Climb in health care costs putting squeeze on families

DENVER - For living proof that annual deductibles have climbed an average of 29 percent for workers with family coverage, you can scan the bills in Trixie Babcock's folder at home.

Each month, Babcock, 57, pays more than $814 a month on health insurance with a $3,000 deductible.

Her 60-year-old husband recently lost his job and the two went without health insurance for several months after his former employer went bankrupt.

Now the couple is self insured, but cutting back on their grocery bills as the medical bills escalate.

"You're caught, you either pay a high premium or you pay a high deductible or sometimes, in our case you have both," said Babcock.

A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that while annual deductibles for family coverage went up 29 percent, deductibles have increased 21 percent on average for single workers.

Dr. Robert Rifkin, a Denver oncologist, is on the board of the National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Rifkin cites several factors for the price increase.

"It's using drugs, imaging technologies. Many, many layers of bureaucracies to process health care claims," said Rifkin.

Rifkin says prescription drugs that aren't available in generic form are even more expensive, especially as research and development are factored in to the price.

Babcock must take a drug to prevent osteoporosis, but she says health insurance won't cover the $95 bottle, so she goes without it.

"It's almost like you're being taken advantage of. You have to have health insurance, especially at my age, and you have no choice," said Babcock.