The upcoming mid-term elections are a big deal because they will determine control of Congress and the legislative agenda for the remainder of the Trump Administration. But while the Republicans were focused on repeal and replace of the ACA and Trump was making decisions with health care market impacts, consumers faced higher health care costs and it’s now a top health care issue for candidates to discuss. The recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found nearly nine in ten (89 percent) Americans say they are concerned about the increases in the amount individuals pay for health care, with about six in ten saying they are “very concerned.”
It isn’t surprising that consumers are concerned about health care costs. Coverage through the Exchange skyrocketed in price last year. Fortunately, the increase is slowing down nationally (3.6%). Washington consumers are facing an average 13.8% rate increase (ranging from a 0.3% to 18.6% increase depending on the plan), but more than 60 percent of the 207,000 people who purchase health insurance through the Exchange receive a subsidy to help lower their premiums. And premiums are not the only costs to be concerned about. There are co-insurance charges, high deductibles, facility fees, and increasing costs for common medications like insulin and epinephrine. Many plans use “narrow networks,” limiting the selection of providers to control costs. This gives rise to the issue of “surprise” bills from out-of-network providers. One in ten consumers received a surprise bill in the past year. The cost of these bills varies – with some being less than $500 (which is large to people with lower household income) and others being over $1000. NoHLA supports the Washington Insurance Commissioner’s bill in the state Legislature to protect consumers from surprise bills. It will be considered for the 4th time in the 2019 session – we hope this is the year it will pass!
Senator Patty Murray is concerned about price transparency for prescription drugs. As ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, she has pushed back on the lack of action around health care costs. The HELP Committee has a hearing scheduled next Tuesday on “Reducing Health Care Costs: Examining How Transparency Can Lower Spending and Empowering Patients.” Senator Murray would like to hear from constituents who would be willing to share their stories about prescription drug price transparency. If you are interested in sharing your story, please email molly@nohla.org.