Milliman study finds health costs really are increasing

The consulting firm Milliman Inc. found that health care costs for a family of four rose again in 2011.

NPR's Shots blog: You Really Are Paying A Lot More For Health Care
[T]he latest report from the green-eyeshade experts at Milliman does include a few surprises about what is — and isn't — driving [health care] costs higher. ... Last year, health costs rose by 7.3 percent, which is the slowest rate of increase in more than a decade. By comparison, though, the Consumer Price Index rose only about 1.5 percent last year.... So what's driving the increases? Here's a hint: It's not the new federal health law. ... if the law works as intended, costs could go down. If not, they won't. But the law hasn't had much effect yet. So what is making a difference? Outpatient care, it turns out (Rovner, 5/11).

CNN Money: Your Family's Health Care Costs $19,393
Health care costs for a family of four rose again in 2011, with employees paying a much larger share of the rising expenses, according to a new industry report Wednesday. American families who are insured through their jobs average health care costs of $19,393 this year, up 7.3 percent, or $1,319 from last year, according to independent actuarial and health care consulting firm Milliman Inc. More significantly, employers are making workers shoulder an even bigger share of total health care expenses (Kavilanz, 5/11).

The Fiscal Times: Health Care Spending for Vets Largely Immune to Cuts
Members of the military can retire after 20 years with a full pension and heavily subsidized health care for life. It is one of the chief drivers of rapidly rising military health care spending, which has tripled in the past decade to more than $52 billion a year. (Goozner, 5/12).