Posted on 06/08/2005 10:58:34 AM PDT by QQQQQ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health insurance premiums will cost families and employers an extra $922 on average this year to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured, according to a report released on Wednesday. With the added cost, the yearly premiums for a family with coverage through an employer will average $10,979 in 2005, said the report from consumer group Families USA.
By 2010, the additional costs for the uninsured will be $1,502, and total premiums will hit $17,273. In 11 states, the costs of the uninsured will exceed $2,000 per family.
For individuals, the extra charge this year is estimated to be $341 on average, rising to $532 in 2010. Total premium charges for individuals will be $4,065 in 2005, and $6,115 in 2010.
"The stakes are high both for businesses and for workers who do have health insurance because they bear the brunt of costs for the uninsured," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA.
Nearly 48 million Americans will lack health insurance for 2005, the report said.
Uninsured patients pay about one-third of the costs of their care provided by doctors and hospitals, the report said.
The remaining costs -- more $43 billion in 2005 -- are considered "uncompensated care." The government picks up part of the tab and most of the rest is added to insurance premiums for people with health coverage, the report said.
"Ironically, this increases the cost of health insurance and results in fewer people who can afford insurance - a vicious circle," the report said.
The costs for people with insurance vary by state based on a number of variables, including the percentage of uninsured in a state and the amount local, state and federal governments contribute.
The report was based on data from the Census Bureau, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Center for Health Statistics and other sources.
"Here's a unique concept. People pay for their own health insurance."
I agree! When people are forced to foot their own bills, they will be more prudent in their spending. In addition, they will shop for the best value for the least cost.
In addition to your idea, let's add tort reform. Doctors are in the position to over test in order to have documentation for litigation. This must be a major factor in the cost of health care.
There ought to be a guaranteed right to a nutritious balanced diet and a comfortable and safe home (with A/C and a couple of TV's - with cable, of course).
Sorry, but it's a never ending fight with the far left. There are no unmet needs that cannot be stoked into a crisis without a little help from the MSM and their silly skewed push polls. What runs up the costs of health care is third party payments for maintenance visits, well-care, dental cleanings and routine exams. As government becomes more involved in health care, the problems will become more dire and folks will pay ever more for less and less care.
The government has no authority to insure everyone or to require that everyone have insurance. Medical costs began their spiral upward in the era when Medicare started and insurance became near universal. As will inevitably happen, when people no longer paid for health care, they used the system more and more, pushing costs upwards. We would have been far better off with a pay as you go system, but that ship has sailed.
What now? 1) Send illegals back with only enough care to ensure that they survive, but deport every illegal who turns up in one of our hospitals. 2) Provide only minimal care to the uninsured. 3) Let people know the real cost, not the cost after insurance, of their health care. Let them know what they are paying for the uninsured. Let them know what they are paying for illegals.
Above all, we cannot become Canada.
This is another thing forcing the cost up. Other than people covered through an employer, most of the others who pay for insurance do so because they really need it. So the risk isn't spread out across healthy and non-healthy populations like it would be if everyone had it.
LQ
I agree. If you pay, you're not a deadbeat.
Did I say something different?
Don't be gullible. We were told the same about auto insurance in California. We were told that insurance rates would go down if we passed the mandatory insurance law. We passed it. They lied. Insurance went up the instant it became law.
...
If a family is making 18k or even 50k, I could see the family foregoing on health insurance and just staying healthy.
My definition of indentured servitude would be paying off your debt by working for the guy.
DH is 65, and I am 62. Income is declining. We have been gainfully self-employed since 1972. He is now starting to collect Social Security, but we have been advised to keep up our individual policies, which are "group" rates.
Our health insurance is now costing us close to $10,000 a year. Yet, some docs will not accept his more expensive policy.
What do we do?
Around 1900, America had charity hospitals, poor houses where the indigent and down-on-their-luck lived and industries for the blind and disabled. They were paid for by charitable contributions from local citizens.
I'd guess with all the regulations, high taxes and liberals, such institutions would be impossible today.
......Typically, very few companies buy into that kind of age bracket plan for their employees for that very reason,....
Basically, I disagree with that assessment as:
Anytime an employer shops for health insurance, the potential carrier requires an employee "population analysis", and the ok of the current carrier to release the overall claim experience history of the current group. So, while the individuals in the plan don't pay differing premiums based on age, the company is assessed premium charges based on the employee/family population.
My recent employer recently went to a plan where the employer agrees to pick up the first $1,000 of annual employee/family medical bills, and once the family bills exceeded $1,000, the insurance company kicks in. The employer cut the annual premium per family by $1,300, and based on prior claim experience, the potential savings could be up to 60% of the old annual premium.
Significant!
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