Posted on November 16, 2009 12:12
Categories: Legislative and Regulatory Issues | Employer and Individual Insurance | Special Populations
Topics: Employer-Sponsored Coverage | Health Care Reform | Individual Coverage | Legislation (National) | Spending | Uninsured
A report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and released by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) on October 12, estimates that the Senate Finance Committee’s health care reform legislation could add $1,700 to family health insurance premiums by 2013 and could raise family premiums by over $4,000 by 2019.
From the report:
America's Health Insurance Plans engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to examine the impact of four components of the health reform bill being proposed by the Senate Finance Committee as introduced. These include:
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Insurance market reforms and consumer protections that would raise health insurance premiums for individuals and families if the reforms are not coupled with an effective coverage requirement.
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An excise tax on employer-sponsored high value health plans (or "Cadillac plans") that in a few years could also raise premiums for some moderate value plans.
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Cuts in payment rates in public programs that could increase cost shifting to private sector businesses and consumers. These changes are expected to more than offset the potential reduction in cost shifting resulting from providing coverage to the uninsured.
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New taxes on health sector entities that are likely to be passed through to consumers.
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The increases in private health insurance coverage described above would be on top of the underlying growth in medical costs over the coming period.
This analysis shows that the cost of the average family coverage is approximately $12,300 today and could be expected to increase to approximately:
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$15,500 in 2013 under current law and to $17,200 if these provisions are implemented.
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$18,400 in 2016 under current law and to $21,300 if these provisions are implemented.
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$21,900 in 2019 under current law and to $25,900 if these provisions are implemented.
Full report: http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_pwc2.html
Price Waterhouse Coopers. (2009). Potential impact of health reform on the cost of private health insurance coverage.
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