thinkprogress

Health Reform Isn’t Responsible
For The 9 Percent Increase
In Employer Health Premiums

...
The rest of the rise can be attributed to the usual suspects: the development and dissemination of new technologies and medical services which are often used inefficiently, the aging of the population, unhealthy lifestyles, a growing prevalence of high-cost diseases, lack of information technology, administrative costs and defensive medicine — factors that have increased employer health costs by 9.2 percent in 2005, 11.2 percent in 2004 and 13.9 percent in 2003. Thankfully, the health care law begins to tackle all of these problems through the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), the tax on high-cost plans and delivery reforms that begin to change the provider reimbursement system. [more]