Even workers with good health insurance struggle with high costs : NPR

Key Points:

• Joseph Babbitt, a senior financial controller in Missouri, benefits from an employer that covers most or all health insurance premiums, yet still faces high out-of-pocket costs due to increasing deductibles, which have risen from a few hundred dollars in the 1990s to around $5,000 today.
• According to a KFF survey, the average annual health insurance premium for a family of four in the U.S. is now $28,000, comparable to the cost of a new car, with workers paying about $7,000 of that amount, and premiums growing at a modest 5% rate, roughly matching inflation and wage growth.
• Despite slower premium growth, workers are experiencing a 9% increase in their share of premium costs, raising concerns about affordability as many commit a substantial portion of their income to health insurance.
• A Commonwealth Fund report highlights that 43% of workers with health benefits avoided medical care due to cost, and 31% incurred medical debt, while the overall uninsured rate has risen due to the expiration of federal subsidies and Medicaid coverage losses after the pandemic emergency.
• Millions have already lost health coverage through Medicaid or ACA marketplaces, with further losses expected as new work requirements take effect, prompting calls for policy solutions to address both rising costs and coverage gaps.