Should Unhealthy Behavior Result in More Expensive Health Insurance?
It's difficult to have a discussion about health care and avoid touching on the rising costs of such. More and more frequently, that discussion is turning toward the role that patients have in the cost of their care.
Recently, Medscape put the question to physicians: Should patients who engage in unhealthy behavior pay more for health insurance? Based on the findings of the Medscape survey, the physician community has spoken with a resounding “Yes!”
The Medscape survey queried more than 21,000 physicians from 25 different specialties on a number of different issues, including whether insurance costs should be tied to patients’ health. Based on the results, the majority of physicians believe that patients who engage in unhealthy behavior, or who don’t follow a doctor’s recommendations such as quitting smoking or losing weight, should pay more for their health insurance.
Of the responding physicians, 69 percent said that patients who practice unhealthy behavior and ignore treatment recommendations should pay more for insurance. Physicians note that such patients pose a higher health risk, and are therefore more expensive to insure.
Others say that a higher insurance premium could be a motivating factor that motivates patients to change their behavior. For others, it’s a matter of fairness. Patients who do follow doctor orders in an effort to maintain their health should not be paying the same rates as those who do not make similar efforts.
Just 15 percent of doctors responding to the survey oppose using patient behavior to calculate health insurance costs. Some said such an approach would punish patients without resulting in any behavioral change. Others did not want to cast judgement on their patients.
The fact of the matter is that health care costs are rising, and health insurance premiums are increasing to reflect those costs. Part of the increase comes from the health condition of patients, particularly those suffering from chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Such diseases are often a consequence of unhealthy behavior. Chronic illness causes about 70 percent of deaths in the United States, and these conditions are among the most expensive, explains Beckers Hospital Review.
The American Medical Association argues for patients to share responsibility for their health care, as well as the costs of that care. In addition to meeting the financial obligations of their care, patients should also be aware of the costs that come from using limited health care resources and should “try to use medical resources judiciously,” the AMA said in its code of ethics.
The AMA’s code goes further, explaining that patients have a responsibility to maintain their health. In some cases, disease and illness can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle and patients “should take personal responsibility when they are able to avert the development of disease,” the AMA said.
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