Health care costs are a significant area of concern for everyone from patients to policymakers. Health services research evidence looks at different ways to address cost growth, encourage efficiency and quality, and provide for care via insurance, Medicare and Medicaid so that people receive the best care at the best value.
Americans pay more than three times what other wealthy countries pay for the same brand-name drugs. Federal policymakers have pursued most-favored-nation pricing as one answer. What it has built so far is 26 confidential deals, a Medicare model covering about four companies, and savings projections no one outside government can verify. AcademyHealth breaks down what the evidence shows, where it runs out, and what to watch.
AcademyHealth’s Project DREAM interviewed doulas in six different states about their experiences working with people enrolled in Medicaid. Doulas share that although coverage for these services is important, there are still hurdles to ensuring Medicaid reimbursement is equitable and sustainable for doulas and patients.
A Yale preprint projects $1 trillion in annual savings and 114,000 deaths prevented. A competing analysis finds a $47 trillion federal cost. Both numbers are defensible. Neither answers the same question. AcademyHealth breaks down what the evidence actually shows, where it runs out, and how to read the claims you will encounter.
Coming from Canada, Laura Yudo expected to hear that a single-payer system was the fix for U.S. health care's biggest problems. Instead, conversations with scholars from France, Ghana, Rwanda, Nepal, and beyond convinced her that no country has it all figured out, and that the real value lies in learning from each other's trade-offs.
For a health system to advance equitable outcomes, equity must be intentionally built into a health system from the start, and international examples of health system funding design, reward systems, and accountability offer lessons for the United States.
Roughly one in three American women over 40 experience severe menopausal symptoms, yet only about one in four receive treatment, reflecting longstanding gaps in trust, access, and care. While menopause remains unaddressed in the U.S., countries such as Australia, England, and Ireland have pursued policies to improve coverage and affordability.
For the first time at this scale, Medicaid coverage for many adults will be tied to documenting work or other qualifying activities. AcademyHealth examines what the evidence shows about coverage loss, employment effects, administrative burden, and the tradeoffs policymakers face as states prepare to implement the new requirement.
Medicaid work requirements set by HR 1 take effect on January 1, 2027, with exceptions for beneficiaries considered medically frail. A recent JAMA Health Forum paper authored by Medicaid Medical Directors outlines crucial clinical considerations for states implementing these exemptions.
The 340B drug pricing program moves $81 billion a year in discounts to safety-net providers -- but fierce disagreement continues over whether that money reaches the patients Congress intended it to help. AcademyHealth breaks down what the research shows, where the evidence runs out, and what to watch as Congress debates reform.
Millions of insured Americans are struggling to afford the care they're already paying for. A major new proposal would ban prior authorization, cap hospital prices, and limit insurer profits. AcademyHealth breaks down what the evidence actually supports.