AMARILLO, Texas - In the past eight years, the Commonwealth Fund reports individual health premiums in Texas have increased by nearly fifty percent and family premiums have increased even more.
"You look at the cost of health care in general and it's increasing faster than the cost of living," Amarillo State Representative John Smittee said.
In Texas, Smithee says the cost of health care is influenced by two main things.
"One is the cost of living in general which influences the cost of health care and, secondly, the number of uninsured patients that you have out there... because a lot of times the care that those patients receive is re-cooped to some extent by those who actually pay for their care and then gets passed on to the insurance," Smithee said.
Smithee says, this past year, health care reform has been another contributor.
"It has imposed new requirements on insurers that are expensive from an actuarial standpoint and those costs are being passed on to the rate payer," Smithee said.
Stopping the increase can be tough because people have different health problems and health risks. If you feel like your premiums have gone up for no apparent reason, Smithee recommends contacting the Texas Department of Insurance.
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