Basically everybody has been affected by the high costs of healthcare at some point in their lifetime, and for many, not much changed when Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) came to be. People are talking about this hot-button topic more than they ever have before, thanks to the 2016 presidential candidates responses to the insane Daraprim price hike.
According to an article on Kaiser Health News, chronically ill patients are paying more with their Obamacare plan than they ever did with employer coverage—some plans’ chronic drug costs are even twice as much.
Seriously!?
Patients who suffer from chronic conditions—like asthma or diabetes—are paying, on average, more than $600 out-of-pocket for prescription costs. That’s compared to the $304-average that people under employer coverage pay.
So, naturally, the question on everybody’s mind is: why?
Well, people on Obamacare plans typically require a deductible before insurance comes into play. That’s quite different than employer-sponsored plans, which usually don’t need a deductible for prescribed medication. However, many employer plans do have nasty co-pays.
So, to keep monthly premium costs at a minimum, many health plans are letting consumers foot the bill for drug costs. Premium costs remain low because chronically ill patients need to continue renewing and refilling their prescriptions instead of neglecting them and winding up in the hospital.
Granted, other experts also acknowledge that while employer plans usually offer more generous benefits, employer plans also have higher premiums.
We tried to provide some tips to help cut those drug costs, but ultimately it goes up to the heads of Washington to make the real changes.
