The national health care expenditure reached nearly $3 trillion in 2012 up from $2.6 trillion in 2010. The staggering figure, predicted to reach $4.6 trillion by 2020, has captured the awareness of the entire nation. The increase in health care expenses to-date has resulted in the first true health care reform policy seen in our countrys history and has caused significant employer benefit cost pressures, dramatically heightening consumer awareness around health care spending.
Because of these combined forces, consumers are now absorbing a greater share of their health care expenses. As a result, the shift in financial responsibility has led to the early stages of a more consumer-driven health care environment where consumers are encouraged to make smarter, more cost-conscious health care decisions using their own money.
