By: Daniel Chang
Most Americans have health coverage through their jobs, but that doesn’t mean they are better off when it comes to spending for their care, according to a five-year analysis of billions of insurance claims by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
In a study published Tuesday, HCCI found that working Americans used less healthcare but paid more for it every year from 2012 to 2016 — mostly due to double-digit price hikes for brand-name prescription drugs, inpatient surgeries and emergency room visits.
The study found that healthcare spending for those with commercial insurance reached a new high of $5,407 per person in 2016.