Many health-insurance premiums rose again this year, sometimes by double digits. A lot of the increases were accompanied by higher deductibles as well. Insurers say the increases are justified because their costs have risen as more people with health problems have signed up for insurance in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.
Some policy experts see the higher out-of-pocket costs as a positive development. When patients have a bigger stake in the cost of their care, the argument goes, they can drive prices down by spurning providers and services that are overpriced and inefficient.
Others argue, however, that it’s unfair to put the responsibility for reducing health costs on patients—particularly those with lower incomes, for whom quality health care is increasingly out of reach.
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