Health care costs & value: Council on Medical Service reports

These council reports have proposed strategies to address health care costs and promote value in health care spending.

2024

• Nonprofit Hospital Charity Care Policies (PDF) CMS Report 1-I-24
• Patient Medical Debt (PDF) CMS Report 5-A-24

• Access to Health Plan Information regarding Lower-Cost Prescription Options (PDF) CMS Report 2-N-21
• Financing of Home and Community-Based Services (PDF) CMS Report 4-N-21
• Universal Basic Income (PDF) CMS Report 03-JUN-21

• Mitigating the Negative Effects of High-Deductible Health Plans (PDF) CMS Report 2-November 2020. Read the issue brief for this report: Mitigating Negative Impacts of High-Deductible Health Plans (PDF).
• Value-Based Management of Drug Formularies (PDF) CMS Report 6-November 2020

• Additional Mechanisms to Address High and Escalating Pharmaceutical Prices (PDF) CMS report 4-I-19
• Addressing Financial Incentives to Shop for Lower-Cost Health Care (PDF) CMS report 2-I-19

• Aligning Clinical and Financial Incentives for High-Value Care (PDF) CMS/CSAPH joint report I-18. Read the issue briefs for this report: Promoting Access to High-Value Care (PDF) and Value-Based Insurance Design (PDF). 
• The Site-of-Service Differential (PDF) CMS report 4-I-18. Read the issue brief for this report: Pay Variations Across Outpatient Sites of Service (PDF). 
• Air Ambulance Regulations and Payments (PDF) CMS report 2-I-18
• Coverage for Colorectal Cancer Screening (PDF) CMS/CSAPH joint report A-18
• Improving Affordability in the Health Insurance Exchanges (PDF) CMS report 2-A-18. Read the issue briefs for this report: Improving Health Insurance Affordability (PDF), Taking Steps Forward to Cover the Uninsured (PDF), and Using Reinsurance to Stabilize and Strengthen the Individual Market (PDF).
• Ensuring Marketplace Competition and Health Plan Choice (PDF) CMS report 3-A-18. Read the issue briefs for this report: Improving Health Insurance Affordability (PDF) and Taking Steps Forward to Cover the Uninsured (PDF).
• Financing of Long-Term Services and Supports (PDF) CMS report 5-A-18. Read the issue brief for this report: Financing of Long-Term Services and Supports (PDF).
• Integrating Precision Medicine into Alternative Payment Models (PDF) CMS report 6-A-18

• Value of Preventive Services (PDF) CMS-CSAPH joint report A-17. Read the issue briefs for this report: Promoting Access to High-Value Care (PDF) and Value-Based Insurance Design (PDF). 
• Non-Physician Screening Tests (PDF) CMS report 3-I-17
• Health Insurance Affordability: Essential Health Benefits and Subsidizing the Coverage of High-Risk Patients (PDF) CMS report 4-I-17. Read the issue briefs for this report: Improving Health Insurance Affordability (PDF), Taking Steps Forward to Cover the Uninsured (PDF), and Using Reinsurance to Stabilize and Strengthen the Individual Market (PDF).
• Payment and Coverage for Genetic/Genomic Precision Medicine (PDF) CMS-CSAPH joint report I-17

• Paid Sick Leave (PDF) CMS report 3-A-16
• Incorporating Value into Pharmaceutical Pricing (PDF) CMS report 5-I-16

• Price Transparency (PDF) CMS report 4-A-15. Read the issue brief for this report: Price Transparency (PDF). 
• Pharmaceutical Costs (PDF) CMS report 2-I-15. Read the issue briefs for this report: Improving Drug Price and Cost Transparency (PDF)  and Prescription Drug Pricing and Costs (PDF).
• Hearing Aid Coverage (PDF) CMS report 6-I-15
• Health Insurance Affordability (PDF) CMS report 8-I-15. Read the issue brief for this report: Taking Steps Forward to Cover the Uninsured (PDF).

• Medicare Update Formulas Across Outpatient Sites of Service (PDF) CMS report 3-A-14. Read the issue brief for this report: Pay Variations Across Outpatient Sites of Service (PDF). 
• Analysis of Place-of-Service Code for Observation Services (PDF) CMS report 4-A-14
• Improving the Affordable Care Act (PDF) CMS report 9-A-14
• Hospital Admissions and Patient Management Contractors (PDF) CMS report 1-I-14
• Reference Pricing (PDF)  CMS report 3-I-14
• Network Adequacy (PDF) CMS report 4-I-14
• Regulation of Provider-Performed Microscopy Procedures (PDF) CMS report 9-I-14

• Worksite Health Clinics (PDF) CMS report 1-A-13
• Value-Based Insurance Design (PDF) CMS report 2-A-13. Read the issue briefs for this report: Promoting Access to High-Value Care (PDF) and Value-Based Insurance Design (PDF). 
• Payment Variations Across Outpatient Sites of Service (PDF) CMS report 3-A-13. Read the issue brief for this report: Pay Variations Across Outpatient Sites of Service (PDF). 
• Strengthening Medicare Through Competitive Bidding (PDF) CMS report 7-I-13

• Cost-Sharing for Specialty Drugs (PDF) CMS report 1-I-12
• Update on the Use of Formal Shared Decision-Making (PDF) CMS report 4-I-12

• Essential Health Care Benefits (PDF) CMS report 2-A-11
• Covering the Uninsured and Individual Responsibility (PDF) CMS report 2-A-11

• Shared Decision-Making (PDF) CMS report 7-A-10
• Standardized Preauthorization Forms (PDF) CMS report 4-I-10

• Components of Health Insurance (PDF) CMS report 2-A-09
• Appropriate Hospital Charges (PDF) CMS report 4-A-09
• Geographic Variation in Health Care Cost and Utilization (PDF) CMS report 2-I-09
• Comparability of the Cost Estimates of Health Care Systems (PDF) CMS report 4-I-09

• Value-Based Decision-Making in the Health Care System (PDF) CMS report 7-A-08
• Comparative Effectiveness Research (PDF) CMS report 5-I-0

• Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage Options (PDF) CMS report 7-A-07
• Strategies to Address Rising Health Care Costs (PDF) CMS report 8-A-07
• Cost-Sharing Arrangements for Prescription Drugs (PDF) CMS report 1-I-07
• Value-Based Decision-making in the Health Care System (PDF) CMS report 2-I-07
• Strategies to Strengthen the Medicare Program (PDF) CMS report 6-I-07

Access all council reports prior to 2007 or learn more about the Council on Medical Service.