Higher Health Insurance Rates for Now

Yes, health insurance rates are higher right now, but no one seems to really understand why.

Health insurance rates mainly go up for one reason and that reason is that people do not take care of themselves. It is that simple and that complicated at the same time. "If people don't take responsibility for their own health and instead foist that task on an already overburdened health care system, it's no wonder health care rates are atrocious," explained Evan Tunis of Florida Healthcare Insurance.

Being human, the human condition gives rise to smoking, over-eating, over-indulging in prescription or illegal drugs, avoiding gyms and work outs like the plague, and aging. Of course the last one, aging, we really are unable to do too much about, except vigorously pursue preventive health care. "Check out the national statistics for the rate of obesity in America," suggested Tunis. It will astonish even the most hard-nosed individual.

Consider the high costs of treating alcoholics, smokers and drug addicts, and now also consider that there is an element of choice in all these addictions. It's not too hard to see why the cost of health care is creeping up every year. It sure isn't going down and the numbers of people who continue to choose to abuse themselves doesn't seem to be on the decline either.

"Another area of concern relates to medical inflation," indicated Tunis. There is no way anyone is able to find out what the actual cost of any kind of surgery happens to be. No one will divulge that kind of information for the simple reason that they only know what they are going to bill, when they actually bill it out. Nothing like last minute medical charges being added to a patient's bill.

Many patients have been stunned to get bills that reflect being charged for things like an extra pillow or more dressing for a wound. This boils down to just about every item and service being charged out separately while someone is in the hospital. It's not much wonder that the bills are so high.

If people want lower health care rates, they need to start looking after themselves a whole lot better than they have been. "The healthier Americans are, the less expensive health care will be," added Evan Tunis of Florida Healthcare Insurance.

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Health Insurance Prices Are Affected by Various Things

There are three things that affect the price of health insurance medical inflation, medical errors and the humans who use the system.

Medical errors, according to statistics, do seem to be going down these days and are now checking in at about the 20% range. "If that is the case, then by doing the math, it will tell us that 80% of the reasons for high health insurance prices are humans neglecting their health care and medical inflation, " said Evan Tunis of Florida Healthcare Insurance.

The statistics came by way of the Department of Health & Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. What a shocking set of statistics they released, including the fact that potentially preventable errors during or after surgery may cost close to $1.5 billion a year. That's $1.5 billion a year – a staggering number and one that should make any red-blooded American sit up and take notice.

Imagine what that kind of money could do if diverted into stabilizing the economy or was put back into the health care system. Fixing medical errors is chilling and really, those errors should not have happened in the first place. "This kind of an extra burden placed on an already overburdened system is just asking for trouble," commented Tunis.

If one adds in the human factor to medical errors, as many Americans do not take care of themselves, the health insurance rates will continue to creep up every year with no sign of stopping. "It's interesting to note that if there is a medical error caught, the hospital is obligated to fix the situation," pointed out Tunis. However, they also try to bill the cost of fixing their error to an insurance company. Just how that is supposed to work is anyone's best guess.

Death or injuries as a result of medical errors really isn't a new problem. It seems to have been with us since the advent of hospitals. The problem is that not much seems to be done about it. Sure the health care system is way overtaxed with trying to care for everyone using it, and errors are inevitable. However, the fact that over 300,000 people a year lose their lives due to medical errors makes one stop cold," added Evan Tunis of Florida Healthcare Insurance.

To learn more about Florida health insurance, Florida health insurance quotes, Florida life insurance, Florida life insurance quotes, Florida group health insurance visit Floridahealthcareinsurance.com.

Are You Preferred or Not?

If you're surfing for online insurance quotes be aware that many times the rates shown on an insurance site are for "preferred" customers.

If you happen to be in the market for health insurance, you might want to take the time to check out several sites and get some decent quotes you can compare side by side. It's important to call more than just one health insurance agent for information as well, as each agent works with different carriers, and they may be able to find you different deals. Always make it a point to ask questions, even though you may have found information on the Internet.

It's just a fact of life that all insurance sites can't have everything on them that you would need to know to choose an insurance plan to suit you; there's just too much information. So, be careful when you are checking online quotes and ask the health insurance agent if what you read on their website is the "preferred" rate. If you happen to have any pre-existing conditions, this may immediately dash your hopes of the preferred rate.

Health insurance rates are predicated on your health history and if you have for instance, asthma, you may need to be put into a different category than the one you see quoted online. Just about everyone one has "something," and it's just another given in life. So, don't check out quotes expecting to get what is quoted online if you have various conditions.

To better increase your chances of getting the type of insurance you need and plans that are suited to you individually, it's best to speak to a local insurance agent. They know all their carriers. They know the ins and outs of the system, not to mention the local hospitals, the service they provide, and the local doctors.

This is invaluable information and you can only get it by dealing locally. If you deal with someone four states away from you, they have no idea what you really need in your particular area, and even less of an idea what the local hospitals and doctors are all about. It's that simple; local health insurance agents know their stuff and they are happy to share it with you.

Evan Tunis is with FloridaHealthcareInsurance.com, the leading provider of Florida health insurance quotes. To learn more about Florida health insurance, Florida health insurance quotes, Florida life insurance, Florida life insurance quotes, Florida group health insurance visit Floridahealthcareinsurance.com.

The Phone Beef with Your Health Insurance Company

If you do happen to have a bone to pick with your health insurance company, you are definitely not alone.

Ever notice that when you are dealing with a larger health insurance company and have a complaint (or question) that you spend what seems like hours on the phone getting the run around from department to department? Then, when you get off the phone after talking to several people, you're not really sure what they said – if they indeed said anything at all that helped you with your problem.

Dealing with large online insurance companies who don't happen to be in your area can be a total nightmare, and is just one more reason why dealing locally will improve your relations with your health insurance broker and the companies s/he represents. Those larger online behemoths that happen to be in other states can't help you deal with a local doctor's denied claim, for the very simple reason that they don't know the doctor. Frankly, they hardly know you either.

Stay local and talk to local insurance agents. They know information that can make your life much easier and are able to provide you with quotes that are tailor made for your circumstances. This is much better than getting a general insurance package from a large no-name broker who has no idea what exists in your area. This isn't to say that general packages might not be suitable to some individuals, however, in most cases, local insurance agents make sure their customers have their needs met specifically, with no song and dance or run around.

Insurance agents advice comes free and if you don't want to buy a policy from them – so be it. They are not there to "sell " you something; they are there to make sure you get what you need. If they sold people something that didn't work, you can bet they would not have too many happy customers. If you want to know if your agent has a good "rep," just check how long they've been in business. They longer their history, the better the chances are that they know what they are doing, and will also stand behind you in the event of an insurance dispute.

Evan Tunis is with FloridaHealthcareInsurance.com, the leading provider of Florida health insurance quotes. To learn more about Florida health insurance, Florida health insurance quotes, Florida life insurance, Florida life insurance quotes, Florida group health insurance visit Floridahealthcareinsurance.com.