Health Care Costs Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lowering Costs Of Diabetes Treatments, Once Again, A Goal For State Lawmakers

West Virginia legislators are once again hoping to lower healthcare costs for those living with diabetes.

Dem. House Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer and Rep. House Delegate Matthew Rohrbach will sponsor an upcoming bill. If passed, it would limit copays on equipment and supplies at $100, and non-insulin medication at $25 a month. These supplies include insulin pumps and personal glucose testing.

Delegate Rohrbach, who is also a practicing physician, says there are plenty of life-saving tools thanks to new technology.

“We’ve really advanced a tremendous amount, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t have access to this because of the cost,” he said at a virtual press briefing Tuesday.

Last year, lawmakers tackled the cost of insulin, capping it at $100 a month in HB4543. That dollar amount was a compromise between the House and Senate. Delegate Fleischauer is pushing the subject again. The new bill will call for the same $25 a month cap on insulin that she had hoped for last year.

If passed, only those with certain insurance plans would benefit. Anyone with federally managed plans, like Medicaid and Medicare, would not see a difference. The law would apply to public employees and certain people with private insurance.

Health Care Costs Have Risen Across All Sectors of Health Care System

A new study published this month by the National Institute of Health Care Management found that from 2006-2015, out-of-pocket spending on health care increased 24 percent while median personal income increased only 17 percent.

The study tracked health care spending across all sectors of the health care system.

Researchers found that health care costs are on the rise across the country and everyone is bearing the burden, not just patients, but also hospitals and insurance companies.

For instance, private insurance spending increased by 48 percent and Medicaid 72 percent, averaging out to about a 40 percent increase in per capita personal health spending.

Most of the costs are going up because going to the hospital and doctor is more expensive than it used to be. After 2014, prescription drug costs also began to skyrocket contributing to higher health care costs.

But here’s the crazy thing: despite the fact that your out-of-pocket costs have likely risen, the total average percentage you are paying for your health care has fallen on about 3 percent. It’s just that health care is just that much more expensive now.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Survey: W.Va. Home, Long-Term Care Costs Rise

An annual survey shows long-term and home health care costs in West Virginians are outpacing such costs nationally.

The Cost of Care Survey released Monday by Genworth Financial shows the median hourly cost of home health aide services in West Virginia has increased 3.8 percent annually over the past five years. Nationally, the annual increase was 1.3 percent.

West Virginia’s median hourly rate for homemaker services increased 3.6 percent annually during the same period. Nationally, the annual increase was about 1 percent.

The median cost of a private nursing home room increased 5 percent annually in West Virginia, compared to about 4.2 percent nationally.

The annual cost of care in an assisted living facility in West Virginia rose 6.5 percent, compared to 4.3 percent nationally.