Health care costs are going up due to many reasons. Companies such as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield have developed programs to help their clients keep health care costs under control.
To start with, let’s clarify one thing: yes, health care costs are
going up, but this is not because of the number of times you did or did
not go to the doctor’s throughout the year. The premiums that Kentucky
health insurance companies charge you are based on your health
conditions, but they are also taking into account the number of claims
they believe they will be paying for you in the upcoming year. The
amount of money used for health care in a year is 1/5 of the economy.
Reasons
why Kentucky Health Insurance rates are going up?
It
is an unfortunate yet unavoidable fact that health insurance rates are
going up. So even though we are unable to stop it, let me help you
understand why it is happening.
1. Modern medical technology is
becoming more advanced and more costly, and people are happy with the
results that the medical technology is bringing.
2. Most
Americans fill a prescription drug in a year. On average, an American
fills 12 prescription drugs a year. As you can see, a lot of money is
spent on prescription medicines because of this.
3. People are
not living healthy lifestyles. Many have unhealthy eating habits, lack
appropriate exercise and a growing number of them, smoke. This unhealthy
way of life leads to chronic diseases. The money spent on these
diseases has increased to 75% of health care spending in a year.
4.
People are having the same test done numerous times, or having tests
done without knowing that they are accurate. This has increased the
costs of health care.
5. According to the National Health Care
Anti-Fraud Association, $68 billion a year is lost to fraud.
6.
In order to comply with all the government laws, over $339 billion a
year is spent on such things as filing and reporting.
7. 51% of
the growth in health care prices are due to inflation. Simply put, we
pay more every year for health insurance, because of inflation.
What
is being done to control the costs?
1. Companies such
as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield have developed programs so that their
clients only go to the emergency room for actual emergencies. This way,
the company is helping its customers avoid the high costs of MRIs and CT
scans.
2. Anthem has also started programs to ensure that their
clients are using generic drugs whenever possible to lower the costs of
prescriptions.
3. Programs have been established to help people
stay on top of their health and to take the best care of themselves
possible. If someone has already been diagnosed with a health condition
there are nurses to help him or her take care of themselves.
4.
Insurance companies have begun to pay doctors based on the performance
of their work, which will ensure more quality work in the future.
5.
In order to prevent the enormous amount of fraud that has taken place
with health care money, teams are now designated to look and recover the
money lost in fraud.
6. Insurance companies themselves are
trying to cut back on their expenses while making sure they can still
give their customers quality service.
Lumenos HSA plans for
Anthem’s KY clients are designed to give them more control over their
health care costs. They offer preventive care benefits that help people
focus on staying healthy.
Quality Service
Insurance
companies in Kentucky know that their customers want quality care and
to feel secure with the company they do business with. Know that there
will be changes in Kentucky health insurance with health care
reform, and that the changes will vary for each individual. In some
cases, premiums will decrease, while for others, it will increase.
Through all the change, Kentucky health insurance companies will
do the best they can to keep your premium low and to offer you quality
service.
