The Healthcare Tsunami: Ripples to Waves

The Society of Actuaries(SOA), the premiere, accontant professional assoiciation that oversees the nation's shifts of insurance costs has come out with a very serious report that can affect every American who does or does not possess healthcare insurance in one forn or another. You better do your own homework on this. By their estimation there will be an increased rise in overall healthcare costs across the board on an average of 32 % in the USA . California will be increased by 62 %, both Wisconsin and Ohio will see a rise of 80 %. While currently Ohio and Wisconsin are low individual cost, the new healthcare policy will have to move their costs up to that level of other states that have higher costs such as New York and Massachusetts to level the playing field of healthcare costs. This will cause the policy and claims costs of New York and Massachusetts to therefore go down. This very pragmatic approach to healthcare calls for states to expend Medicaid costs as well into the millions. As the new ACA will embrace and insure everyone, the costs of those newly insured will have to be absorbed. It also means that the "most" unhealthiest with multiple chronic illnesses will see their "burden" to healthcare cost diluted by those who have diligently applied preventive health and lived a healthier lifestyle.Those who have lived a healthy life will minimal or low premiums will definetly now see a hike. HHS Secretary Sibelius, admits that there will be a cost increase across the board, but it is justifiable by insuring all Americans. The SOA only takes the mathematics in an unbiased approach and by crunching numbers sees premiums skyrocketing by 2017. Other, real issues will be the cost to small businesses . How will they absorb these costs? Does the policy implemented change smoker's behavior or the overweight from overeating? There still leaves a huge void for prevention. This sort of equalization may look good on paper as a very pragmatic and practical way of addressing healthcare, but the question remains is if a true-and-through prevention policy that is attached to such fiscal support(2.8 trillion $USD) is not also supported, we have not impacted health, just the healthcare policy. Where is the institution of readily accessible daily fitness? Where is nutrtional support? Where is prevention education regularly? Where is personal responsibility? We have a nation where 75% of its inhabitants are either overweight or obese. The number of chronic illnesses associated with these two are legion. It would behoove the health policy experts, that prevention is the key ingredient that can and will lower health costs. More over is the newer biomedical technologies that can become effective practical tools to adjust and enhance positive behaviors. These with the wellness and lifestyles promotions can push a healthier national program instituted in its culture. Giving the people real goals and something tangible to produce health will not only enhance individuals to healthier ways , but improve corporate productivity and improve the national healthcare budget. Between 120,000 to 150,00 new healthcare "Navigators" will be assigned to the new system to help guide participants in the new (ACA) healthcare system. They will be paid up to $41,000 .This will incur another cost to the system that must be insulated(that will be close to be $USD 5 Billion). Cancer clinics are now turning away thousands of medicare patients due to the sequester. As it stands these medicare patients are now planned not to get treatment. Is this a good policy or just hard politics? Dr. Marcus Wells is a past fellow at the National Institutes of Health who served as a clinical associate at the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. He has also served in the U.S.HHS in the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Wells holds a Master's in Public Health from Emory University.

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