With soaring premiums and rising out-of-pocket costs, employer health plans are pushing millions of Americans into underinsurance, leaving them unable to afford the care they need.
The $39K could be the sum of all premiums, co-pays, deductibles, co insurance if someone maxed out everything. It is completely plausible that the new administration opens up Medicare Advantage for anyone who wants it(see Project 2025), integrate a block grant on Medicaid to create a populist win while being able to close "Obaama Care". We should also expect to see new kinds of plans for employers like ICHRA. https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/learn-more/individual-coverage-hra/. We may get some form of universal coverage but if there is no way this admin will not make it run by the commercial sector.
If the commenters are inflating prices, that's inappropriate. But as you said, it's much too high regardless.
The insurance industry serves no purpose other than to facilitate profits for CEOs and shareholders. And all that money should be gowing towards healthcare.
Medicare's administrative costs are around 2% while Private health insurance companies spend between 12% and 18% on administrative costs.So that's wasted money right there
Mostly the Republican Party insists that for-profit private health insurance companies is the way to solve these issues. These companies are for profit not healthcare.
Now republicans seem to want to blow up our public health system.
I will bet you can’t list 10 Democrats in the Senate or Congress that would support a Single Payer Healthcare System. Most of the Democrats work for their Big Donors and the Big Donors want our healthcare system to stay as it is, Private and For Profit. Bernie Sanders is the only reason healthcare was even discussed in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Primaries. Both Biden and Harris made it clear that they do not support Single Payer Healthcare. Healthcare was discussed a lot in the 2016 Democratic Primary. Hillary said “Single Payer Healthcare will never ever happen”. The Democrats do not want to move beyond the ACA. They are pathetic. I gave up on them.
Healthcare should be all about prevention by improving our health with food and activity. Perhaps we can not be so reliant on the quick fixes of drugs and surgery. We vaccinate in order to make sure our children don’t get a myriad of diseases but at what cost to health in the long term, we know there are chronic diseases that have skyrocketed since 1987
Yet no one wants to look at how health care contributes to bad health outcomes and poor public health advice ( kill every germ) degrades outcomes —we also fear death instead of embracing rituals that help us deal with the psychological realities of our life processes
This is the price of the technological fix and Wall Street cheers
Basically anyone with a Private For Profit Health Insurance Plan has Medicare Advantage. Having “Medicare Advantage” means you opted out of original Medicare for a private health insurance plan. You no longer have Medicare. Why would someone opt out of Original Medicare? The only reason would be that they can’t afford it. For myself here in the state of Florida, Medicare Part B = $174, Medigap Plan G (what most have) = $217, Medicare Part D = $50 (I could be off a few dollars. I don’t have the numbers in front of me). Anyway the total per month = $441. This more than a lot of people on a fixed income can afford to pay. Another thing, the Medigap keeps going up every year. I think it will be over $230 in 2025. Medicare Part B is also going up to $185. Depending on your income, Medicare Advantage is much cheaper, but you will have Networks, Denials, and maybe they just won’t pay. I read that over half of seniors are on Medicare Advantage now. This is a Bad thing. Definitely not good.
It gets worse. Self funded groups under traditional BUCAs are the target of yet other third parties ( dual managed plans) promising lower costs by enhanced utilization management that may include drug importation for biologic drugs. The channels of distribution are corrupted. Safety potentially compromised. Patients totally unaware.
It is time for universal healthcare.
We are lying to ourselves about having the best healthcare in the world.
The $39K could be the sum of all premiums, co-pays, deductibles, co insurance if someone maxed out everything. It is completely plausible that the new administration opens up Medicare Advantage for anyone who wants it(see Project 2025), integrate a block grant on Medicaid to create a populist win while being able to close "Obaama Care". We should also expect to see new kinds of plans for employers like ICHRA. https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/learn-more/individual-coverage-hra/. We may get some form of universal coverage but if there is no way this admin will not make it run by the commercial sector.
Great article, thanks.
I cannot believe that family health insurance costs $39.000 a year. details would be welcome.
We must demand Medicare for All. Enough with these insurance corporations sucking our blood and providing almost nothing in return.
I worked in the insurance industry. The price quoted in the article is way above even their usual price gouging. Puzzles me.
If the commenters are inflating prices, that's inappropriate. But as you said, it's much too high regardless.
The insurance industry serves no purpose other than to facilitate profits for CEOs and shareholders. And all that money should be gowing towards healthcare.
Medicare's administrative costs are around 2% while Private health insurance companies spend between 12% and 18% on administrative costs.So that's wasted money right there
Mostly the Republican Party insists that for-profit private health insurance companies is the way to solve these issues. These companies are for profit not healthcare.
Now republicans seem to want to blow up our public health system.
I will bet you can’t list 10 Democrats in the Senate or Congress that would support a Single Payer Healthcare System. Most of the Democrats work for their Big Donors and the Big Donors want our healthcare system to stay as it is, Private and For Profit. Bernie Sanders is the only reason healthcare was even discussed in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Primaries. Both Biden and Harris made it clear that they do not support Single Payer Healthcare. Healthcare was discussed a lot in the 2016 Democratic Primary. Hillary said “Single Payer Healthcare will never ever happen”. The Democrats do not want to move beyond the ACA. They are pathetic. I gave up on them.
Healthcare should be all about prevention by improving our health with food and activity. Perhaps we can not be so reliant on the quick fixes of drugs and surgery. We vaccinate in order to make sure our children don’t get a myriad of diseases but at what cost to health in the long term, we know there are chronic diseases that have skyrocketed since 1987
Yet no one wants to look at how health care contributes to bad health outcomes and poor public health advice ( kill every germ) degrades outcomes —we also fear death instead of embracing rituals that help us deal with the psychological realities of our life processes
This is the price of the technological fix and Wall Street cheers
Good additives, GMOs, forever chemicals. Our food, water and air are causing illness .. not vaccines which have been around since before 1950.
Reminder that global warming is destroying earth. So much we all can do for health of all living things i.e. stop water and air pollution
That first word was mistyped... Should read Food additives.
Basically anyone with a Private For Profit Health Insurance Plan has Medicare Advantage. Having “Medicare Advantage” means you opted out of original Medicare for a private health insurance plan. You no longer have Medicare. Why would someone opt out of Original Medicare? The only reason would be that they can’t afford it. For myself here in the state of Florida, Medicare Part B = $174, Medigap Plan G (what most have) = $217, Medicare Part D = $50 (I could be off a few dollars. I don’t have the numbers in front of me). Anyway the total per month = $441. This more than a lot of people on a fixed income can afford to pay. Another thing, the Medigap keeps going up every year. I think it will be over $230 in 2025. Medicare Part B is also going up to $185. Depending on your income, Medicare Advantage is much cheaper, but you will have Networks, Denials, and maybe they just won’t pay. I read that over half of seniors are on Medicare Advantage now. This is a Bad thing. Definitely not good.
It gets worse. Self funded groups under traditional BUCAs are the target of yet other third parties ( dual managed plans) promising lower costs by enhanced utilization management that may include drug importation for biologic drugs. The channels of distribution are corrupted. Safety potentially compromised. Patients totally unaware.