The Kaiser Family Foundation has just released its 2015 Employer Benefits Survey:
Continue reading Health Plan Deductibles Grew Seven Times Faster Than Wages
Tag Archives: high deductible health insurance
White House Endorses High Deductible Health Insurance
But only if you are under 30 years of age:
These “catastrophic” illness plans would make insurance less of a financial burden, but they would require high deductibles — at least $5,950 in out-of-pocket spending before most benefits kicked in…
Under the Senate bill and the Obama proposal, the plans would be offered on new state insurance exchanges that would be set up in 2014 for people who buy their own insurance and for some small businesses. They would be sold only to people under 30 and to others exempted from buying insurance because of financial hardship.
5 Freedoms You Will Lose in Health Care Reform
This is Shawn Tully, writing in Fortune:
- Freedom to choose what's in your plan
- Freedom to be rewarded for healthy living, or pay your real costs
- Freedom to choose high-deductible coverage
- Freedom to keep your existing plan
- Freedom to choose your doctors
Almost One in Five People are Managing Significant Health Care Dollars
This is from the National Center for Health Statistics:
In 2007, 17.3% of persons under 65 years of age with private health insurance were enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), 4.5% were enrolled in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), and 14.8% were in a family with a flexible spending account (FSA) for medical expenses.
HSA Activity Similar Across All Income Groups
The American Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) has produced a report on the income characteristics of Health Savings Account (HSA) holders. The study used information on one million account holders from the five largest HSA banks. Since it didn't have direct income information on these accounts, it used the average income in the census tracts where the account holders live, which is a pretty accurate gauge. Continue reading HSA Activity Similar Across All Income Groups
Hits & Misses – 2009/4/21
Thousands of veterans put at risk by contaminated colonoscopy equipment (one has HIV; seven have Hepatitis C) at Miami VA hospital. System held as a model for the country by Paul Krugman and others.
Blue Cross study: People who choose high deductible plans are more savvy about controlling costs. They choose generics over brand name drugs and take better care of their health.
Poor and elderly Minnesotans on government health plans get worse care than those with private coverage. Even when treated at the same clinics by the same doctors.
Safeway employees with unhealthy behaviors pay 51% more for their health insurance. Employees must submit to an annual cheek swab to prove they are not smoking, have their cholesterol and blood pressure measured and be weighed yearly.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-idDbIfGvw
“As time goes by so slowly”