One of the most powerful business tools is a buy sell agreement. The proper use of this document can have a direct and dramatic effect on the security of your business. One of the mistakes an ill informed business owner may make is to fail to prepare for the funding of this instrument. Let us take a look at how a buy sell agreement is used and why it is so necessary in virtually every type of business whether it be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or one of the various types of corporations.

Sole Proprietorships

You have a thriving business that is totally owned by you. As the personal assets of the sole proprietor and those of the business are one the business has to be dissolved upon his or her death. The greatest problem with such a situation is that there will be no more income for the family. In some cases, however, the business can be purchased from the estate by one of the family members. If this family member has the knowledge and experience to continue the business upon the death of the proprietor a buy sell agreement can be set up during the lifetime of the proprietor that would facilitate transfer to this family member.

Some sole proprietorships have a very valued employee that have put a tremendous amount of his or her time and effort into building the business. In such a situation, if the owner has no family member that he wants to have the business upon his death a buy sell agreement can also be set up before hand giving this employee the opportunity of purchasing the business from the estate.

The agreement would be funded by life insurance…the least expensive way to go. In the case of the key employee it could be paid for from his salary or the proprietor could choose to pay for it. In some cases the cost is shared by the business owner and the employee. This agreement would be drawn up by an attorney.

Business Partnerships Or Corporations

A buy sell agreement can be used by a partnership or corporation to distribute shares of deceased partner or shareholder. Although it could be funded using cash or by taking out a loan the best way to go is usually through a life insurance policy. The life insurance can be owned by each partner or stockholder or it can be owned by the business itself. Upon the death of the shareholder the business buys the shares from the heirs for a predetermined price. The buy sell agreement is binding. The heirs will get a fair price for the deceased stock and each of the surviving partners or stockholders will own additional shares. Everyone involved will be happy.

For more detail on the use of a buy sell agreement go to Business Life Insurance

For more than 40 years Donald has been known for his extensive knowledge of the life insurance business. He has represented some of the largest and best life insurance companies in the United States as well as Canada. His advice is invaluable.

Donald’s website is: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net

The price of the car insurance policies differs in accordance to the company. Chicago car insurance policies vary and include bodily injury and liability insurance that pays only for the damage the policyholder has caused to someone else. It does not pay for any personal injuries that the policyholder may have incurred as a result of a collision.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or No-Fault Coverage assists the insured with medical expenses, lost wages and other expenses incurred as the result of an automobile collision.

Property Damage Liability Insurance (PD), insures against property (vehicle) damaged caused to another person by the insured, i.e. the Policyholder or by someone operating the policyholders vehicle. Comprehensive Coverage insures the policyholder for damaged to their vehicle such as theft or fire or natural disasters.

Collision Insurance assists with the repair or replacement of the policy owner’s car if involved in a collision. Prices for car insurance can vary by hundreds of dollars between companies, so it pays for buying. It is advisable to get several quotes before you buy a policy. Service is as important as price for insurance.

The carrier that you choose should offer good price and quality service. Auto insurance is considered to be an investment and you should feel comfortable about your policy. The Quality of the service costs more. You should try to balance the service and price. Nowadays, most major companies offer comparable quality customer service to make you want their business.

Generally you may be putting your energy into shopping for your insurance that into buying a new car. But in the recent days the rise of the Internet has radically changed the buying and comparison of auto insurance policies. Not only the competition between insurance providers and driving down policy prices have increased, but also it is easier and faster than ever to find the auto insurance policies perfect for you. Several ways are available for your search for better, more affordable car insurance that will save your money.

The simplest steps to opt for better car insurance are to be thorough in researching and requesting all discounts you qualify for, maintaining a clean, up-to-date driving record, assume more risk in your coverage, choose to drive a low profile car with specific money-saving features, find a low-cost insurance provider that can meet your needs.

Chicago Car Insurance provides detailed information on Chicago Car Insurance, Chicago Car Insurance Companies, Chicago Car Insurance Policies, Chicago Car Insurance Comparisons and more. Chicago Car Insurance is affiliated with New York Car Insurance Rates.

Do not wait until you are in a quandary at the rental counter. Before your next business trip, find out if you are covered through your own automobile insurance policy or through your credit card company.

Business Use

Since the expense is for business use, take the coverage the rental agency offers for at least two reasons: 1) If you have an accident, your insurance carrier will not be aware of it and thus it will not affect your personal auto policy rates. 2) It is a deductible business expense whereas your personal auto policy is not.

Auto Insurance

Call your agent to find out what your auto insurance policy covers when you rent a car. To be properly covered in your rental, your existing policy must include liability, comprehensive and collision coverage for rental vehicles. Liability insurance covers you if you injure another person in an accident, and comprehensive and collision insurance cover the rental car if you are responsible for the damage.

Credit Cards

After you know what your auto policy covers, check with your credit card company. Some credit card companies offer collision and theft insurance when you use their card to pay for a rental, but this coverage is usually secondary to your personal auto policy. Significant restrictions may apply: For example, the card company may require that you decline the rental agency?s collision damage waiver ? a provision of your rental agreement that limits your liability for damages to the car. Remember, a credit card will only cover damage to the car, not liability claims against you. That means your credit card will not protect you if you injure others or destroy property. In addition, this coverage might exclude business use or be limited to a certain period of time and geographic area.

Rental Insurance

If you do not have adequate coverage through your auto insurance policy or credit card, you should purchase coverage. The most misunderstood part of rental insurance is the collision damage waiver. A collision damage waiver isn?t really insurance; instead, it is a guarantee that the rental company will pay for certain damages. Rental agencies offer collision damage waivers or loss damage waivers for about $14 to $20 per day. If you decline the collision damage waiver, you accept responsibility for all damages.

The collision damage waiver also covers loss of use ? the money a rental agency loses when the vehicle cannot be rented due to damages. In most states, an automobile insurance policy will not cover this cost and you could find yourself personally responsible for it.

In addition, when you damage a rental car, some agencies will expect you to pay up front for repairs or replacement costs. This means the money comes from your pocket and you must get reimbursed by your auto insurance company. The collision damage waiver protects you from these up-front costs.

In addition to the collision damage waiver, most rental agencies offer:

?Supplementary liability insurance, which acts as secondary coverage to your personal policy

?Primary liability insurance for drivers who don?t have auto insurance policies or don?t want to use them

?Personal accident insurance

?Personal effects protection that insures your belongings

So, ultimately, it depends on your situation, but do carefully consider all of these possibilities and most of all, make sure you are covered!

Matt McWilliams is one of the co-founders of HometownQuotes.Com, an online insurance quotes web site. He is originally from Pinebluff, NC and attended Middle Tennessee State University. He is considered an expert in the field of online insurance shopping and finding new ways to help consumers save money on their insurance. For more information visit http://www.hometownquotes.com

Twenty per cent of critical illness claims are turned down. That means for every five people making this important claim, one will have it rejected at this crucially important time.

The whole reason behind taking out critical illness cover is that, in the event of you becoming critically ill (that is being diagnosed with one of the listed illnesses described in your policy documents) a payment will be made. The reasoning behind your decision to take out what some consider being an important part of your financial planning is sound. Critical illness can affect the whole family. You may have to pay out for child care, change your home or job or even train for a completely new career. Having taken out cover, should the unexpected happen, all eventualities are covered and you have gone as far as you can to minimise financial problems and get down to the important personal matters.

Unfortunately, in a number of cases, this is not so. Failure to disclose what may seem to you to be minor, unimportant illnesses in the past may give the insurers a reason to reject your claim. Fair or not, it?s completely legal! As far as the law stands, if you have failed to disclose information which the insurer was seeking, then the insurer is perfectly within their rights to terminate the cover.

If this happens to you, not only do you have to cope with the implications of the illness, but you have to either accept that your critical illness insurance plans have totally failed you. At this stage depending on the severity of the illness, you may feel overwhelmed by the situation and unable to face challenging the decision. If you do appeal against the decision and the Financial Ombudsman Service gets involved, they will make every attempt to establish whether you deliberately misled the insurers in order to gain cover or whether the questions on the original proposal form were vaguely or poorly written.

As soon as you make a claim on your critical illness policy, your insurer will instigate an extremely thorough check on your medical records. It appears that they can go back without a time limit and if they find anything, related to your illness or not, which you?ve failed to disclose to them, they may choose to refuse your claim. There is no such search or investigation carried out when you take out the policy and some people feel that this should be addressed.

It is virtually impossible to remember every minor illness. Can you really be expected to remember and record every visit to the doctor regarding things like headaches, eye pain, stiff neck, ear infections and depression? There were recent cases where claims were rejected for these reasons ? a man had his claim for prostate cancer refused because of failure to disclose an earlier ear infection and a woman whose claim failed because she?d not disclosed an earlier problem with depression.

However, for four out of five people, the insurance works. It is important to disclose your full health history and not to attempt to cover anything up. Read the terms of the insurance thoroughly and miss nothing out. Used as intended, critical care cover is a valuable financial tool.

Plenty of help is available when choosing your critical illness cover. Log on to the internet and you?ll find on-line brokers who?ll be able to offer advice, a choice of quotes and the best possible terms.

Life Insurance Policies provides free and amazing articles about life insurance policies.

Car insurance or auto insurance is insurance against losses incurred due to thefts or accidents. If you are a car driver you need car insurance. In most of the states, having car insurance is mandatory by law but even if it is not so it is always best to get car insurance to protect oneself against the high costs of accidents. If you live in a state that requires car insurance, then you need to buy the minimum amount of coverage specified by law.

You can buy a car insurance policy based on the type of coverage you require. There are different types of car insurance coverage but primarily it can be grouped under three broad categories of liability coverage, physical damage coverage and uninsured motorist coverage.

Liability coverage pays for bodily injuries or death, and property damages caused to others by accidents. It is the primary part of most car insurance policies. Bodily injury coverage includes expenses involving medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering. Property damage covers you for damages caused to other people?s cars and property in an accident. The liability coverage also covers litigation costs for lawsuits filed against the insurance holder.

The second type of car insurance coverage is the physical damage coverage, which includes collision and comprehensive coverage. Collision coverage covers damages caused to your car by collision with another vehicle or object. Collision coverage is normally determined by the value of your car. The comprehensive coverage is for losses that are not related to car accidents. Damages caused by unforeseen disasters like floods, fire, earthquakes, theft and vandalism are covered by comprehensive coverage.

Uninsured motorist coverage covers for bodily injuries and property damages caused by uninsured motorists. The insured person?s policy will cover medical expenses sustained in accidents where the other driver is at fault but has no insurance.

Besides these three broad types of car insurance coverage, there are other insurance coverage too that are included in a car insurance policy.

Medical coverage pays for medical expenses for injuries caused to the insured driver and the passengers by car accidents, regardless of fault.

Personal injury protection coverage available in some states pays for medical expenses for the insured driver no matter who is at fault.

Rental reimbursement covers the cost of renting a car if your own car is being repaired as a result of accident or other insured damages.

Insurance policies usually combine various types of coverage. Knowing the laws of your state will help you in determining the minimum car insurance coverage you require. You can also opt for additional coverage based on how much money you can afford to lose in case of an accident.

Stephen Mcbride is the webmaster of a site dedicated to information on low cost car insurance.

Florida residents that are self employed and looking for health insurance have a number of options available to them. Be aware that depending upon your health, your age, and other factors unique to your particular situation there is no hard and fast rule as to which option is best for you. However, there are some general guidelines that will help you make the best Florida self employed health insurance decision.

The first Florida health insurance option available to the self employed is to simply apply for an individual health insurance policy. The benefit to applying for an individual health insurance policy is that individual health insurance rates in Florida are very competitive.

The downside to attempting to purchase an individual health insurance policy in the state of Florida is that you must be healthy. According to FL law, a health insurance company can decline your application for an individual health insurance policy based on prior medical history (pre-existing conditions), height and weight restrictions, and other health related criteria.

That means if you have cancer, diabetes, weight problems, or a host of other physical ailments then you will be denied coverage with a Florida individual health insurance policy. (Any unscrupulous agent that tries to tell you other wise is misrepresenting whatever product he or she is trying to sell you as health insurance when in fact it is probably a discount health plan or a health insurance indemnity plan with very limited coverage).

The second Florida health insurance option available to the self employed is to apply for a Florida group health insurance plan. In Florida, any group of 2 employer/employees or more is considered eligible for a Florida small group health insurance. (If it is just you: 1 self employed person functioning as a sole proprietor in the state of Florida then you have a different option open to you – see option 3 below). The benefit to applying for a Florida small group health insurance policy is that that certain health issues that can signal an automatic decline on the individual health insurance side will not signal an automatic decline on the group health insurance side.

The downside to attempting to purchase a group health insurance policy in the state of Florida is that it can be very expensive. Think of it in terms of: the more potentially unhealthy people that the insurance company has to give health insurance to (group health insurance) the higher the premiums will be as opposed to where the insurance company can pick and choose who they will accept for health insurance (individual health insurance).

The third Florida health insurance option available to the self employed is for those that are functioning as a sole proprietor. Florida self employed sole proprietors can apply for a Florida guaranteed issue small group health plan. The Florida guaranteed issue small group health plans has an open enrollment period only during the month of August.

Florida self employed health insurance can be a somewhat tricky area to navigate without the help of a licensed independent Florida health insurance agent. There are also many different ways to save money in taxes – one of which being the ability to deduct your health insurance premiums paid on Schedule C of your tax return against and up to your Schedule C income (Meaning that even if you don’t itemize [Schedule A you can still deduct your health insurance premiums paid all the way up to your Schedule C income!).

Request help from the Florida self employed health insurance experts (CPA, Certified Financial Planner, and licensed Florida independent insurance agents) by visiting Real time Health Quotes.

Florida Self Employed Health Insurance

With health insurance now mandatory in Massachusetts, people across the state are eager to find affordable Masshealth plans that offer quality coverage. Masshealth plans vary in the coverage they offer. As a consumer, it is important to understand the difference in Masshealth plans to know which is best for you.

Fortunately, Massachusetts law restricts health insurance companies from denying Masshealth coverage to someone due to health conditions or terminating them from a Mass health program for illness. This provides a safeguard for consumers of Masshealth programs that health insurance consumers in other parts of the country do not have.

Masshealth plans can differ significantly from plans offered elsewhere. Many of the larger companies do not offer Masshealth plans. Those that do offer Masshealth plans strive to provide a superior product.

What to Consider When Choosing a Masshealth plan

Most Masshealth plans do not include dental benefits. If you feel that you will need dental coverage, it will be an additional charge to factor into your health insurance budget. Vision benefits are covered by many Masshealth programs. For example, the Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Mass health program offers 80% coverage on one eye exam every two years.

Coverage of women?s health issues are something to be critical of when choosing health insurance. Masshealth programs often treat gynecological examinations in the same way as vision examinations by defining them by a number of examinations within a period of time. Many Masshealth programs have very specific rules and increased rates for maternity care.

Age is an important factor in deciding on a Masshealth program. How does health insurance coverage for children vary from that of adults under different Masshealth plans? Often, Masshealth plans have restrictions and price differences in relation to age. This can greatly impact coverage under a Mass health program for an older person.

All of these issues should be taken into consideration when choosing a Masshealth program. The more coverage offered by a Mass health insurance program for various medical issues will increase the overall price of the plan. At times the initial coverage of the Masshealth plan will require supplemental health insurance for problems that may not be covered, such as dental, or are minimally covered, such as vision. Choosing an appropriate Masshealth plan requires balancing the benefits of a plan against the cost of coverage, including the deductible.

Paul Stewart is a freelance web application developer, search engine optimization guru and the webmaster of Businesshealthinsurance.com, an online insurance quotes web site. For more information visit Businesshealthinsurance.com.

Since there are many factors that go into determining your auto insurance rates, there are many chances to lower your rates.

If you change jobs and your drive to work changes or you stop working or you work from home, you should contact your insurance company.

If you have a teen driver and they go to school over 100 miles away without a car then you should be able to get a discount.

If you get married and are in your teens or twenties call your insurance company and see about combining your policies.

Take defensive driving if your state allows it for a discount.

See if increasing your comprehsive and collision deductibles will save you a lot of money. You need to compare what you’re saving and how much more you will have to pay if you file a claim. For example, if you go from $500 to a $1000 deductible and it lowers your insurance $50 per 6 months then it saves you $100 a year.

It will take you 5 years to break even from what you are saving compared to how much more you have to pay.

Now, if it saves you $250 every six months then it would be more worth your while.

See if combining your auto and home insurance polices will qualify for a multi policy discount with your current company. This could be a substantial discount.

One of the biggest ways you could save $200-$500 or more a year is shopping around for insurance. The auto insurance industry is very competitive and this is great news for smart consumers like yourself. Shop for auto insurance quotes here and see how much you can save.

A. Chris Tijerina has over 3 years of experience in the auto insurance industry and has seen many different people deal with auto insurance related problems. http://www.insurance-for-cars.com answers many of the questions facing drivers today.

Time and again new practices invest countless hours and money focused on office space, equipment, software and staffing only to open their doors for business and find significant delays in getting adequate insurance reimbursements. More often than not, the problem could?ve be allayed by addressing the insurance credentialing process early and thoroughly ? creating the necessary relationships with insurance carriers. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind as you address the insurance credentialing process.

Timing ? Start Early!

Plan on starting the insurance credentialing process early – at minimum allow at least six months before you see your first patient. Carriers will often take as much as 3-4 months to review documents and make a determination, even if everything is in order. If there are errors, missing information or a question about submitted documentation, several more weeks or even months can be added to the process. This six month allowance, starting from the time credentials are submitted, usually gives enough time to address problems should they arise. If too little time is granted before the practice opens, and you begin seeing patients before insurance credentialing is complete, you are open to the risk of getting an ?out of network? rate, reimbursements might be sent to the patient, or, worst case scenario, you may not get paid at all.

Identify Target Carriers

To define which insurances you might credential with, consider your practice location and patient demographics. Will a significant percentage have Medicare or Medicaid? Is there a particular company or business in the area that employs a large portion of the surrounding population? A quick call to their human resources office to inquire what insurances they currently offer employees (as well as possible changes the near future) can be a good indicator of the carriers you?ll want to consider.

Also, check with colleagues, other providers, clinics and even larger hospitals in the area and ask who their most common payors are. Inquire about which payors are best to work with ? who reimburses in a timely manner, which offer the largest enrollments, and which carriers might be at capacity with other providers in your specialty.

As you identify which insurance carriers might be most popular in the area, make a list of the top 10 or 15. Then, think about what other providers are saying and pare that list down to the top 7 or 8. This will be your short list of where to go next. Don?t go overboard and choose too many from the start ? if nothing else, you?ll run yourself ragged in keeping up with the submissions.

Contact Insurance Carriers

With your list of 7 or 8, prepare to spend at least an afternoon (or more) on the phone with the provider services offices of each of your target carriers.

One of your first questions might be to ask if they are accepting new practices in your specialty in your area. More often than not there?s no problem here, but don?t be discouraged if they say no – just keep moving down the list and prepare to check back with them later for an opening. (Just remember, if several carriers on your list indicate they are closed to new providers, you might want to reassess your location before moving forward ? finding multiple carriers closed to new practices in the same area is a strong indicator that there?s a lot of competition in the neighborhood.)

If the carrier is receptive to new providers, make sure you get all pertinent information about the process ? i.e. names, addresses, phone numbers, timing, required forms, and so on. Don?t forget to ask about online submission too, as many carriers today allow you to provide all information online and mail in the supporting documentation.

**Remember that carriers won?t start the insurance credentialing process until you?ve established a practice phone number and address (a PO Boxes are not acceptable). If you?ve established a practice address but haven?t moved in yet, carriers can usually send the forms to an alternate address, but you?ll still have to identify the location to get things going.

Submitting Credentials

Now that you?ve completed your research and identified which insurance carriers you?re going to file with, you?ll need to compile and submit all of your information. Most will generally require you provide the following:

While this can be a lot, there is some good news ? since most carriers ask for the same information, once the first submission is complete, you can just transcribe all the details from one form to the next. You will also benefit enormously in the future by storing copies of these documents in a safe place. As your practice matures and you seek to credential with other insurances, you?ll have this same repository of information readily available.

Once you?ve completed the application, don?t forget to double check everything. In fact triple check it and have someone else look over it as well. Don?t expect carriers to correct an obvious mistake for you ? it?s not their responsibility, and, frankly, they just won?t. The importance of double and triple checking cannot be stressed enough as the entire process can be help up by a month or more from the slightest mistake.

Finally, after your information has been submitted, allow an appropriate amount of time (1-2 weeks for mailed submissions) and follow up with the provider services office to confirm receipt. If you were able to obtain a contact name in your early research call them directly. Once receipt is confirmed don?t hesitate to follow up again in say, 3-4 weeks to see if they?ve reviewed it yet or if they found any problems. If everything?s on track, plan on checking back in another 3-4 weeks until the process is complete. This can save a lot of turnaround time if you can learn over the phone there was some sort of hold up. As alluded to above, expect this part of the process to take several months ? credentialing offices are often centralized and may be reviewing hundreds of submissions for many different areas at any given time. If there?s no movement after several months, you consider stepping up your calls to a weekly basis.

Hopefully your hard work and phone calls has paid off and you?ve made it through the insurance credentialing process in just a few short months with your original list of 7 or 8 carriers. If you?re up for the challenge yet again, consider going back to your longer list of 10-15 and start the process all over again with the remaining carriers.

A few shortcuts

Here are a couple of shortcuts to credentialing not mentioned above.

Hire professional assistance: There are many different organizations that can help with the insurance credentialing process. If you?ve contracted with a practice management company this process is often covered already. If you?re considering a medical billing company to manage your insurance and patient billing they certainly should have the experience with carriers to provide at least some guidance, if not manage the process for you. Also, there are a few professional insurance credentialing companies that specialize in this process for new practices but they can often come at a high price.

Universal Credentialing DataSource: The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare has developed an online service intended to eliminate the need for multiple insurance credentialing submissions. In short, you complete one form for all of their participating insurance carriers and you authorize who will receive your information. The CAQH Universal Credentialing DataSource is located at: http://www.caqh.org/

Summary

The insurance credentialing process is critical to getting your practice off to a good start ? and ensuring a quicker transition to profitability. While it can be time consuming, an early start will give you the chance to address problems should they arise. Just be patient and keep these tips in mind and you?ll get through it:

For more information on medical billing and medical billing companies, visit Diversity Medical Billng Services. Diversity is a full service medical billing company offering customized medical billing solutions to practices across the US. You can also find more Medical Billing Articles and Information in our Medical Billing Knowledge Center.

The cost of health insurance continues to climb unabated. As the number of uninsured in America swells to 45 million people, many look to our political leaders for answers and relief.

Presidential campaign rhetoric about how to control skyrocketing health care costs provides only short-term solutions focused on the sticker price. But the administration should address long-term solutions to the spiraling crisis.

In 2002, the United States spent $1.6 trillion, or nearly 15 percent of GDP, on health expenditures. Medicare, the government?s single payer model for seniors, spent $267 billion.

Analysts project national health care expenditures to reach $3.1 trillion by 2012 ? nearly twice the amount spent in 2002. The dramatic numbers have a tendency to overstate the obvious ? for many, the cost of insurance can be as much, if not more, than rent or a mortgage. Until the administration places its focus on the rising cost of health care, those costs will continue to escalate far exceeding the rates of earnings. Whether you subscribe to a higher monthly premium charged by an HMO or a payroll tax collected by Uncle Sam, someone has to pay the bill. Shifting the burden from our premium bill to our tax bill is not an acceptable solution.

There are basic initiatives that policymakers need to address in an effort to streamline the delivery system and minimize the soaring cost of health care.

First, encourage investments in technology improvements across all levels of the health care delivery system, including insurers, hospitals and physicians. For a $1.6 trillion industry in the 21st century, the technology employed is comparable to driving a Model T on a highway full of modern cars.

Consider the banking industry. A simple piece of plastic, from any bank, allows you to purchase anything from antiques on eBay to milk at the local grocery store. In health care, the piece of plastic serving as an ID card serves little purpose other than to inform the physician where to send the bill. Physicians and their staffs then spend an inordinate amount of time completing the proper paperwork to get paid.

Inefficiencies are expensive. Administrative expenses are the fastest-rising component of health expenditures. In 2002, public and private insurance spent $105 billion on administrative expenses, almost 13 percent more than in 2001. Support for developing common standards and technology improvements is necessary to eliminate the costly inefficiencies that contribute to rising health costs.

Next, support the release of cost and quality information. Most of us know where we can find the best deal on a car, mortgage or even shoes. But how many people can afford to buy something without ever knowing the price?

Do you know the average cost of a physician office visit? We have grown accustomed to the minimal office co-payment as the benchmark for the cost of delivering care. Yet who would seriously consider a $10 co-payment a sufficient amount for physician treatment?

As consumers, we are asked to bear a greater share of health care costs. In return, we should demand more information about price and quality. Disclosure of such information has the potential to have a profound effect on consumer behavior and the cost and quality of health care. Such transparency should reform inequities and deficiencies in the cost of health services.

There is no single magic bullet to solving the issues facing the American health care system. Our system is an immense and complex web of interdependencies. Expanded public financing and subsidies will provide only short-term relief unless the drivers of health care expenditures are resolved. Solely addressing the problem by throwing more money at it, public or private, while ignoring the elephant in the living room serves little to alleviate the large financial burden the health care system has become.

We must accept the fact that health care in the United States is expensive and get to work on long-term solutions that will effectively control costs. We have the ability to control health care costs in this country; what we lack are the commitment and stamina to get it done.

JOHN R. CANTILLO is vice president of underwriting at VISTA. An industry expert with more than 10 years of experience in health insurance, he received his MBA from the University of Florida. Cantillo is a member of the Health Underwriting Study Group, a national think tank and information source for health insurance executives. Reach him at http://www.vistahealthplan.com