what are the problems that beset the health insurance industry?

Answer 1

Increasing cost of medical care, Fraudulent Claims, over utilization (running to the doctor every time you have a cold or hangnail).

To the person that stated health insurance are posting record profits, some are and some aren't. Insurance companies invest premium dollars. If their only source of income was premium, they would all lose money and you would not be able to afford the cost of insurance. If you pay a $300 premium and have a $50,000 claim, where do you think they get the money to pay that claim?

Insurance companies make more money on investments of premium dollars than they do on premiums so if you are upset about their profits, you should probably be praising the hell out of their money managers for making wise investments and not costing you even MORE in premiums.

God, I get sick of people that expect something for nothing.

Answer 2

The biggest problem is abuse. Someone hit the nail on the head when they mentioned "running to the doctor with every cold or hangnail" - that is SO true. Someone once told one of the doctors I work with that since her "copay was only $5" she'd be running into the office for everything. Morally, a doctor can't turn away a sick patient, but there is no need to run in for every burp and fart. There's also patients who insist on every test under the sun - even when they don't need it. (You don't need an MRI to test for strep throat!) Don't even get me started about the idiot doctors who order and/or perform those tests! They're just as abusive as the hypochondriac patients!
The other problem is Medicaid fraud. I don't understand how someone who can afford to drive a brand-new Lincoln Navigator (average retail value $65,000) can qualify for Medicaid! I'm sure that if you can afford a $500 or so monthly car payment, you can just as easily spend that money instead on buying health insurance instead of getting a free ride on my back.

Answer 3

Sick people... Most people do not take care of themselves. They aren't healthy; and unhealthy = expensive.

and, ignorant people. Most health care consumers don't take the time to learn how their insurance works. They make assumptions about how insurance functions, and their own entitlement to service.

and fraud. It can be near impossible to prove fraud at times. Participants file claims, and so do doctors, for services that should not, under any circumstance, be covered under health care insurance.Sometimes, they just make up services that never happened.... Its bad.

Overall, I think the high percentage of consumers who have an overwhelming sense of entitlement, coupled with their inability to make healthy choices at times, leaves the entire industry fighting a losing battle. I mean, sometimes it takes a village. People are angry if something they perceive to be a medical condition, (alopecia/baldness treatment, or obesity, or development delay,etc) is not covered. They're not willing to pay additional, or even understand how the system works, and why its not covered. Doctor's don't have the desire or man power to constantly practice medicine within a person's health coverage, and patients don't know enough about it to help them understand.

It all ends up boiling down to the consumer. Health insurance consumers should be more educated. Find out how their own plans work. Quit trying to make the doctor's and the insurance companies responsible for lack of knowledge. etc, etc, etc,

Answer 4

It cost them millions to lobby Congress so they can continue to screw over the average American.

Loss of customers may be becoming a larger problem. With all the lost jobs, the insurance goes with it. And most people cannot afford to purchase individual policies, I know I couldn't.

Other than that, life seems good for them. Most health insurance companies are posting record profits.

Answer 5

i would love to answer your question but by the time i typed that much your question would be closed for answering

Answer 6

No one wants to pay... everyone wants all services on demand... profits... protecting doctors incomes...

Answer 7

false claims and high expectation of quick service.