Health insurance deductibles up 40 percent since 2010

People with work-based health insurance are paying much bigger deductibles than they used to.

Those with single coverage are paying an average deductible this year of $1,318, up some 40 percent since 2010, when the total was $917, according to national data released Tuesday.

Patients will continue to pay more out of pocket for healthcare over the next several years. Even Medicare will cover fewer services and pass more expense to the patient.

It is time for healthcare to embrace being UpFront with patients about costs, so patients can make informed decisions and healthcare organizations to work through payment options prior to the surprise medical bill.

To read more about this article, click here:

http://www.startribune.com/kaiser-study-average-deductibles-up-40-percent-in-past-five-years/328664941/

More in Minnesota have health coverage but still can't afford to be sick

In the past year, Minnesota’s main hospital and clinic groups filed nearly 9,000 lawsuits against people with large or long-standing medical debts — a sharp increase since 2005, according to a Star Tribune analysis of court records.

Once a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States, medical debt was widely expected to decline as more Americans got health insurance following federal health reform. Instead, shifts in the insurance market are pushing more people toward high-deductible policies that can require them to pay as much as $7,500 before any insurance benefits kick in.

To ensure strong patient satisfaction and prevent these lawsuits, hospitals and groups need to provide estimates to patients prior to their medical visit, procedures and tests. Patients will contine to take on more of the financial risk of healthcare.

http://www.startribune.com/more-minnesotans-have-health-coverage-but-still-can-t-afford-to-get-sick/318545021/

Out-of-network medical bills a costly shock in N.J.

They were moments of crisis for each family. A newborn who wasn’t breathing was rushed to intensive care. A 15-year-old skier who wiped out on a slope in the Catskills needed surgery to reconstruct his shoulder. A 65-year-old insurance agent who survived a heart attack needed urgent bypass surgery to clear his arteries.

The stress didn’t stop once these medical crises passed, however. Within a few weeks, each family received an unexpected medical bill.

They had been savvy enough to follow their insurers’ rules and choose in-network hospitals to maximize their coverage and minimize their out-of-pocket costs. But one or more of the physicians who took care of them — and over whom they had no choice — did not participate in their insurance network.

Enablemyhealth allows surgeries, tests and all treatment to be managed Upfront. Know what providers are in network for insurance plans. Know what the cost is before you receive that surprise medical. Hospitals and groups need to solve this problem equally as much as successfully treating patients! 

Here is the complete article:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/out-of-network-medical-bills-a-costly-shock-in-n-j-1.1345737

High Deductible Plans and other patient out of pocket expenses here to stay ...

HEALTH PLANS WITH high deductibles are the fastest growing type of health insurance in the United States. More than a quarter of employers provide this kind of plan for their employees, and, last year, they made up 85 percent of all plans sold on the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. These plans often save insurers and employers money — and not only by shifting more costs onto consumers. They actually result in less medical care used and, in total, cost less than more generous plans.

From a pure cost-containment standpoint, this is a victory. Generous health insurance insulates consumers from the true price of their care, encouraging overuse and driving up costs without meaningful benefit to health. That adds up — US health care spending reached $2.9 trillion in 2013, the highest in the world per capita. Unnecessary medical services cost everyone.

Enablemyhealth works to solve these surprise medical bills and help patients and healthcare organizations work together to solve these payment issues ... Upfront!

Check out more about this article ....

http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/06/25/how-health-plans-with-high-deductibles-became-new-normal/06TD5uBm2oUXK2d4MMEbbM/story.html

N.Y. law protects against surprise medical bills

USA TODAY WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Dana Roberts was raising two children in Yonkers and suddenly found herself wasting hours on the phone fighting insurers and medical offices over a $1,500 bill.

She had to track down her medical records, talk to a lawyer and research similar cases. At one point, Roberts said she started recording conversations about settling the unexpected charge.

Her distrust seemed appropriate. Roberts, 33, said she was unconscious when the $1,500 was tacked onto her surgery cost.

"Nobody said the anesthesiologist was outside of my insurance network," she said.

Thousands of similar complaints by New Yorkers — many involving bills from specialists used unbeknownst to patients — prompted a state law seeking to protect against surprise medical charges. State regulators reported receiving at least 10,000 complaints about the problem.

The law, which took effect March 31, requires insurers and health care providers to give patients more information on out-of-network insurance charges that typically increase bills at least 20 percent.

Those higher charges apply when a patient is treated by a doctor or other provider outside their insurance plan's network. Under the new law, patients will only pay higher out-of-network bills if they choose to pursue the treatment after receiving sufficient warning.

Insurance plans are also being required to meet new standards for improving provider networks, as determined by an independent review board. When a network falls short, insurance companies and health care providers negotiate a deal and cover the out-of-network charge.

The law is considered a victory among patient advocate groups, but some of its protections don't address concerns about insurance plans sold on the Affordable Care Act exchange, called the New York State of Health.

A push to require plans sold on the government-run insurance marketplace to include out-of-network coverage failed last year. Many insurance companies and other business groups opposed the effort, saying it would have increased the up-front cost for coverage.

More than 2 million New Yorkers enrolled for 2015 in Affordable Care Act plans, many of which offer increasingly narrow provider networks that limit choice, and thus expose patients to out-of-network charges.

"New York State of Health should offer affordable out-of-network coverage options, which are particularly important for patients with complex health care needs," Chuck Bell, program director of Consumers Union, said.

Debate over amending regulations and laws affecting plans sold on New York State of Health will ramp up again in the summer and fall, when the enrollment process begins anew for 2016.

For Roberts, the current surprise medical bill law came too late. Her kidney stone surgery was in 2012, about three months after her son's birth. The collection agent called months later in 2013, seeking payment of the $1,500 anesthesiologist bill.

The debt collection shocked Roberts, who thought the bill had been settled in 2012 between her insurer, EmblemHealth, the Westchester Anesthesiologist group, in Rye Brook, and Lawrence Hospital Center, in Bronxville. She said she ended up paying $500 after reaching an agreement that reduced the bill.

Article:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/22/ny-law-protects-surprise-medical-bills/26212657/