Health Insurance Blog

Residents living in Chicago suburbs pay on average 14.6% less on their health insurance rates according to the article “Health-care Insurance Cheaper in the Suburbs” by Sandra Guy on suntimes.com.  This may surprise many carrying Chicago health insurance.

Those living 15 to 25 miles from downtown Chicago pay 12-15% less on their health insurance premium and those living 25-40 miles outside the city pay 20-30% less.  This is according to data gathered by Norvax Inc.  They also found that people who live in the southern and western suburbs, which are generally considered blue collar, pay 24.5% less for Chicago health insurance.  Those who live in the northern areas pay 14.6% less.  The findings highlight the cost of health care in these various regions.

Health insurance quotes are definitely being affected by location, but the question is, is this fair?  Health insurance companies claim it’s a matter of risk-based pricing.  Astonishingly, 26.5% of Chiacgo residents do not carry health insurance according to the latest US Census Bureau report.  This may be a direct result of the insurance companies and the way they price their customers as well as regulations created by the state.

President Obama will put his Chicago health insurance and health care reform fight to rest for a short moment while he goes to Copenhagen, Denmark later this week to push Chicago, IL as the location for the 2016 summer Olympics according to the article “Obama to Make Olympic Pitch” by Steve Chaggaris on cbsnews.com.

President Obama will be the first US President to have such a direct role in pitching for the Olympics being held on US soil.  Chicago has tough competition from a few other cities including Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo.  Representatives from Rio de Janeiro and Madrid are also planning on making an appearance at the Copenhagen meeting. 

According to a senior administration official Obama will travel to Denmark Thursday night and return after the meeting on Friday.  There are many supporters of the push for the US Olympics to be held in Chicago and they hope that President Obama will take this cause personally.