Here’s why we need lower drug costs (and how @HillaryClinton can help!)
Hillary will work hard to keep health care costs down for families.
Here’s why we need lower drug costs (and how @HillaryClinton can help!): http://bit.ly/1YDajbG
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/p/briefing/factsheets/2015/09/23/clinton-plan-to-lower-out-of-pocket-health-care-costs/
Factsheets
Hillary Clinton’s Plan for Lowering Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs
Hillary Clinton has defined the central economic challenge of our time as getting incomes rising for hard-working Americans. But for too many, their out-of-pocket medical costs are growing much faster than their wages, meaning too much of their hard-earned take-home pay goes to paying deductibles, copays and coinsurance for medical expenses.
New results from a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released just yesterday found that the average deductible this year is $1,318 for single coverage – and has grown seven times faster than workers’ wages since 2010. The Commonwealth Fund reported that 31 million people face excessive out-of-pocket costs compared to their income, with half of them reporting problems with medical bills or debt, and more than 40 percent reporting not getting needed care because of cost.
While it is true that national health expenditures have grown more modestly in the past few years, and many employers have experienced comparative savings, working Americans have not seen similar savings in their own pockets. Hillary Clinton has a plan to change that. Her plan will build on the Affordable Care Act to reduce cost-sharing for ordinary doctor visits, and create a new tax credit for Americans facing excessive out-of-pocket costs. In combination with new limits on out-of-pocket and drug costs for American families, her plan will make sure that Americans see the out-of-pocket savings they deserve.
Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Hard-Working Americans
Build on the Affordable Care Act and require plans to provide three sick visits without counting toward deductibles every year. The Affordable Care Act required nearly all plans to offer many preventive services, such as blood pressure screening and vaccines, with no cost-sharing at all. But because average deductibles have more than doubled over the past decade, many Americans would have to pay a significant cost out-of-pocket toward their deductible if they get sick and need to see a doctor. Hillary Clinton’s plan will build on the Affordable Care Act by requiring insurers and employers to provide up to three sick visits to a doctor per year without needing to meet the plan’s deductible first. No one should have to worry about paying large out-of-pocket costs when they get sick and need a checkup during the year, whether it’s a common cold or a more harmful illness. A person with private coverage could save over $100 per year.
Provide a new, progressive refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 per family for excessive out-of-pocket costs. For families that still struggle with prescription drug costs even after out-of-pocket limits on drug spending and free primary care visits, Clinton’s plan will provide progressive, targeted new relief. Americans with health coverage will be eligible for a new refundable tax credit of up to $2,500 for an individual, or $5,000 for a family, available to those with substantial out-of-pocket health care costs. The credit will be available to insured Americans with qualifying out-of-pocket health expenses in excess of five percent of their income, and who are not eligible for Medicare or claiming existing deductions for medical costs. This refundable, progressive credit will help middle-class Americans who may not benefit as much from currently-available deductions for medical expenses. This tax cut will be fully paid for by demanding rebates fr
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