A new study shows that after years of modestly-growing premiums, 2017 brought a sharp price hike – increasing the economic strain on many Americans.

A new study shows that after years of modestly-growing premiums, 2017 brought a sharp price hike – increasing the economic strain on many Americans.

The study from The Commonwealth Fund shows that, beginning in 2017, employees started to spend a larger percentage of their income on employer-sponsored healthcare. For example, the 2017 average employee premium contribution for single and family health plans consumed nearly seven percent of median income, while wages remained fairly stagnant. From 2016 to 2017, median wages grew only 0.2 percent. 

Across the nation employee contributions vary greatly but, between 2016 and 2017, the average employee premium contribution rose 6.8 percent for individual plans and 5.3 percent for family plans. For single policy holders, the lowest deductible was found in Hawaii at $836 while the highest was tied between Maine and New Hampshire around $2,300.  

These facts and figures led Sara Collins, Vice President of Health Care Coverage and Access at The Commonwealth Fund, to predict, “People with low and moderate incomes may simply decide to go without insurance if it competes with other critical living expenses like housing, food and education.” 

With these startling statistics, how can producers provide benefits that promote affordable and convenient healthcare for employees across the nation? The answer is simple: it’s time to get creative with your portfolio and smart about which products and services you promote to clients. Research services that provide a return on investment. For example, Direct Primary Care (DPC) through Healthcare2U is a monthly membership that shields an employer’s health plan from claims, containing healthcare spend. 

As a membership, Heathcare2U empowers employers by offloading claims from their health plan towards DPC services within Healthcare2U clinics, such as: unlimited primary care, same or next-day treatment for acute illnesses, and unlimited chronic disease management. With the nation’s fastest-growing, integrated DPC network, members are encouraged to build positive patient-physician relationships to offset future healthcare costs for both the member and their employer.