New Update: Healthcare Costs Increasing by Over 60% in Some States. Will you be impacted?

Palo Alto Networks Employees: Navigating the Rising Costs of College Tuition for Your Family

Healthcare Provider Update: Palo Alto Networks partners with several healthcare providers to enhance theirs cybersecurity measures. They support nine out of the top ten U.S. hospitals and all five of the largest U.S. payors, showcasing their significance in the healthcare cybersecurity domain. Looking ahead to 2026, the landscape for healthcare costs is poised for significant change, with anticipated premium hikes for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. Reports indicate that healthcare insurance premiums could surge by over 60% in certain states due to a combination of factors, including rising medical costs, the potential expiration of enhanced federal subsidies, and aggressive rate increases from major insurers. The loss of subsidies alone could force more than 22 million Americans to face a staggering 75% increase in their out-of-pocket premiums, aggravating an already challenging healthcare environment. Click here to learn more

It doesn’t take a degree in finance to see the cost of college continues to rise.

In its 2017 report, the College Board showed that public four-year institutions raised prices an average of 3.2% annually between the 2007-08 and 2017-18 school years. Put another way, a $5,000 education in 2007-08 would cost $6,851 in 2017-18.

For a few families, the lion’s share of education costs falls on parents and, in some cases, on grandparents. For our Palo Alto Networks clients who are parents you may already know, generally, the majority of families rely on a combination of scholarships, grants, financial aid, part-time jobs, and parent support to help pay the cost.

For Palo Alto Networks employees who have children approaching college age, a good first step is estimating the potential costs. The accompanying worksheet can help you get a better idea about the cost of a four-year college.

For Palo Alto Networks employees who already put money away for college, the worksheet will take that amount into consideration. For Palo Alto Networks employees who haven’t, it’s never too late to start.

Resources

There are a number of resources that can help individuals prepare for college. The U.S. government distributes certain information on colleges and costs. Here are two sites for these Palo Alto Networks employees to consider reviewing:

www.studentaid.ed.gov
The government’s college and financial aid portal.