How the U.S. Can Lower Out-of-Control Health-Insurance Premiums

Americans should be rewarded for living healthier

by Tony Colarossi
Market Watch

They say in life you can only be certain of two things: death and taxes. But these days you can add rising health-insurance premiums to that list.

Annual health-insurance premiums for the average family are 4.4% higher in 2016 compared with last year, now above $16,800. Those increases are hard to take because they advance much faster than the average paycheck. Between 1999 and 2009, the average U.S. salary rose 38%, but health-care premiums jumped an incredible 131%.

Today, health care operates on an outdated business model, focused on boosting the volume of patients and customer satisfaction rather than ensuring better health outcomes. However, a consumer-centric approach, underpinned by an agreement between the individual and a health manager, would radically alter how health systems operate.

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