Study Shows Healthcare Costs Going Up

This will come as no shock to anyone in Oklahoma, but medical treatment is getting pricier every year and a new study shows patients are carrying a bigger share of the cost.

The new study done by the Journal of American Medical Association found that even people with health insurance pay on average more than $1,000 for a hospital stay.

Researchers say that it's not even from surprise medical bills for expenses insurance refuses to cover. The costs come from the co-pays and deductibles that insurance plans increasingly require.

From 2009 to 2013, the cost of hospital stays grew by 37% from around $750 a stay to just over $1,000. Many doctors say these co-pays and deductibles almost defeat the purpose of having health insurance.

Obamacare originally forced insurers to drop some of these pricey, low-coverage plans, but relented after an outcry from people who said they wanted to keep them.