Insurance Information

Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?


Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the specific factors driving the cost of healthcare.

These factors include: general inflation, advances in drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and doctor expenses, government mandates, increased consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting.

The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the cost of insurance does not exist because the real difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare.

I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare related expenses result from preventable conditions. These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices everyday that eventually increase our demand for healthcare. We are never going to be able to totally eliminate all lifestyle related healthcare costs. However, improved lifestyle choices would cause a dramatic reduction in demand. This would then result in a similar reduction in the dollars spent on healthcare.

Lower demand for healthcare would result in lower health insurance costs, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. If your organization has not done so already, your organizational leaders need to seriously consider the benefits of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Your return on investment will most likely be as high as 2:1 in the first year.

Michael Ertel is the President of Ertel & Company, Inc. and has over 15 years of experience in the health insurance business. He is the founder of MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is an internet based service that assists individuals, families, and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives and the convenience of applying for health coverage online.


MORE RESOURCES:


New York Daily News

Health Insurance Costs Rising
Coosa Valley News
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust, employers are holding down their health insurance costs ...
Workers are paying more for health insuranceNorthJersey.com
Price of health insurance didn't rise much in 2009, but workers' burden didPhiladelphia Inquirer
Employees' insurance burden up more than ratesColumbus Dispatch
Kansas City Star -Florida Trend -Superior Telegram
all 555 news articles »


American Equity Announces Revised Presentation Time for Keefe, Bruyette ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... Bruyette & Woods Insurance Conference in New York, NY. John Matovina, Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman and Jeff Lorenzen, Senior Vice President ...
Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. to Present at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods ...MarketWatch (press release)
Allied World to Present at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 2010 Insurance ConferencePR Newswire (press release)
Tower Group, Inc. to Present at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Insurance ConferenceInsurance News Net (press release)
Insurance News Net (press release) -Centre Daily Times
all 79 news articles »


Providence Business News

Allstate report: Seattle is full of bad drivers
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
The Seattle Weekly reports the Allstate insurance company released its "Best Drivers" report for 2010, and Seattle ranks 128th on the list. ...
PhillyInc: Philadelphia near the bottom in Allstate's rankings of safe-driver ...Philadelphia Inquirer
Good Job to Boise driversKBOI
Report says local city has nation's safest drivers9NEWS.com
Tbo.com -Denver Business Journal
all 188 news articles »



Insurance agent to refund $66500 to Miss. farmers
BusinessWeek
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says his office has reached an agreement with an agent to refund $66500 in policy fees to poultry farmers. ...

and more »


msnbc.com

Nationwide to sponsor Memorial Tournament
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Dublin, OH (Sports Network) - Nationwide Insurance has committed to a six-year deal to become the presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament ...
Nationwide will end golf tour sponsorship in 2012The Associated Press
Nationwide Insurance Introduced as Presenting Sponsor of the Memorial TournamentNewsBlaze
Nationwide will end golf tour sponsorship in 2012The Associated Press
Columbus Local News (registration) -Golf Channel -UPI.com
all 217 news articles »


MGIC added $1.2B in mortgage coverage in August
The Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — Private mortgage insurer Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. said Friday it added $1.2 billion in new primary insurance coverage in August and ...
Notable Insurance Stocks (ABK, PMI, RDN, MTG)Newsworthy Stocks (blog)
MGIC Releases Monthly Operating StatisticsPR Newswire (press release)

all 90 news articles »


Reuters India

Utah ranks 50th in having kids insured
Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah ranks 50th in the nation when it comes to getting children into health insurance coverage programs, according to an Urban ...
Health care program aims to cover uninsured childrenDetroit Free Press
Participation In Children's Health Insurance Program Varies Widely Across CountryKaiser Health News
Pressure on to enroll eligible children in MedicaidUSInsurance Online.com
ModernHealthcare.com -California Healthline -Health Affairs (blog)
all 44 news articles »


Sword Insurance relocates Boston office
Boston Globe
Sword Insurance said it has relocated its Boston office, which serves as the company's North American headquarters, to larger space at 51 Sleeper St. ...

and more »

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