Healthcare Affordability Crisis

On What the Health? From KFF Health News, distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate to rein in costs. As the midterm elections approach, the cost of health care is the public’s top economic concern, Altman said.

Although past reforms have significantly increased the number of people with health insurance, they have not successfully addressed affordability, he said. S. health system poses two major problems: Americans’ concerns about how to pay for their own medical care, and the significant share of national spending it consumes. Rovner and Altman also discuss the downstream effects of change, including the impact of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting on states, employers, and individuals, and lessons learned from past attempts at government reform.

” In the months to come, Rovner will interview experts and decision-makers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, asking each how they would repair the health care system. An abbreviated version of this interview aired March 19 on Episode 438 of What the Health? ” Altman’s “Beyond the Data” columns — including the column discussed in this interview, “ Our Darwinian Approach to Health Care Costs ” — can be read here.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF. 0 International License. republication-pixel=true&post=2170775&ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0"; style="width:1px;height:1px;"> On “What the Health? From KFF Health News,” distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.