It’s that time of year again: open enrollment. With it comes a lot of questions: Do I go with an HMO or a PPO? Do I need an FSA or an HSA? What’s my deductible again?

It’s very confusing, but one thing is clear: The cost of your health insurance is likely going up. Premiums are growing whether you get your insurance through work, the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, or Medicare.

Of course, medical insurance has been getting more expensive for years, but KFF chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner told me the problem is now getting worse. “We’ve had bigger inflationary spikes, particularly in the early 2000s, but for the last 15 years or so, health care costs have been rising but not terribly fast,” she said. “They seem to be accelerating again now.”

Why do our premiums keep rising?

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