AHA blog: Four reasons Medicare is an inadequate benchmark for commercial health plans
Researchers are taking an “off-base” approach to setting benchmarks for commercial insurance rates, and in the process wrongly painting hospitals as the source of the health care system’s problem, according to a new blog by Benjamin Finder, AHA’s director of policy research and analysis. The blog cites four prominent reasons why benchmarking against Medicare rates is misguided, arguing that policymakers should instead strengthen Medicare payment rates rather than hold them up as the gold standard.
Related News Articles
Headline
A new report from KFF reveals that Medicare Advantage enrollees had access to just 48% of the physicians available to Traditional Medicare beneficiaries in…
Headline
The AHA Oct. 23 recommended changes to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction model to address…
Headline
Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage in 2025 increased 6% over last year to $26,993, according to KFF’s annual Employer Health…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released an operational guide for Medicare-enrolled providers and suppliers on the Wasteful and…
Headline
A report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that many Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans…
Headline
Medicare open enrollment for 2026 began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. During the annual enrollment period, Medicare-eligible individuals can check their…