Welcome To The Rate Wars

I think it was inevitable. The squeeze on rising health and human service costs is affecting every stakeholder—payers, health plans, provider organizations, professionals, and consumers. The reporting of aggregate costs is interesting. Having annual cost increases that are above the national inflation rate, and above the growth of the economy, are common. For example, we have reported that long-term care costs have risen an average of 4.5% between 2016 and 2017, or three times the 1.7% rate of inflation in the United States (see Long-Term Care Costs Rise 4.5% Between 2016 & 2017). And . . .