Healthcare spending grew to $3.4 trillion in 2016 and is expected to reach $5.5 trillion by the year 2025 according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Much of this growth has been and continues to be spurred by increasing consumer responsibility in the industry.For healthcare services, payment responsibility has increased in part due to the growth of high deductible health plans. In 2010, 10 million consumers were enrolled in high deductible health plans (AHIP) less than a decade later, 75 million consumers are now enrolled in HDHPs, more than seven-fold increase.Consumers are paying more for health plan premiums too. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, premiums for plans available to consumers via HealthCare.gov increased by an average of 22 percent in 2017.Despite increases in payment responsibility, many in the industry are slow to acknowledge or encourage the new role of consumers as key stakeholders in the payment process. Instead, consumers are often left confused and frustrated by outdated billing methods and limited payment options.

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