RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR of the Associated Press says in a recent article that there’s good news for most companies that provide health benefits for their employees: Reports indicate that America’s slowdown in medical costs may be turning into a trend, rather than a mere pause.
Four Reasons For The Overall Price Drop In health Care
1. “Patients seeking more affordable routine services in settings like clinics springing up in retail stores, as opposed to a doctor’s office or the emergency room.”
2. “Major employers contracting directly with hospital systems that have a proven record for complicated procedures such as heart surgery and certain back operations.”
3. “The government ramping up penalties on hospitals that have too many patients coming back with problems soon after being discharged.”
4. “Employers’ ongoing effort to shift more costs to workers through higher annual deductibles, the amount people must pay each year before insurance picks up.”
This last bullet is troubling. In fact, the savings is literally at the expense of working citizens. In time, this type of report needs to include a fifth factor—direct care. And while Atlas MD is not set up to onboard a whole company today, we are making a tool called atlas.md that could set up some entrepreneurial doctors for success—by offering comprehensive, affordable, 24/7 primary care to a small to mid-sized company. Of course, we’ll need the help of insurance agencies that can offer reasonably priced, wrap-around coverage, too. But trust us, this conversation is happening. Seriously, there’s money in fairly insuring healthy people, who proactively manage their health, and avoid serious complications in the long run.
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Report: Slowdown in health care costs to continue | AP