Both health-care consumers and providers felt the squeeze of
rising health-care costs in 2014 – with out-of-pocket costs for patients rising
11% -- according to a TransUnion Healthcare report.
“Our latest report demonstrates that consumers continue to
feel the pressure of rising health-care costs,” said Gerry McCarthy, president
of TransUnion Healthcare. “Despite a slowly improving economy, many consumers
are finding they have less money to make these payments."
According to TransUnion, the report included anonymous data
estimates for patient payment responsibilities from thousands of providers,
including health-care clinics from across the nation. The information was then
compared with the credit-information company’s financial data.
The findings are no surprise to National Association of
Health Underwriters President Tom Harte, who is also founder and president of
employee benefits broker Landmark Benefits. “Health insurance is expensive
because health care is expensive,” said Harte.
According to Harte, as employers’ premiums continue to rise
they are “cost shifting,”or putting more financial demands on the employee and
their dependents -- in the form of
higher deductibles or other strategies, like changing the plans they offer
altogether.
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