As GiveForward's Ethan Austin was quoted as saying in the news release, "There is a huge gap in this country between what insurance covers and what people are expected to pay when they get sick."
The release also cited the results of a study last year by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which showed that 50 percent of Americans would have a hard time coping with a $2,000 expense, such as a medical copayment. Most high deductible plans have at least a $2,000 annual deductible. Some family plans now have deductibles as high as $50,000, although plans with such sky-high deductibles will be outlawed in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. While the law will cap the amount of money Americans will have to spend out of their own pockets, it will not halt the trend toward "consumer-driven" care.
As more people are moved into these kinds of plans, GiveForward undoubtedly will become even more essential than it is today. Which speaks volumes about the state of the U.S. health care system.
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