Why do rising medical expenditures cause concern?

Question

Why do rising medical expenditures cause concern?

Answer 1

It seem to be going up to a point where the average family can't afford medicine. As you can imagine, when you have a sick child/children and you can't afford their medicine or procedures you feel worthless as a parent. The cost is so high, that some people have to decide if they will buy gas for the car, food, pay the electric bill or buy medicine. We have to change it.

Answer 2

Because it is causing health insurance premiums to skyrocket.  More and more people can't afford health insurance.  Without health insurance people are ruined financially if they become ill.

Answer 3

Rising costs of medical care cause concern because the elderly will not have enough money to pay their bills as well as other groups such as uninsured or welfare recipients.  Medicare does not cover certain bills and treatments.  Just like some HMO's do not cover some medical care.  People who are "self pay" and don't have health care rarely pay their bills, and some people can't afford to pay a copay of $75 for an emergency visit or for any hospital admissions.  So instead of paying the bills, they ignore them until they can pay the copay.  

Some people use the emergency room for stupid non emergent things because they know that going to the emergency room they can apply for "free care" which isn't really free because hard working people end up paying for their care.  They won't go to a doctor because they don't get free care at the office.  

Health care costs are going up because the "baby boomer" generation is getting to the age of medicare eligible which means that tax payers are paying for their health care, and medicare doesnt' always cover needs.  Depending on which type of medicare you get, you may not be covered for ambulance services, for example.  And a lot of insurance companies do not pay for wheel chair vans.  I know this because I worked for the billing department of a major ambulance company.