Haven't noticed private insurance getting any cheaper.. What should happen is that people should be paying for their care outright... and buy insurance only for truly catastrophic occurances, say, for costs over $10,000.
I'm on a plan that my employer is now covering.. one medication i was taking became an "over-the-counter" drug. Rather than just paying the $30 for a monthly dose, my doctor suggested a new drug (not a better one) that I could get covered with insurance - and only pay $14. The insurance would pay the $106... to save me $16! 100% coverage COMPLETELY distorts the market...
Oregon is doing one better, converting an OTC cold medicine to prescription. The government will now pay for the drug which will be turned into meth instead of the druggy having to buy it out of pocket. There will be an additional doctor bill to get the Rx that the government will be picking up.
Oregon, things look different here. We're not only corrupt, we're stupid.
There was a time when a person could afford a trip to emergency or even a day or two in the hospital. Not any more. Thievery at hospitals has truly become an art. This is an area in need of serious reform. Most people never see it because insurance and Medicaid hide the costs and spreads it out over many.