Lifestyle

Used Car Prices on the Rise: What You Need to Know

Published

5 years ago

June 21, 2021

The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are wide-ranging. Some are also easy to overlook. Not every effect of the pandemic is as obvious as others.

For example, rental car companies often sell their vehicles after a year or so. This practice plays a critical role in determining the average cost of pre-owned vehicles. Many used cars are actually formerly rental cars.

However, because travel was extremely limited during the pandemic, when rental car companies sold off their vehicles early, they didn’t buy replacements. The low demand for rental cars made buying new vehicles unnecessary at the time.

This has resulted in a shortage of used cars available to buyers. Because rental companies didn’t buy as many replacements as they typically would, they now don’t have as many vehicles to sell to used car dealers and buyers.

This is one of several reasons used car prices are remarkably high right now. The implications of this for car buyers, owners, and sellers are numerous.

For example, if a car owner was considering eventually selling their vehicle and upgrading to a new model, now may be the best time to do so. Used cars are currently scarce, but that won’t always be the case. As their availability returns to normal levels, so will their prices. If a seller waits to sell their vehicle, by the time they do, they may not get nearly as much money for it as they would if they sold sooner rather than later.

It’s also worth noting that the pandemic made manufacturing and designing new vehicles very challenging for several months. This also contributed to the rise in used car prices. With fewer new vehicles available, buyers had to purchase used cars. Increased demand yielded increased cost.

However, new vehicles are beginning to hit the road again as the pandemic winds down. A buyer might thus sell their used car for a good price now in order to upgrade to a new model.

Even someone who doesn’t currently own a vehicle might want to consider these factors if they were planning on buying one in the near future. This is the case if they initially planned on buying a used car to save money.

Typically, buying a pre-owned vehicle instead of a new one is an effective way to limit spending when a buyer is on a tight budget. However, given that used car prices are currently much higher than ordinary, the amount of money a buyer could save is currently somewhat limited. They may simply be better off buying a new car that’s in better condition and boasts more innovative features.

Additionally, while demand for used vehicles may eventually wane, reducing their cost as a result, experts believe that might not necessarily happen soon. Now that vaccines are available and restrictions are being lifted, many people are buying used cars out of a desire to travel. This trend may continue for at least a year. As such, the high demand for used cars is probably going to remain consistent for some time.

Whether someone plans on buying a car, selling a car, or both, they should remember these points when deciding how to proceed. The rise in used car prices may be one of the more overlooked ripple effects of the pandemic. However, for drivers, it could also be one of the more significant.

Lifestyle

Kat Marie Alvarez: Where Innovation Meets Regulation

Published

12 mins ago

January 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Regulation is often thought of as a limitation, yet in healthcare, it also serves as a foundation for building models that endure. For Kat Marie Alvarez, Founder and CEO of KATALYST & CO, the framework of rules established by agencies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and the OIG ( office of the Inspector General) create opportunities to design systems that are compliant, ethical, and transformative. Her approach demonstrates that regulation can be a platform for innovation when it is interpreted with both technical rigor and vision.

Kat’s 25-year career reflects this philosophy. A former nurse who advanced into executive leadership and strategy, she has led $2.7B+ P&L operations, advised on over $5B in healthcare transactions, and guided value based organizations including Innovacare, Cano Health, WellMed, Centene, and Humana through periods of exponential scaling. Her perspective combines clinical, financial, and regulatory experience, giving her a unique ability to design structures that support integrity and accountability while driving measurable outcomes.

Turning Statutes into Strategy

For Kat, regulation serves as a framework for building smarter and more ethical models. She interprets CMS guidance and OIG rules as levers for innovation, using them to advance integrity and accountability. With the CMS V28 risk adjustment model, Alvarez refined coding practices, strengthened clinical documentation, and structured risk frameworks that reward accuracy and elevate standards of care. In addressing RADV audits, she crafted strategies that protect stakeholders while keeping patient outcomes at the forefront. She aligns compliance, cost, and care in equal measure. Her current work as a contributor to the CMS IDea Challenge, an initiative focused on strengthening the foundation of trust in our system, further echoes her commitment to advancing regulations in ways that unlock innovation while safeguarding the integrity of care.

Her interpretive approach brings discipline and vision to every challenge. She engages stakeholders to redesign workflows that meet regulatory requirements and enhance the patient experience. Each policy becomes a mechanism to strengthen accountability and operational precision, shaping a system that is both compliant and humane.

Innovation Built Within Boundaries

At KATALYST & CO, this interpretive approach is carried into every project. Kat has integrated predictive analytics and AI-driven tools into care models, with safeguards that ensure interventions remain clinician-led and ethically sound. For example, AI flags in chronic disease management are connected to human-led actions that improve patient care. The result is a model that benefits from technology while preserving accountability and clinical integrity.

Staffing and infrastructure provide another example of her philosophy in action. By leveraging offshore BPO operations in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, KATALYST & CO extends capacity for health plans and providers. These expansions are carefully designed to meet data security, licensure, and jurisdictional requirements, ensuring that global reach is paired with local compliance. It is a system that balances scale with responsibility.

The Art of Influence Through Alignment

Kat often describes her role as translating complexity into clarity. Whether she is working with payers, providers, or investors, she builds consensus by grounding ambitious strategies in the language of statute. Value-based care models, utilization management programs, and clinical frameworks are designed to prove compliant ROI for stakeholders while maintaining patient focus.

Her approach begins with people. In integrations, partnerships, and platform builds, she respects legacy strengths, listens to frontline voices, and creates systems that are not only efficient but also trusted. This ensures that compliance does not feel like restriction, but like a structure that supports innovation and adoption.

Redefining the Future of Compliance and Care

KATALYST & CO is scaling with $10M in initial funding, expanded international operations, and a growing advisory portfolio. Under Kat’s leadership, the firm is showing how regulation can be a foundation for both innovation and durability. She demonstrates that lasting progress in healthcare is achieved by leaders who know how to design systems that are bold, ethical, and deeply human.

By approaching regulation as a guide rather than a limitation, Kat Alvarez is building models that prove compliance and innovation can move forward together. Her formula ensures that the future of healthcare is shaped not only by ambition, but also by trust and responsibility.