Health Care Premiums Are Going Up, Again. Here’s What We Can Do Now.
Americans voters say affordability is their top concern. The rising cost of health care is one of the main reasons life feels so expensive right now — and it’s about to get worse.
Open enrollment began this week, and people buying coverage through the individual market are seeing premiums that are up about 13 percent on average — and that’s after they increased by 26 percent last year. Employer-sponsored coverage is expected to be up 10 percent, coming in at more than $10,000 per person per year.
High out-of-pocket costs are already keeping Americans from getting the care they need. Rising health care costs are also an immense drag on the national budget and contribute to the growing debt that’s fueling inflation and putting the federal government on shaky fiscal footing.
When politicians in Washington talk about fixing health care, they’re quick to talk about sweeping, one-shot solutions. One example is Medicare for All, which is front and center in the Michigan Senate race. Regardless of the midterm results, neither party is likely to have the margins to pass such broad reforms. Indeed, comprehensive health care reform is unlikely to be on the docket until after the next general election in 2028, at the earliest. And even if it passed, it could take years to carry out. We need to find ways to curb the costs that are hurting people today.
The emphasis on big health reform can give a false impression that there is one health system in the United States, with one problem that only comprehensive reform can fix. It’s not. Focusing on silver bullets understates the complexity of the health system.
