  
	
  
Tracking Health Care Costs:
An Update
July/August 1997 
Health Affairs, vol.16, no.4 (July/August 1997): 151-155 
 Paul B. Ginsburg, Jeremy D. Pickreign 
 
 
 his article challenges contemporary predictions of an imminent
    increase in the rate of increase in health care costs. Premium increases for private
    health insurance continue to decline, and the rate does not vary greatly by type of health
    plan. The low increase for conventional plans is puzzling, due possibly to spillover
    effects from managed care and other factors. Insurers profit margins are dropping, a
    reflection perhaps of intense competition. Lower rates of premium increases have had
    limited benefits for employees because they have been required to contribute a greater
    share of the premiums, especially for conventional plans.  
 Free access to this article is available at the Health 
  Affairs Web site. 
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