Health Care Costs To Rise Significantly

Federal health care spending is to increase an average of 5.7% each year for the next decade. Health care spending was 3.6% last year, mainly due to the slow economic recovery, and the fact that the private sector is picking up more of the tab in the form of higher deductibles and co-pays.

Currently, health spending financed by government agencies represents 44% of all health care spending in the country, (Medicare and Medicaid primarily,) and this figure is projected to increase to 48% within the next ten years. Coverage expansion of the Affordable Care Act, and an aging population, are the top two reasons for this increase. Today, the U.S.A. spends 17% of the GDP on health care, and by 2023 it will be nearly 20%.

In 2015, Medicare spending is projected to decrease by 2.7%, almost entirely due to the $716 billion dollar cut to the Medicare Advantage program, spread over ten years. These funds are now used to help pay for the Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, many seniors have been forced to switch doctors or plans due to these cuts. More and more providers will stop accepting patients with this type of coverage due to the lower reimbursement rates paid by the government, demanding higher reimbursement rates from private insurers. This of course will lead to ever increasing premium increases and higher out of pocket costs. Adding to the problem are an increased number of baby-boomers enrolling in Medicare starting in 2016, when Medicare spending is projected to rebound to 7.3% from 2.7% in 2015. More federal spending on health care, a doctor shortage presently, and fewer providers accepting government reimbursement rates, all point to higher premiums for the foreseeable future.

Premium rate increases are projected to be nearly 6% per year for the next decade, and out of pocket expenses are to increase 6% per year as well.