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Our next guest joins us every week on the show. Let's say hello to Andy Hetzel from Blue Cross Blue
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Shield of Michigan. And every week is a privilege for me to talk to your listeners about health care
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issues because they affect all of us. Well, we appreciate your insight in that regard. Andy,
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health care costs are putting the squeeze on Michigan's businesses and families and health
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insurance rates are climbing. Some by 20% or more this year. Can you talk about how we get from
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where we are to more affordable health insurance? Absolutely because the last thing we want to do
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at Blue Cross is continue to increase those prices on our best customers and we understand the
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squeeze that that puts on businesses and people all across our state. But let me start with the
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basic fact health insurance costs are downstream in the cost equation. They reflect dramatically
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increasing health care costs upstream. That's a good analogy. Anybody who has been on a river knows
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that what enters upstream ultimately flows downstream. That's exactly right. And when we consider
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that medical care costs have risen by 40% faster than the prices of other common consumer goods
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or that list prices for new specialty drugs can be hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient.
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You can get an idea of the upstream cost pressures that are impacting downstream health insurance
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costs right now. Andy, what is Blue Cross doing to provide solutions? Everything we can,
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Lucian, but the most important thing is to support people's best possible health.
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Truth is our health care system is expensive. The more we use it, multiplied by millions of us,
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the more pressure that puts on health insurance prices downstream. So the most important thing
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is staying as healthy as possible. Yes, Lucian, and that's why Blue Cross provides many no-cost
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preventive care services in our health plans. Things like well visits to the doctor and immunizations
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covered at 100%. We also provide 24-7 access to registered nurses for consultations.
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If our members have a chronic condition, we offer support to help them manage it successfully.
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And for the broader community, including people without health insurance, we are the largest
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private funder of Michigan's network of free clinics. This strengthens our safety net and
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prevents very serious health conditions among uninsured Michiganers. Wow, that's an impressive
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amount of support that Blue Cross provides, Andy. And it's only the tip of the iceberg. At Blue Cross,
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we are constantly working to promote our members' best possible health. And your listeners can
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learn a whole lot more online at mibluedaley.com slash affordability. Such a great site,
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mibluedaley.com slash affordability. Andy, thank you so much. Thank you for the time, Lucian.
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Andy Hetzel with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.