What can consumers do to survive in today’s health care system?
For example, A PPO rate for a family may be $2,300 per month, or $27,600 per year, just to have medical insurance — to prevent the risk of huge personal costs if they get sick. Who can afford that? And, how long can it be afforded?
The one thing consumers can do is ask themselves these questions: Do you exercise regularly? Do you consciously plan a healthy lifestyle? Do you eat proper food? We, as a nation, need to get healthy. If you are an overweight smoker with high cholesterol and hypertension and you want to eat a burrito at midnight, you are more likely to increase your chances of a heart attack.
First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting wellness and fighting child obesity on television, but I’m not sure people understand that getting healthy is a long-term process. Everyone wants to see immediate results, but patience is necessary. Just like no one gains 10 pounds in a week, no one loses 10 pounds in a week.
How can a health insurance broker or consultant help companies navigate the system?
You need someone on your side who understands how the system works. You cannot negotiate simply by telling an insurance company, ‘Give me a better price.’ You have to bring facts to support your claims.
The role of a good broker or consultant is to gather information from insurance companies and use that information to battle for his or her clients. At end of the day, insurance carriers will work cooperatively with good data and research — they want to make the best decisions too, so a good consultant will help develop that story.
For instance, if I let insurance companies know my client has had a good year, I will show them the utilization statistics to support my claim. If the carrier wants to charge my client a higher premium to compensate for other companies that have had a bad year, I will tell the carrier to get that increase from someone else — not from my client.
Frank L. Marrone is a senior vice president and partner with Millennium Corporate Solutions. Reach him at (818) 844-4120 or [email protected].
