The article I read was titled, “The Annual Task of Choosing an Insurance Plan”. This article discussed information on future health Insurance plans in light of the issues dealing with the Healthcare debate. Particularly, it focused on the pros and cons of future health care plans. Also, many of the health insurance plans have not changed because employers want to wait and see what happens with the healthcare debate. Overall, the article was informative, complicated, and raised concerned.
The article presented pros and cons to future health insurance plans. The topic consisted of rising costs, the status of dependents, fewer health plans, higher deductibles, drug preferences, health concerns, and audits. Costs are constantly rising as a result of the health debate. In addition to employees going for check-ups in all aspects and the questionable future of health care, there have been higher medical costs. The article supports this by writing:
“Fearing layoffs — and the loss of health coverage — employees got check-ups, teeth cleanings and various long-deferred procedures at a higher-than-normal pace. That use-or-lose stampede translated into a spike in medical costs for employers — which they are now passing on to those still fortunate enough to have jobs, according to Joan Smyth, a principal with Mercer, a health and benefits consulting firm(Alderman, 2009).”
Basically, costs are rising because people panicked due to the health care debate, which resulted in insurers raising medical costs. The status of dependents is a concern as well. Companies are raising their premiums or eliminating their coverage. Because of this, some employee spouses and children, between the ages of 19-23, may have a challenge with coverage. Another issue of concern is companies will have fewer health plans. Instead of having a variety of regional plans, many large companies with employees in many places will have one or two national plans. Therefore, there will be fewer plans for people to choose and less variety. In addition to the previous concerns, there is also a worry of drug costs. Employers are encouraging employees to lower their health insurance plans by suggesting them to buy generic drugs instead of name brand drugs. Generic drugs will be less expensive and the cost of name brand drugs will rise, so employers want employees to save their money. Lastly, audits will occur as a strategy to discover the dependents that are eligible for coverage from the dependents that are not eligible for coverage. This strategy will help save money by reducing the number of people who will be covered, but this is not really beneficial for employers who may not be able to cover their spouse or children. It seems like employers are trying to help their employees as best they can. They are warning the employees of future changes that are not in their best interest and they are giving them pointers to come out on the top. I think the points raised are important and highlights the complexity and affects of the Health care Reform. Persons with private insurance are the focus as well as persons without private insurance. Consequently, everyone is experiencing difficulties as a result of the healthcare debate. I feel as if this article with the help of many others I have read does nothing but express an extreme search for an answer. When is that answer going to come?
The article presented pros and cons to future health insurance plans. The topic consisted of rising costs, the status of dependents, fewer health plans, higher deductibles, drug preferences, health concerns, and audits. Costs are constantly rising as a result of the health debate. In addition to employees going for check-ups in all aspects and the questionable future of health care, there have been higher medical costs. The article supports this by writing:
“Fearing layoffs — and the loss of health coverage — employees got check-ups, teeth cleanings and various long-deferred procedures at a higher-than-normal pace. That use-or-lose stampede translated into a spike in medical costs for employers — which they are now passing on to those still fortunate enough to have jobs, according to Joan Smyth, a principal with Mercer, a health and benefits consulting firm(Alderman, 2009).”
Basically, costs are rising because people panicked due to the health care debate, which resulted in insurers raising medical costs. The status of dependents is a concern as well. Companies are raising their premiums or eliminating their coverage. Because of this, some employee spouses and children, between the ages of 19-23, may have a challenge with coverage. Another issue of concern is companies will have fewer health plans. Instead of having a variety of regional plans, many large companies with employees in many places will have one or two national plans. Therefore, there will be fewer plans for people to choose and less variety. In addition to the previous concerns, there is also a worry of drug costs. Employers are encouraging employees to lower their health insurance plans by suggesting them to buy generic drugs instead of name brand drugs. Generic drugs will be less expensive and the cost of name brand drugs will rise, so employers want employees to save their money. Lastly, audits will occur as a strategy to discover the dependents that are eligible for coverage from the dependents that are not eligible for coverage. This strategy will help save money by reducing the number of people who will be covered, but this is not really beneficial for employers who may not be able to cover their spouse or children. It seems like employers are trying to help their employees as best they can. They are warning the employees of future changes that are not in their best interest and they are giving them pointers to come out on the top. I think the points raised are important and highlights the complexity and affects of the Health care Reform. Persons with private insurance are the focus as well as persons without private insurance. Consequently, everyone is experiencing difficulties as a result of the healthcare debate. I feel as if this article with the help of many others I have read does nothing but express an extreme search for an answer. When is that answer going to come?
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