Post up your "NEW" and "AFFORDABLE" health care rate

According to Morgan Stanley Healthcare Analysts, cost are rising due to the ACA and not any other factor. The four most often cited reasons are:

1. New commercial underwriting restrictions caused by the ACA.
2. Age bands that don’t allow insurers to vary premiums between young and old beneficiaries based on the actual costs of providing the coverage.
3. New excise taxes being levied on insurance plans.
4. Mandatory new benefit designs.

 

Jed is a cheerleaders. Facts will not sway him.

 

That is all a lie, the ACA is not responsible for any increase, it's the insurance companies being greedy bastids with no souls.

 

And here's one from 2009 showing cost of healthcare up 131% since 1999.

http://business.time.com/2009/09/16/health-insurance-premiums-up-131-in-last-ten-years/

Here's one from Aetna http://www.aetna.com/health-reform-connection/aetnas-vision/facts-about-costs.html

Here's the Brookings institute saying cost moderation won't last... http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/bpea/latest-conference/2013-fall-chandra-healthcare-spending


Aon has one showing the costs of health care in 2013 increased way below expectation.

The rising cost has been going on for decades. The burden is shifting from the employer to the employee.

I think most sources say the ACA is contributing between 1 and 2% of the cost of premiums. Yes that is an additional cost. That does not explain skyrocketing premiums though.

 

I think the ACA has caused people to look more closely at the cost of care. Also the great recession allowed employers to shift the burden to employees -- weak labor market = employers can reduce employer paid benefits and retain employees. Strong labor market = more competition to retain and hire quality.

 

Hell I had a billing clerk from a phys rehab center on the phone to help explain a bill that was sent to collections 18 months after services. The bill was never invoiced. She told me I needed to contact my "Fizz E Can's" office.

 

And in some cases insurance coverage that isn't even needed.

 

No it's the single payer system run amok!!!!



I don't think it's near perfect but I also think people are fooling themselves if they think premium increases would not have occurred without the ACA. Premiums have been doubling every 6-8 years. They've hit critical mass.

 

Do we need to get you one of these buttons?

 

Claims experience and loss ratio is the bane of the small company. We had an eye stroke and a heart attack in one year. Our premiums doubled the next. 30 employees with about 20 participating in the plan.

Do you guys work with a broker who reviews claims and loss ratio stuff annually? May be worth shopping around. Small business coverage blows hard.

 

Yeah, that was a sales pitch. No cost control measures other than admin to premium ratios are in place. It'll be interesting to see if the jacked premiums actually throw the claims ratios out of whack and force refunds like UHC had in GA this year. But waiting to see if that happens doesn't change what people are paying now.

When I asked my boss about our 50% increase two years ago and why the insurers were doing it his response was simple: "because they can."

 

Yep....Bonnie and I are totally stoked to have maternity and birth control coverage....

 

As a head of HR, this I understand far too well.

 

One of the things I was shown last week was an integrated time and attendance module that will support ACA reporting with look back, stability, and admin periods. Looked slick, but the proof is in the pudding. It rolls out on 10/1 if it stays on schedule.

The rules gave me a headache.