The stress of foreclosure may be taking a toll on the economy and on public health, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A recent study titled "Is Foreclosure Making Us Sick?" compiled information about local foreclosures and health insurance data, including emergency room visits, found that areas with a large number of distressed properties also saw more patients complaining of mental health issues and preventable conditions such as hypertension. Anxiety-related issues and ailments related to stress were prominent in neighborhoods with high foreclosure rates, as were suicide attempts, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Researchers Janet Currie and Erdal Tekin focused their efforts on data from hard-hit housing markets in Arizona, California, Florida and New Jersey. They used data collected between 2005 and 2009 and in addition to highlighting the health insurance woes of communities in housing crisis, they also pointed out that individuals between the ages of 20 and 49 were the most impacted, NBER reports.

Some may also be quick to point out that it is not just distressed homeowners that may be suffering, but also their neighbors who have seen their home values and equity decline as a result of the market dips, The Wall Street Journal explains.

"Everybody's stressed out," Janet Currie told the news source. "There is a connection between people's economic well being and their physical well being."
 

While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was designed in large part to protect consumers and curb rising health insurance costs, it was also drafted to help protect the healthcare industry from fraud, USA Today reports.

The legislation has already aided officials in efforts to prosecute individuals who have made fraudulent medical claims, and the number of suits is predicted to rise by 85 percent this year. Thus far, there have been 903 prosecutions in 2011. That is a 24 percent increase over 2010 and a 71 percent rise from five years ago, the source reports.

In the past, many fraudulent claims were filed through Medicare's electronic payment system . The Medicare Fraud Task Force, established by the Obama administration, now uses that same system to target those that make false claims and rid the health insurance system of illegal transactions. In 2010 alone, the efforts of the task forced recovered $4 billion in tax payer dollars, The Los Angeles Times explains.

The task force has been busy locating health insurance scammers in the past two years and the number of medical fraud convictions has been steadily rising as a result. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice saw a total of 23 trial convictions for Medicare fraud, while they have already had 24 in the first half of 2011, according to USA Today.

While wellness programs may have become the norm in most companies, those businesses that offer incentives to their employees may see greater savings when it comes to group health insurance, according to the Incentive Research Foundation.

In a recent survey, the IRF found that employees who were promised incentives if they participated in workplace wellness programs were much more likely to join in. Those companies that do not offer incentives for health habits saw less than 20 percent of their staff take part in wellness programs, while those that do offer incentives found that four in five staff members participated, according to the source.

Because those who live healthy life styles will likely spend less when it comes to health insurance, ramping up wellness program incentives may be well worth the investment for many companies, the source explains.

"The U.S. is spending about $2.5 trillion per year on health care," Robert Stotz of IRF explained. "As much as 75 percent of that is spent on preventable conditions, so the potential savings through preventative health care measures that include workplace wellness programs could be as high as $1.9 trillion per year."
 

While many small businesses try to cut corners when it comes to spending, they may be unable to do so when it comes to group health insurance, according to Inc.com.

Many smaller companies may be overpaying for employee health insurance plans by as much as 29 percent, according to a recent report. This may be because these businesses lack access to quality affordable options, the source reports.

This is due in part to search frictions when it comes to health insurance shopping. Companies with fewer employees have less buying power and reduced access to information regarding healthcare plans. This friction causes small businesses to frequently change their insurance packages, perhaps because they are dissatisfied with their options and service, the Incidental Economist explains.

"High turnover rates undermine the quality of health plans by reducing insurers' incentive to finance care that makes their policyholders healthier in the future," said Dr. Randall Cebul, according to Inc.com.

While this may not bode well for companies shopping for employee benefits right now, impending public options may change the situation and create more affordable options to choose from, the source reports.  

Consumer-driven health plans are continuing to grow in popularity as businesses seek ways to eliminate the growing cost burden of obtaining health insurance, according to United Benefit Advisors.

While CDHPs saw minimal growth in 2010, they have risen in prominence 13.9 percent in 2011. The consumer-centric plans now make up 22.9 percent of the health insurance marketplace, the source reports.

CDHPs have even become more prevalent than health maintenance organizations, which have been employed in recent years to curb costs when it comes to group health insurance. HMOs currently comprise 11.9 percent of the insurance market, according to the source.

"This year experienced an increase [of CDHPs], albeit less than the average 8.2 percent increase of all plans," explained Bill Stafford of UBA. "As these plans become more prevalent, the percentage of savings has continually declined."

However, as consumers will be able to control costs by using preventative care, the overall cost savings may still continue. Individuals should take advantage of wellness plans that come with their policies, 80.6 percent of which will include a health risk assessment, the source explains.