Do you think Hispanics are causing health care costs to rise?

Question

I don't want to stereotype, my step-mother is hispanic and eats tons of fruit and veggies and exercises daily.

However, I know for a fact that most hispanics do not eat very healthy foods, their toddlers drink cola and eat candy and are usually overweight, do not exercise, etc.

When I go to Kaiser, I look around and am surrounded by hispanics.

Due to their lifestyle, could it be that hispanics have more health problems?

If the answer to this questions is yes, then that would mean that all other ethnicticities besides hispanics are paying higher prices for health care due to the large population of hispanics that have health problems.

What do you think? Please, by all means, set me straight if I am wrong.

Answer 1

Why healthcare costs are rising is a very complicated issue that cannot be explained by blaming one disease or one set of people.

Sure, some people give their toddlers candy and cola, resulting in potential future health problems.

Sure, the costs of medications for HIV are causing insurance rates to skyrocket.

Sure, the American motto ("sue 'em!") is causing malpractice insurance rates to skyrocket, resulting in higher overall healthcare costs.

Sure, antibiotics are WAY overprescribed, resulting in "superbugs" that must be treated with newer, more expensive antibiotics.

Sure, more and more Americans are obese, which leads to more health problems, which leads to.... the list goes on. And on.

I have worked in healthcare education for over 20 years, 4 of those years at a hospital and 3 of them at a home healthcare agency. In those 20+ years I have not noticed an ethnic group with "more health problems" than another.

The poor tend to have more health problems, but that's another discussion entirely and that doesn't address your question.

Answer 2

Overall - I don't think so. If I continue your generalization, the same people who don't know how to take good care of themslves probably don't live very long, don't undergo expensive procedures and don't stay on medication for years.

Rise in health care costs is usually related to overall "aging" of the population. I.e. older people live longer (which is great, I'm totally willing to pay for it) but not enough of the new babies were born 20-30 years ago, and not enough new babies are born now, as a result.

Answer 3

Every race has their health nuts and couch potatoes. However, an increase of couch potatoes could raise health care costs, but some health care providers will customise your rate to your lifestyle. If your health rates go up because of this, switch to someone geared towards the individual.

Answer 4

No Maam Mommy! right this is the situation... did you comprehend that insurances get carry of extensive mark downs? did you comprehend that a 20/80 coverage is certainly in simple terms 20/20? the buyer is to blame for the comprehensive 20% plus co-pays and deductibles and regulations to apply it, jointly as the insurances are guffawing all the thank you to the financial corporation using fact they negotiate or have "set-in-place" mark downs already utilized. As intense as sixty 5% get rid of the underwriters, the co-pays & deductibles and the answer is upon us. the answer 28 million human beings are enjoying good now. many human beings have faith docs are co-horts wth pharmaceutical companies this is a Federal Violation. actually docs inflate expenses for care on my own so they finally end up ninety days later, what they actually need from the coverage. provide those mark downs direct to the buyer from the physicians, removing the underwriters, & the situation is solved. in simple terms an FYI on the thank you to "Get it immediately in 2008." and previous

Answer 5

I'm a gringo, but my wife is Cuban. Her diet is excellent because she's married to me, but her mother, sisters, etc. have terrible diets, and their health suffers for it. I too am with Kaiser and I see what you see, and I agree with you... but it's not these people who are bankrupting our health system. It's the illegals who have no health insurance that flood our emergency rooms in hospitals and emergency clinics which, thanks to our federal government, must treat them at no cost.

Answer 6

No...plain and simple...No