Consumer Cost-Sharing Increased Modestly in Marketplace Plans

Cost-sharing in health care plans offered in the ACA marketplaces increased modestly between 2015 and 2016, a new Commonwealth Fund–supported study finds. Authors Jon Gabel and colleagues at NORC at the University of Chicago found that cost-sharing increased for out-of-pocket limits, annual deductibles, and certain brand-name drugs. However, copays for primary care office visits remained constant and copays for generic drugs dropped by more than 3 percent. The authors note that future increases are likely to be smaller in marketplace plans than in employer-based insurance because of consumer protections in place in the marketplaces.