Does anyone know

[Valigator]

I was doing a little searching this am...and the more I searched, the more confused I got...I am not a statistics girl! But I digress, did my usual coffee and reading the local paper online, one headline caught my eye, HIV rates in my county, so I read and it takes me to other links and quite frankly I am more than a little Pi$$ , but still have questions....do any of you know how a health insurance company determines their rates? Oh I got off on a tangent and found terms like "tabular" and "graphic" information stats, and then I found something called "behavioral surveillance".
I learned this am, that
(1) Broward County, "my county" has the third highest rate of HIV in the country.
(2) Broward County "my county" has ad an increase of syphilis of 88%
(3) Broward County, "my County" is building a new free health clinic in Wilton Manors" also known as "Gay Village" because the transmission of sexual diseases are so prevalent.
(4) Broward county, "my county"and Dade County, next door neighbor, has more "bath-house" activity than all other cities in Florida combined.
(5) Broward county, "my county" is known as number 10 in the United States as being on the "Best Gay Friendly places to live in the United States".
Now am I just getting paranoid or are my health insurance rates directly proportionate to where I live????Does anyone know????

[Valigator]

How do you like this little tid-bit of news?

HIV Prevention Pays

HIV prevention pays. Researchers estimate that the cost of lifetime treatment for a person with HIV now averages about $155,000. Estimates are that 40,000 people are infected yearly, resulting in an annualized cost of more than $6 billion. The cumulative cost of lifetime treatment increases by more than $6 billion yearly if the number of infections stays steady, as it has over the last decade. In the last 5 years alone, an estimated 200,000 people have been infected with HIV. Treating them over the rest of their lives will cost the nation $31 billion.

[BILLY D.]

val

insurance companies, i'm refering to car insurance work on what is called the pool system. they figure which age group has the most accidents, they get charged the most. they figured which metropolitan are haa the most accidents, they get charged the most in insurance. rates. thats why a kid from podunk pays appreciably less than a kid from metropolis city.

the pool system also concerns home owners insurance. thats why you pay more than i do. considering a home of equal value. your area is much more prone to to be ravaged by wind storms or flood than mine, so i would pay less. also crime is higher in your area so that would be considered.

even this state, north dakota has aids. the state had 12 new reported cases ast year. but we have a of under 700,000 people in the whole state. your neighborhood bar has more people than that.

thats why the insurance companies all use those graphic, tabular and behavioral science data. if they didn't they would go under. what they are working on is called risk assessment. they roll the dice and judge their clients according to risk. their actuaries figure the odds.

i'm 100 years old, i've been convicted of dui, and lead a active sex life. you are a 33 year old virgin and lead a quiet life, and don't drink.

which of the above scenarios is going to cost the most in insurance rates?

by the way i read about the folks in florida at the nursing home and the outbreak of std's. thats why i used that reference. when i read stuff like that i can only think the usa is just like the roman empire and on the slippery slope due to decadence.

i better shut up before i go on a rant.

see ya kid. watch your p's and q's.

[fabsroman]

If you try to figure out how insurance companies determine their premiums, you will go insane. Billy is right about car insurance and auto insurance for the most part, but there are other things involved and there is no way I can cover them all. For instance, some car insurance companies look at your credit rating, assuming that a person with a good credit rating will be a more responsible driver than somebody with a bad credit rating. Home owner's insurance looks at how many other claims you have made. The list of factors goes on and on.

With health insurance, they look at your age, any risk factors that you currently have (e.g., smoking, drinking, prior conditions), they look at where you live, the general cost of care where you live, etc. The list goes on and on. Of course, insurance companies are regulated by the state too. For instance, an auto insurer in Maryland cannot look any further back on a potential insureds driving record than 3 years. Also, Maryland has to approve rate increase plans for moving violations and accidents and there has to be a correlation between those rates.

Just thinking about all this is giving me a headache. The only time I had to deal with this was on an insurance case, and at least I was getting paid for it, so my head didn't hurt quite as much.

[Classicvette63]

Val, the short answer is yes, where you live has a bearing on your insurance rates. South central L.A. is a more dangerous place to live than Podunk Nowhere. Good old capitalism plays a part too. Charging what the market can bear is what they call it. Folks in the big cities can afford to pay, so they are charged more.

[Valigator]

I am still on a rant...I feel like calling up United Health Plan....and screaming....I am straight! I am straight!!!!!

[DaMadman]

Originally posted by Valigator
I am still on a rant...I feel like calling up United Health Plan....and screaming....I am straight! I am straight!!!!!

so go do it. LOL