By Lori EhdeIn the face of rising health costs and health insurance premiums, finding solutions on an individual level seems impossible.But Sioux Valley executives were in Luverne last week to share information on trends and issues in healthcare and to offer a few ideas for curbing the problems.Ray Trankle, public affairs vice president for Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health Systems, described trends in healthcare as brewing up the "perfect storm" for driving up the costs of healthcare.He said the rising cost of pharmaceuticals, physician shortages and advances in technology are all contributing to higher health care costs.But two other factors – an aging population and increased use of healthcare among all ages – is combining with the other three factors to create a crisis in today’s healthcare."Millions of baby boomers will be accessing healthcare … and at the same time there will be fewer physicians," Trankle said."Even if we filled every medical school in every state, in 20 years there still won’t be enough doctors, and that’s going to drive costs."He said that’s especially the case, considering rising consumer demand for healthcare."The sheer utilization of healthcare – not age-related – is increasing dramatically," Trankle said. "And most of it is for things that aren’t emergencies."He said people who have met their deductibles figure if they have access to healthcare, they’ll use it, because somebody else is paying for it.Also, weekend acute care clinics are crowded with patients who have ailments that could be treated by their regular physicians during a weekday office visit. Trankle also used the example of the parent of a boy who bumps his head while falling off his bike. The doctor may recommend the parents observe the boy for signs of concussion, but the parents, if they’re insured, may demand an MRI."With this approach, it may appear as though somebody else is paying for it, but everyone pays for it in the end with higher healthcare premiums," Trankle said.He said people need to start taking more responsibility for their health and for their healthcare and realize that they are paying for it, even if insurance pays the bill.He said health savings accounts encourage consumers to make wiser healthcare choices. HSAs are pre-tax accounts that members draw from to pay medical expenses. Insureds need to have access to high deductible plans to participate in HSAs. Because they don’t need to be spent down like flex accounts, the tendency is to spend it wisely. Beyond smart healthcare choices, Trankle said people need to also be smart about their personal health."It’s how we care for ourselves that dictates a high percentage of what we consume," he said."We need to eat healthier, exercise more, don’t smoke and get regular screenings, because if we don’t, we’re going to end up accessing that healthcare more often." He especially stressed not smoking. "Smoking is horrible for a person and their family," he said, adding that children with health problems are often linked to parents who smoke.MedicareTrankle said under-funded Medicare is putting additional strain on the healthcare system. As healthcare costs rise, government officials in charge of the Medicare program have put a cap on the amount of money it will reimburse providers for each procedure or visit, regardless of the actual costs."If Medicare would step up and pay what it said it would pay, it would have a tremendous impact on healthcare costs," he said, adding that shortages in Medicare funding are often made up by paying consumers and insurance companies."The next time you see your Washington senator or Congressman, you ask them what they’re doing about Medicare," Ray said.Trankle’s presentation was part of a "Leadership Luncheon" Monday at Luverne Community Hospital.He and two other Sioux Valley executives met with members of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce Board with the idea that this group would share information with other community members.Chamber Director Dave Smith said he’d explore opportunities for Ray to present the information to a broader community group at another date.