The Washington Post
September 17, 2003
Health Plan Costs Up 10.6%
By Christopher Lee
Health insurance premiums for federal employees and retirees (under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program) will rise an average of 10.6 percent next year, the fourth consecutive year of double-digit increases, the Bush administration said yesterday.
Kay Cole James, director of the Office of Personnel Management:”This is great news for the federal employees, and we’re excited today on their behalf.”
Alwyn Cassil, spokeswoman for the Center for Studying Health System Change:Although federal workers’ premium increases have been comparatively
smaller,10.6 percent “is still a very high rate of growth. It’s growing much faster than increases in wages, increases in growth of the economy and increases in inflation. That means that more and more money will be coming out of people’s pockets to pay for health care.”
The administration also announced that, for the first time in five years,the government will expand the number of health plan choices under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The program will offer 205 plans nationwide next year, up from 188 in this year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21909-2003Sep16.html Comment: The largest purchaser of health care coverage, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, has not been able to slow the rise in health care costs to anywhere near the rate of inflation. That is not good news.
The fact that more plans wish to participate in the program indicates that our national policies are designed to enhance the business model of private health plans at the cost of higher health care expenses for the employees and their families.
Should we continue with national policies that are designed to protect the health plans of the members of Congress, or should we change to policies that are designed to ensure access to affordable care for everyone?