The cost of health insurance continues to climb unabated. As the number of uninsured in America swells to 45 million people, many look to our political leaders for answers and relief.

Presidential campaign rhetoric about how to control skyrocketing health care costs provides only short-term solutions focused on the sticker price. But the administration should address long-term solutions to the spiraling crisis.

In 2002, the United States spent $1.6 trillion, or nearly 15 percent of GDP, on health expenditures. Medicare, the government’s single payer model for seniors, spent $267
billion.

Analysts project national health care expenditures to reach $3.1 trillion by 2012 nearly twice the amount spent in 2002.
The dramatic numbers have a tendency to overstate the obvious for many, the cost of insurance can be as much, if not more,
than rent or a mortgage. Until the administration places its focus on the rising cost of health care, those costs will continue to escalate far exceeding the rates of earnings. Whether you subscribe to a higher monthly premium charged by an HMO or a payroll tax collected by Uncle Sam, someone has to pay
the bill. Shifting the burden from our premium bill to our tax bill is not an acceptable solution.

There are basic initiatives that policymakers need to address in an effort to streamline the delivery system and minimize
the soaring cost of health care.

First, encourage investments in technology improvements across all levels of the health care delivery system, including insurers, hospitals and physicians. For a $1.6 trillion industry in the 21st century, the technology employed is comparable to
driving a Model T on a highway full of modern cars.

Consider the banking industry. A simple piece of plastic, from any bank, allows you to purchase anything from antiques on eBay to milk at the local grocery store. In health care, the piece of plastic serving as an ID card serves little purpose other than
to inform the physician where to send the bill. Physicians and their staffs then spend an inordinate amount of time completing
the proper paperwork to get paid.

Inefficiencies are expensive. Administrative expenses are the fastest-rising component of health expenditures. In 2002, public and private insurance spent $105 billion on administrative expenses, almost 13 percent more than in 2001. Support for developing common standards and technology improvements is necessary to eliminate the costly inefficiencies that
contribute to rising health costs.

Next, support the release of cost and quality information. Most of us know where we can find the best deal on a car, mortgage or even shoes. But how many people can afford to buy something without ever knowing the price?

Do you know the average cost of a physician office visit? We have grown accustomed to the minimal office co-payment as
the benchmark for the cost of delivering care. Yet who would seriously consider a $10 co-payment a sufficient amount for
physician treatment?

As consumers, we are asked to bear a greater share of health care costs. In return, we should demand more information
about price and quality. Disclosure of such information has the potential to have a profound effect on consumer behavior and the cost and quality of health care. Such transparency should reform inequities and deficiencies in the cost of
health services.

There is no single magic bullet to solving the issues facing the American health care system. Our system is an immense and
complex web of interdependencies. Expanded public financing and subsidies will provide only short-term relief unless the
drivers of health care expenditures are resolved. Solely addressing the problem by throwing more money at it, public or private, while ignoring the elephant in the living room serves little to alleviate the large financial burden the health care system has become.

We must accept the fact that health care in the United States is expensive and get to work on long-term solutions that will effectively control costs. We have the ability to control health care costs in this country; what we lack are the commitment and
stamina to get it done.

JOHN R. CANTILLO is vice president of underwriting at VISTA.
An industry expert with more than 10 years of experience in
health insurance, he received his MBA from the University of Florida. Cantillo is a member of the Health Underwriting
Study Group, a national think tank and information source for health insurance executives. Reach him at http://www.vistahealthplan.com

When you are shopping for car insurance how many car insurance quotes do you compare? Some of us will go with the first company we come across. Others will check into one or two and pick the cheapest one. If you are shopping for the most affordable car insurance, it’s important to go with a company that has a decent reputation. After you eliminate the sketchy companies from your search there are still a lot of reputable companies to choose from.

Car insurance companies only offer competitive pricing to about 2 percent of the marketplace. When you get a quote for car insurance they are taking into consideration your credit report, history of accidents and speeding tickets, what sort of car you drive, and how much you drive it. Some companies price their products the cheapest for those who have a totally clean record and excellent credit. For someone who isn’t quite so sparkling in this area they should look into different car insurance quotes from other companies. There are services available online that will compare quotes from 20 different companies for you. The good news is that there is probably one company out there that caters to your demographic and prices their insurance at an affordable rate for you.

All varieties of companies, including solicitors, will wish to consider thinking of acquiring public liability insurance. A company may want this sort of public insurance to cover a variety of situations including a client tripping over a badly laid rug on your business premises. Public business liability insurance will cover all solicitor monies and compo given to a citizen of the public that has received a broken arm or maybe damage caused by you or your business.

Firms who desire to obtain a public liability policy may review the terms & conditions as various can often void the insurance claim if there are certain conditions. The leading thing to do is to discuss with the insurance consultant the cover in greater detail.

The insurance corporation are a fantastic enterprise which provide public liability insurance at spectacular prices. Having insurance is not a strict requisite for all firms, still various commercial firms will often require you have liability insurance in order to make available the services to them. Insured Risks supply requiste levels of up to 4.5 millions pounds, & is perfectly suited for start up businesses such as plasterers, or possibly large enterprises such as marketing agencies, If you are looking for Public Liability Insurance, contact Insured Risks.

Public liability insurance will probably help to eradicate risk if you are running a successful business. The law does mention that if you cause damage to someone else or possibly their business property then you might often be told to pay the cost of damage. Public liability will often protect your firm from going bankrupt if the worst happen.

What are most people paying?

With New York City ranking as the fifth most expensive city in the United States for car insurance premiums. In the year 2005 there is a larger portion of the population looking for ways to get cheaper automobile insurance. Average premiums for 2005 were $3,225. That is $268.75 per month.

The state of New York is the third largest state when it comes to number of cars insured. With just over 9,000,000 cars insured it creates a large market of insurance agencies to choose from for automobile insurance.

How do you pay less?

Most accounting consultants will advise to insure yourself only for things that you cannot pay for if they were to get damaged.

If your car is a 1985 Datsun then chances are that you would pay more for collision coverage in one or two months than you would if you ever had to replace it. In the case that you are insuring a 2005 BMW then you would not want to pay for damages to it out of pocket. Look at the car you are insuring and figure out what it would cost to replace due to an accident and weigh that with the cost that you would pay for collision coverage.

Next, look at all of your deductibles. Many insurance companies will have a different deductible for each form of coverage. Collision may have $500 deductible and comprehensive may have a $100 deductible. Comprehensive covers damages that may occur to your car due to something other than a collision. This can be theft or damages and these deductibles are usually around $100 to $300. Raising these deductibles can usually save money on car insurance.

To view our recommended source for reliable quotes, visit this page: Car Insurance Quotes.