As healthcare trends toward value-based reimbursement, patients are increasingly paying for their care and many Americans are facing double-digit premium hikes.
Here are 20 key statistics to note:
1. Going forward into 2017, HealthCare.gov plan premiums will increase 25 percent, on average.
2. The following 10 states have the highest average premium hikes for 2017 individual plans sold on HealthCare.gov:
• Arizona: 116 percent
• Oklahoma: 69 percent
• Tennessee: 63 percent
• Minnesota: 59 percent
• Alabama: 58 percent
• Pennsylvania: 53 percent
• Nebraska: 51 percent
• Montana: 44 percent
• Illinois: 43 percent
• Kansas: 42 percent
3. In November 2016, HHS data showed premium hikes will impact nearly 8.4 million Americans, Wall Street Journal reports.
The 8.4 million Americans impacted by premiums are comprised of:
• Those who were not eligible for tax credits as their incomes were higher than four times the federal poverty level
• Those who did purchase coverage through HealthCare.gov
4. In 2015, nearly 85 percent of Americans who utilized HealthCare.gov qualified for some financial help towards premiums.
5. Nearly 30 percent of beneficiaries will see their standard monthly Medicare Part B premium – which covers physician and outpatient hospital services – increase 10 percent to $134 per month in 2017. The 30 percent of beneficiaries facing the 10 percent hike include high earners as well as Medicare beneficiaries who deferred or are ineligible for Social Security benefits, new Medicare enrollees and low-income beneficiaries whose premiums are covered by state Medicaid programs.
6. The remaining 70 percent of beneficiaries will experience a 3.9 percent hike on Medicare Part B premiums, with this figure rising to $109 per month. In 2015, this premium totaled $104.90 per month.
7. Medicare Part A deductibles will increase $28 in 2017, hitting $1,316 per benefit period. Medicare Part A deductibles cover inpatient hospital services.
8. A 2016 Commonwealth Fund found premium growth for single health insurance policies offered by employers slowed both in the nation overall and in 33 states and Washington, D.C., after the ACA was enacted, compared to the five years leading up to the ACA. For individual plans, average premium growth rates slowed to 3.8 percent per year from 2010 to 2015 compared with an average 4.7 percent from 2006 to 2010.
9. A TransUnion survey found 76 percent of consumers are extremely or somewhat concerned about rising healthcare costs from payers' 2017 rate proposals.
10. More than half of consumers — 57.9 percent — reported that escalating healthcare insurance rates have placed a financial strain on their budget.
11. Consumers want transparency, with the TransUnion survey finding 70 percent of consumers said receiving a procedure's projected cost prior to having the surgery would better help them budget.
12. HealthMine polled 750 consumers enrolled in wellness programs about their habits regarding price shopping for medical services or pharmaceutical drugs. Seventy percent reported not comparing prices before shopping for medical services or pharmaceutical drugs.
13. Out of the 70 percent who don't price shop, 41 percent said, "Cost is covered by my health plan, so it doesn't matter" as the reason why they did not. For consumers that did price shop, slightly less than half — 45 percent — said they did so by calling physicians in their health plan, while 35 percent rely on a price comparison tool.
14. Despite studies showing many Americans do not shop for healthcare services, a Health Care Cost Institute analysis found that may not matter in terms of saving consumers and the healthcare system money. The analysis found that 43 percent of healthcare spending in 2011 was on "shoppable services," with consumer out-of-pocket spending on those services totaling $37.7 billion. The lead author of the study said that the industry focusing on consumerism to lower healthcare costs doesn't "give much bang for the buck," Kaiser Health News reported.
15. A Physician Practice survey found 39.6 percent of physicians said deductible collection is becoming more challenging and 45.1 percent reported their practice has faced obstacles collecting copays and deductibles.
16. The survey alsofound that 7.3 percent of responding physicians said payers had requested refunds because patients didn't pay premiums, and 23.8 percent have experienced claims denials because the patient didn't pay his or her premium.
17. Deloitte's 2016 Survey of US Health Care Consumers found 37 percent of consumers with employer-based coverage and exchange enrollees reported their premium was too high.
18. Forty-four percent of exchange enrollees said their insurance does not adequately cover enough of their healthcare expenses, compared to 45 percent of consumers with coverage through their employer.
19. Thirty-four percent of exchange consumers reported being sufficiently prepared to deal with future healthcare costs in 2016, with this figure up from 16 percent of exchange consumers in 2015.
20. When using their coverage, 25 percent of exchange enrollees encountered surprise out-of-pocket costs, compared with 10 percent of Medicaid consumers, 18 percent of Medicare enrollees and 27 percent of consumers with employer-based coverage.