COVID-19
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HCCI Data Byte: Unintended effect of federal COVID vaccine policy on claims billing patterns
Read more: HCCI Data Byte: Unintended effect of federal COVID vaccine policy on claims billing patternsIn HCCI’s most recent Health Care Cost and Utilization Report, we observed substantial growth in spending on vaccines among individuals with employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), which we attributed largely to uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021. Although they may be largely responsible for this trend, federal procurement complicates analyses of COVID-19 vaccines using claims data….
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Greater Share of Children’s Emergency Room Visits were for Mental Health Needs in 2020
Read more: Greater Share of Children’s Emergency Room Visits were for Mental Health Needs in 2020In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association, declared a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss of caregivers, school closures, social isolation, and gaps in health care (see citations below). Understanding the effect…
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COVID-19 Disrupted On-Time Vaccination Rates In ESI and Medicaid in 2020
Read more: COVID-19 Disrupted On-Time Vaccination Rates In ESI and Medicaid in 2020It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic upended the U.S. health care system in 2020, with effects still being felt in 2022. HCCI previously published a brief that showed precipitous drops in the utilization of several preventive health care services in early 2020. Several news outlets have also covered the effect of the pandemic on routine…
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The First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Had a Disproportionate Impact on Inpatient Service Use in Socially Vulnerable Metro Areas
Read more: The First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Had a Disproportionate Impact on Inpatient Service Use in Socially Vulnerable Metro AreasEach year, HCCI publishes an annual update to the Healthy Marketplace Index (HMI), an interactive tool that describes how health care prices, use, and spending vary across metropolitan areas. HMI helps us to understand how these aspects of the health care system compare and contrast to the median metropolitan area. We recently released the latest…
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Effects of COVID-19 on Health Care Spending Were Concentrated in April-May 2020
Read more: Effects of COVID-19 on Health Care Spending Were Concentrated in April-May 2020The COVID-19 pandemic shaped health care spending and use over the past two years in numerous ways. We recently released our Health Care Cost and Utilization Report which provides data from the first year of the pandemic on health care use, spending, and prices across different types of services for approximately 55 million individuals enrolled…
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As COVID-19 Hit, Birthing People Spent Less Time in the Hospital for Delivery
Read more: As COVID-19 Hit, Birthing People Spent Less Time in the Hospital for DeliveryThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Americans in a myriad of ways, including their use of the health care system for both COVID- and non-COVID related services. In this brief, we explore the ways in which the first year of the pandemic affected people for one of the most common hospital services – childbirth. In 2020,…
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COVID Tests Cost $0 for Most People in 2020
for Most People in 2020″ style=”border-radius:5px;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;” decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” />Read more: COVID Tests Cost $0 for Most People in 2020COVID-19 testing has become a regular part of life for many Americans over the last two years. In addition to facilitating individual returns to work, school, and other activities, testing is a crucial component of the public health strategy to monitor and address the spread of the virus. Even as testing becomes more available, there…
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Consumer Reports: How Much Should It Cost to Get Tested for COVID-19?
Tags: COVID-19
Read more: Consumer Reports: How Much Should It Cost to Get Tested for COVID-19?HCCI’s President and CEO Niall Brennan was featured in a Consumer Reports article on the price of coronavirus testing. From the article: “Outside analysts say that it is hard to name a standard fair price for a COVID-19 test when factoring in rent, staff, insurance, utilities, and other operational expenses. It is ‘difficult to answer…
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NPR: The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000
Read more: NPR: The Bill For His COVID Test In Texas Was A Whopping $54,000HCCI’s President and CEO Niall Brennan was quoted in an NPR report on a shockingly high bill for a COVID-19 test. From the article: ‘ “People are going to charge what they think they can get away with,” says Niall Brennan, president and CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit that studies health care prices….
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USA Today: Fact check: False claim that COVID-19 vaccine isn’t effective because you’re not charged for it
Read more: USA Today: Fact check: False claim that COVID-19 vaccine isn’t effective because you’re not charged for itHCCI’s research on insulin prices was featured in a USA Today article on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. From the article: “Insulin prices nearly doubled in the U.S from 2012 to 2016, a 2019 report by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute found.” Fact check: False claim links COVID-19 vaccine’s price, effectiveness Even though almost all COVID-19…