How do health insurance providers support individuals in rural or underserved areas with limited healthcare access?

Rural health care is an enormous problem in areas that do not have medical services for such needs as kidney dialysis. However, for most medical questions or needs, telehealth and the use of secure online portals with medical providers have assisted rural health care patients, especially in areas such as medication refills.

One problem, however, is that many of the patients in need of medical services for routine medical needs in rural areas are elderly. This means their health insurance coverage is through Medicare, which requires an in-patient visit between the physician and the patient. It poses a tremendous burden for older people who may be unable to travel long distances to meet this requirement. The Department of Medicare Services should revisit or repeal that requirement.

What economic factors contribute to the increasing administrative costs of health insurance, and how can these costs be minimized to benefit consumers?

One of the major cost factors related to medical care is the governmental regulations and private health insurance demands for processing payments. Both systems need to be streamlined to reduce the cost of compliance, whether the payment source is Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance. The regulatory burden placed upon medical providers is an enormous cost problem for medical delivery throughout the United States.

How does the concentration of health insurance providers in a market affect consumer choice and pricing?

The concentration of health care providers in certain areas has little effect on consumer choice and price reduction. While competition would be helpful, other factors create price inflation in health care.

How do health insurance marketplaces and exchanges impact consumer choice, competition and pricing?

Insurance marketplaces such as the ACA have provided coverage for many people; however, the reduction in government subsidies has caused what is known as a “death spiral,” making the marketplaces economically unsustainable and unattractive. The co-payments on the marketplaces also inhibit rather than incentivize patients seeking routine medical care.

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