The Challenges Of Rising Consumer Spending On Health Care

A few weeks ago a popular editorial asked the question: “What good is health insurance coverage if you can’t afford to actually use it?” (see California Health Insurance Deductibles Going Up). Author Nathan Nascimento was referencing the rising costs of health insurance deductibles, but his question could apply to all consumer contributions to health care – from deductibles, to copayments and other cost sharing. Even for consumers with insurance, there are plenty of out-of-pocket (OOP) costs to consider.

The trend is “up.” The average annual deductible paid by single adults with employer-sponsored health insurance increased by 67 . . .