Persistent and growing disparities in the rates paid to health providers by Medicaid, Medicare and commercial insurance are well documented. Medicaid rates are generally well below Medicare rates, which are themselves well below commercial rates. This is likely to be a key issue for the Biden administration in its efforts to strengthen access to care in the Medicaid program. It also raises a number of key questions for the administration as it seeks to address health equity and rein in health care costs.

In a blog post for The Commonwealth Fund, “How Differences in Medicaid, Medicare, and Commercial Health Insurance Payment Rates Impact Access, Health Equity and Cost,” Manatt Health explores what the data say about variation in payment rates across payers. The authors also pose key questions for federal lawmakers as they consider potential solutions to this issue.

To read the full blog post, click here.