Health Insurers Mull Costs, Future of Medicare

Health insurance margins are declining.  The old model of increasing premiums or lowering health care costs is not enough to sustain profitability.  As a physician I see both sides of the 3rd party payor equation and a new model must be created to maintain profits.  There is increasing dissatisfaction on the consumer side.  In addition, the physicians who "manage" health care costs...

I disagree with Dr. Horvitz's assertions regarding rising cost of health care being the government and health plans.  These costs are but a drop of water compared to the actual unit cost of services and the # of services being delivered to Americans.  Health plan + governmental costs are in the 15% of the total spend. The mirror is a good place to begin for physicians if they wish to...

Healthcare costs are not sustainable in todays market. The solution is not more government or insurance industry management, which caused the problem in the first place. Present day access to healthcare is leveraged and is being setup for a big fall and government takeover which would be terrible for a country that has had the best healthcare advances of any in the world.

We are reaching a tipping point where health plans are no longer able to raise rates quickly enough to cover their increasing Medical Loss Ratios in the commercial market. As the commercial sector becomes tighter, plans have expanded into Federal and State contracts with Medicare and Medicaid to maintain margins.  These areas are also beginning to see the possibility of rate reductions which...