The rising cost of family health insurance has dramatically outpaced that of family incomes, as you can see in this historical graph.

The President really has his work cut out for him lately selling health care reform; it is hard for the average American to get excited about the new law when those who buy their own coverage are facing a 20 percent increase in their health insurance premiums.  Those covered by their employers (in the “group market”) have seen their rates rise as well.  If we have finally started to fix this mess why is health care getting more expensive not less?

So Why are Health Insurance Costs Going Up?

The answer is simple and complex at the same time.  At the most basic level, health insurance premiums are going up because the cost of health care is rising.  And during this recession people who don’t need a lot of care (the “young and healthies”) are opting to forego coverage, making the current pool of insured in the individual market older and sicker on average.  A slightly more sinister explanation is that insurance companies may be playing off consumer fears of health care reform, and trying to make strong profits before several provisions in the new law actually take effect.

But sticking with the most basic explanation for a moment, why do health care costs continue to rise?  The answer to this question is less simple.  Many experts believe our health care system continues to provide care that is excessive, ineffective or even unneeded.

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Your kindly neighborhood pediatrician may be trying to get you to vaccinate your child this year against the flu virus. Maybe you’re already skeptical about whether the shot does any good for those receiving it, and you may be recoiling in horror as your baby’s doctor tries to inject your infant at just six months old. Such is the disturbing trend popping up by doctors who are a part of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read on to learn about this organization’s drive to vaccinate babies and children, whether the shot has been proven helpful or not.

Flu Shots: Necessary Evil?

No parent likes to see their baby get shots-the screaming, the crying, the tears of despair over getting stuck with that big, mean needle. Studies have shown in recent years that the flu shot might not be necessary for keeping people healthy, unless the people in question are the elderly and infirmed or the very young and sickly. If you have a child, you may be hearing the AAP’s outcry that children from 6 months of age all the way up to 18 year olds should be required to have an annual flu shot. Well, for helpless babies at 6 months of age, this may have some validity. However, for children and especially teenagers, studies have shown that the flu vaccine only works in about 1% of the studied population. For parents who don’t want any unnecessary drugs injected into their little one’s bodies, this new insistence may raise more than a few hackles.

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