HHS Marks Sixth Anniversary Of Affordable Care Act

Implementing Health Reform. March 23, 2016 marks the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act. This week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing a series of blog posts publicizing the successes of the ACA. On March 22, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation released a report on Health Care Spending Growth and Federal Policy under the ACA. The report notes that national health care spending per person increased moderately at a rate of 4.3 percent in 2014. Much of this growth was attributable to the high costs of covering the newly insured, which may in part be attributable to pent-up demand. Spending per enrollee for 2014 for previously enrolled individuals increased more slowly. Spending per enrollee for Medicare enrollees increased 2.4 percent while per enrollee spending for private insurance market enrollees increased 2.9 percent. Spending per enrollee for Medicaid enrollees actually decreased by 3.6 percent. Even though the 4.3 percent increase is higher than increases in the recent past, it is still lower than increases in the years leading up to 2009. It was also accompanied by an uptick in the growth of the economy generally during 2014. Trends in Medicare spending growth have been particularly muted since the adoption of the ACA. Between 2009 and 2014, Medicare spent $473.1 billion less on personal health expenditures than it would have spent had average growth rates between 2000 and 2008 continued. HHS estima...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Drugs and Medical Technology Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage Medicaid and CHIP Medicare Quality ACA gains ASPE Medicare Part D Prescription Drugs Source Type: blogs