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Overcoming medical/health medical insurance issues
It is time to take the politics out of the equation. Our clientele has a high concentration of physicians, hospitals, systems, medical schools... But, the reality is healthcare insurance is not correctly structured. My new premium for my wife and my self is now $25,000 per year... With a $15K family deductible. OK for our economics but not for the masses. Best. g George Alexander, CFO SWPRE | Chairman SWPRE Philanthropy 713.918.9951 george@swpre.com
7 answers
It's unfortunate, indeed, that high premium and deductible costs make healthcare unaffordable to working citizens. Although they have coverage, high out-of-pocket costs create issues associated with under-insurance. Being caught in the political crossfire, families often have to make tough decisions to obtain healthcare services.
In the USA during the 1990's a single healthy male or female could buy a health insurance plan for about $35 - $100 a month and provide a lot of covered services. Now that obamacare destroyed the best healthcare system that same healthcare plan can cost more than a mortgage payment of $800 - $3,500 per month and be laden with coverages that many people don't need or want. So how can Congress and policy makers rewrite the health care laws and regulations to make healthcare cheaper under $500 per month for a family and under $150 per healthy single person while providing coverages and plan services that people do need and want so that more people can afford to buy it. "Making it mandatory and a criminal offense not to buy it is NOT a valid answer".
An employee who buys Health insurance should be able to be covered in 30 days after full time employment unlike the 1990's where you had to wait 90 days before being eligible. Health insurance should cover all pre-existing medical conditions of the employee and their family and include ambulance and emergency room use and be portable from job to job. Part Timers should be able to buy health insurance after 30 or 60 days of employment depending on the number of weekly hours worked. The plan's coverages should be selected by the individual from a menu of services from the insurance company. This will allow the person to select what he or she wants to include in their plan and not have to pay for services that don't want or need. For example, a male does not need to be covered for OB/GYN services, while a woman does not need vasectomy coverage.
What are your thoughts on making healthcare cheaper?
One thing is severely lacking in the USA's healthcare system is the lack of follow up with patients who are discharged from the hospital. The discharge notes all say the patients needs to call their doctor to follow up about their medical condition. My response is why rely on the patient or their family to only do the follow up? Why can't the hospital do a post discharge phone call to the patient and their family about 3-7 days after their discharge to see how the patient is recovering. The hospital needs to also notify the patients doctor of their discharge so the doctor can contact the patient also. This simple contact method would help to reduce patients from being readmitted within the 30 day window that is the standard measurement for hospitals to record. This could also discover whether the patient is doing better, or getting worse, or following or not following the prescribed medication dosing schedule. This would also reduce healthcare costs in that the patient would not need to be readmitted to the hospital within the 30 day window.
And youre not alone in that situation - affordable or not. Unfortunately politics and apathy have led us for 30+ years to this point. The can has landed, no more kicking down the road.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Health care has not built in incentives to deal with behavioral aspects that receive no compensation/reimbursement in the fee for service (FFS) environment. Now that the market is moving away from FFS to a value based approach, many items and issues are on the table for improvement with a focus on outcomes.
Unfortunately or not, healthcare is primarily an insurance program that is available but not an entitlement. Tough choices are part of life in most countries, hence the societal need for direction.
Pursue Healthy Lifestyles
- Eat less.
- Walk more.
- Avoid moral hazards.
Be healthier and KISS
64 months ago