Caused By Obamacare? Healthcare Costs Rising.

Health care is clearly a hot button issue in upcoming elections but putting politics aside what is really going on with health care costs. Bloomberg reporter -- and he -- and looking at the latest... See More

Health care is clearly a hot button issue in upcoming elections but putting politics aside what is really going on with health care costs. Bloomberg reporter -- and he -- and looking at the latest numbers joins us now to help us out -- for being with us I think it. So -- there's a new study out big new study about health care costs what's going on what's the change. Well if you have pay for health care of youth helping probably noticed this over the past few years the average cost for family health insurance plan. Is now 151700. Dollars while a year. An -- even individual plan 5600. Dollars but how much it's costing a year and that's what employers are -- You an individual and you went out your own health care plan will cost you even more. And at highest that number sounds that actually even higher than last year price has gone up for a health insurance plan by 4%. Double the rate of inflation -- how much the price has gone up to pay for health insurance now health care costs have been rising faster than inflation for a long time though right is that is 4% is that a big deal is that a big chains say this is actually a slowdown from where they were increasing in 2010 Chrysler at about 89% for health insurance plans is slowing but. I don't necessarily a good thing because really that means is that fewer people are using health care services that cutting back to save money and that's bad economy. People are putting up electric elective procedures things -- hip replacement -- knee replacement there. Using generic drugs -- -- brand name drugs and I'm going to the doctor to get something -- -- -- -- drugs -- -- exactly -- because -- -- -- have to -- -- health care costs because everyone's budgets -- these -- employers picking -- any -- -- higher costs -- -- just passing on to their employees it's being passed -- to -- employ more and more people are -- a bigger share of their paycheck go. To pay their health care and the biggest burden is being -- by these low income workers of this study found that. Low income workers people making around 25000. The year or less they have to pay a thousand dollars more to their health care and higher income workers. The lower income workers double whammy frightened about 5000 dollars -- a year comes out of their paycheck. To pay for the health care costs were about 4004. Higher cost for higher wage workers but it it is really everyone who's having to bear more of a -- and one in three Americans now. They have to pay a 1000 dollar deductible for their health care back in 2006 and just one in ten -- more and more people having to pay these big high deductibles. Because employers don't want to bear the cost of passing analog -- -- bigger deductibles bigger bigger checks up front to pay for health care. And employers doing last hoping that forget that the and -- and -- -- -- -- a number of CEOs have said that they would be increasing wages more. If it wasn't of these big health care costs. A lot of companies have one -- that they pay for all their their payroll and benefits and pensions out of and if that health care piece of the pie -- increasing more. They can't increase in wages as much as they would like to them even if you're not paying more for your health care your wages in your salary might be increasing as much. Because your employers having to. Take on more and more health care cost right right so be stealing from Peter to pay Paul or not -- -- as a case in fact they -- he. What are some of the ways that employers are are passing these costs on some employers are trying to keep. Their employees are trying to control costs -- keeping employees healthy doing more preventative things oh weight loss workout programs around the office. Other employers though they're just making the employee pay for more higher deductibles. Higher co pay the employee has to pay for more of the premium. And part of that idea is not only to simply have to pick up more of the tab but. If you have more you have to pay for out of pocket maybe you can be less likely go to the doctor to get expensive surgery to use things it's out of it. Different two front attack so are there any incentives for employers to be offering some of these incentives to their employees to get it cheaper gym membership or to work out or or nutritional counseling and -- that. They absolutely are there are a lot of players that self insured meaning they are the ones who pay for their health insurance you know. Pretty much any major company. They are paying for all of the health care costs of their place so -- making keep an employee out of the emergency -- they can keep them from getting diabetes high cholesterol having a heart attack. He's really expensive things that they can prevent those. And -- yet the employer is going to be the one saving money is there is a very direct benefit between how they are pleased at how much you pay for right. Right it's just common sense at that point sounds like. -- so we said politics aside but clearly there are politics involved with health care especially in this election. So Mitt Romney says if he's elected he is going to repeal the president's new health care law. Is that really the possible. Probably not some first thought he would need sixty. Votes in senate's bill to get past the filibuster -- superiority that hold lost so. It doesn't look like he is gonna have the power in congress be able to actually been repealed this -- despite what he's saying. And just last week and he came around so that there's some parts of this -- that he would like. To keep up for example the part of a law that gives coverage to people with preexisting conditions. Although he put in some caveats there about how you'd have to be continuously insured. To be able to get covered for the preexisting conditions so. He hasn't really laid out a plan for what he is going to replace Obama health reform law with if he could but. Everybody in the -- -- industry. Of the health care industry is preparing to. Carry out this law that's going forward no one expects the -- go anywhere now -- -- the Supreme Court. They expect even with the president Romney that this law is -- -- a lot of landed is going to continue going forward OK no turning back. -- pay -- -- blogger thanks so much.