The article discusses how home health care workers in Rhode Island are fighting for better wages and working conditions through unionization, but their efforts are at risk due to proposed federal Medicaid cuts. David J. Meyers, a health economist at Brown University, warns that such cuts could have a “massive, qualitative impact on people’s lives” and ultimately increase health care spending as unmet needs at home lead to more hospitalizations and emergency visits.

The article discusses Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, chair of the Brown SPH Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice, and his concerns that ongoing temporary telehealth policies are stifling innovation and investment, as he urges permanent federal solutions to ensure long-term access and growth.

A Nevada bill aims to cap hospital fees for the Public Employees’ Benefits Program to reduce costs, drawing on Oregon's model, which researcher Roslyn Murray of Brown University studied and found led to significant savings without shifting costs to private insurers.

The article discusses the looming expiration of pandemic-era Medicare telehealth expansions and the ongoing policy debate over their extension, including new research by Ateev Mehrotra and Jared Perkins who suggest that lowering reimbursement rates for telehealth could make its permanent expansion more financially and politically viable.

Congress recently extended Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities until March 31, 2025, but the lack of permanent reform creates uncertainty for providers and patients. A long-term solution is needed to sustain telehealth’s benefits, ensure continued access, and drive innovation in health care.

This news article highlights the study led by Dr. Roslyn Murray on potential savings achieved by capping state employee health plans while discussing how rising health care costs are squeezing state dollars.

The Trump administration's push for deregulation threatens to accelerate vertical integration in healthcare. Brown University professor, Dr. Christopher Whaley warns from existing research how this may lead to referrals to more expensive hospitals ultimately leading to higher costs, reduced competition, and financial strain on independent hospitals, particularly in rural areas as the article discusses.

This article talks about the analysis conducted by CAHPR researchers who find that routine medical care costs four times more in New York’s outpatient hospital facilities than in doctor’s offices, largely due to added facility fees. Economist Christopher Whaley and other experts have long highlighted such pricing disparities, fueling legislative efforts like the proposed Fair Pricing Act to cap these costs.

Gloria Sachdev has spent years challenging high hospital prices in Indiana, successfully pushing for healthcare cost transparency and legislative reforms. Her efforts, have led to a national report on hospital pricing and significant policy changes in the state.

This article covers a Brown University study, published in Health Affairs, which found that the Colorado Option lowered average marketplace premiums by $101 per month since 2020, while exchange premiums nationally rose by 10%.

The article covers a study published in JAMA Health Forum by Yashaswini Singh and colleagues on the increasing affiliation of primary care physicians with hospitals and private equity firms, leading to higher patient costs without clear improvements in care quality or physician compensation.

This article covers criticisms from Colorado’s Health Care Future, which argues that the program has failed to lower premiums, harmed competition, and reduced consumer choices, while the state cites a Brown University analysis showing it provides affordable coverage and limits premium increases driven by rising hospital and provider costs.