel expressed divergent opinions about what constitutes affordability of health insurance premiums under the ACA.

Section 125 Plans in the Post-Reform Environment

June 1, 2010 | Issue Brief

Brief examines the impact of health reform on the tax code and individual insurance plans.

The Increased Concentration of Health Plan Markets Can Benefit Consumers Through Lower Hospital Prices

September 8, 2011 | Journal Article

The long-term trend of consolidation among U.S. health plans has raised providers' concerns that the concentration of health plan markets can depress their prices.

Determining Health Benefit Designs to be Offered on a State Health Insurance Exchange

November 1, 2011 | Toolkit

The series' third installment reveals several key lessons in developing the part of the Massachusetts' exchange serving unsubsidized, individual purchasers—known as Commonwealth Choice.

Assessing the Evidence for Value-Based Insurance Design

November 1, 2010 | Journal Article

High copayments for medical services can cause patients to underuse essential therapies.