The Eye Popping 2016 Obamacare Rate Increases Are Out

[somarco]

The only way to create less demand for health care is to eliminate all copay's and put everyone on a $5,000 deductible. Most of the Ocare plan designs encourage increased utilization.

Medicare does not lower the cost of health care beyond paying providers less for their services.

If you want to lower the cost of health care
- make everyone have skin in the game (high deductible)
- use a carrot/stick approach to promote healthier lifestyles

70% of chronic illness can be prevented or reversed by lifestyle changes.

 

[RayNY]

Somarco,

We can all agree effective preventative care saves far more in the long run than it costs. Just a matter of how best to encourage that.

Do you think it would make sense to make preventative care free or very low cost, and only apply a deductible to non-preventative expense?

IMO, a high deductible would mean that people wouldn't use the care unless they have to, since "they don't have coverage for that" and have to pay 100% out of pocket.

 

[GreenSky]

Somarco,

We can all agree effective preventative care saves far more in the long run than it costs. Just a matter of how best to encourage that.

Do you think it would make sense to make preventative care free or very low cost, and only apply a deductible to non-preventative expense?

IMO, a high deductible would mean that people wouldn't use the care unless they have to, since "they don't have coverage for that" and have to pay 100% out of pocket.

I don't know that we all agree that preventive care is cost effective. However you did post "effective preventative care" so what does that mean?

I'm 61 and my PSA was 0.4 last month and in the past 10 years never over 0.6. Is it necessary for this test to be repeated every year? Do statins really save lives compared to the side effects?

Annual physicals vs. bi-annual? What really is preventive vs. just a waste of money?

Rick

 

[scagnt83]

Do you think it would make sense to make preventative care free or very low cost, and only apply a deductible to non-preventative expense?

Preventive care is free now with Ocare... but preventive care is not the problem. Somarcos post was not about preventive care, it was about healthy lifestyles... which is what the problem is.

Going to see the doctor once or twice per year does not lead to better health. Eating healthy and exercising is what leads to better health, which is what leads to lower utilization.

Also, preventive care is one of the lowest cost services there is. It costs around $150 out of pocket for a yearly physical if you do not have insurance. If you need lab work done then throw a few hundred on top of that (again if you negotiate for cash payment).

The big costs are when people have serious health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, etc. And most serious health issues could have been prevented by lifestyle changes.

If you want to make something free, make vegetables at the store free. If you want to subsidize something then subsidize healthy food. If you want to tax something then tax unhealthy food and not cadillac plans or job creators.

 

[bobson]

Montana rates are almost staying level...

Montana health insurers ask for double-digit rate hikes

 

[scagnt83]

Annual physicals vs. bi-annual? What really is preventive vs. just a waste of money?

Preventive care is a yearly physical. I spoke to a 55 year old recently who was upset that Ocare did not make his quarterly lab tests free and claimed that was "preventive"... LOL. To prevent you from dying of diabetes is not "Preventive Care"!!

 

[yorkriver1]

Better get exercising:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgmxrjxUe60

 

[Ann H]

And most serious health issues could have been prevented by lifestyle changes.

If you want to make something free, make vegetables at the store free. If you want to subsidize something then subsidize healthy food. If you want to tax something then tax unhealthy food and not cadillac plans or job creators.

Bingo! To really turn back the cost curve, we need to start there.

Personally, I think free preventive care costs the insurance companies nothing. The nominal cost of the preventive exams & tests are reimbursed by the savings that early detection affords. And besides, it's built into the premium anyway.

However, if "health care reform" was more about health and less about reforming the insurance industry, we could go a long ways toward having a healthier society, and lower medical costs.

We should start with school lunches. You can't believe the kind of "healthy school lunch" that is offered to my kids. Corn dogs! Pizza. Hot dogs. Processed chicken patties. Of course they offer some healthy dishes alongside the unhealthy ones. But what do the kids pick from the choices offered? Yeah, you guessed right.

 

[kgmom219]

Preventive care is a yearly physical. I spoke to a 55 year old recently who was upset that Ocare did not make his quarterly lab tests free and claimed that was "preventive"... LOL. To prevent you from dying of diabetes is not "Preventive Care"!!

Preventative care for children is a national issue. We want our kids getting the vaccines, timely. This saves everyone money in the long term. Do we want to pay for the polio vaccine or an iron lung?

 

[scagnt83]

Preventative care for children is a national issue. We want our kids getting the vaccines, timely. This saves everyone money in the long term. Do we want to pay for the polio vaccine or an iron lung?

Preventive care for everyone is important, especially children. I am not discounting Preventive Care. Obviously we want our children vaccinated...

I was making a point more in response to Ricks question about what qualifies as Preventive Care. Vaccines are part of a childs yearly check up (or quarterly or bi-yearly depending on the age).

But Preventive Care can only do so much. Children are not going without Preventive Care unless the parents are totally irresponsible. The majority of kids without vaccines are from wealthy families with egg head new age moms who think it is going to cause autism. But at the same time, those kids are much more likely to be physically fit vs. low income kids. Child obesity is a much larger issue in this country than kids going without vaccines. (because the majority of kids are vaccinated)