Follow the Leader? Will UC Follow CalPERS on Health Costs?

From the Sacramento Bee: The California Public Employees' Retirement System plans to raise health care premiums to its members by an average of nearly 10 percent next year, one of the biggest increases in recent years. The increase of 9.6 percent would be more than twice as big as the rate hike that took effect for this year. It would have significant implications for health care affordability in California and beyond. CalPERS is a major purchaser of health insurance; it covers nearly 1.3 million public employees, retirees and their family members…

"Wow - that's pretty high," said Joanne Spetz, an expert on health care finance at the University of California, San Francisco. She said CalPERS has substantial influence on the health care marketplace, and a 9.6 percent increase suggests price inflation is taking off again. CalPERS raised rates just 4.1 percent for this year, less than half as much. "They tend to push back (on insurers), so if they accepted it, that kind of sets the tone for what the rest of us can expect…"

Full story at: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/12/4557662/calpers-to-raise-health-care-premiums.html

Best advice: Don't get sick: