Archive for 27/04/2008

High cost of health care leading to — arranged marriages?

28/04/2008 the HSA king 2 comments

In a new poll, 7% of Americans say they know someone who has married in order to get health care benefits. Most of those folks, not surprisingly, had modest incomes. But the article also indicates that more people are making important decisions about changing jobs based on availability of healthcare, which is now averaging about $12,000 per family, $4,500 for single individuals.

LA Times article

COMMENT:
It’s just a matter of time before lawsuits start popping up in states recognizing same sex partners as eligible for spouse coverage. Once non-married heterosexual “couples” realize they are getting the shaft, law suits will start to fly. Then those folks will have an option to getting married–they should be able to get “spousal” benefits just by shacking up instead of having to marry for benefits.

General

Want a physical? We can see you in about 13 months.

27/04/2008 the HSA king No comments

You’ll never believe what is going on (now) in Massachusetts (unless you live there, of course).

An unintended consequence of the state’s “mandated health insurance” has been to create an over-abundance of demand for medical services. (Remember the old “supply-demand” theorem from Econ 101?)

From the NY Times

COMMENT:
What? Nobody thought about this little “side-effect” of requiring health care coverage for everyone? It’s “a recipe for disaster,” according to a physician interviewed for the article.

Although the article does not connect-the-dots exactly in this manner, the underlying lesson to be learned from this episode is that people often confuse “health care coverage” with being able to see the Doctor for preventative care. This confuses the issue.

NOBODY “needs” health insurance to see a physician for a routine visit. Health insurance IS needed by most people to pay for larger expenses.

Hundreds of thousands of New Englanders, suddenly empowered with “health care coverage,” are taking the opportunity NOW to see physicians for things they SHOULD have seen physicians about many months and indeed many years ago.

There continues to be a giant disconnect between “needing” health care coverage for routine medical visits. Only buy “insurance” for expenses you cannot comfortably afford to pay, should they arise.

General ,

Behavior mod leads to lower health care costs

27/04/2008 the HSA king No comments

DATELINE: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Employers are beginning to realize significant decreases in health care costs by investing in behavior modification modules designed to encourage employees to take better care of themselves.

Story from MLive.com

COMMENT:
Unfortunately, this approach is one that only works in larger scale employment situations. Nevertheless, every bit helps.

General
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