Over the past few years, consumers have found themselves paying a higher percentage of their medical costs. The Affordable Care Act has given more Americans access to health insurance, but many of those plans come with high deductibles – which are also becoming more common in employer-provided plans. The average deductible for workers with employer-provided health insurance grew from $826 in 2009 to $1,217 in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, with the percentage of insured workers who face a deductible of $1,000 or more growing from 6% in 2006 to 32% in 2014. Plans offered in the ACA exchange have an average deductible of $5,081 for an individual and $10,386 for a family for the bronze plans, the most popular of the four “metal” tiers, according to an analysis by HealthPocket. This change has made it important for consumers to approach medical care as they do other purchases – shopping for not only quality, but also price. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t make that easy. For 12 tips on how to reduce your health care costs, read the full story on our sister site, Living on the Cheap.
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