Are Health Insurers to Blame for Our Health System Problems?

A new video series from KFF

With health care affordability a top issue in this year’s midterm elections, political leaders on both sides are pointing fingers at health insurers for high costs and patient frustrations. How much blame do insurers, in fact, deserve for our health system’s problems?

A new three-part video series from KFF considers this question and the complicated answer, exploring what’s driving rising insurance premiums, whether insurers provide value, and who we trust to decide what gets covered and at what price.

2026_Insurers_1-Cost_9x16_Premiums$MD-ImageOnly+KFF

WATCH Part 1: Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?

Costly health insurance premiums are straining employers and consumers alike. But, it’s underlying health care spending, especially for hospital care, that’s driving costs. The video looks at how hospital consolidation and employer demands for broad networks affect insurers’ ability, and willingness, to control prices.

2026_Insurers_2-Value_9x16_Scissors-ImageOnly+KFF

WATCH Part 2: Are Health Insurers Providing Good Value?

Insurers take a cut of every premium dollar for overhead and profit. The question isn't just whether they profit, but also whether we’re getting value in return. The video breaks down how much goes to administrative costs and profit and how that varies across private insurance markets and Medicare, and considers what a Medicare-for-all system, which would be operated by the government, would address and what might be left unresolved.

2026_Insurers_3-PriorAuth_9x16-Fax_ImageOnly+KFF

WATCH Part 3: Is Prior Authorization a Blessing or a Curse?

Deciding what health care gets covered largely falls to health insurers, and it's not a role that wins them many fans. A KFF poll finds prior authorization is the single biggest burden insured adults say they face beyond cost. The video weighs insurers’ role as a check on care that lacks medical evidence against the impact that delays and denials have on patient care and health care providers.

The videos draw from a JAMA Forum article by Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy: Are Health Insurance Companies the Reason for Our Health System’s Ills?

Related content:

Why We Are Stuck with Prior Authorization Review By Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO

Are the Tradeoffs from Prior Authorization Worth It? By Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO

Plus, more of KFF’s related policy and polling:

Watch and share the full series. Available on YouTube.

2026_Insurers_0-Series_16x9_Problem-Series+Title+KFF+YT _FOR KFF ORG SERIES PROMO

Contact: Ann DeFabio | 202.347.5270 | AnnD@kff.org

KFF encourages linking to or reposting of our content. When citing our work, please note our legal name is KFF. We should be cited as KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization. Our name is no longer the Kaiser Family Foundation. More about KFF citations and permissions.

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

Search This Blog

RUSIA