Healthcare prices are likely to keep increasing next year. As midterm elections approach, candidates are laying out their plans to tackle these growing expenses.
KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner joined WAMU’s Health Hub on Sept. 16 to explain how healthcare could play a critical role in the midterm elections. She said similar cost increases in the early 2000s led to the debate that became the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re seeing people have to pay more in their — not just premiums — but their deductibles, how much they pay before their insurance kicks in, and how much they pay when they go to the doctor,” said Rovner, host of the What the Health? From KFF Health News podcast.
In recent years, it’s not uncommon for healthcare providers to ask for payment upfront.
“Now you get there, and they say, ‘Can we have your credit card?’ before you even get to go in and get your care,” Rovner said.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.