How Does Free Riding Affect the Cost of Health Insurance

question 16

Multiple Choice

How does free riding affect the cost of health insurance?

• A) It has a dramatic effect on those who choose not to buy coverage because they will have to pay hefty bills if they need treatment.
• B) It decreases the availability of health care for all because fewer people choose to enter the health care profession.
• C) Premiums rise for those with health care because insurance companies need to pay more for an increasingly expensive risk pool.
• D) Indirectly at best because insurance companies could keep the cost of premiums down if they deployed technology more effectively.

---

Definitions:

Electrically charged atoms

Atoms that have either lost or gained electrons, resulting in a net positive or negative charge, respectively, known as ions.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers in the body that transmit signals across a chemical synapse, from one neuron to another target neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell.

Axon

A long, thin part of a neuron that transmits impulses to other neurons through branching structures called axon terminals.

Phenylketonuria

A genetic disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme needed to metabolize phenylalanine, leading to intellectual disability and other health issues if untreated.