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State Mental Health Parity Laws' Effect on Families of Children with Mental Health Care Needs (PDF)

3 pages. Excerpt: Results indicate that state mental health parity laws lowered the risk that families with children needing mental health care would incur large out-of-pocket costs. Those living in parity states were less likely to have out-of-pocket spending greater than $1,000. These results highlight the value of parity laws as a tool for protecting against the risk of particularly high out-of-pocket costs for families with children needing mental health care.

Many Americans Seek Health Care Prices, Fewer Compare Across Providers (PDF)

"Study findings indicate most Americans have already sought price information before getting care; that individuals who compared prices across multiple providers believe that they saved money; and that more people want to know the prices of medical services in advance and are willing to choose less expensive providers. Yet, most Americans are not aware that prices vary, potentially keeping them from comparing prices or shopping for health care services. Further, Americans are split on whether it is reasonable to expect patients to compare prices before obtaining care."

High Deductible Health Care Coverage: Snapshot of Some Mixed Evidence

The large body of evidence examining the various components of CDHPs1 may help inform policymakers who are exploring the advantages and disadvantages of offering high deductible plans within states' health insurance exchanges. While HDHPs are structured in such a way to promote cost savings and protect against the financial burden of a catastrophic medical event, the evidence on the success of these goals is mixed.

End-of-Life Care: The Struggle to Provide Quality Care while Containing Costs

Excerpt: As the baby boomer generation ages and approaches Medicare eligibility, new importance has been placed on the care provided to individuals at the end of life. During the final year of life, Medicare beneficiaries average nearly four major illnesses, while the average for surviving Medicare beneficiaries is only slightly more than one in a typical year. The additional illnesses help to account for the sharp increase in medical spending in the last year of life.

Brief: Meeting the Future Long-Term Care Needs of the Baby Boomers (PDF)

3 pages. Excerpt: Even under the most optimistic scenario long-term care burdens on families and institutions will increase substantially in coming decades.

Research Project on Large Employers Use of Workplace Health Clinics

Excerpt: The objective of this project is to better understand the full spectrum of employer strategies concerning workplace clinics, the barriers faced by employers, and the impact of different strategies and models on cost containment and care delivery.