In addition to more expensive deductibles for bronze plans, the survey found that other costs not included in monthly premiums will be higher as well. Doctor co-pays average $41 per office visit, 46 percent more than today’s standard. Generic- drug co-pays are 73 percent higher.
Narrow Networks
Bronze policies also keep premiums low by restricting coverage to a narrow network of providers. That means a patient’s costs may be even higher if that person needs to visit an out-of-network specialist or hospital.
“It’s a challenge we are seeing for some folks, how to afford that,” said Samuel Chu, the chairman of OneLA, a Los Angeles-based community group seeking to enroll people in California’s health exchange. “Their initial reaction is going to be, ‘How come my insurance coverage is getting worse?’”
Consumers should view the health-care overhaul as an unfinished project, he said.
“I’ve always thought of the Affordable Care Act as being a first step,” Chu said in a telephone interview. “It’s not going to finish the job. If the goal is we ultimately want everyone to have accessible and affordable coverage, then we need to somehow find another way of getting there.”