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The Reasons for the Rising Costs of Health Insurance in Wilmington NC

The rising cost of health insurance has been an ongoing topic of debate for decades but in recent years, the topic has become one of the hottest political issues on record. People want to know, "Why is health insurance in Wilmington NC so expensive?"

While it can be easy to blame the insurance companies for hiking premium prices, the truth is, the American healthcare system as a whole has contributed to the problem. Here are some of the key reasons why healthcare in the United States is so costly.

Problem #1: Wasteful Spending

One of the largest problems in today's healthcare industry is wasteful spending and one of the biggest causes of wasteful spending is simple lack of communication between healthcare providers. Uncoordinated care is when your doctors, specialists, and hospitals do not efficiently share your medical information. The results are inadequate care, avoidable complications, a greater potential for mistakes, and billions of dollars wasted.

Another major cause of wasteful spending is overtreatment. Every year, $210 billion is spent on duplicate tests or tests that don't really need to be administered. Worse yet, many of these tests cause more harm than good, resulting in additional health problems and expenses.

Additional ways money is wastefully spent in the healthcare field include:

  • Healthcare fraud and medical identity theft
  • Hospital infections
  • Inadequate or inefficient care
  • Medical errors

Problem #2: Personal Lifestyle Choices

Americans do not like being told what to do and for a good many of them, this pride can negatively affect their health and the overall cost of healthcare in the country. Such bad personal lifestyle choices include:

  • Smoking
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Not exercising
  • Overeating 
  • Recreational drug use
  • Misusing prescription or over-the-counter medications

In addition, many Americans choose to go directly to the emergency room any time they need healthcare, resulting in $38 billion a year being wasted on non-emergency care. In fact, approximately 56% of all emergency room visits are not even emergency cases.

Problem #3: Hidden Healthcare Costs

Lack of transparency and hidden healthcare costs make it difficult to compare health insurance policies and other things, such as procedure costs, in today's healthcare industry. For example, many consumers are unaware that the price of a surgical procedure can cost as much as $10,000 more at one hospital than another. Such lack of transparency adds more than $100 billion onto the cost of healthcare in the United States.

Another "hidden" way costs are raised is through all of the paperwork and other "red tape" issues forced upon administrators. It costs a ton of money dealing with government regulations, insurance paperwork, and healthcare billing issues, the expense of which gets unfortunately passed on to policy holders.

Another surprising fact that impacts the overall cost of insurance premiums is that healthcare providers recoup the cost of treating uninsured patients by "shifting" those expenses off to those who do have insurance. This results in most policy holders paying on average $1,017 more every year as a result of cost shifting.  

How BCBSNC Keeps Health Insurance in Wilmington NC Affordable

BCBSNC is a different type of health insurance provider. We tackle the problem of rising insurance costs head-on, creating unique and effective ways for keeping costs under control so our members can get the best care possible for minimum out-of-pocket expense. We do this through flat fee payments, free clinics, dental initiatives, treatment cost estimators, improved data collection and sharing, enhanced wellness programs, anti-fraud efforts, patient-centered care models, and more.

If you are shopping for health insurance in Wilmington NC, keep Schnitzer-Slate in mind. We offer affordable, comprehensive BCBSNC plans with lower premiums, easy payment options, and other benefits. Just call us today at 910-392-7020 and one of our agents will help you choose the right plan for your lifestyle and budget. Or, just visit our website at http://healthplannc.com/ to learn more about our affordable health insurance in Wilmington NC.

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Schnitzer-Slate Insurance Agency is an exclusive True Blue authorized agency of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

CONTACT


5725 Oleander Drive, Suite G3
Wilmington, NC 28403 


Call: (910) 392-7020
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thurs: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

(910) 542-8590

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