a slow but perceptible deterioration of our employer-based (health insurance) system. |
A substantial number of beneficiaries are already enrolled, but a lot turns on what those who are on the fence decide to do between now and May 15. If they stay out for now, some could face financial penalties down the road if they later change their mind. |
All these could have some impact at the margin, but I don't expect any to have a dramatic impact on the rate of increase overall. |
Beneficiaries are having a difficult time answering the most important question: 'What does it mean for me?' |
Don't be fooled by the moderation we've seen this year, |
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. |
If health insurance was working properly, the sicker you are, the more protection you would have. It seems to be working backwards, the sicker you are, the more trouble you have paying bills. |
It is low-wage workers who are being hurt the most by the steady drip, drip, drip of coverage draining out of the employer-based health insurance system, |
It is low-wage workers who are being hurt the most by the steady drip, drip, drip of coverage draining out of the employer-based health insurance system. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |