Health News
- Study Finds People With High Deductibles Skimp On Doctor Visits
In theory, higher deductibles on health-insurance plans should force down health-care costs because patients will become smarter shoppers, but a study has found that patients shifted to a higher-deductible plan did not shop for a better deal, but simply...
- 15 To 25% Of Uninsured Kentuckians May Be Eligible For Free, Non-medicaid Coverage, But Watch Those Out-of-pocket Costs
Millions of Americans who don't quite qualify for Medicaid could still get free health insurance through federal subsidies, but this free coverage hasn't gotten much attention, since most of the zero premium plans come with some trade-offs. An...
- Workers, Employers Blame Obamacare For Higher Premiums, But Experts Say The Causes Are A Lot More Complicated Than That
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News While the main provisions of the federal health-reform law are only now taking effect, some Americans are already saying it doesn't work and are blaming it for higher insurance premiums and deductibles. But the...
- Beshear Announces Rates In Health-insurance Exchange, Says Kentuckians Will Like Them, Especially The Federal 'discounts'
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Tossing out the first examples of what Kentuckians will pay for required health coverage through the state health insurance exchange that opens Oct. 1, Gov. Steve Beshear predicted yesterday, "The vast majority of people...
- Annual Report For Cincinnati-northern Kentucky Region Shows Employee Health Care Costs There Will Go Up About $400 Next Year
In an continuing effort to move health costs off the shoulders of employers and onto employees, workers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will likely pay an average $4,775 out of their own pockets for health care in 2013 -- about $400 more than...
Health News
More Americans are choosing health insurance with high deductibles, lower premiums; study says that strategy pays off
In order to pay lower premiums on their health insurance, Americans are opting for plans that have cheaper monthly premiums but higher deductibles, USA Today's Kelly Kennedy reports.
In 2007, about 4.5 million people opted for high-deductible plans. By 2010 that number had more than doubled to 10 million, an America's Health Insurance Plans survey found. Having high deductibles saves $85 to $100 a month on premiums, but runs the risk of paying more when services are used. It's important for purchasers to understand that lower premiums can mean higher doctors' bills, said Karen Ignagni, president of the industry group.
However, a RAND Corp. study found that people on high-deductible plans pay considerably less than people on traditional plans. "RAND researchers also found that people on high-deductible plans ? no matter their income level ? received less preventive care: fewer annual exams, fewer cervical cancer screenings and fewer colonoscopies," Kennedy reports. The federal health reform law is preventing some of that from happening, however. Now, most high-deductible plans have to include basic preventive care like colonoscopies.
High-deductible plans are expected to become more common, especially since 47 percent of people who are insured through their employers have high-deductible plans. "Employers like the plans because it's cheaper to insure an employee ? about $133 less per family at companies that offer only the high-deductible plans, according to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care," Kennedy reports. (Read more)
- Study Finds People With High Deductibles Skimp On Doctor Visits
In theory, higher deductibles on health-insurance plans should force down health-care costs because patients will become smarter shoppers, but a study has found that patients shifted to a higher-deductible plan did not shop for a better deal, but simply...
- 15 To 25% Of Uninsured Kentuckians May Be Eligible For Free, Non-medicaid Coverage, But Watch Those Out-of-pocket Costs
Millions of Americans who don't quite qualify for Medicaid could still get free health insurance through federal subsidies, but this free coverage hasn't gotten much attention, since most of the zero premium plans come with some trade-offs. An...
- Workers, Employers Blame Obamacare For Higher Premiums, But Experts Say The Causes Are A Lot More Complicated Than That
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News While the main provisions of the federal health-reform law are only now taking effect, some Americans are already saying it doesn't work and are blaming it for higher insurance premiums and deductibles. But the...
- Beshear Announces Rates In Health-insurance Exchange, Says Kentuckians Will Like Them, Especially The Federal 'discounts'
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Tossing out the first examples of what Kentuckians will pay for required health coverage through the state health insurance exchange that opens Oct. 1, Gov. Steve Beshear predicted yesterday, "The vast majority of people...
- Annual Report For Cincinnati-northern Kentucky Region Shows Employee Health Care Costs There Will Go Up About $400 Next Year
In an continuing effort to move health costs off the shoulders of employers and onto employees, workers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will likely pay an average $4,775 out of their own pockets for health care in 2013 -- about $400 more than...