| Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after | | | | exercise and poor diet. |
| year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the | | | | Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices |
| specific factors driving the cost of healthcare. | | | | everyday that eventually increase our demand for |
| These factors include: general inflation, advances in | | | | healthcare. We are never going to be able to totally |
| drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and | | | | eliminate all lifestyle related healthcare costs. However, |
| doctor expenses, government mandates, increased | | | | improved lifestyle choices would cause a dramatic |
| consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting. | | | | reduction in demand. This would then result in a similar |
| The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the | | | | reduction in the dollars spent on healthcare. |
| cost of insurance does not exist because the real | | | | Lower demand for healthcare would result in lower |
| difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple | | | | health insurance costs, increased productivity, and |
| way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on | | | | reduced absenteeism. If your organization has not |
| healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare. | | | | done so already, your organizational leaders need to |
| I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare | | | | seriously consider the benefits of health promotion and |
| related expenses result from preventable conditions. | | | | disease prevention programs. Your return on |
| These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle | | | | investment will most likely be as high as 2:1 in the first |
| choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of | | | | year. |