title: Patient cost sharing: how much is too much?
abstract: Responding to successive years of double-digit health insurance premium increases, employers continue to restructure health benefits to slow the rise in company costs by increasing patients' financial stake in their care. A new Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) study examines how increased patient cost sharing through higher deductibles, copayments and coinsurance raises patients' out-of-pocket costs. Increased patient cost sharing creates more financial burdens for seriously ill and low-income workers. Concerns about financial hardships for seriously ill and low-income workers may limit employers' ability to slow rising premiums through increased patient cost sharing.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trude
mesh_terms: D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States