Articles and publications

This report examines the challenges the President-elect faces, explains how these reforms may be enacted, the potential impact for employers as well as those in the health industry and provides five ideas for making health care more affordable.

Studies show that most employers are satisfied with their health benefits and want to continue providing them to employees. However, employers' expectations of their health insurers are changing, and while many studies in the past have examined the relationship between employees and their employer-sponsored benefits, less is known about employers and what they want from insurance carriers.

Healthcare payment systems need to change to meet future demands and stakeholders need to come together to leverage incentives to positively change behavior and improve outcomes. This in-depth report by PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute examines the current landscape and the key levers in driving such change.

Healthcare costs continue to outpace the rate of inflation but the silver lining is that since 2003 the percentage rate of increases has diminished each year. According to employers and health plans, that trend is predicted to level off in 2009 and premium increases should be expected in the future. Changes in patient behavior and new technology have helped to limit recent medical cost increases in the recent past but these are being offset by multiple factors which are expected to reverse past trends and help drive medical cost increases in 2009.

As part of its preparation for the 180° Health Forum, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute (HRI) interviewed more than 20 participants, reviewed more than 35 studies about waste and inefficiency in healthcare and surveyed 1,000 consumers to understand the public’s perception of waste and inefficiency in the system. From that research came The price of excess: Identifying waste in healthcare spending.

Healthcare policy makers and payers around the world are currently experimenting with how to assure and improve the quality of healthcare systems. In recent years, some government and commercial payers have developed P4P mechanisms, which reimburse organisations for achieving and maintaining performance objectives. This trend represents a fundamental shift away from other healthcare payment systems in which reimbursement tends to be based on the quantity of services instead of health system quality.

The 2008 presidential election is poised to see a significant push for major health reform. Recognizing the need for our clients to understand what the next election will bring, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute has issued Beyond the Sound Bite, a balanced analysis of the frontrunners' healthcare proposals.

Healthcare is one of India’s largest sectors, in terms of revenue and employment, and the sector is expanding rapidly. During the 1990s, Indian healthcare grew at a compound annual rate of 16%. Today the total value of the sector is more than $34 billion. This translates to $34 per capita,or roughly 6% of GDP. By 2012, India’s healthcare sector is projected to grow to nearly $40 billion. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of total healthcare spending in India. Unless there is a decline in the combined federal and state government deficit, which currently stands at roughly 9%, the opportunity for significantly higher public health spending will be limited.

In collaboration with the World Economic Forum, PwC's Health Research Institute undertook to research the impact of chronic disease and to review best practices in developing, launching and maintaining wellness programs. Working towards wellness: Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease, reveals the consensus of in-depth interviews with thought leaders from multinational corporations, industry associations, vendors, regulatory agencies, and the medical community.

The pressures on existing healthcare financing systems are multi-layered. In Europe, pay-as-you-go social insurance schemes are creaking under the weight of demographic change; in the US, the costs of corporate retiree healthcare commitments are increasingly challenging large employers. Demand for and expectations of healthcare services and the cost of meeting them are rising all the time and across most territories.

In the first part of a two-part series Terence Cosgrave talks to two top health-care advisors on global best practice and the crises facing healthcare systems.

More than a year in development, “The Quality Conundrum” is a compilation of essays by PwC subject matter experts, discussions with selected clients and insights from our interviews with health industry leaders in the United States and around the world. It explores the barriers that have made healthcare quality improvements difficult to achieve, and outlines a clear path to progress. It includes a discussion of quality from the patient's perspective, in the journey across the health care system.

While no one nation has all the answers to the healthcare dilemma --- most have pieces that ARE working