In The Spotlight

Tax Treatment of Health Insurance: A Primer

In recent months, the tax treatment of health insurance has gained a lot of attention – both during the presidential election and in the health reform debates in Congress. What is the current tax treatment of employer-sponsored health insurance? How does the tax treatment of health insurance impact employers? How does it impact employees? Do some workers benefit more than others from the current tax subsidies? Does altering the tax treatment of health insurance have the potential to expand or diminish coverage? Will cost containment efforts lead policy makers to consider altering the tax treatment of health insurance? To address these and related questions, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation are sponsoring a December 5 luncheon briefing. Read More

The pre-election debate put health care reform ideas front and center. Now policymakers have to deal with translating theory into action under challenging economic conditions. Why completely reinvent the wheel when there are existing universal coverage systems that may have components the U.S. can learn from? This briefing, cosponsored by The Commonwealth Fund, provided an in-depth look at the very different approaches of Switzerland, Germany and Holland to providing near-universal coverage to their citizens. How is coverage provided in each system? How successful is each in achieving maximum coverage? What are the roles of private insurance and government in each? What mechanisms are in place, if any, to help each system manage in difficult economic times? Panelists addressed these and related questions.  Read More

The Massachusetts model, enacted in 2006, is being watched closely for lessons that might guide national efforts to reduce the number of uninsured and underinsured nationally. The ranks of the uninsured in Massachusetts have dropped dramatically, yet questions remain. Precisely, how is the pursuit of universal coverage progressing in Massachusetts? What impact, if any, are the reforms having on insurance costs? Are the newly insured able to actually get the care they need? Is subsidized coverage “crowding out” employer-sponsored coverage? How are employers responding to the reforms more generally? Can the state afford the subsidies as economic problems affect tax revenues? To address these and related questions, the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund sponsored a November 7 luncheon briefing. Read More

We expect that the coming debate on health reform will involve proposals to reshape the role private insurance plays in our health care system. But to evaluate proposals for change, one must first understand how private insurance works currently. This October 3 briefing was designed for those wanting a refresher in how private health insurance works in America. How do states regulate insurance? How do insurers decide whom to insure and how much to charge? How does insurance differ for individuals, small employers and large employers? What are some of the gaps in the current coverage system? How do those with serious illnesses fare in the insurance system as it currently operates? Cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Read More