Home remedies are on the rise. What impact has this had on the health insurance industry? With the ever growing rate of health care costs, insurance rates have increased to keep up. These growing costs lead to less employer provided benefits with greater coverage restrictions. This means a higher financial burden on the insured and ultimately on the health insurance industry as the rate of the uninsured grows.

Over all less and less people are covered by insurance. Those that are covered are spending more on co-pays and finding fewer prescriptions and procedures covered. According to a report on health care reform from the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, from 2000 to 2008 health insurance premiums grew over three times faster than wages.

So more and more people are turning to home remedies. Many turn to home remedies to improve health and avoid the need for health care in the first place, using the old philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And many simply cannot afford insurance or the increased out of pocket expenses resulting from smaller insurance coverage provided by their employers.

The percentage of people on multiple prescriptions is high and the co-pays add up. The cost of prescription medications is very high. This boosts premium costs and increases the appeal of home remedies.

Home remedy web sites and blogs are everywhere. Many believe they have fewer side effects and that they are more organic. Most are far less costly than traditional medicine. And some are even touted as green with less packaging. So more and more people are turning to this cheaper and they hope safer alternative.

Over the counter or home remedies are used instead of going to the doctor. The problem with this solution is that not all home remedies are created equally. Many do not work and especially will not work for serious or chronic conditions. As a result when health care is put off of or avoided in favor of home remedies, the condition will worsen. When this happens the health care costs are escalated as the person must now seek emergency care or find that more extensive and costly health care measures must be used. Emergency room visits are easily eight times more expensive than a physician office visit.

When people forego health care altogether in favor of home remedies, the financial burden for everyone increases. This burden is absorbed by the insured and especially by the health insurance industry.

Always discuss with your physician the use of home remedies in conjunction with prescriptions or as a replacement to prescribed medications or recommendations. Home remedies should never replace the advice of a health care professional.