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A headline article in today’s New York Times entitled No Big Cost Rise in U.S. Premiums Is Seen in Study is very revealing, but fails to tell you who will really pay for this No Big Cost Rise.
For people buying their own insurance, which, includes the unemployed, self employed and uninsured, the article quotes the Congressional Budget Office
“…as a result of the subsidies, it said, most people in the individual insurance market would see their costs decline, compared with the costs expected under current law. The subsidies, a main feature of the bill, would cost the government nearly $450 billion in the next 10 years and would cover nearly two-thirds of premiums for people who receive them.”
It does stand to reason that if you buy a health insurance policy on your own, and some of the payment is subsidized, then your premium will not go up, or may be even be lower. But where will this 450 billion subsidy come from? It can come from printing more money, and it can come from raising taxes (or both).
I believe that the majority of Americans are for some form of medical health coverage for everyone. But let’s not hide the fact that we are all going to pay for it.
I also believe that the best way to decrease the cost of health care is to reduce the need for health care. This is done by paying serious attention to disease prevention and the establishment of healthy lifestyles as the New American Way.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
What really ails us?
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We all know the grim statistics. The four most common causes of death in the US in the last few years have been heart attacks, cancer, stroke and chronic lung disease, accounting for almost two thirds of all deaths, or close to two million deaths last year. Health care expenditure in the US is now over 2.2 trillion dollars a year, approximately $7,400 per person in 2007. The cost is now over 16% of our gross national product, and is expected to rise to 20% within 10 years. The out of pocket cost to you in the form of co-pays, deductibles and non-covered services is also increasing dramatically, from an average of $850 per person 3 years ago to an estimated $1,400 in less than ten years. And in comparison with other industrialized countries, we are losing our edge and are actually lagging by many measurements of health care, such as longevity and infant mortality.
What does all of this mean to you, the health care consumer? As you’ll see, you’ll have to actively participate in your own health care.
We all know the grim statistics. The four most common causes of death in the US in the last few years have been heart attacks, cancer, stroke and chronic lung disease, accounting for almost two thirds of all deaths, or close to two million deaths last year. Health care expenditure in the US is now over 2.2 trillion dollars a year, approximately $7,400 per person in 2007. The cost is now over 16% of our gross national product, and is expected to rise to 20% within 10 years. The out of pocket cost to you in the form of co-pays, deductibles and non-covered services is also increasing dramatically, from an average of $850 per person 3 years ago to an estimated $1,400 in less than ten years. And in comparison with other industrialized countries, we are losing our edge and are actually lagging by many measurements of health care, such as longevity and infant mortality.
What does all of this mean to you, the health care consumer? As you’ll see, you’ll have to actively participate in your own health care.
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