Deductibles March Higher For Employer Provided Health Insurance
The survey findings applied to preferred provider organizations, offered in many employee group benefit packages. Health maintenance organizations, another popular benefit option, don’t have deductibles.
Baker said employers were bracing for potentially bigger increases next year. “Historically, downturns in the economy have often correlated with higher medical trends,” she said.
There is mounting evidence that people are skipping checkups, tests and other medical care to cut their own expenses. Physicians and hospitals are reporting a drop in patient visits and revenue and a rise in late payments and unpaid bills.
That kind of “cost sharing discourages people from using services,” said Gary Claxton, Kaiser vice president and co-author of the benefits study. “The more cost sharing there is, the more it’s going to be discouraged. And when they are already worried economically, that’s got to amplify the effect.”
The trend toward higher deductibles could, in the long run, drive costs up by prompting people to wait until they are seriously ill before seeking care, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a patient advocacy organization based in Sacramento.
Tags: benefit option, benefit packages, co author, deductibles, employee group, executive director, gary claxton, group benefit, health insurance, health maintenance organizations, hospitals, late payments, medical care, medical trends, patient advocacy organization, patient visits, preferred provider organizations, survey findings, unpaid bills
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