Drew Altman
Drew Altman
bad faster good growth last lower news rate slightly three
There is some good news, I suppose. The rate of growth is slightly lower than last year. The bad news is that's the only good news, because premiums are still going up three times faster than wages.
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The cost of health care is going up much faster than people's wages. Families are paying about (on average) $1,000 more now just for health care premiums than they were five years ago.
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The widespread dropping of drug benefits that some had feared has been averted so far as business figure out what their long-term response would be.
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Beneficiaries are having a difficult time answering the most important question: 'What does it mean for me?'
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The American people rejected strict managed care in the late '90s. Government regulation, like the kind in other industrialized countries, is opposed by powerful industry forces and is not in the cards politically. So we're stuck with a bunch of halfway measures.
choices hard help seniors
Seniors still are having a hard time. Seniors still aren't really prepared, and they're going to need a lot of help to make the choices they need to make under the law.
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More than nine years into our longest economic expansion on record, more employers are now using health insurance coverage to attract and keep workers, and are absorbing rising costs rather than passing them on to their employees. But this may change if the economy cools down, and the bigger challenge that still remains is how to help the 44 million Americans who are uninsured despite the robust economy.
care health impact increase lots rate
There are lots of things on the table, but there's nothing that will have a significant impact on the rate of increase of health care costs.
care costs health temporary
There have been temporary successes, but always health care costs have bounced back with a vengeance.
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The good news is the rate of increase in health care costs is down, ... The bad news is that's the only good news.
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The good news for the ratings system is that many parents are using the ratings and find them helpful. But they do not always understand the system, and there are changes they'd like to see made.
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Don't be fooled by the moderation we've seen this year. History has told us that when it comes to controlling health care costs, we've achieved some temporary successes, but the rate of increase always bounces back.
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Don't be fooled by the moderation we've seen this year,
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It's just too complicated for them to get it from a brochure, or a Web site, or to answer the critical question of, 'What does this mean for me?' ... Unfortunately, it's going to take a real world test for us to figure out whether this works or doesn't work.