The fourth in a series of 2008 election briefs examines the issue of health care costs and provides an overview of how the high and rapidly rising cost of health care affects the financial security of families and the economic health of the nation. The brief also summarizes the presidential candidates' stated positions on these topics. Previously released briefs on the uninsured, Medicare and women's health can also be viewed online.

This report analyzes the differences in payroll compensation at companies where health benefits are and are not offered. It finds that workers at companies that offer health benefits on average receive more than double the compensation of workers at companies that do. It is part of the online Snapshots: Health Care Costs series, written by Foundation staff.

This benchmark annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies and other relevant information.

Workers Pay An Average Of $3,354 Annually Toward Family Coverage, More Than Double What They Paid Nine Years Ago

Growing Shares of Workers Now Face Deductibles Of At Least $1,000, Including More Than One-Third Of Those Covered By Smaller Firms

This updated fact sheet provides trend information about prescription drug expenditures and coverage, key factors that contribute to rising prescription spending, and efforts to contain certain rising drug costs.

This interactive web-based timeline, designed to serve as an ongoing reference tool for many of the political, scientific, cultural, and community events that have occurred over the history of the epidemic, begins with 1981 and includes key events and noteworthy activities through today. 

With policymakers debating potential changes to the tax treatment of health insurance benefit, this issue brief illustrates how families with different incomes are affected by the tax subsidies for private health insurance included in current law.

Gary Claxton, a Kaiser Family Foundation vice president, testified about state-based health reform efforts as part of the Senate Finance Committee's Prepare For Launch Health Reform Summit. His testimony examines the role of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, as well as the way various federal laws and policies may limit innovation at the state level.

This new analysis focuses on how the age of a business influences whether a small establishment offers health insurance coverage to its employees. It is part of the Foundation's online series Snapshots: Health Care Costs.

This primer explains the role and operations of private health coverage in the United States. It discusses the fundamental aims of private coverage and sorts out the complicated web of state and federal regulations that govern it.