Health Insurance

Consumer and Provider Costs


Health insurance plans are increasingly developing high deductible insurance policies and narrow networks. These types of systems require the consumer to pay more out of their own pocket. On the other hand, this could be labeled as a burden on the consumer. This article will evaluate and identify the impact the state or federal health care policies have on consumer costs. The Rook (2018) website brings out that a higher deductible has placed a higher financial burden on employees' pockets, they feel like they are always spending money on their insurance the adverse effect of increasing insurance deductible can lead to patients not seeking medical attention because of health care is very costly. Patients would be so concerned about the high deductible that they avoid visiting their physician, for chronic health issues. Insurance holders must realize that if they have chronic conditions such as diabetes, or hypertension and they avoid them due to their high deductible, will prove to be costlier in the long run (Rook, 2018).

Consumer Based

To paint this in a positive light, this trend has been labeled as "consumer-based" to suggest that the consumer must pay more from their own funds, and thus, encourage consumers to make better health care choices. People can utilize the marketplace to purchase health insurance, through federal or state marketplaces. Many people that are employed neither qualify for Medicaid nor market place subsidies and have remained uninsured ("Alliance for Healthy Policy," 2018). That is where the marketplace comes into place, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), offers plans for individuals that yearly incomes between the federal poverty line. The ACA provides new opportunities to look for affordable, comprehensive health coverage ("Families USA," 2017). Therefore, if an employee insurance deductible is too high for their employer, they have options to look for insurance through the marketplace that may be cheaper.

Conclusion

The bright side is that employers are taking the initiative and researching new ways to deliver care, with the goal to improve health and lower costs ("Alliance for Healthy Policy," 2018). Employers have thought of some innovative ways to provide their employees with health screenings, programs and incentives to encourage them to be healthy. Now employers are also covering services that are more convenient for their employees such as telemedicine and other wellness programs.


















Reference


Alliance for healthy policy (2018). Retrieved from http://www.allhealthpolicy.org/sourcebook/health-care-costs/

Families USA (2017). Retrieved from https://familiesusa.org/issues/affordable-care-act

Rook, D. (2018). Jp griffin group. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.griffinbenefits.com/employeebenefitsblog/pros-and-cons-high-deductible-health-plans-hdhps