Article Referred By Rusty Rusteberg
The Blue Cross representative for the second largest employer south of San Antonio has another gem to add to his renewal presentation. The Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) health insurance premiums are some of the highest among school districts across the state. Now he has another explanation why health care costs are going up again. “It’s all your fault your rates are rising again! You’re the unhealthiest population in the USA, the planet even!”
That’s a new one. Add this to all the other legacy explanations justifying rate increases given by BUCA reps. and their broker slaves since the 1980’s such as “advancing technology and aging population” and you have a plausible and powerful explanation for selling rate increases.
Plan sponsors should beware of half truths. Although unhealthy lifestyles play a role in rising health care costs, there are other more compelling reasons health insurance premiums are rising faster than a melting raspa in August and it has nothing to do with health care costs.
Unhealthiest cities in America: Southern states dominate the list, according to experts
The WalletHub study of the country’s 182 most populated cities finds Brownsville, Texas ranks as the unhealthiest city in America. Across 43 key metrics, including the cost of a medical visit and the amount of fruits and vegetables people eat, the city of roughly 186,000 people along the U.S.-Mexico border sits at the bottom of the study’s “Food” and “Fitness” scores. Brownsville also ranks 172nd in terms of “Green Space” and 169th for “Health Care.”
This score accounts for several factors including each city’s rate of premature death, mental health, the cost of medical care, and the number of residents with insurance.
