It has been over five years now and this issue still makes me boil over on a daily basis. Health Care and Insurance is one of the biggest problems that face our country. A lot of the focus is on the children which is understandable, but it also affects millions of adults. The cost to just go to the hospital or emergency room is outrageous and could put someone in a very large debt if they do not have insurance.

My dad's health was failing him at age 47 his heart was giving out. We have an awful history of heart disease in my family. Of my dad's four siblings only two are surviving and both my grandparents past away due to heart related problems. Dad had his first heart related health issues in his early twenties so we always knew he wasn't doing well. At the time of his death he had been working as a subcontractor, therefore in order to have health insurance he had to purchase it on his own. He could not afford to do that, so he avoided going to the doctors due to the bills he would incur. The last two weeks of his life he knew something was seriously wrong, he was drinking Mylanta by the gallon thinking he had heartburn. Two days before his death, my dad entered the emergency room because his arm went numb and he was having difficulty breathing. The hospital did some routine tests, but when my dad said that he could not afford the more expensive procedures the doctors released him. Knowing his health history and all the signs of a massive heart attack the doctor should have tried harder to do the tests or kept him there for observation. When you enter hospital you expect nothing but the best care possible, they are suppose there to help you. Needless to say at 5 am two days later my dad past way in the parking lot of a pharmacy where he went to buy Mylanta, thinking he had heartburn again, he had a massive heart attack.

Just because you do not have health insurance that should not affect the doctor or hospitals decision on treatment. Everyone should receive the same tests based on their symptoms not their ability to pay. Those of us who do have health insurance pay enough to cover those bills, hospitals always make a profit and have you ever seen a poor doctor?

We wanted to sue the hospital in hopes that they would think twice next time they encountered a patient without health insurance. The lawyers told us that since we did not rely on my dad to support us we could not do that. We just wanted to try and make a change, because I know right now there are other people in our country that face the same issues as this. They have either lost a loved one or are in failing health and scared of the bills.

Insurance is chiefly utilized to circumvent against the consequences of a contingent loss. It is defined as the impartial shift of the consequences of a loss or failure, from one body to another, in return for a premium. The company or corporate body that is selling the insurance is called an insurer. The dynamic that is utilized to ascertain the amount to be charged for a specific amount of insurance coverage is termed as "insurance rate."

The notion of health insurance was projected by Hugh the Elder Chamberlen in the year 1694. And in the late 19th century, "accident insurance," which functions much like contemporary disability insurance, has commenced to be available. Accident insurance was introduced in the U.S. by the Massachusetts-based Franklin Health Assurance Company.

The two intrinsic challenges that must have to be dealt with by health insurance systems are adverse selection, which impacts any insurance scheme through which a third party takes on major liability for the expense - whether it is the government or an employer.

These usual problems are defeated by some national schemes with enforced insurance by utilizing plans such as community rating and risk equalization.

Moral vulnerability takes place when a consumer and health insurer enters into an agreement under symmetric information. One usual example of moral vulnerability is third-party payment. It occurs when the organization concerned in making a judgment are not accountable for bearing expenses arising from the judgment.

Adverse selection is a term utilized by health insurance companies in depicting the tendency for those who will take advantage of the insurance to acquire it. Particularly when speaking about health insurance, unhealthy consumers are more likely to obtain a health insurance for the reason that they anticipate higher medical bills. On the other hand, consumers who think they are logically healthy may come to a decision that medical insurance or health insurance is an unneeded expenditure.

A health insurance company could be left by adverse selection with principally sick subscribers and have no means to weigh out the value of their medical expenses with a huge amount of healthy subscribers. Because of the dilemma brought by adverse selection, health insurance companies utilizes medical underwriting, through the use of a patient's medical record to screen out those patients whose current medical conditions pose too much risk.

Another dilemma that is associated with health insurance is its rising costs. The aging population in developing countries, advances in medical technology and higher-priced technologies greatly impacts the price of health insurance. The way people live also contributes to the increasing price of health insurance.

This article identifies the fundamental drivers of increasing healthcare premiums and costs. A supplementary measure of breaking down how existing premium dollars are being used up is taken into account.

By specifying how health insurance premiums are being used up as well as distinguishing the drivers and aspects of premium increases, this article endeavors to provide stakeholders and policymakers with information which can facilitate in directing efforts to address increasing healthcare costs and enhance healthcare efficiency.

Outlined are some of the factors which affect the overall healthcare costs:

General Inflation
General inflation is one of the factors that impacts healthcare costs. The rise in the price of healthcare beyond general inflation accounted 2.5 percent out of the 8.7 percent rise in health insurance premiums.

Higher Priced Technologies
New technologies drive the increase in healthcare prices because they are regularly more costly than existing technologies. Older drugs as well as generic drugs tend to be replaced by newer prescription drugs. And since modern imaging technologies are being sold into the commercial market at a higher value, it has been observed that these new technology cost greatly influence the price of health insurance premiums.

Cost Shifting
The growth in hospital inpatient expenditure, which is the third chief constituent of health insurance premiums, also influenced the overall premium increase. The growth in hospital inpatient spending has been alleviated by shifts and changes of services to outpatient settings, the rehabilitated introduction of disease administration programs and utilization controls programs have amplified cost sharing.

Broader-Access Networks/Provider Consolidation
The movement which was prompted by state laws and market forces towards plans in extensive provider networks has also influenced the price of health insurance premiums. Several plans have initiated open-access products which lessens the task of the primary care physician in assisting consumer access to health specialists. While various consumers have uttered an inclination for expansive provider networks, such networks apt to diminish the sum of competition in the scheme. There have been occurrences of provider consolidation which also reduced the degree of provider clash in some markets. These market directions have all contributed to health insurance premium increases each year.

Aging Population and Increased Utilization
The most significant factor in the increase in health insurance premiums is increased utilization. Lifestyle changes and the aging population both contribute to increased utilization. It is extensively acclaimed that the population is growing old as Baby Boomers move towards retirement. It has been established that the aging of the population registered in health plans greatly contributed to the rising price of health insurance premiums.