Health Affairs December 3, 2021
Shivani A. Shah, John W. Scott, Mia Giuriato, Zirui Song

While debate over Medicare expansion proposals has focused on coverage, a key feature of several proposals is the reduction or elimination of cost sharing. The Medicare-for-All proposal by Senator Sanders, for example, sought to eliminate cost sharing for almost all health care services, with the exception of a $200 out-of-pocket maximum for prescription drugs. A similar bill by Representative Jayapal proposed to eliminate cost sharing altogether.

Eliminating cost sharing has inherent appeal given the growth in deductibles and copays in recent decades that has made medical care increasingly unaffordable for patients and families. Beyond discouraging patients from seeking care, cost sharing is also linked to adverse health outcomes including increased mortality. On the other hand, cost sharing remains a tool...

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Topics: Govt Agencies, Healthcare System, Insurance, Patient / Consumer, Pricing / Spending, Provider
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