The group Citizen Action of Wisconsin reports some major cost-shifting is occurring as Wisconsin consumers face increasing health insurance rates and deductibles.
Executive Director Dr. Robert Kraig notes across the state of Wisconsin, their review saw a 4.2 percent increase in the "Silver Plan" premiums from the Affordable Care Act, which is what he calls the benchmark to base statistical analysis. Kraig says that shows a slowing of premium costs, but he says Wisconsin had the fourth-highest premium cost base in the country. But he says deductible on plans caught their eye...
"....deductibles went up in these plans an average of 40 percent across the state. So that's $1,253 dollars more before insurance actually kicks in for medical spending and costs for a consumer...."
The Citizen Action's Kevin Kane says the costs vary widely from community to community. He says places like Appleton, which saw new insurance plans come into the marketplace had lower costs than places where there were fewer options. One place where costs went down overall was in Rhinelander and Oneida county according to the report. The full report is on the Citizen Action of Wisconsin website.
