The health insurance industry has seen many changes over the past decade. For example, the cost of employer offered health care premiums has increased 131%. In 2009 the cost of health care in the United States was 2.6 trillion dollars. Employees of small businesses in the US can expect to pay over $1,000 annually for their health insurance benefits.
In the last five years many companies have started screening potential employees for health risks prior to hire. People who smoke may not get job offers as readily as non-smokers. This is because insuring a smoker costs more money.
Many businesses have had health and wellness programs in place for several years. Until recently these programs were optional and normally offered an incentive such as a monetary gift included in the employee’s paycheck for participation. In recent years these programs have become mandatory. Employees must participate and their level of health determines their health insurance costs.
For example, an employee who smokes and is overweight will have to pay exponentially more for their health insurance than a person who is physically fit with an optimal BMI and doesn’t smoke. These group ‘physicals’ are completed each year and are completed solely to determine the cost of healthcare for employees.
Health insurance companies have set strict limits for the amount they are willing to pay doctors and hospitals for managed care. The doctor and hospital are supposed to ‘write off’ the additional charges but many times end up charging the patient for the difference. The reason for this vast difference between insurance company allowances and doctor’s charges can be attributed to the cost of healthcare. The price of healthcare is increasing faster than the cost of living increases a person gets at work. These increases mean hospitals are going to have to charge more in order to make money. Insurance companies are going to have to set strict standards in order to make money.
The bottom line, it’s all about money. Healthcare is no longer about the patient. This has become a battle to make money and stay in business. Patients are being released from the hospital too soon. Doctors are charging so much that a person without health insurance cannot afford to visit the doctor for a routine checkup. Other people visit the emergency room rather than going to the doctor and then allow their hospital bill to go to collections. This drives the cost of hospital care up even further. While perhaps doctors and health care professionals can pretend they don’t see this, you know it must be somehow plaguing their subliminal mind as well. After all, everyone has a conscious it’s just up to them whether they listen to it or not.
Healthcare costs in the last five years have spiraled out of control. It appears there’s nothing the public can do but continue to work in order to pay the outrageous premiums that offer minimal coverage if and when it’s needed.
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