Anyone who currently has health insurance may suddenly see rates go up again in 2012. The average health policy may increase because of the presidential campaign that is taking place, the cost of medical going up as well as insurance companies taking their annual increase. This makes it harder for people to afford insurance, which means that the cost of insurance is likely only going to continue to increase every year.

The Obama Administration started the Affordable Care Act in 2009 to make health insurance more affordable. This includes such things as requiring medical facilities to switch to electronic records, offering incentives for doctors to work together to offer better care and much more. While several things are implemented every year, the bulk of the Act won't be carried out until 2014.

Should a change in presidency occur, many of the candidates have vowed to get rid of the Care Act, which means that many of the changes currently scheduled to be implemented, which would reduce costs, would go away. Depending upon what the new president's solution to healthcare costs are, the health insurance rates will likely go up - at least in the interim.

In addition, the standard health policy relies on the cost of medical facilities. It is why some of the states with more expensive facilities also have more expensive insurance rates than other states. The more people who are uninsured in a state, the more it will drive up the cost of insurance. The reason is because hospitals are still obligated to treat these people. They must make up their costs from somewhere, which means that others are penalized with higher insurance rates.

With the economy in a bad position and many people unemployed, there are more people who cannot afford the health insurance, which will continue to drive up the costs of health insurance for the people who can afford the insurance.

An insurance company has it written into their contracts that they are allowed to increase rates every year. Every state has requirements in place that allows an increase but usually also says how much they are able to increase the rates by. Since it's almost inevitable that an insurance company will choose to increase their rates, even by a percentage, the rates for everyone will likely go up.

There are several things a person can do to try and combat these insurance rate hikes. This includes getting in better health for 2012 to reduce health risks, shopping various insurance companies and much more.

Many reasons exist for why insurance rates might rise in 2012, so it's not a matter of whether they will rise but by how much.