Demographic Factors To Impact Or Determine The Cost Of Obamacare
As shelves rise and government agencies scuttle across the spectrum, new ideas or policies take birth. On this note, it is not an uphill task to discern the similarity between Aspen, Colorado, Western flank of Wisconsin, and rural south-west Georgia. These places are among the costliest regions in the country considering a healthcare plan purchase on healthcare.gov. A compiled data by Jordan Rau of Kaiser Health News establishes this norm. In these areas, the midlevel or most affordable ‘silver’ plan for any 40-50 year old costs $381-$484 every month sans any subsidy. The national average for silver plans is approximately $270 per month as per the concerned subsidy calculator.
In this juncture, the most expensive regions to procure insurance do not necessarily have to be the most expensive places for living. While Colorado’s opulent Fairfield and ski-resort towns constitute these illustrious, high-expenditure cities like San Francisco and New York offer more affordable or reasonable coverage then Wyoming or Nevada. Jonathan Wu, an economist in an insurance-metric website called Value Penguin says that these are mostly low-density population and rural areas. The firm created a data visualization mechanism which compares prices and insurance coverage across the nation. Different factors can influence insurance premiums. Markets with minimum insurer sell coverage will have companies dictating higher rates.
Most of Wyoming contains only two insurers that offer exchange plans. The situation in soother Georgia, Mississippi and Nevada is pretty identical. Similarly, regions with only one health system or hospital entail greater leverage to propound higher rates for insurers. The total health of the population can play a role as well since people with chronic ailments incur higher medical expenses. These factors constitute the Georgian belt, which is dominated by singular hospital machinery, the expansion of which has been regarded as anti-competitive by federal regulators. Just one insurance firm offers plans via healthcare.gov exchange, which lower-income groups need to use for subsidies. The area also comprises high precedence of chronic malaises.
Regulation also plays a pivotal part. Vermont contains one of the largest average premiums for elderly people since the state forbids insurers from charging varying rates based on age. This makes it a low-cost place for senior citizens, but an extremely expensive one for younger folks. In rural belts, medical providers get fewer patients to fulfill the fixed costs of clinics or running hospitals. This enhances the costs on a per capita basis. Wu adds that transportation costs for people travelling long distances to treat or diagnose medical emergencies can also contribute to the high price structure in less populated regions. That might as well explain the inclusion of Alaska on the list.
