![]() |
|
![]()
March 14th, 2012
03:13 PM ET
Health care costs to surpass total income?Take a close look at the chart up above. It’s taken from a new paper, in the Annals of Family Medicine. If you believe the doctors who put it together, it tells one of the scariest stories you’ll ever hear. The gentle upward slope represents the median income for an American family, projected through 2035. The lighter colored curve is projected average spending on health care - insurance premiums, and out of pocket costs. With current trends, the authors say, in less than 20 years the average family will face medical costs that are higher than their total income. All of it. “I see people who don’t eat, or don’t pay rent, so they can pay medical bills,” she says. “They can’t afford their medication, or in some cases, even a mammogram.” The basic facts aren’t new. Health care costs have been growing faster than inflation since the government began to track them in the 1960s. Between 2000 and 2009, the paper says, the average annual increase in insurance premiums was 8%, while household income rose an average of 2.1%. But some experts say the doom and gloom is overblown. J.D. Kleinke, who last month wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “The Myth of Runaway Spending,” points out that growth in health spending has been moving closer to the overall inflation rate, for the past decade. He says the slowdown came because insurers and private companies introduced plans with higher deductibles and bigger co-pays at the same time the government introduced health savings accounts, where individuals can get a tax break to help pay for medical expenses. “In the old days, people never questioned cost because they were basically given a blank check,” says Kleinke. “Industry figured it out and said, 'This is madness.' ” DeVoe acknowledges the trend, but says what strikes her first, “is that these costs are still increasing.” Whether you see health spending as a crisis, depends, in part, on your focus. In 2009 and 2010, total spending on health care grew at a slower rate – 3.8% and 3.9%, respectively – than at any time on record. But even that outstripped inflation – 1.6% in 2010, and a negative 0.3% the year before. At the same time, a larger share of the cost is being borne by individual families. According to a survey last year by the Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums for family health insurance plans rose 9%. To Kleinke, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, shifting the burden is good and necessary. “Because people feel the economic pain directly, they’ve actually changed behavior, and spending did start to come down.” A wild card in all this is the Affordable Care Act, often called “Obamacare.” Critics say expanding health insurance to cover another 30 million people will send costs through the roof. But ACA supporters point to provisions meant to slow or reverse the growth in spending - especially an emphasis on preventive care, which is supposed to reduce the need for expensive hospitalizations and emergency room visits. DeVoe says the ACA is a “great first step, but it’s not enough to get us where we need to go in terms of sustainability.” Co-author Dr. Richard Young, who runs the country’s largest family practice training program, at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, points out that the new federal “comparative effectiveness” program - meant to compare the benefits of different treatments - is explicitly forbidden from considering cost, just as Medicare is forbidden from denying any “medically necessary” treatment, no matter how high the cost, or how small the medical benefit. Young put it bluntly in an interview: “Until we’re willing to say 'no' to somebody, anybody, there is nothing to stop this inflationary pressure.” Asked if the analysis isn’t deeply pessimistic, he said: “That’s right.” |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. |
|
I enjoy reading an article that will make men and women think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!
http://go.e-frontier.co.jp/rd2.php?uri=http://youtube.com/watch?v=o6Uo8ZWSewA
bookmarked!!, I love your site!
http://www.its46.ru/bitrix/rk.php?goto=http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCWA5o3d2u11KvEjA3wLVUA/videos
http://www.e-tsuyama.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?jumpto=http://youtube.com/watch?v=M1EPfakfST03aqbN3t
https://www.adminer.org/redirect/?url=https://fleetservicerepairshop.com/luxury-sprinter-van-shop-near-me
http://m.caijing.com.cn/member/logout?referer=http://youtube.com/watch?v=EqHgcHBWM5w
Hi there! This blog post could not be written any better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I'll send this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a great read. Many thanks for sharing!
http://saveourseafarers.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvshop.com/class-b-collision-repair-shop-near-me
https://www.bioguiden.se/redirect.aspx?url=https://ocrvcenter.mobi/rv-repair-shop-burbank-california
http://www.osbar.org/secured/plf/remote_logout.asp?returnurl=https://ocrvshop.com/rv-repair-shop-winnetka-california
Aw, this was a very good post. Finding the time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and don't manage to get anything done.
http://msc-direct.co.uk/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=goo.gl/maps/iCzoZ1dDPjhG6Dsh6
http://p113831.typo3server.info/index.php?id=34&type=0&jumpurl=https://fleetservicesorangecounty.com/wheelchair-van-repair-shop-near-me
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you need to publish more about this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but usually folks don't discuss these topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
https://bibliopam.ec-lyon.fr/fork?http://youtube.com/watch?v=k4-6fPlUQCw
http://5cfxm.hxrs6.servertrust.com/v/affiliate/setCookie.asp?catId=1180&return=https://ocrvshop.com/motorhome-step-repair-near-me
Hi! I just wish to offer you a big thumbs up for the great info you've got right here on this post. I'll be returning to your blog for more soon.
http://magmileshoppers.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.instagram.com/ocrvcenter
After looking over a handful of the articles on your web site, I honestly appreciate your way of blogging. I saved it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future. Please check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
https://www.bbs.tut-obmen.ru/redirect/?g=https://www.club-maserati.com
https://www.bbs.tut-obmen.ru/redirect/?g=https://arizonasvision.com
https://ztjysp99.com/link.php?url=https://meganleary.com
Great article! We will be linking to this great post on our website. Keep up the good writing.
http://www.kite-rider.com/0link/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=178&url=http://www.club-maserati.com
http://www.orient-explorer.net/Redirect.asp?url=meganleary.com
Having read this I thought it was very enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
http://bbs.tut-obmen.ru/redirect/?g=http://arizonasvision.com
https://www.viagginrete-it.it/urlesterno.asp?url=https://club-maserati.com
You need to take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the net. I will recommend this website!
https://www.meetme.com/apps/redirect/?url=http://ocrvparts.com
Many South American characters.
https://viperssc.co.ug/
http://e-search.ohimesamaclub.com/y/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=13&url=https://www.meganleary.com/
https://dereferer.org/?http://club-maserati.com
Hello there, I think your blog could possibly be having browser compatibility problems. Whenever I take a look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it's got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, fantastic blog!
https://www.worldcruising.com/extern.aspx?ctype=1&adid=89&pagid=0&src=http://arizonasvision.com/
This is a topic that is near to my heart... Many thanks! Exactly where are your contact details though?
http://tamiroom.com/bbs/cafe.php?mode=node&id=936&page=1&home=http://ocrvcenter.co/
I'd like to thank you for the efforts you've put in writing this blog. I am hoping to see the same high-grade content by you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own, personal website now 😉
http://neoromance.info/link/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=26&url=meganleary.com/
Spot on with this write-up, I actually believe this amazing site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read through more, thanks for the advice!
https://vse-doski.com/redirect/?go=https://club-maserati.com
It’s nearly impossible to find educated people in this particular topic, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
http://eforce.todayir.com/en/fileview.php?file=http://ocrvart.com
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It's always useful to read content from other writers and practice something from their web sites.
http://www.aarss.com/redir.php?siteref=&aarsslink=http://http://club-maserati.com/product-category/cuban-cigars/cohiba/
https://bumper-stickers.ru/redirect.php?https://affordableranking.com
avana avanafil 100
This is a topic that is close to my heart... Take care! Where are your contact details though?
http://ab-search.com/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=107&url=https://aikareborn.com
Can I simply say what a comfort to uncover an individual who really understands what they are talking about on the internet. You definitely realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people really need to read this and understand this side of your story. It's surprising you are not more popular since you most certainly have the gift.
https://wifesinterracialmovies.com/cgi-bin/atx/out.cgi?trade=http://www.club-maserati.com
An outstanding share! I've just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was conducting a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast due to the fact that I found it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to talk about this topic here on your internet site.
http://www.ijbssnet.com/view.php?u=https://maseratis.net/
After checking out a few of the articles on your web site, I honestly like your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my web site too and tell me your opinion.
https://extraproxies.com/tag/override/
Can I just say what a relief to uncover an individual who truly understands what they are discussing online. You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people have to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you're not more popular given that you definitely possess the gift.
http://www.randradventures.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=maseratiforum.net
I seriously love your blog.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my own personal blog and want to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Kudos!
http://bbs.cfish.idv.tw/link.php?url=https://www.fleetrepairshops.com/shipping-truck-repair-shop-near-me/
It’s hard to find well-informed people about this subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
http://www.serbiancafe.com/lat/diskusije/new/redirect.php?url=https://commercialvanrepairshop.com/western-star-truck-repair-shop-near-me
I needed to thank you for this wonderful read!! I absolutely loved every bit of it. I've got you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…
https://www.montessorihelper.com/dap/a/?a=211&p=www.sprintervanrepairshop.com/bucket-truck-repair-shop-near-me/
After I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Kudos!
https://sys.labaq.com/cli/go.php?s=lbac&p=1410jt&t=02&url=https://sprintervanrepairshop.com/mechanic-shop-near-me/
http://www.netmile.co.jp/click/access?mcpId=defaultCoin&lk=http://fleettruckrepairshop.com/plumber-truck-repair-shop-near-me/
https://nsuem.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?event1=lib5&event2=&event3=&goto=https://boxtruckrepairshop.com/enterprise-truck-repair-shop-near-me/
https://r.turn.com/r/click?id=07SbPf7hZSNdJAgAAAYBAA&url=https://fleettruckrepairshop.com/celebrity-van-repair-shop-near-me/
http://serbiancafe.com/lat/diskusije/new/redirect.php?url=http://boxtruckrepairshop.com/blog/
https://www.chinarundreisen.com/publicbin/redirect.asp?url=http://www.club-maserati.com/
http://l-www.sitepal.com/affiliates/entry/?spdirect=1&affId=75895&promotionId=17691&link=https://commercialvanrepairshop.com/sprinter-van-paint-shop-near-me/
I blog frequently and I seriously appreciate your content. This great article has really peaked my interest. I will take a note of your site and keep checking for new details about once per week. I opted in for your Feed as well.
http://bbs.cfish.idv.tw/link.php?url=https://fleetservicesocrv.com/technician-shop-near-me/
When I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a means you are able to remove me from that service? Kudos!
https://www.thevillagesatpinevalley.com/Click.aspx?url=//fleetvehiclerepairshop.com/kenworth-truck-repair-shop-near-me
I truly love your website.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you develop this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal website and would like to know where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Cheers!
https://msibenefitsgroup.us/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=maseratis.net