Power of Price
The health care industry is a maze of money; confusing, complex and costly.
The tangle of employers, insurance companies and providers makes shopping for health care and health insurance difficult enough — but underneath that web is a layer of secrecy that prevents consumers from seeing what actually gets paid for care.
WLRN-Miami Herald News and the Miami Herald have been exploring the power of price in health care in South Florida.
With this series, we’re examining what the complexity and opacity of health care pricing costs our region.
A Broken Promise
WLRN-MIAMI HERALD NEWS
MIAMI HERALD
Health Care Costs Often Shrouded In Secrecy
Legal Contracts Veil Parts Of Pricing
Patients Pay More, Can't Find Prices
The power of price in health care shows up in what patients pay and how they pay. Every worker who gets health coverage through their employer has experienced the rising cost of coverage. Health insurances premiums have spiraled upward as patients increasingly take one more financial risk for their coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation finds since 2006 the percentage of workers with employer-provided health insurance has risen from 55 percent to 80 percent.
As more workers take on the financial risk of paying a deductible before their health insurance coverage begins to pick up the tab, they're also paying a higher average deductible. The same Kaiser Family Foundation study found the deductible for workers with single health insurance coverage has almost tripled since 2006.