Health Insurance Games

The attorney general of New York plans to sue UnitedHealth Group as part of his investigation into the games the health insurance industry plays with the payment schedule for out-of-network doctors. The common practice results in high bills for consumers.

By controlling the database that the "average cost" information is based on, the industry appears to manipulate the costs lower than they actually are leaving patients to fill in the gap by paying more.

"We believe there was an industrywide scheme perpetrated by some of the nation's largest health insurance companies to defraud customers," Mr. Andrew Cuomo said recently. "Real people get stuck with excessive bills and are less likely to seek the care they need," Mr. Cuomo added.

One of the major reasons America ranks so poorly in world health ratings is that other industrialized nations have health care systems based on prevention and early care instead of the acute care model in our country. It's also why we spend more on health care than any other nation on earth.