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With so many Americans suffering with the coronavirus (whether directly as a victim or if merely among us as a bearer of the bad times we are in), how does the country expect to handle all of these piling-up medical bills with authenticity? In accordance with Kimberly Lankford, a Contributing author for US News, we are now seeing that though the price of health insurance will rise, it will not be much.
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, we have yet to figure out.
An example would be larger employers of over 50 employees. Their finalized health care plans for 2021 expect to see an average health care cost of $15,500 per employee, which is actually only a mere 5.3 percent increase since the 2020 fiscal year. Smaller companies, of which seem to abide by less stringent health care rules, have not yet reported their figures. However, the main bulk of the issue seems to be the more than it really is. “With this recent open enrollment for some employers this summer, there were more people enrolling who didn’t elect coverage in the past,” states W. Sakamoto.
So, what can we expect to see?
- Increases in premiums for families and higher-income workers
- Tons and tons of additional telehealth and virtual care visits
- An expansion of mental health services throughout
- Tons of new tools to assist navigating health care options
Let us examine something really important here: the massive expansion of mental health. We do not realize who we are walking among, as one in five adults in the U.S. are struggling with some form of mental illness. Schizophrenia, as an example, tops itself as 1 percent of the population; clinical depression tops that at 17 percent. In all, the U.S. has spent over $200 billion on mental health spending.
Now, since the time of the pandemic, this is slowly but surely creeping into our awareness. The ACA increased adamant amounts of health coverage to those with a mental or emotional illness, and before that point (and before that law), this was without causation. Though the point of this article is not to examine mental health coverage, it is surely a means to an end: with that much spent on mental health alone, can we really handle an increase in a time where mental health is being affected the most?
Remember that open enrollment for HealthCare.gov begins on November 1st,, and coverage begins January 1st, 2021. If you need help picking a premium, contact us.
A twist comes into the midst: the fact that though one website does justice by showing us that health care coverage increases (i.e. the need of actual health care). Rather, what are the costs? We are actually seeing quite the opposite between actual needs for health care coverage, versus the costs. The U.S. alone reports that 2021 will bring the price from a 2020 12 percent decrease to a 31.9 percent increase.
Just when you thought there was good news, it is quote the opposite, and that is why we urge you to contact us if you need assistance in deciding which plan to use.
Still, many experts continue to say that even these estimates are higher or lower than they actually will be. In turn, it can be hard to predict the future, and we can only base our results on facts. The pandemic has caused crisis and chaos, leading many to turn to free testing. However, what we do not realize is that this is only free for us. An actual COVID-19 test (whether offered to the public as free or not) can range from $23 to as high as $2,315. This means that the government may be spending as much as $200,000 per 10,000 tests! That is insane, when you think about it, but it is a necessity we truly require. In times like this, we often find ourselves facing political backlash: we blame our choice parties based on what they say, not what they do.
This, again, meshes quite well into the midst of healthcare premiums.
When the government loses that much (and believe us, the government is not in such a high state-of-worth as we may think), we find ourselves lost in the world of health insurance costs. When the government poses that much income toward preventing a pandemic, or rectifying it, they will slowly but surely require additional government funds. This will come from Social Security, Health Care, and the Armed Guards.
So, what do we expect?
There will be a massive increase in health care costs, which is why you need to reach out to us for your benefit. We can choose the right premiums and health care plans for you, just hit that “Contact Us” button and get to work! In the meantime, we end with a discussion: where you may be right now. Like most of the world, we are carrying the weight of many others. Our families, friends and loved ones are at stake, and so is our health care coverage. As businesses open up, they are finding it is harder and harder to appease to government regulations about health insurance.
This is because not many can afford such a luxury, as over 99 percent of companies in the United States are small businesses. These are not ones who can afford high deductibles or offer benefits. Rather, they are restaurants, coffee shops, and so on. With this many people losing insurance, it is time to rally up the troops and see how we can do all of this together as a functioning unit!