Is Your Insurance HEALTHY? by Irina

Is Your Insurance HEALTHY?

By Irina

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The author grants permission to publish this article, in

its entirety, electronically or in print, as long as the

bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication

(or, at least, an e-mail notification) sent to

irbonness@ureach.com will be appreciated.

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Five years ago, average health insurance premium was equivalent

of a car payment, now it's more like a mortgage. More and more

people are faced with a tough choice: indefinitely postpone their

next visit to the doctor or start depleting retirement savings in

order to pay medical bills.

There should be a better way to keep our families healthy...

Let's begin with terminology. The generally accepted definition

of an "insurable event" - be it a traffic accident, a house fire,

or an earthquake - is something that

(a) comes without warning;

(b) is very unlikely to happen and

(c) is definitely undesirable.

Now try to apply this definition to any routine health

maintenance event like teeth cleaning or annual physical and you

will discover that the very term HEALTH INSURANCE contains a

built-in contradiction.

From financial considerations, any INSURANCE system works best

when the fewest number of participants actually use it (i.e. make

claims). This way an insurer makes profit and is able to lower

the premium which, in turn, brings more paying participants who

are happy NOT TO USE the insurance, especially if it does not

cost them too much. Remember, we are talking about real insurance

and truly "insurable event" - something that is definitely

undesirable. On the contrary, the HEALTH CARE system works best

when the most people use it (i.e. get checkups, tests and

vaccinations). The financial structure and goals of the two

systems are incompatible.

It was in an attempt to reconcile these differences that the

concept of managed care was developed. Unfortunately, that system

satisfies nobody. It enrages health care practitioners and

consumers alike when it limits or denies payments on the grounds

that the particular treatment or service is not medically

necessary. It also frustrates insurers by mandating payment for

routine services, whether they are really necessary or not.

There's another basic problem with the current system: it's the

assumption that health care is a benefit of employment. So if you

are unemployed, self-employed or employed by someone who lacks

the negotiating power of big businesses - health insurance is not

for you. Even if one has an employer provided coverage, recent

premium hikes can price him/her out of the range of affordable

health insurance. Why? Unlike virtually any other commodity,

contracts for health care services are negotiated not by the

affected parties (physicians, hospitals and consumers) but by

insurers and employers.

The list goes on, but even without considering numerous other

"symptoms" it should be clear by now that the current

fundamentally irrational HEALTH INSURANCE system is designed for

conflicts and lawsuits rather than providing the best health care

at the best prices.

So, is there a common-sense solution to this crisis? The answer

is YES, but it's not universal. The right solution for you and

for me may vary due to the different circumstances, health care

needs and risk tolerance. It is important to realize, though,

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Irina runs home-based business helping people save on health care
and create steady stream of residual income working from home
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/savemoney/
mailto:imakemoney@freeautobot.com

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