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Uninsured add $900 to health premiums-study (will be $1,500 in 5 years)
Reuters ^ | June 8, 2005 | Reuters

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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: health; illegals; immigration; insurance; uninsured
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To: sf4dubya

sounds good, sf4. The problem is that we are close to a border between two states. The closest best hospital is in the "other" state. He needs two specialists, one for Parkinson's, one for Adrenal hyper-aldosteronism. One in our state, one in the other.

The local yokels are worthless. I kinda think we should move 17 hours away to live near our son in Minnesota, where the libs would make sure we get "care".

He loves it here. Maybe we should just chuck it all, and die when God calls us home, and not bother with the medical system.


61 posted on 06/08/2005 12:14:18 PM PDT by jacquej
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To: jacquej
I am not sure what you mean by insurance costing you $10,000 a year (out-of-pocket?) or your specific circumstances (assuming this is a real question), but here are some general suggestions:

1) Call your plan and find out which Drs. take your insurance; or, ask your doctor why he doesn't.
2) DH is eligible for Medicare as will you in 3 years (almost all Drs. are compelled to accept it), drop his(?) coverage and use the premium savings for Medigap insurance with an Rx benefit.
3) See if your employer, social organizations, or financial institutions offer health savings or medical savings accounts through an authorized health plan.

Just some suggestions.
62 posted on 06/08/2005 12:18:07 PM PDT by Dr. Free Market (Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.)
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Comment #63 Removed by Moderator

To: joshhiggins

"Medicare and Medicaid are notorious for paying less than the true cost of service"

These two LBJ social programs are the reason for our health insurance mess. Insurance companies base what they pay on what Medicare/Medicaid will reimburse and the doctors, hospitals, et al. have to eat the rest. Thanks, Great Society!


64 posted on 06/08/2005 12:23:58 PM PDT by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: QQQQQ
Well, what is the solution?

Hillary Health Care!

The MSM is creating "news" stories directly from hillary's press releases.

65 posted on 06/08/2005 12:24:33 PM PDT by montag813
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Comment #66 Removed by Moderator

To: ImpotentRage

The states make auto insurance mandatory. Why can't they do the same for Health insurance?


67 posted on 06/08/2005 12:40:18 PM PDT by hubbubhubbub
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To: QQQQQ
These numbers ring true for me--

Cost-shifting, IMO, was an effective way for the medical system to cover the care of paupers. But as medical care costs rise, it will become untenable.

One thing that is tough to face for the resentful public is that their medical care is far better than it used to be--the treatments are much more effective. Just look at survival rates for cancers, and the reduction of the crippling effects of heart disease. More and more surgery is handled by nifty little miniature gadgets that make for smaller incisions and quicker healing times.

In short--it gets better and better, and more and more expensive.

Medical care is unique among consumer goods in that the consumer has no choices as per quality. That is--you can buy an old clunker to drive, or you can choose to buy a sleek upper-end Mercedes. But in medical care, you can only buy the Mercedes. There is only one kind of medical care available--the newest, brightest and best.

You did not mention the huge costs we incur in supporting the lawyer class--not just in legal fees and settlements, but in the defensiveness of hospital administrations. They sure won't risk buying anything but the Mercedes, even when the old clunker would do just fine!! It's a matter of demonstrating "good faith" in court. There are many older treatments that could be used to save costs that would not result in poorer quality, just less sparkle and whizzbang.

In short, provide a legal safe harbor for cost-consciousness.

68 posted on 06/08/2005 12:43:17 PM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: mariabush
Are you aware that there is an enormous class-action out there to ruin hospitals for merely billing the uninsured for care? The theory behind this devastating legal action is that because hospitals negotiate with insurance companies, they are overbilling the uninsured. Rather ignores the fact that hospitals negotiate with the uninsured every day--even mostly forgiving a large debt as long as token payments are made regularly.

link

69 posted on 06/08/2005 12:48:23 PM PDT by Mamzelle
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Comment #70 Removed by Moderator

To: Mamzelle
Very good points. You hit on one of my pet peeves though... definitions:

Efficacy= better than nothing
Effectiveness= better than what is already available
Quality= meeting expectations
Value= Quality/Cost

Healthcare in the U.S. has high Quality, but poor value. Using such outcome measures as survival rates gives evidence of effectiveness, possibly quality, but not necessarily value.
71 posted on 06/08/2005 12:56:21 PM PDT by Dr. Free Market (Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.)
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To: QQQQQ
"If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's 'free'"- PJ O'Rourke
72 posted on 06/08/2005 12:59:43 PM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been ok'ed me to included some fully orbed hyperbole....)
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To: Cicero

"We owe a lot of this to the tort lawyers. Set some limits on them and a lot of hospital expenses could be slashed."

From an article by Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.): Since 1986, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) has required emergency rooms to provide care to people regardless of their ability to pay. There is no federal reimbursement for EMTALA treatment. The cost is imposed on the hospitals and doctors that provide the services. It is also imposed on all Americans in the form of higher healthcare and insurance costs.

Inviting as it may be to some to blame tort lawyers for everything, the villian in this tale is the usual suspect: the socialistic government in D.C. that we keep in power. We already have national healthcare for the "poor" and the "aged". Everyone else is carrying the load. You can see this when you get your hospital bill and you have been charged $50.00 for a box of Kleenex in your room. The solution is to get the government out of health care. But that would mean the loss of a lot of votes for our legislators who buy votes with our tax dollars and it is also opposed by most of the medical establishment. (It's true that the medical groups want the government not to tell them how to run their practice, but they're all for the federal dollars that flow into the system from Medicare, Medicaid, etc. They just want the reimbursement rates increased.)


73 posted on 06/08/2005 1:01:33 PM PDT by reelfoot
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To: sf4dubya

Using the numbers in this article we are getting a bargain wth 44 million uninsured only costing $48b/yr. If health insurance costs $4,000/yr/person, that would be $200b/yr. :)


74 posted on 06/08/2005 1:02:22 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (.)
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To: ClaireSolt

Beautiful!!! That's what the response should be.


75 posted on 06/08/2005 1:20:26 PM PDT by Dr. Free Market (Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.)
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To: reelfoot

Medicare and Medicaid are the worst plans available. If the ~$600 billion spent by them were transferred to the private sector via a voucher system, much better coverage could be provided universally. I am not opposed to universal coverage per se, just government-run universal coverage.


76 posted on 06/08/2005 1:26:40 PM PDT by Dr. Free Market (Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.)
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To: Yo-Yo

My COBRA insurance from my last job will soon expire. I have not been able to get a job since, and I can't figure out why. I suspect it is due to age. I've even applied to HomeDepot and followed up with no response.

The only way my wife and I can get affordable insurance is for one of us to have a regular job. This has not worked out. The catastrophic insurance available from the state (IL) will cost us $1100 per month and $5,000 deductible- which is unaffordable.

I fear we will soon enter the ranks of the uninsured until I reach 65 in seven years.

Pray for good health and don't get old !!


77 posted on 06/08/2005 1:31:17 PM PDT by BigOrangeI
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To: Mamzelle
No I wasn't aware of the suit. Dr's and hospital's have been over backwards to help me when I needed it, but I have always paid the bill in full. May take awhile, but I get it done. BYW not having insurance is a great incentive to stay healthy.
78 posted on 06/08/2005 2:08:52 PM PDT by Coldwater Creek ('We voted like we prayed")
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To: skip_intro
Well I thought that you were implying that people that did not purchase insurance were deadbeats.
79 posted on 06/08/2005 2:10:07 PM PDT by Coldwater Creek ('We voted like we prayed")
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To: QQQQQ
Well, what is the solution?

Vicious circle:

The higher the cost of insurance, the more people who drop it.

And the more people who drop out, the higher the cost of insurance

To stop it, insurance premiums could be indexed to income . . . .

Or an income tax rebate/deduction geared to insurance payments and family income.

That would enable more people to afford it, stop the vicious circle, and possibly even bring the rates down.

80 posted on 06/08/2005 2:21:58 PM PDT by Age of Reason
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