Here is the surest way to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having health insurance: Don’t get sick. The number of uninsured Americans has fallen by an estimated 15 million since 2013, thanks largely to the Affordable Care Act. But a new survey, the first detailed study of Americans struggling with medical bills, […]
Companies’ health care costs in 2015 rose at the lowest rate in at least 20 years, a report out Thursday shows, but workers’ share of costs continue to skyrocket. The average health care rate increase for mid-sized and large companies was 3.2% this year, the lowest since the consulting firm Aon started tracking it in 1996. Despite this, […]
Get ready to pay more for health care next year. The battle over setting next year’s health insurance premiums in New York is underway after proposals seeking double-digit rate increases on average were submitted to state regulators. Proposed rate adjustments vary widely, with an average increase of about 13.5 percent. While some health plans seek […]
The Affordable Care Act’s mandated expansion of the definition of the small group market would limit employers’ health plan options, according to employer groups who are urging the repeal of the mandate before it takes effect in 2016. Expanding the small group market to include groups up to 100 would not only reduce choice for […]
The growth in health care spending is slowing down, and one reason might be that cost sharing is rising. The proportion of insured workers with at least a $1,000 deductible was 41 percent in 2014, quadruple that in 2006. Hidden in the numbers is the fact that increasing cost sharing for patients with chronic illnesses […]
Obamacare’s big stick doesn’t seem to be scaring many people into buying health insurance. The health law includes many inducements for people to obtain health insurance — including free Medicaid coverage for many low-income Americans and subsidies for those with moderate incomes. But it also includes the notorious “individual mandate,” a fine for those who […]