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Next Steps for Health Care Reform
Jason Furman
Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers

The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution
October 7, 2015

1

The Affordable Care Act Has Driven the
Nation’s Uninsured Rate to the Lowest Level Ever
Percent
25
20

Percent of Population Without Health Insurance
Creation of
Medicare &
Medicaid

ACA 1st Open
Enrollment

15
10
'15:Q2

5
0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Source: CEA analysis of National Health Interview Survey, Cohen et al. (2009), Klemm (2000), and CMS (2009), and Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
Note: Data are quarterly starting in 2014:Q1. Data for earlier years are generally either annual or bi-annual. Because NHIS data are not yet available after 2015:Q1, Gallup data are used
to extrapolate through 2015:Q2.

2

Premium Growth in Employer Coverage Has Slowed Sharply
Growth in Premiums for Employer-Based Family Coverage

Annual nominal percent growth
12

9.5

10
8
6

2000-2010
2010-2014
2015

7.9

7.3
5.2
4.2

4

5.3

4.8

4.8

2.7

2
0
Total
premium

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits Survey.

Worker's
contribution

Employer's
contribution
3

Deductibles Have Continued On Their Previous Trend
As the Total Out-of-Pocket Share Has Drifted Lower

Average Deductible in Employer-Based Single Coverage
2015 dollars
1200

Continuation of
2002-2010 Trend

1000
800

Out-of-Pocket Spending Share in Employer Coverage
Percent
25
20

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey,
Insurance Component

2013

Continuation of
2006-2010 Trend

600

10

400

KFF/HRET Employer
Health Benefits Survey

200
0
2002

15

2005

2008

2011

5

2014

Source: KFF/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey; Medical Expenditure Panel Survey,
Insurance Component.

0
1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Household Component; CEA calculations.

4

Medicare Has Seen Sustained Slow Growth in Per-Enrollee Spending
Growth in Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary
Annual percent growth
10
8

Nominal Medicare
2000-2010 Average Growth
Spending per
in Nominal Medicare
Beneficiary
Spending Per Beneficiary

6
4
2

GDP Price
Index

2015

0
-2
2000

2005

2010

2015

Source: Office of the Actuary, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Projections.
Note: Medicare spending growth for 2015 is a CMS projection. GDP price index for 2015 is a CBO projection. The Medicare growth rate for 2006 has been adjusted to remove the effect
of the introduction of Medicare Part D.

5

Quality of Care Received by Hospital Patients Has Improved Markedly
Change in Rate of Patient Harm in U.S. Hospitals

Percent change in harm rate since 2010
0

0%
-2%

-5

-10

-9%

-15
-17%
-20
2010
Source: Agency for Health Care Research and Quality; CEA calculations.

2011

2012

2013
6

Hospital Readmission Rates Have Fallen Sharply
Following the Introduction of Affordable Care Act Payment Incentives
Medicare 30-Day, All-Condition Hospital Readmission Rate

Percent, 12-month moving average
19.5

2007-2011 Average
19.0

18.5

Dec-14

18.0

17.5
2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics; CEA calculations.

2013

2014

2015

7

Next Step #1: Expanding Insurance Coverage by
Expanding Medicaid in More States:

Medicaid Expansion States and States with More Pre-ACA Uninsured Have Seen Larger Coverage Gains

Fall in Uninsured Rate from 2013 to 2014 vs.
Level of Uninsured Rate in 2013, by State
Percentage point decline in uninsured rate from 2013 to 2014
7
6

Medicaid Expansion States

5
4
3
2
1

Medicaid Non-Expansion States

0
0

5

10
15
Uninsured Rate in 2013

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Note: Following Census, states are categorized by their Medicaid expansion status as of January 1, 2014.

20

25

8

Next Step #2: Realizing the Full Potential of Payment Reform

Alternative Payment Models Have Expanded in Medicare; Goal is 50 Percent by 2018

Share of Traditional Medicare Payments Flowing Through
Alternative Payment Models: Historical and Goals
Percent of payments
60
50%

50
40
30%

30
~20%

20
10
0

0%
2010

2014

2016

2018
HHS Goals
9

Next Step #3: Implementing the Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer Plans

High-Cost Excise Tax Will Reduce Health Care Spending, Thereby Boosting Wages and Reducing Deficits

Estimated Effects of the High-Cost Excise Tax
on Deficits and Wages & Salaries

Billions of dollars
50
40

Change in Wages & Salaries
(Taxable Compensation)

30
20
10
0
-10
-20

Change in Deficits

-30
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Source: Congressional Budget Office; CEA calculations.
Note: Deficit effects are taken directly from the CBO score. Effects on taxable compensation are computed from the CBO score using the methodology in the text.

10

“Cadillac Tax” Will Affect a Very Small Fraction of Enrollees and
an Even Smaller Fraction of Plan Costs in 2018
Share of Enrollees and Costs Affected by Excise Tax in 2018
Percent
10
9
8
7
6
5
4

4%

3
2

1%

1
0
Percent of plan enrollees

Percent of plan costs

Source: United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Tax Analysis.

11

Next Steps for Health Care Reform
Jason Furman
Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers

The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution
October 7, 2015

12