4 tips to save as health care costs rise

Co-pays, prescription medications and unexpected medical bills can really add up

Conceptual image of a growth graph of white pills in front of a piggy bank
Employers expect the costs of health care benefits to jump as much as 9% on average in 2025
(Image credit: J Studios / Getty Images)

Open enrollment season — the period that kicks off at the start of November during which you can enroll in, renew or change your health care plan — may serve as an unwelcome reminder of just how costly taking care of yourself can be. From routine costs — like co-pays at doctor's visits, therapy sessions and prescription medications — to unexpected medical bills, health care expenses weigh heavily on many people's budgets. And that expense is about to get even steeper.

"According to surveys by industry groups and benefit consulting firms, employers expect the costs of those benefits to jump as much as 9% on average in 2025, after years of more modest increases," said The New York Times. The semi-good news here is that "workers probably won't be asked to shoulder them all," as "in recent years, employers have assumed much of the cost increases."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Becca Stanek, The Week US

Becca Stanek has worked as an editor and writer in the personal finance space since 2017. She previously served as a deputy editor and later a managing editor overseeing investing and savings content at LendingTree and as an editor at the financial startup SmartAsset, where she focused on retirement- and financial-adviser-related content. Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.