The federal government of the United States has stated the rule that every citizen of the country must have a health insurance policy. If any person is found without it, he or she is liable to pay a penalty. While the rule has been made, the federal government has unfortunately not taken major steps towards making health insurance affordable to the common man.
People who are employed are covered under employers’ health insurance schemes. This policy provides coverage for families of employees as well, although premiums are higher for family policies. There are more programs such as group insurance policies for employees which provide basic health cover and reduce cost per head. But for people who are not employed, or are self employed, they cannot afford the high premium for family cover, thus buying a health insurance policy is the only option. However, the costs might still be too high, which you can analyze by requesting health insurance quotes from providers in Los Angeles. With such high costs being levied by most of the policy providers, taxpayers can only wonder why health insurance is so expensive in the country despite being mandatory. Here are a few probable answers.
Rising health problems
When compared to the past, health levels of people from all walks of life have deteriorated and subsequently, there is an increase in the frequency of hospitalization and visits to the doctor’s clinic. A lot of factors have led to the deterioration – stress, bad lifestyle, unhealthy environment, drastic climatic changes and unhealthy habits. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac ailments and hypertension are striking younger people as well. Owing to these reasons, insurance providers charge more because chances are high that policy holders would make claims.
Rising health care costs
Although the United States has been in the forefront of development, it has been unable to curtail the hike in health care costs. The cost has risen dramatically and a few days of hospitalization cost thousands of dollars. The costs of medicines and diagnostic tests have also registered a sharp increase. In fact, if you consider a global scenario, health care costs in the USA are much higher than other developed countries. Health insurance costs have grown in proportion with health care costs.
Rising legal concerns for doctors
The government of the United States has tightened its ropes on medical negligence and malpractice cases. So, to enhance the precision of diagnosis and treatment, doctors have taken to prescribing a number of tests, some of which might not actually be necessary. A survey has shown that the average number of tests prescribed by doctors in America is more than anywhere else in the world. Since health insurance company picks up these bills if you make a claim, the cost of policies is higher.
Despite the high costs, there are companies which offer affordable health insurance. Perform a detailed research, request health insurance quotes from few companies in Los Angeles and make a smart insurance choice.
