Study shows insurers can't even reduce their own costs

The following editorial from ContraCostaTimes.com cites a Kaiser Permanente / NE Journal of Medecine study that shows that by trying to offload more healthcare expenses to consumers, insurance companies have actually increased their own costs. Employers faced with increased costs either pass them on to their employees or stop offering coverage all together. Employees who lose coverage or have to shoulder more of the costs, avoid preventative care and don't fill prescriptions, relying instead on emergency care, which is much more costly. This might explain why healthcare costs keep skyrocketing and our health as a nation keeps getting worse. It's a vicious cycle that won't end until politicians find some courage to make bold policy decisions. I'll try to find a link to the study and post it.

Health care woes

SHIFTING MORE COSTS FROM health insurance to the patient is not working out as hoped. Health insurers, of course, hoped to save money. That's not what's happening, according to a New England Journal of Medicine report on a Kaiser Permanente study.

... Doctor visits have decreased and emergency room visits have increased. Insurers are not seeing reduced costs.

Neither are those employees of companies that provide some health benefits. Deductibles have risen at a faster, higher rate than pay. ...

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