There are a number of issues that need to be addressed with South Dakota Health Insurance, because premiums have been skyrocketing over the last ten years, and there does come a point where ordinary families wonder if they can even afford to buy health insurance in South Dakota.
This is reflected in the fact that in 2011, 13% of the population of South Dakota (that is over 100,000 people) were uninsured in the State.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that South Dakota Health Insurance is expensive, getting it is certainly still essential, because whilst it may seem like health insurance in South Dakota is expensive, hospital costs and health care costs in general are every bit as expensive and getting more so.
The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations collected statistics from different hospitals throughout South Dakota in 2010 to assess typical hospital charges, and they compiled the actual prices for different medical treatments’, including the Ten Most Common Types of Hospitalizations.
Here are the Ten Most Common Types of Hospitalizations in South Dakota Hospitals in 2010, together with actual average hospital charges:
Normal Newborn, Birth weight 2500g+ - $3,177
Vaginal Delivery with no Other Procedure - $7,128
Knee Replacement - $38,404
Heart Failure - $18,652
Common Pneumonia (Lung Infection) - $15,701
Cesarean Delivery - $14,838
Major Bowel Procedure - $57,485
Stroke with Brain Damage - $21,428
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - $16,113
Angioplasty Without Heart Attack - $36,093
It is important to note that these figures specifically DO NOT even include the cost of physician charges or those for an anesthesiologist or surgeon. This is simply what the hospital would charge for their part of the service! Those other professionals would charge you considerable amounts ON TOP of these costs to actually perform any medical procedures.
Remember, these are the MOST COMMON procedures, and yet even with these the average cost of the ten procedures is $22,901. In other words, on average, if you get hospitalized in South Dakota then you can realistically expect to have to pay out at least the cost of a brand new car just in hospital charges.
This is the reason why it is so important to make sure that you have got good Comprehensive South Dakota Health Insurance, even if it is more expensive than you might like. Because otherwise you can face such enormous hospital bills that you literally have to consider going bankrupt.
The above hospitalizations for example are the most common, but there are other less common procedures that are much more expensive.
For example, the actual average cost of hospitalization in South Dakota for a Bone Marrow Transplant in 2010 was $267,126.
Set alongside these kind of lottery numbers, buying health insurance in South Dakota not only seems like a good idea, but somewhat cheap!
The good news also is that whilst the cost of health insurance is never going to fall below a certain level, that there are things that you can do to save money on your policy and also to ensure that you get a quality policy that adequately covers you in case you do need hospital treatments.
The first important step is to get a number of different South Dakota Health Insurance Quotes so that you can start to see the situation from a different angle. By getting a number of quotes you can immediately get a better feel for both the differences between policies and where they are similar.
Start examining these differences and asking questions of the insurance companies regarding such factors as any out of pocket expenses that you may potentially face in addition to insurance premiums, and the basis on which the policy is offered.
Above all do as much due diligence as possible so that you are properly informed about your options, and take action to get a South Dakota Health Insurance Plan before it’s too late!
