With all the emphasis on turning consumers on one another and talking about the costs of covering those with lifestyle issues, age, or chronic disease, with all the new exceptions to coverage, reductions in coverage, why are health services costs and health insurance costs still rising? Why not?
In a profit motivated business, cutting costs increases profits.
After years of weeding out expensive coverages and limiting patient ability to get care, why are health insurers still raising premiums? Because they can.
Until consumers decide on what the LEAST coverage they will accept includes, we will continue to see a worsening of the health services environment.
Preventive care is cheaper, yet with the focus on preventive services, premiums are still going up.
Excluding coverage for a vast variety of medical services and medical products is cheaper, yet the cost of less health insurance coverage has gone up.
The why is only relevant in terms of determining how far the consumer will go in paying for health insurance coverage that has its ideal profits goal of providing nothing, zero, to maximize the profit of premiums.
A little less in-fighting might help consumers address the real issue, health insurance is ONLY reasonable for covering the anticipated costs of needed medical care.
I don't want to pay for anyone's screenings. Health departments can perform this function more efficiently and cheaper than health insurance companies. Line everyone up for their screenings on their birthdays, once a year. Or, have hospitals sell a screening package, make your selection of your screenings and pay a flat fee directly to the hospital. Insurance has no business in covering anticipated finite costs such as preventive care. We are paying PREMIUMS to cover risk and accepting everything BUT improvements in covering RISK is a scam. Get health insurers back into the business of covering the RISK of COST of getting needed medical treatments.
This is a cost-saving option that will occur anyway because the consumer is supporting health insurers who provide less and less coverage for anything at an ever-increasing cost. Think what you will, but note that in an environment that begrudges paying anything as a cut into its profits, everything is up for grabs.
