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Health Cost and Coverage

Providing affordable health care remains a critical issue for families, employers, insurers, and public programs. AIR’s research and evaluation analyze trends in cost, coverage, and access to care, including in-depth analysis of geographic variations. We evaluate innovative reimbursement methods and payment system redesign, focusing on key quality, cost, and health outcomes. Our findings are translated into implications for consumers, providers, policymakers, and purchasers.

We provide technical assistance for government, providers, and community organizations that ensures the successful implementation of innovative payment systems and programs. Innovative research and technical assistance projects, such as our enrollee satisfaction surveys for Health Insurance Exchanges for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, our evaluation of the Maryland Quality-Based Reimbursement Initiative, or our creation of an “Innovations Scorekeeper” for the Blue Shield of California Foundation guide payers, insurers, employers, and health care systems toward payment reforms that increase access to care for all, especially the newly insured and disadvantaged.

Latest Work

6 Sep 2016
Brief

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Medicare enrollment form

How Social Security and Medicare Reduce Inequality

Income inequality is substantial for people 65 and over, but less pronounced than it would be without Social Security and Medicare. A new brief offers a look at what the distribution of financial resources would be like in their absence, and addresses how proposed changes should be analyzed.
Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Aging, Health Cost and Coverage
30 Sep 2015
Report

Consumer Usability Testing in Five State-Based Marketplaces: Key Challenges and Best Practice Recommendations

Since January 1, 2014, consumers and small businesses have had access to new health insurance Marketplaces (or Exchanges). Consumers in every state and the District of Columbia are able to buy qualified health plans available through their state’s Marketplace. This report describes the results of AIR consumer website usability testing, which focused on how consumers navigate and understand key functions of the Marketplace websites in five states.
Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Aging, Health Cost and Coverage
5 Feb 2015
Spotlight

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Health Insurance Terms?

AIR designed the Health Insurance Literacy Measure survey to better understand which areas Americans need more assistance and education. In a recent round of surveys, we found participants correctly answered 60 percent of knowledge and skills questions on average. While many could define “premium” (81 percent), far fewer could describe an HMO (50 percent). Want to test your knowledge? Answer this sampling of questions.
Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Health Cost and Coverage
22 Oct 2014
Infographic

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Health Insurance Literacy Infographic from AIR Survey findings: 3 in 4 people said they have the knowledge to use health insurance, however only, 1 in 5 people could calculate their out-of-pocket costs

How Much Do People Really Know About Their Health Insurance?

While about three out of four Americans aged 22-64 believe they know how to use health insurance, only about one in five could correctly calculate how much they owed for a routine doctor visit, as this infographic shows.
Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Health Cost and Coverage
Project

Discovering Useful Quality Measures for Consumers: Can evalue8 Help?

By 2016, consumers shopping on the online Health Insurance Marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act will have the opportunity to compare health plans using information from the Quality Reporting System. Although it is currently undergoing development, there is considerable debate as to what measures consumers would find most useful when comparing and selecting health plans. AIR is evaluating these measures to see how well they meet consumers' needs.
2 Sep 2014
Video

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Long Story Short: What Is the Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Newly Insured Patients?

The Affordable Care Act created health insurance exchanges or marketplaces to offer consumers affordable healthcare coverage through subsidies. In this video interview, Brandy Farrar, AIR researcher, explains what Californian consumers think about their experiences with Covered California, their state's health insurance marketplace.
Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Evaluation of Health Programs and Policies, Health Cost and Coverage
8 Jun 2014 to 10 Jun 2014
| 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Event

AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting

AIR will send experts in health care, health practice and health policy to the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, June 8-10, 2014.

29 May 2013
Toolkit

Innovations Scorekeeper Tool

AIR and the Blue Shield of California Foundation are developing an “Innovations Scorekeeper” tool to help the foundation and its community clinic grantees in California measure progress toward improving patient care, population health and cost of care.

Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Health Cost and Coverage
Project

Enrollee Satisfaction Survey for Health Insurance Exchanges

Patients' experiences of their own health care are essential indicators in improving quality and reducing costs. To capture valid and reliable measures of patient experience, AIR designed and is fielding a survey measuring consumer experiences with the Health Insurance Marketplaces. The survey is using Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems methodology.
Project

Evaluation of the Maryland Quality-Based Reimbursement System

With Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding, AIR is working with the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission to evaluate the effects of the State of Maryland's modified payment structure for acute inpatient stays at non-federal hospitals.

22 Sep 2005
Testimony

Testimony: Meeting Medicare's Future Needs: Cost and Payment of Medicare Part D

Medicare expert Marilyn Moon testifies on the program's costs and affordability, focusing on the prescription drug benefit as an important addition to assuring access to good health care.

Topic: 
Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, Health Cost and Coverage
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Steven Garfinkel

Institute Fellow

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