The total insurance premiums for American employees covered by consumer-directed health plans increased up to three percent, however, the total deductible for such coverage rose to 12 percent, according to a latest survey led by researchers from Kaiser Family Foundation. The findings, released last Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, were based on poll responses of more than 1,900 slight and significant companies across America.
"What we're really seeing this year, but we've seen it develop gradually, is a shift in what insurance is for most Americans -- from more comprehensive to skimpier coverage," says Drew Altman, the president of Kaiser Family Foundation. A key takeaway of the survey is that "premium growth remains strikingly low," he also added.
However, this slowdown is in big part an outcome of employees having to pay more directly for personal medical services compared to what they got before, in the form of coinsurance, deductibles and copays, according to Altman. To maintain premium rises, firms are turning increasingly to high deductible health plans.
According to the recent survey, this year's total deductible for employees was $1,478, up from last year's $1,318. It was noted that a general yearly deductible is the sum of money from health insurance a consumer should pay before all or most health services are covered. "This year deductibles are rising much faster than premiums almost six times faster than wages," Altman remarked.
Moreover, the survey found out that the "Obamacare" or the Affordable Care Act has no effect in any way in pushing up the costs of the employer health insurance. And because of this some companies want to change the working hours of their workers as an outcome of ACA necessities.
And the major driver of health plan costs, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is chronic disease. The CDC remarked that chronic diseases account for nearly 75% of America's total medical care spending or a calculated $5,300 for each individual in America every year.
