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Health care costs are expected to increase by 10.6% into side by side year, the smallest increase in six years, according to a report by Aon Consulting Worldwide, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports. For the report, study managing director Bill Sharon, a senior vice president of the United States at Aon, and colleagues surveyed nigh 70 U.S. health insurers regarding their 12-month evaluation periods origin this twelvemonth between April and September. According to the AP/Sun, costs go along to rise to maintain pace with increasing affected role demand for services, necessities for an aging U.S. population and higher prescription drug and technology costs.
The 10.6% projection is slightly smaller than Aon's 2007 forecast of 10.9% and is far lower than 2002 estimates of more than 16% (AP/Baltimore Sun, 8/12). However, the health care growth rate inactive outstrips the national rate of inflation, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Aon officials aforesaid that employers could reduce the increment rate of their wellness care costs by three to four percentage points by instituting cost containment strategies, such as health and disease management programs (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/12).
According to the AP/Sun, experts aver the written report indicates that nationwide efforts to reduce health costs have been effective. Sharon said that employer health programs stimulate helped reduce health care cost increment. In addition, he aforesaid that efforts by health care providers also have contributed to curbing growth. Robert Zirkelbach of America's Health Insurance Plans aforesaid that health insurers have contributed by enacting disease management programs and encouraging plan enrollees to manipulation generic drugs instead of more expensive, brand-name drugs.
Health care monetary value growth has declined each year since 2002, according to Aon forecasts. However, Sharon said that the reductions in growth make gotten littler each twelvemonth, signaling that current cost-containment strategies are reaching their maximum potential (AP/Baltimore Sun, 8/12).
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