Bacon's Rebellion

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Reminder: Virginia Medical Insurance Premiums 5th Highest in Country

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by

James A. Bacon
in ,

As lawmakers ponder some 50 bills this General Assembly session with the potential to affect healthcare costs (see previous post, “Rocket Fuel for Healthcare Costs“), hopefully they will bear in mind that Virginia’s insurance costs, as measured by average premiums and deductibles, are the 5th highest among the 50 states. The data above, from Business Insider, is based on 2017 data. Health care in Virginia is the epitome of government of the special interests, by the special interests, and for the special interests, leavened by slightly by an impulse to shift Medicaid costs onto the backs of the middle class. The situation is unsustainable.

— JAB

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5 responses to “Reminder: Virginia Medical Insurance Premiums 5th Highest in Country”

  1. sherlockj Avatar
    sherlockj

    In 2018, Virginia health insurance costs jumped to the highest in the nation. As Jim Bacon said, unsustainable.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      You need to break the data out into counties and cities to really understand what is going on in Virginia.

      here’s a start:

      https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/virginia/2018/measure/factors/86/data?sort=sc-0

      Greensville $15,150
      Dickenson $12,075
      Norton City $11,228
      Wise $11,183
      Bath $10,941
      Dinwiddie $10,924
      Pulaski $10,515
      Tazewell $10,323
      Smyth $10,274
      Page $10,095
      Wythe $10,032
      Stafford $10,026
      Russell $9,964
      Hopewell City $9,961

      1. James A. Bacon Avatar
        James A. Bacon

        Interesting data source. It’s important to understand, however, that these are Medicare reimbursements, not private health plan reimbursements. Still, if Medicare costs are higher in a particular area, it is not illogical to assume that other charges are higher as well.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          I’m pretty sure there is a correlation. Obamacare sets their rates according to zip code so even in Virginia the same insurance policy will be priced different according to zip code.

          So I wonder how private insurance premiums would look on a Virginia county basis – that then goes into the aggregate that says how expensive Virginia is.

          Are these cost variations in the counties and cities due to something the state does or does not do or are there other factors involved?

          I’m all for what Mr. Sherlock and others are doing but we cannot start out with a premise that it’s the government or insurance companies fault if we really want to objectively understand the issue.

          Why are health care costs higher in some places than others? what’s the answer to that?

  2. Jane Twitmyer Avatar
    Jane Twitmyer

    Not sure what the government has to do with the high costs …. How about the incorporation of larger and larger units? OrthoVA bought up lots of orthopedic practices. The hospitals have been doing the same.

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