Affordable Health Insurance

Florida Primary Is A Health Insurance Primary, Says Health Insurance Web

Thursday 31 January 2008 at 11:34 am With less than a week to go before Florida's winner take all primary, Florida health insurance (http://www.floridahealthinsuranceweb.com) web has its final primary election coverage with each of the leading candidates' positions on health insurance. "The Florida primary has really come down to the economy, and health care," said financial consultant Morgan Moran, "if you look at the latest polls, health insurance has moved the Democrats into first place."


There are 57 delegates at stake in Florida, and according to the latest polls from Real Clear Politics, the four leading candidates are: Clinton with 43 percent, Obama with 33 percent, McCain with 23 percent and Giuliani with 11 percent. Florida's primary is January 29 -- vote. Health insurance has become one of the major issues this election according to Moran, "the Democrats have made huge promises ... the Republicans offer tax cuts." (more)

Health Insurance Radio Show Continues Climb in Arbitron Ratings

Thursday 31 January 2008 at 11:31 am The Health Insurance Advocate Show, with Cary Hall, sees another significant Arbitron ratings increase across multiple demographics -- attributed largely to Hall's no-nonsense assessment of 'National Healthcare' and unconventional style.

Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) January 31, 2008 -- Cumulus Radio announced today that Cary Hall's The Health Insurance Advocate Show, heard on Talk Radio 710 KCMO in Kansas City, Missouri, reached another all-time high in its fourth quarter 2007 Arbitron ratings among multiple demographics including Adults 18 years plus, Women 35 years plus, Men 35-64 years, Adults 25-54 years and Adults 35-64 years.

Hall says his radio program's growing popularity is the result of a motivated audience that wants to learn about and share healthcare related information and experiences in a stimulating and educational forum. www.thehealthinsuranceadvocate.com (more)

Health-Care Reform to Shift Focus

Thursday 31 January 2008 at 11:30 am By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 31, 2008; Page A02

The demise of California's attempt at comprehensive health-care reform this week means that advocates of overhauling the health-care system will turn their focus back to Washington, several experts said yesterday, as an increasingly tough budget climate raises new questions about whether states can go it alone.

When the plan championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D) went down to defeat in a legislative committee, so did hopes that successful reform in such a populous, influential state would bolster efforts elsewhere to cover more of the nation's 47 million uninsured. (more)

Siy: With health insurance, we're not getting what we pay for

Thursday 31 January 2008 at 11:29 am Dr. Linda Siy, PRESIDENT, TEXAS ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
Click-2-Listen
Thursday, January 31, 2008

We are inundated almost daily with tales of escalating health care costs, exploding health insurance premiums and horror stories from small businesses that have been forced to drop health insurance and families who have lost coverage.

Health care costs have long outpaced the rest of the economy. In 2008, health insurance premiums are projected to increase at more than twice the rate of inflation. Yet most employers simply accept this as a cost of doing business. But what are we getting in return for these exorbitant health insurance premiums? (more)

The reverse Pulitzers for unmeritorious public service go to ... the L.A. Times and the Sac Bee

Thursday 31 January 2008 at 11:28 am I have always been reluctant to buy theories that posit some newspapers' coverage is driven by open, blatant biases. Everytime someone calls The New York Times or The Washington Post hopelessly liberal, I bring up the inconvenient fact that they were the ones who pursued the Whitewater scandal the hardest, which midwifed the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which almost brought down the only popular Democratic president of the past 40 years.

But the L.A. Times' and the Sacramento Bee's coverage of Arnold's health insurance "reform" efforts of the past 14 months shakes my assumption in newspapers' good faith. I exempt Sac Bee columnist Dan Walters. Otherwise, from the first day, virtually everything written by the state's most influential newspapers built off the fundamental assumption that Arnold's plan must be approved, it just must be, it's a godsend, it's Incredibly Important. As for actually examining the plan to see if it lives up to its hype? Nah. No need. (more)

35% say no to NYU health insurance

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:23 am Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: University Jane Timm and Jessica Kramer

For about 35 percent of them, filling out the form is worth the trouble.

WSN interviewed 75 students yesterday and 56 said that they had chosen to waive the NYU insurance; according to the NYU Student Health Center, about 18,000 of NYU's 50,000 students have.

Many of the students WSN spoke to said they found the policy confusing and restrictive. (more)

Big Business Backs Individual Health Insurance Mandate

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:20 am January 30, 2008: 10:26 AM EST


NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- As presidential candidates push their plans to makeover the nation's health-care system, some of America's largest employers Wednesday presented their own suggested fix.

Every adult American should be required to purchase health insurance coverage for themselves and their children on a tax-advantaged basis, but it shouldn't be incumbent on business owners to offer or pay for it, according to the National Business Group on Health, or NBGH, a non-profit association of nearly 300 large employers, including General Motors (GM) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT). (more)

High-deductible health plan legislation proposed

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:18 am Gov. Sonny Perdue, along with lawmakers, unveiled proposed legislation Wednesday that would make health insurance more affordable.

The legislation would encourage small businesses to provide their employees with high-deductible health plans, coupled with health savings accounts. It will also allow Georgians to deduct health insurance premiums from their state taxes if they have a high-deductible health insurance plans, said State Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta).

A high-deductible health plan is an insurance plan that offers consumers lower premiums and higher deductibles. Health savings accounts allow people to pay for health care with tax-free dollars. (more)

Lawmakers study high-risk pools for health coverage

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:17 am January 30, 2008

By PATRICIA ANSTETT

FREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER

As Michigan explores new ways to cover consumers who have lost their health coverage, the Legislature is looking to 34 states that have created high-risk health insurance pools as a possible blueprint.

High-risk pools provide health insurance to people with costly medical problems -- often those who can't afford to pay the higher costs insurance companies charge for serious health problems incurred after a health policy is first written. (more)

Progressive business group says health insurance system is at risk

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:16 am January 30, 2008

By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER - A group of progressive business owners warned Tuesday that the rising cost of health insurance may soon mean they are unable to pay for workers' coverage.

Health coverage for the 91 workers and their family members on his company's insurance plan cost twice as much as the rent on his 52,000-square-foot Northfield factory, said John Wall, of furniture maker Wall Goldfinger Inc. (more)

National Business Group on Health Embraces Individual Health Insurance Mandate

Wednesday 30 January 2008 at 11:14 am Employer Group Identifies Principles Needed to Reform U.S. Health Care System

By: Marketwire .
Jan. 30, 2008 04:09 PM
Digg This!

WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/30/08 -- Saying it is a vital element to reforming the nation's health care system, the National Business Group on Health announced today that it would support efforts to require individuals to have health insurance coverage for themselves and their dependent children. However, the long-term affordability of health insurance coverage -- workable health reform -- depends on addressing cost, quality and access challenges simultaneously. (more)

Commission wants state to require health insurance

Tuesday 29 January 2008 at 11:40 am The panel offers the idea of a subsidy for Coloradans who can't afford coverage.
By PETER ROPER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Borrowing a page from Massachusetts and other states, Colorado's Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform will recommend that the Legislature require all state residents have at least a basic health insurance policy, even if people need a state subsidy to do so.

That "individual mandate" is among 32 recommendations the commission will give lawmakers on Thursday, although the group says that requiring health insurance would come only after lawmakers had ordered other systematic changes in how health insurance operates in Colorado. (more)

Universal health care effort fails in California

Tuesday 29 January 2008 at 11:19 am By Bill Ainsworth
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

January 29, 2008

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger found a way to steer his ambitious universal health care bill around fellow Republicans' resistance to new taxes.

But in the end, it didn't matter. (more)

Plugging the health insurance gap

Tuesday 29 January 2008 at 11:14 am A program funded with a state grant helps uninsured people get the physician care and medicines they need.
By Lisa Finneran | 247-7470
January 29, 2008

NEWPORT NEWS -
Dinat Minor knows what will happen if she can't afford to buy her insulin.

First comes the headache and nausea. Then she gets too sick to get out of bed. Eventually she could wind up in the hospital, like she did in November. (more)

$3.5 million fine expected for PacifiCare

Tuesday 29 January 2008 at 11:12 am State regulators Tuesday are expected to announce a $3.5 million fine against PacifiCare for failing to process claims and pay doctors correctly in the aftermath of the health insurer's 2005 purchase by UnitedHealth Group Inc.

The fine marks the largest issued by the California Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates the state's health maintenance organizations.

The Department of Insurance, which also regulates PacifiCare products, will release results of its own investigation that the insurer committed 133,000 incidents of claims processing violations in 2006 and 2007. The company handled 1.1 million claims during that period. (more)

Insurance impasse costs woman her smile

Monday 28 January 2008 at 11:26 am By JO CIAVAGLIA
Bucks County Courier Times

Soon, Juliet Smith will be fitted for dentures. She is 22.

Nearly six months of back and forth involving state lawmakers, the state Attorney General's Office and the Philadelphia region's second largest health insurer haven't broken an impasse involving the Northampton Township woman, who needs what her doctors say is "medically necessary" dental treatment that her health insurer refuses to cover.

Recently, Smith started the process of having her remaining adult teeth removed to relieve some of her constant facial pain, said her father, Joe Smith. (more)

HealthPartners workers could strike over health care

Monday 28 January 2008 at 11:21 am Health care workers employed by HealthPartners may go on strike over their health insurance coverage.

A report in the Pioneer Press detailed that over 1,500 nurses, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, lab technicians, physician assistants at HealthPartners clinics throughout the metro area have voted in favor of authorizing a short-term strike.

Bloomington-based HealthPartners has said it wants workers to pay part of their monthly insurance premiums, and it plans to raise copayments on prescription drugs, the paper reported. (more)

Need free or low cost health insurance?

Monday 28 January 2008 at 11:19 am Chuck Sheketoff
After years of calling the state lottery "a bad tax on people with a poor understanding of statistics, " I've finally found a lottery to promote.

Sign up for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) "reservation list" so you can get in on the Oregon Health Plan lottery.

This is the only kind of lottery that's totally devoted to helping poor Oregonians.

It is vitally important that as many Oregonians as possible get their name on the reservation list for the health plan lottery during this one-month window of opportunity. (more)

Health insurance co-payments studied

Monday 28 January 2008 at 11:17 am insurance co-payments have a big effect on U.S. mammography rates.

Brown University researchers discovered rates for receiving the breast cancer screening examinations were 8 percent lower in plans requiring co-payments, compared with plans with full health insurance coverage. (more)

A plan for reforming Utah's fatally flawed health-care system

Saturday 26 January 2008 at 2:11 pm Vast numbers of Utahns are without health-care coverage, costs are increasing at unsustainable rates and too many patients fail to receive proper care. Health costs are rising more quickly than our median household incomes.
From 1996 to 2005, median household incomes in Utah grew by 15 percent, while family health insurance premiums jumped 109 percent. This trend is just not sustainable. By 2028, health insurance premiums will exceed the entire yearly salary of the average Utahn.
More Utahns are ending up uninsured, some 306,000, according to the last Health Status Survey. Clearly, our system is fatally flawed and we must enact serious reform before the system collapses. This legislative session I have proposed House Bill 133, "Health System Reform," which begins a major, multi-year reform of our health-care system. (more)

A dialogue about proposed health insurance legislation

Saturday 26 January 2008 at 2:04 pm Fourteen billion dollars, hey, that's a lot of money.

Sure is, and just for health care.

No, I was talking about the state deficit. You mean there's both a $14 billion deficit and a $14 billion health care bill?

Yep, that's it; but not really a problem, you see, because the Muscle Man is going to both not raise taxes, cut spending and raise taxes.

Wait a minute. You said he's going to not raise taxes and raise taxes. (more)

More Hit Cost Limit On Health Insurance

Saturday 26 January 2008 at 2:02 pm By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008; Page A01

A small but growing number of American families beset by major medical problems are learning the hard way that simply having health insurance is sometimes not enough.

Those who need organ transplants or who have hemophilia, Gaucher disease or other costly chronic illnesses can easily rack up medical bills that blow through the lifetime benefits cap of $1 million or more that is a standard part of many insurance policies. (more)

State should mandate mental-health insurance

Friday 25 January 2008 at 12:07 pm By Frank Mixdorf

What key policy is missing in Wisconsin that 42 other states have found critical enough to enact into law? The answer is that insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment of mental health disorders needs to be comparable to the coverage of other medical conditions. Here are five reasons why insurance parity is vitally important to citizens in Wisconsin.

First, mental health parity legislation will allow greater access to effective treatments for Wisconsin citizens who have severe biological disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive and panic disorders, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Current insurance caps on spending and inpatient/outpatient visits are grossly disproportionate to other covered illnesses. Adding insult to injury, cost-of-living adjustments have not been made since 1985! (more)

Florida Health Insurance Picks Democrats -- Says Dems Offer Best Health Insurance Plan

Friday 25 January 2008 at 12:05 pm If you are not concerned with how each presidential candidate feels about Florida's health insurance crisis, you should change your way of thinking, said Morgan Moran of Florida Health Insurance Web. "Tuesday's primary will affect both individuals as well as companies in the upcoming years."

(PRWEB) January 25, 2008 -- "The way that you vote on Tuesday will have a major effect on health insurance rates and benefits in the years to come", that according to Florida's Health Insurance Web, a consulting service. The Democrats are offering the best plans for Florida residents, while the Republicans offer tax breaks. (more)

AS I SEE IT: Expand access to health coverage

Friday 25 January 2008 at 12:02 pm By DAVID CARPENTER

More than 719,000 Missourians have no health insurance. Most of these uninsured citizens are working adults without employer-sponsored health plans who cannot afford insurance in the marketplace.

Hospitals are acutely aware of the importance of insurance. As the safety net of illness and emergency, hospitals are often the primary and sometimes the only source of medical care for the uninsured. But substituting emergency care for insurance coverage is costly and unsustainable. (more)

Key health issues divide both parties

Friday 25 January 2008 at 12:01 pm By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer

The Bush administration's health agenda this year will consist largely of fending off Democratic lawmakers until a new president and Congress take charge.

In a preview of what is ahead, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says the administration will work to limit the government's role in the delivery of health care. That goal is at odds with several Democratic proposals, such as giving the health chief the power to negotiate drug prices and greatly increasing enrollment in federally sponsored health insurance for children. (more)

Health Insurance Options That Squeeze Individuals

Friday 25 January 2008 at 11:51 am Many people have no choice but to buy healthcare coverage on their own, despite its downsides
By Michelle Andrews
Posted January 24, 2008

When it comes to health insurance, one is definitely the loneliest number. Buying a policy on your own instead of through your employer often means getting skimpier benefits and paying higher costs, if you're approved at all. But as employers pull back on coverage, either canceling policies outright or increasing their employees' share of the costs, more people are turning to individually purchased insurance, despite its generally lousy track record on protecting and providing for patients when they're sick. Recent rulings may help curb some of the worst industry practices. But this type of insurance is not a good choice for the faint of heart. (more)

Employers put health coverage in workers' hands

Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12:57 pm By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
Nick Trikolas plans to drop health insurance for his employees and give them money to buy their own coverage. He says doing so will put him in the vanguard of a movement by employers searching for answers to rising health costs.
"This may be the future of health insurance," says Trikolas, CEO of Ilios Partners in Chicago, which plans to switch its 100 employees from group to individual coverage this year. (more)

Cost of health initiative up $400m

Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12:53 pm Number expected to seek coverage exceeds earlier estimate
By Alice Dembner
Globe Staff / January 24, 2008
Spending on the state's landmark health insurance initiative would rise by more than $400 million next year, representing one of the largest increases in the $28.2 billion state budget the governor proposed yesterday.

The biggest driver of the cost increase is projected growth in the number of people signing up for state-subsidized insurance, which now far exceeds earlier estimates.

State and federal taxpayers are expected to bear nearly all of the additional cost. (more)

Doyle Proposes Insurance Changes: He Looks to Revamp Health Coverage for Small Businesses

Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12:50 pm By Guy Boulton and Stacy Forster, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jan. 24--Gov. Jim Doyle put forth on Wednesday a sweeping proposal that would remake the health insurance market for small businesses.

"Skyrocketing health care costs are paralyzing our economy," Doyle said in his annual "state of the state" address in Madison. "And across the country small businesses, their employees and their families are shouldering the worst of the problem."

The governor's proposal could lower the cost of providing health benefits for many businesses with older employees while raising the costs for those with younger employees. (more)

Aetna Introduces New Health Insurance Plans for Individuals and Their Families in Wyoming

Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12:48 pm - Aetna Media Contact: Rachelle Cunningham, 925-948-4983 CunninghamR@aetna.com Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that it has begun selling health plans for individuals and their families throughout the state of Wyoming. The new Aetna Advantage Plans for Individuals and Families will be effective February 1, and consumers will be able to purchase health insurance directly from Aetna or through independent
insurance agents or brokers. (more)

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Announces Proposal To Expand Health Insurance to Two-Thirds of Uninsured Residents

Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12:46 pm Blue Cross Blue Shield Association officials on Wednesday announced a five-point proposal that seeks to expand health insurance to two-thirds of the 47 million U.S. residents who lack coverage, CQ HealthBeat reports. The proposal focuses on private and public cooperation; incentives, rather than mandates; and improvement of the current health insurance system, rather than new forms of coverage.

According to Mary Nell Lehnhard, senior vice president of the Office of Policy and Representation at BCBSA, the proposal seeks to revise the health insurance delivery system, rather than only expand access to coverage. The proposal would reimburse health care providers based on quality standards developed by a third party, help providers and members adopt and use electronic medical records and establish a national database of the claims experiences of 80 million members. (more)

Couple seeking health insurance

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:28 am Man died, unable to get on waiting list for liver, parents testified.
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Telegraph Staff
klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com

CONCORD – Roland and Bonnie Currier, of Middleton, said New Hampshire should become the nation's first state to make a patient without health insurance equally likely to get an organ transplant.

Nicholas Currier, 21, died Jan. 20 in a Boston hospital that his parents said refused to place him on the list for a liver transplant because he had no health coverage. (more)

Oxendine talks health insurance bill in Albany

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:15 am .D. SUMNER j.d.sumner@.at.albanyherald.com ALBANY - Speaking to the Dougherty County Rotary Club, the state's top insurance regulator touted a health insurance reform bill as a means to heal what he called a gaping wound on the Georgia economy.

Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine made his second stop in Albany during the last two weeks to generate support for House Bill 923, which was introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives last week.

Calling Medicare a "gaping wound" on the Georgia economy, Oxendine said the bill wouldn't solve the state's healthcare crisis, but would help keep the state from digging itself into an even deeper hole. (more)

Health insurance and its costly gaps

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:13 am January 23, 2008
THE FRUSTRATION and financial hardship caused by the insufficient private health insurance coverage of Alison Bass's family is no surprise ("An underinsured kick in the groin," Op-ed, Jan. 21). As a social worker in the Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Care program, I have witnessed these same problems with increasing frequency over the past 10 years.

more stories like thisMany private health insurance plans are only adequate for routine care. Families who face serious illness typically are overwhelmed not just by copayments and deductibles, but by necessary care that simply is not covered by their plan. I often meet families whose private insurance lacks adequate prescription coverage. Eighty percent prescription coverage may be OK when all are healthy, but few families can afford 20 percent of the cost of their child's chemotherapy drugs. (more)

How to begin reforming health care

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:12 am THOMAS A. PRESTON
GUEST COLUMNIST

The sad state of health care is one of the leading issues in the presidential campaigns. Our system is a national disgrace. It costs twice as much per person as other industrialized countries, yet 47 million Americans have no health insurance, and our health lags behind most industrialized nations. And, except for those who pay extra for a boutique provider, service is often poor.

We need major transformation of our system. But without consensus on three fundamental requirements, political haggling over the matter will get us nowhere. (more)

Gaps in WSU's health insurance coverage can lead to fees

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:11 am Students are finding themselves confused as to why they're being charged $50 fees for a visit to the WSU clinic after already paying a quarterly $230 fee for health insurance.
Uninsured students also pay $50 a visit.

"One of the reasons is illness that isn't covered by the school's insurance policy, including acne, tooth pain, most dental-related problems, negative STD testing and routine physicals, which will cost students a $50 fee," said Rita Scheidweiler, Student Health Benefits coordinator of Student Health Services. (more)

Health care in critical condition

Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 11:09 am Sheila Kuehl discusses her objections to the governor's health care plan.
January 23, 2008


Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) stopped by the Los Angeles Times this week to discuss health care reform. Kuehl will hold a hearing today on the Nunez-Perata health care bill, which is supported by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The Assembly has already passed the bill. If Senate also approves it, an initiative providing funding for the new system will be put on an upcoming ballot for voter approval. Kuehl spoke about her skepticism of the bill and support for a single-payer system. (more)

The health gap

Tuesday 22 January 2008 at 11:23 am On Long Island, money and race affect medical care and outcomes
January 22, 2008

When the subject is the health of Long Islanders and their access to medical care, it's no surprise that the fault lines are money and race.

People on the Island generally do better than those nationally when it comes to the incidence of chronic diseases, insurance coverage and access to medical care - good news driven by the relative well-being of affluent, white residents. But the picture is a lot less rosy for Hispanics, noncitizens, immigrants, blacks, the uninsured and lower income residents. They report a greater incidence of chronic health problems, more difficulty getting care and a real squeeze when it comes time to pay. (more)

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, NO INSURANCE

Tuesday 22 January 2008 at 11:20 am By JASON ROBERSON and DIANNE SOLÍS / The Dallas Morning News


Twenty-six-year-old Jaime illegally crossed the border from Mexico two years ago. Now Jaime, who asked that his last name not be used, waits outside with the others, hoping for work as a day laborer in the Dallas area.

He has no health insurance. If he gets hurt, he knows he can "count on nothing," he said. Bosses who hire him for landscaping jobs don't want to pay for insurance. (more)

A gap in candidates' health coverage plans

Tuesday 22 January 2008 at 11:18 am Illegal immigrants, other Texas problems ignored


12:00 AM CST on Tuesday, January 22, 2008
By JASON ROBERSON / The Dallas Morning News
jroberson@dallasnews.com

While health coverage is shaping up as one of the major issues of this presidential campaign, no candidate, Democrat or Republican, has proposed a plan that would address all of Texas' concerns. (more)

Leading Dems Miss the Boat on Health Care

Tuesday 22 January 2008 at 11:15 am By John P. Geyman, Tikkun. Posted January 22, 2008.

No amount of tax credits, health savings accounts or market solutions will fix this problem.

As we face the 2008 presidential campaigns, the stakes have never been higher for health care reform. Health care is pricing itself beyond the reach of lower-income and middle-class Americans with no cost containment yet on the horizon. Seniors with Medicare are paying much more out-of-pocket for their medical care now than when Medicare was enacted in 1965. (more)

Health insurance sticker shock

Monday 21 January 2008 at 11:17 am Chamber of Commerce member's insurance premium leaps by 25%
By HOWARD FRANK
Pocono Record Writer
January 21, 2008
A local businessman's health insurance bill is making him sick.

Alan Rosenblum owns The Frame Factory, a custom picture framing shop on North Ninth Street. He has framed things like a bottle of Dom Perignon and was even once asked to frame an old pair of tattered, mismatched argyle socks from the mom of a soon-to-be groom.

As a member of the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, he joined their Chamber Choice health insurance plan. Chamber Choice provides Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans for small businesses through local chambers. (more)

Health insurance examples lacked true context

Monday 21 January 2008 at 11:15 am I was interestingly entertained by [John P.] Fitts' letter in the Voice of the Day of January 8. He starts his conservative math lesson in the usual way, saying "I cite ... three examples" then citing four. Let me cite just three. And these three are not just made up; they are real people living today in Springfield (names changed).
Mark worked for his company for 35 years. He paid his health insurance premium religiously. He and his family enjoyed the benefits to which hardworking Americans feel entitled. Then his company went bankrupt. At 54 he cannot find work that will pay for his family's insurance. His insurance company hurried to cancel him when he couldn't pay because his wife, Tracy, has just been diagnosed with cancer. She will die with little empathy from our fine medical community or any insurance company. (more)

An underinsured kick in the groin

Monday 21 January 2008 at 11:11 am THE NEARLY 300,000 Massachusetts residents who signed up for health insurance under the state's new initiative are in for a rude awakening. They may now have some form of coverage, but many of them, even the very poor who used to get free care, are going to be socked with steep medical bills.

more stories like thisWelcome to the shadowy world of underinsurance, where high premiums, copays, deductibles, unexpected co-insurance charges, and skimpy coverage have put the lie to the dream of health coverage for millions of Americans. According to a 2005 Kaiser Foundation study, more than 58 million Americans already find themselves in this category: underinsured and at high risk of incurring punishing medical bills. My family is among them. (more)

A viral film to promote health insurance

Monday 21 January 2008 at 11:10 am Digital agency Contests2win makes 90-second Flash animation movie for ICICI Prudential

MUMBAI: “Is your future secure? How will you pay if your health suddenly goes for a toss? Do you have health insurance?” These are questions that every health insurance planner has on the tip of his tongue. Too bad that traditional advertising did not help either.

No wonder then that ICICI Prudential put its act together to do something which is being hailed as a first in advertising initiatives by Indian insurance companies.

For its health portfolio, the company directed a portion of its adspend to a viral film. (more)

Health Insurance & The Stimulus

Friday 18 January 2008 at 11:52 am By Cindy Zeldin | bio
As a component of the emerging economic stimulus package, Congressional Democrats are considering an increase in Medicaid matching funds to states. Congressional Republicans and the Bush Administration are reportedly cool to the idea, arguing that public spending on health care has little to do with rekindling the economy. The American public, I suspect, would beg to differ. (more)

Education, child health insurance, transportation on governor's to-do list

Friday 18 January 2008 at 11:49 am Little specific to W. Valley in Glendale address
Carrie Watters
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 18, 2008 07:34 AM

Gov. Janet Napolitano called her speech in Glendale the "Cliffs Notes" version of the State of the State address she delivered Monday before a joint session of the Legislature.

She was right.

The governor offered little that was specific to the West Valley, although many of her plans hit home with those in attendance. (more)

Task force proposes health insurance pool

Friday 18 January 2008 at 11:47 am Friday, January 18, 2008
BY KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer

OLYMPIA - What if workers could buy health insurance from an insurance pool funded in part by their employers but tailored to their specific needs?

That's one idea to emerge from the Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access, which released a five-year plan this month.

The proposal to create a pool of state, federal and private insurance funds available to all Washington residents could address one of the biggest holes in the state's health care safety net - the inability of some small businesses to afford health coverage for their employees. (more)

Obama restates plan for health insurance

Thursday 17 January 2008 at 2:47 pm Registered nurse Cherisse Kelsey sat in the audience Wednesday at the Henderson Convention Center as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama talked about his plan to offer health insurance to everyone.

From time to time, she gazed at her 101/2-week-old Essence.

"I really think Senator Obama can do it," she said. "He's so uplifting and so practical at the same time. He's good for young and old.

"We need health care for everyone." (more)

Health Benefits Direct and Access Plans USA Announce Launch of Insurint Platform With AHCP, a Leading U.S. Health Insurance Agency for Independent Agents

Thursday 17 January 2008 at 2:30 pm RADNOR, Pa. and IRVING, Texas, Jan. 17, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Health Benefits Direct Corporation (OTCBB:HBDT) and Access Plans USA, Inc. (Nasdaq:AUSA) today announced a two-year agreement between their respective subsidiaries, Insurint Corporation and America's Health Care/Rx Plan Agency, Inc. ("AHCP"). Under this agreement, Insurint Corporation will make available its software-as-a-service (SaaS) Insurint quoting technology platform to AHCP agents who enroll in the program.

Insurint Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Health Benefits Direct Corporation, a leading technology innovator in the direct marketing and distribution of a wide range of health and life insurance and related products for individuals and families. AHCP, a subsidiary of Access Plans, is one of the nation's leading independent health insurance agencies. AHCP's agent network submitted $65,000,000 in new annualized major medical premium in 2007. (more)

Businesses fight plans to ensure health care

Thursday 17 January 2008 at 2:27 pm When he's not conjuring the latest dishes from Italy for his upscale restaurant in San Francisco's financial district, owner and chef Dan Scherotter is worrying about health insurance.
Although he provides health coverage for his full-time workers, a new city law says the amount he pays each month — $130 per employee — isn't enough.

Under the law, which provides health coverage for all city residents, Scherotter says he would need to pay about $206 toward each full-time worker's medical costs every month. As a result, employees' share of costs at his Palio d'Asti restaurant would decline from $80 a month to $4 for the lowest-cost plan.

Scherotter, the incoming president of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, says the San Francisco law is illegal, unaffordable and an administrative nightmare. (more)

Private Insurance Is Incompatible With Public Health

Thursday 17 January 2008 at 1:54 pm Private health insurance is "oil" in the "water" of Public Health. They do not belong together. We have heard a lot about the redundancy, and excess, unnecessary costs of private insurance, and a lot about the horrors faced by those with and without coverage. . But there are other basic, root issues that so far have not been widely addressed. The presidential campaign traveling show now offers opportunities to raise some of these questions. (more)

759,000 Children With Asthma Endure Gaps In Insurance Every Year

Wednesday 16 January 2008 at 11:28 am ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2008) - Every year, 759,000 children with asthma may be at risk of a major asthma attack while they have no health insurance. About 30 percent of those families earn more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, putting them above the threshold for the state children's health insurance program in most states.

"Too many children with this chronic condition are without insurance at some point during the year," said Jill Halterman, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester and author of the study that appears in Ambulatory Pediatrics today. "These children need to have ongoing treatment from a primary care provider to avoid serious health complications. Without that, they are at increased risk for ongoing symptoms and even hospitalization." (more)

Health insurance advocates urge tax

Wednesday 16 January 2008 at 11:26 am COALITION SEEKS LEVY ON TOBACCO TO AID THOSE WITHOUT BENEFITS
By Jack Brammer
JBRAMMER@HERALD-LEADER.COM

FRANKFORT --A broad group of health advocates working for coverage of the nearly 600,000 Kentuckians without health insurance is joining the growing chorus for a higher tobacco tax.

The group, known as Kentucky Voices for Health, is pushing for a higher cigarette tax to reduce smoking, particularly among youth and pregnant women, with some of the revenue used to improve the health of Kentuckians. (more)

Many voters want mandatory insurance, employer role, yet...- MarketWatch

Wednesday 16 January 2008 at 11:24 am SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - As the presidential candidates tout their proposals to improve the nation's health-care system, it might behoove them to pay attention to a new survey that finds most Americans want to keep employer coverage in the mix and generally support mandated insurance.
In pursuing the goal of universal coverage, 81% want employers to maintain their role in providing health insurance to their workers or else contribute to the cost of it, an option known as "pay or play." That's according to a survey of 3,501 adults released this week from the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation in New York that supports independent research on health-care issues. (more)

Curing Health Care Without Killing Patient

Wednesday 16 January 2008 at 11:15 am While I appreciate Robert Reich's op-ed, "The Road to Universal Coverage" (Jan. 9), I noticed something missing. He just assumes that it is a given that universal coverage is the way things should be. Since government is not involved in the purchase of my auto insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, long-term-care insurance or dental insurance, why should government be involved in the purchase of my health insurance?

To go a step further, why is government involved in the insurance business to begin with? The programs already implemented or mandated by government -- Medicare and Medicaid -- have done nothing but drive the cost of health care up to the point that now the average person has a problem affording decent coverage. Prior to government involvement, people could afford excellent health care. But all the unfunded mandates now imposed have to be funded from someone's pocket, and it turns out to be the same people who now can no longer afford coverage for themselves and their families. (more)

Most Americans Favor Manditory Health Insurance

Tuesday 15 January 2008 at 11:19 am January 15 2008 - Results of a new Commonwealth Fund survey find that the majority of people living in the US would prefer manditory health coverage.

The survey found that 68% of Americans would prefer for individuals to carry medical insurance, with the government helping out those who were unable to purchase it independently.

The survey found 80 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Independents were in favor of manditory health insurance, and with the 2008 Presidential elections on the horizon, one can be sure that all of the candidates are gearing up for one big health care battle. (more)

Why budget gap shouldn't derail health care reform

Tuesday 15 January 2008 at 11:17 am As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has released his budget threatened by $14 billion of red ink, many are asking whether California can afford the ambitious health care reforms that passed the state Assembly in December. Given the social and economic costs of leaving as many as 6.5 million Californians uninsured, the better question may be: Can we afford not to?

Those worried by the possible impact of the budget gap on health reform include Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, whose chamber must vote for the health reform bill for it to move forward. Perata's concerns must be taken seriously. It would be hard to justify cutting back some social services while enacting a seemingly expensive health care plan. (more)

Family And Individual Health Insurance Plans - What You Need To Know

Tuesday 15 January 2008 at 11:15 am Deciding which individual and family health insurance plan is just right for you and your family can seem as challenging as judging which apple is the very best out of an entire barrel at the supermarket. The apples are all different sizes, shapes and colors, and the health insurance plans all offer different fees, types of benefits, and levels of coverage.

For many people, the group health insurance plan sponsored by their employer offers them the most affordable coverage. Group health insurance is exactly what it sounds like: a health insurance plan or plans offered to groups of people through their employers. Individual and family health insurance, on the other hand, is offered to individuals and families instead of employer groups, and it can be a much more attractive and affordable option than many people believe. (more)

Health Care Marketplace | Businesses Increasingly Auditing Employees To Ensure Dependents Eligible for Health Insurance

Monday 14 January 2008 at 11:31 am [Jan 14, 2008]
Businesses increasingly are conducting insurance audits of employees to ensure that all dependents are eligible for health benefits, Newhouse/Houston Chronicle reports. Some consultants say that, on average, about 3% to 12% of dependents enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan are not eligible. According to Newhouse/Chronicle, "With insurance costs rising faster than inflation for a decade," the money saved by an audit "quickly dwarfs the expense of conducting an audit."

Daniel Priga, a principal for Mercer, said, "There has been a significant growth of interest in conducting these types of reviews." Susan Johnson, a senior consultant at Watson Wyatt Worldwide, said that use of insurance audits has "grown exponentially in the last 18 months." According to Johnson, the audits are most common in "high turnover industries," such as service, retail and banking. (more)

Savings, Insurance, Wills, Planning: Here Are Some Tips

Monday 14 January 2008 at 11:27 am By CLAUDIA BUCK
The Miami Herald

Forget those New Year's resolutions to lose weight or take up Spanish. In the interest of flexing your financial muscles, we tapped a number of experts for their best recommendations on savings, insurance, wills and estates, and financial planning. Read on for their routes to fiscal fitness in 2008.

PREPARE FOR CALAMITIES

1. If you've been on the same individual family health plan for several years, consider applying with another carrier. If healthy, you'll likely get a lower rate than you previously were paying and a 6- to 12-month guaranteed rate to boot. (more)

Health insurance costs sting farmers and ranchers

Monday 14 January 2008 at 11:24 am WASHINGTON - When the presidential candidates pitch their plans for overhauling the nation's health care system this year, the nation's farmers and ranchers likely will be paying close attention.

Like many ranchers and farmers in the Great Plains, Rapid City rancher Peter Boydston and his wife, Erma, have to buy health insurance on the open market – the most expensive way to get health insurance.

The couple pays $1,447 a month for an insurance policy for Erma, 64, that comes with a $2,500 deductible. Peter Boydston, 65, uses the Department of Veterans Affairs for his health care needs. (more)

Young Americans and Health Insurance

Monday 14 January 2008 at 11:23 am Why young people should demand change to our health care system.

By Rebecca Mansbach
January 14, 2008

Health insurance hasn't traditionally been considered a pet issue of young Americans. Conventional wisdom says that young people are not farsighted enough to worry about their long-term health or politically engaged enough to care about the state of the country's health care system. Fortunately, recent polls have proven that view to be drastically outdated. (more)

Nigeria: Health Insurance, Key to Healthy Living - FG

Friday 11 January 2008 at 1:02 pm 11 January 2008
Posted to the web 11 January 2008

Hammed Shittu
Ilorin

Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange yesterday said that the only way to bring cheap health care delivery to the grassroots is to intensify efforts aimed at developing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). (more)

Private health insurance study finds disparity between profits, coverage

Friday 11 January 2008 at 12:59 pm Friday, January 11, 2008
BY PAUL CRAIG, Columbian staff writer

Private insurance companies are getting richer in Washington while fewer people are receiving coverage, according to a study released by two community organizations Thursday.

The Washington Community Action Network and Northwest Federation of Community Organizations found that the rate between profit growth and people covered is out of alignment among the state's top three insurance companies. (more)

Universal health insurance without health care

Friday 11 January 2008 at 12:58 pm by Claudia Chaufan
Thursday Jan 10th, 2008 11:52 PM
The “Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act”, known as ABX1 1 and described by New York Times reporter Kevin Sack as a “bipartisan blueprint” conceived by Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez to bring “near-universal coverage to the country’s most populous state”, with neither provide health care security nor reduce costs of medical care. This article explains why.
Virtually everybody agrees that the American health care system is broken: costs are rising well in excess of the rate of inflation [1], insured and uninsured alike are often an illness away from bankruptcy [2], and too many go without medical care altogether - and roughly 18,000 die each year for this reason [3]. With over 20% of its population uninsured and growing, California exemplifies well the sorrowful state of health care in the country [4]. As a result, it has become fashionable, for politicians and corporate executives alike, including CEOs of health insurance companies, to call for universal coverage. As Jonathan Cohn noted recently in the New York Times Magazine, universal coverage is today the “one thing Big Business and the Left have in common” [5]. And Cohn must be right, because, at least in California, traditionally opposed interest groups are about to tie the knot in Assembly Bill X1 1 (ABX1 1), the “Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act”. According to New York Times reporter Kevin Sack, this act is a “bipartisan blueprint” drawn up by Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez to bring “near-universal coverage to the country’s most populous state” [6]. So, should we not be raising our glasses in celebration? Not really. (more)

Arizona small business owners blast idea of health insurance mandate

Thursday 10 January 2008 at 11:44 am Arizona small business owners overwhelmingly oppose the idea of a government mandate requiring they offer health insurance to workers, according to a new survey

The National Federation of Independent Business polled Arizona small business members asking if the state should require all employers to offer health benefits. Ninety-five percent of the NFIB survey respondents opposed that idea. Two percent approved of the idea. (more)

Court says San Francisco health plan can proceed

Thursday 10 January 2008 at 11:43 am SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco's universal health-care plan, a first-of-its kind local program to be funded in part by fees on employers, may go forward while under appeal, a U.S. appeals court panel ruled on Wednesday.

The decision by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said San Francisco is likely to successfully defend a court challenge to its health plan, which aims to provide medical insurance to all adults residents of the city at an estimated annual cost of $200 million.

The rising cost of health-care insurance is a top political issue amid the U.S. presidential primary season. Some local and state governments, including California's, are exploring the feasibility of new programs to provide medical insurance to those without private coverage and not in existing public health-care programs. (more)

Bill would help kids get health insurance

Thursday 10 January 2008 at 11:41 am By HIRAN RATNAYAKE, The News Journal

Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008

A bill introduced Wednesday in the General Assembly would use information from schools to identify students who are eligible for low-cost health insurance.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, provides coverage for millions of children who can't get it or afford it through their parents' job-based insurance and whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Last year, Delaware had to return about $3 million of the $10 million it received in federal aid because there weren't enough young people signed up -- SCHIP covers children and adolescents up to age 19. (more)

Otto to push passage of health insurance bill this year

Thursday 10 January 2008 at 11:37 am By Nazario Rodriquez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Senator Caleb Otto will push the passage of a bill relating to health insurance before the next national general elections in November.

Otto, who said last week that he will seek reelection, explained that the health insurance bill is more on medical savings plan and not just an ordinary insurance plan.

"I am optimistic that this will be successful. A percentage will go to the bank on your account," said Otto, who chairs the committee on health and education.

He said that the Social Security would administer the program. (more)

Health insurance coverage among top issues in 30-day session

Thursday 10 January 2008 at 11:35 am Associated Press - January 10, 2008 7:45 AM ET

SANTA FE (AP) - State lawmakers return to work Tuesday for 30-day legislative session heavy on health care and politics.

All 112 House and Senate members stand for election this year.

And there's the looming election year in which the state's three U.S. House members decided to run for the Senate and leave their congressional seats open for challengers.

Governor Richardson will outline his agenda to the Legislature in a State of the State address shortly after the session convenes. (more)

Why should everyone get health insurance? For health

Wednesday 09 January 2008 at 11:50 am There are ways to increase your chances of being healthy. Among them: exercising, eating right, managing chronic disease and having health insurance. That's right. Having health insurance.

A study published in the Dec. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found uninsured, older people, particularly those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, experienced worse health than insured counterparts. But when the uninsured persons turned 65 and were eligible for Medicare insurance, they reported improved health. This follows a 2003 study published in JAMA that found uninsured people used more preventative health services after they gained access to Medicare.

The studies should come as no surprise to anyone living out here in the real world. Because taking "personal responsibility" for your own health only goes so far. Sure, you shouldn't smoke or drink too much. You should exercise and lose weight and wear your seat belt. (more)

OK on Love and War, but What's Fair With Health Insurance?

Wednesday 09 January 2008 at 11:48 am Betsy McCaughey's op-ed "The Truth about Mandatory Health Insurance," (Jan. 4) missed the mark on a number of key principles of the Healthy Americans Act, the bipartisan bill we are cosponsoring, and about the current debate on health reform.

The Healthy Americans Act would not "require everyone not on Medicaid" to buy health insurance. To the contrary, our bipartisan legislation would modernize Medicaid by empowering America's poor to purchase their health care with private sector choices just like members of Congress.

Ms. McCaughey claims that mandatory health insurance would make everyone pay the same price. This is not the case. Health insurance premiums currently vary by geography and health plan and this would continue. In fact, price competition among health plans is one of the core principles of our bill. Plus, our legislation explicitly provides that those who engage in healthy behaviors like quitting smoking, lowering blood pressure or cholesterol, or enrolling their children in wellness programs would be eligible for discounts on their health insurance. Under our approach, those who improve their health would pay less, whether they are young, old, or in between. (more)

Do research before leaving group health insurance

Wednesday 09 January 2008 at 11:45 am By JANE GLENN HAAS
The Orange County Register
If you are too young for Medicare but considering leaving a job that offers group health insurance, it pays to do some research.

After a yearlong investigation, Consumer Reports concludes 89 percent of the people under 65 who look for individual health insurance do not buy it because it is too costly, because they are turned down for health reasons, or because benefits are inadequate.

"Private insurance is virtually out of the question for 76 percent of uninsured Americans - and those who do have insurance told us wrenching stories about the high costs and poor coverage they receive," says Nancy Metcalf, health editor at Consumer Reports. (more)

Presidential Candidates Discuss Health Care During New Hampshire Debates

Tuesday 08 January 2008 at 2:46 pm Six Republican presidential candidates on Saturday at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., participated in a debate hosted by ABC News and Facebook during which they addressed health care and other issues, the Los Angeles Times reports.

During the debate, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) criticized the pharmaceutical industry. He said, "Why shouldn't we be able to reimport drugs from Canada? It's because of the power of the pharmaceutical companies." McCain added, "We should have pharmaceutical companies competing to take care of our Medicare and Medicaid patients." In response, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said, "Don't turn the pharmaceuticals into the big, bad guys." McCain said, "Well, they are." (more)

The Health Insurance Dilemma: Choices for Retirees Under 65

Tuesday 08 January 2008 at 2:43 pm If you're fortunate enough to think about retiring early, you've obviously been doing some smart financial planning. But in spite of all the calculating you've done to prepare for this next phase in your life, there's one area where you might want to take a second look at the numbers - health insurance.

Take the situation of a colleague of mine. With a husband at full retirement age and eligible for Medicare, she decided to take early retirement so the two of them could travel. Being healthy, she felt comfortable with a high-deductible health insurance plan. But as she tells me now, she had no idea how quickly all the expenses could add up. Now she and her husband are paying more for health care than for their trips.

The potentially high expenses don't mean you have to change your plans; however, you need to take a realistic look at the cost of health care and factor it into your overall retirement budget. (more)

Consumer Smarts: Be wise in buying a health plan

Tuesday 08 January 2008 at 2:41 pm By PHUONG CAT LE
P-I REPORTER

Sandy, a Bothell resident who asked that his last name not be used, said his wife's monthly insurance premium jumped from $520 to $637 at the start of this year. She's 62, doesn't yet qualify for Medicare, and so she bought into an individual health plan with Premera LifeWise Health Plan of Washington.

The couple knew they would have to pay a high premium, but they're more concerned that insurers can raise future rates on a whim.

LifeWise raised rates by 22.5 percent last fall, blaming high medical costs, increased prescription drug use and a new state law requiring expanded coverage for mental health treatment. That hike followed a 12 percent increase earlier in the year. (more)

Health care partnership would help Pike Place Market businesses

Tuesday 08 January 2008 at 2:40 pm By NICK LICATA
GUEST COLUMNIST

Lack of access to quality affordable heath care is limiting the potential of Seattle's small businesses. That problem was brought home to me with real force last month when I was invited to the Pike Place Market for the release of a survey on the health care needs of Market merchants.

The findings in this survey were disturbing. Pike Place Market is an icon of enterprise for Seattle and our city's major tourist attraction. It is a great place to build a small business. But, 39 percent of the business owners and employees surveyed are uninsured -- four times the statewide average.

Lack of health insurance stifles the creativity of a business, making it more difficult to keep good employees and maintain high levels of productivity. Workers without good health care are more likely to leave for jobs with larger companies and also more likely to miss work because of illness. (more)

Councilman wants to help uninsured children apply for health insurance

Monday 07 January 2008 at 9:59 pm Plan would provide city staffers to help sign up families for state, federal programs
By ELYSSE JAMES
STAFF WRITER
Comments 2| Recommend 2

A plan to help the families of uninsured Irvine children apply for health insurance through state and federal programs will be presented to the City Council Tuesday.

The program, proposed by Councilman Sukhee Kang, would be the first of its kind for an Orange County city.

About 1,760 (4.2 percent) Irvine children through age 18 are uninsured, Kang said. To identify uninsured children, the plan calls for Irvine Unified School District to send mailers to families. (more)

Health Insurance - You Can't Afford to be Without it

Monday 07 January 2008 at 9:57 pm (ARA) - The number of Americans without health insurance continues to climb, while the number of people covered by employer-sponsored insurance programs continues to decline, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Between 2004 and 2005, the most recent data available, just under 16 percent of all Americans had no health insurance, the Census Bureau reports. That means nearly 47 million people are without health care coverage. "The sobering question is: How many of those who remain uninsured are actually in a position to afford health insurance, but simply opt not to buy it," says Jon Engleking, co-founder and managing partner with Your Health Quote Online, a Web site dedicated to addressing the consumer's growing need for information and education on health insurance.

"Poverty actually accounts for a small portion of that 16 percent," Engleking notes. "Many more people forego health insurance because they either think they can't afford it or don't need it. The truth is, everyone needs health insurance, and new types of policies and benefit options are making it more accessible to people at nearly all income levels." (more)

Edwards Campaigns W/ Family To Fix Health Insurance

Monday 07 January 2008 at 12:17 pm Washington (dbTechno) - Democrat John Edwards was not on the campaign trail alone on Sunday as he was accompanied by a family who states that their daughter died last year due to health insurance refusing to pay for her operation.

The parents and brother of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan spoke of their story in front of an audience all out to support John Edwards.

Their daughter died of leukemia on December 20th and those in attendance were told by the family that Edwards may be the choice to fix health care in the United States of America.

The campaign event came just two days before the people of New Hampshire head to the polls for the big New Hampshire Primary. (more)

Professor's book details insurance

Monday 07 January 2008 at 12:14 pm UT Economics Professor John Murray did something no one else has, and he's sharing what he found through a book.

Murray published "The Origins of American Health Insurance: A History of Industrial Sickness Funds" in October through Yale University Press.

"Historians that have looked at development of health insurance have concentrated [more] on politics than what actually happened [with] health insurance providers and workers," he said.

It's all because the United States doesn't have a central government health insurance entity, Murray said, and because of it, historic data on health insurance is scattered, making research difficult. (more)

James Squires: On health care, only McCain offers serious and good reform

Monday 07 January 2008 at 12:09 pm IT IS NO wonder that New Hampshire voters are deeply divided on how to address the manifest problems of the way Americans pay for and receive health care. John McCain offers us an opportunity to chart a course toward fundamental change with our votes tomorrow.

Or, we may listen to the siren call of simplicity and, yet again, postpone looking at reality.

Some facts are clear: Expenditures on health care in our state are rising at a faster rate than the growth of our economy. Currently, approximately 16 percent of our gross state product goes to addressing health related problems, and nothing on the horizon suggests these costs won't reach 20 percent in five to seven years. (more)

A Price War in Health Insurance

Saturday 05 January 2008 at 5:50 pm After enduring years of premium hikes, small business is being courted by carriers eager to make deals
By Joseph Weber

When UnitedHealthcare (UNH) told American Printing House for the Blind that its health insurance bill would jump 49.9% in 2008, Chief Financial Officer William G. Beavin decided to shop around. He settled on Humana (HUM), which offered a less generous plan that delivered a 17% rise. That's steep, and will cost the Louisville-based publisher, which has 310 employees, about $1 million a year, but it's manageable. "It's nice to know you've got health-care organizations that are willing to work with you," says Beavin. "It's not a take-it-or-leave-it situation."

Health insurance has always been pricey for small and midsize businesses. But after years of extracting hefty increases from smaller corporate customers, some insurers are showing more flexibility. Why? With the overall market for health insurance flat, carriers are battling to steal market share from one another. "There's a price war going on now," says Blaine Bos, a partner at consulting firm Mercer (MMC). (more)

Choose The Wrong Health Insurance Coverage...and It Can Cost You Thousands...

Saturday 05 January 2008 at 5:48 pm Don't Be Caught Unaware. Do YOU know how to get the health insurance policy you need to cover your healthcare needs without excess costs?

Making poor choices as you choose your Health insurance policy can be disastrous, both to your pocketbook and to your health. If you're one of thousands of Michigan residents who need health insurance or need to maintain continuous coverage, make sure you get the information you need to avoid trouble (more)

TOWN'S HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS GOING UP IN 2008

Saturday 05 January 2008 at 5:47 pm 13 Percent Hike Will Cost Taxpayers An Additional $800K
By Keith Hagarty


Health insurance premiums for township employees will be going up by 13 percent, or nearly $808,000 in the new year, Mayor Stephen Acropolis announced at one of the town's last council meetings of 2007.

The township agreed to remain with Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield to serve their employees, with last year's premium costs budgeted at slightly over $6 million. (more)

Rell's Health Plan Hit

Saturday 05 January 2008 at 5:45 pm State lawmakers are criticizing Gov. Jodi M. Rell and the Department of Social Services for going forward with a subsidized health insurance plan for uninsured residents without addressing their concerns about the plan's coverage and whether it is financially sustainable.

Rell on Thursday released a request for proposals for a Charter Oak Health Plan, designed to provide health insurance with premiums for as little as $75 a month and as high as $250 a month.

The plan would cover adults of all incomes who do not have medical benefits through their employers and those who don't quality for the state's Husky Medicaid or Medicare plan. (more)

Flyers urged to consider insurance for health reasons

Friday 04 January 2008 at 11:42 am Holidaymakers should steer themselves away from believing that travel insurance is only needed to cover flight cancellations, according to one expert.

Perry Wilson of insurance firm InsureandGo said that medical expenses are actually the largest part of travel cover and should be particularly considered by those jetting off on skiing and snowboarding holidays.

He stressed that travel insurance policies with the right levels of cover can include personal liability in the event of a collision on the slopes, as well as for the holidaymaker's own medical costs.

"I think travel insurance should be compulsory when you leave the UK," Mr Wilson went on to add. (more)

THE TRUTH ABOUT MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE

Friday 04 January 2008 at 11:40 am The rationale for a federal mandate that forces every American to buy health insurance is based on myths, not facts, says Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York and an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

The first myth is that it's fair to make everyone pay the same price for health insurance. It is not: For young people who rarely use health services, this is a rip-off. If people in their 20s paid attention to politics and voted, politicians wouldn't dare try this, says McCaughey:

According to the latest Census data, 56 percent of the uninsured are adults aged 18-34.
Forcing them to be a part of a same-price-for-everyone insurance pool will likely bring down premiums because these young people generally need minimal health care ($1,500 a year, on average, according to a Commonwealth Fund study). (more)

Health Insurance Mandate for Comprehensive Coverage Not 'Good Idea,' Opinion Piece States

Friday 04 January 2008 at 11:37 am "Requiring catastrophic coverage (our parents called it major medical) probably is smart," but a requirement that "everyone have comprehensive health insurance, covering preventive and routine care," is not "really a good idea," Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York and an adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

She writes, "The rationale for this mandate is not personal responsibility but 'shared responsibility,' a polite way of saying shared costs," adding, "Requiring comprehensive coverage, the argument goes, will make it affordable for the sick, by pulling the young and the healthy -- neither of whom use these health services very much -- into the insurance pool" and "will cure overcrowded emergency rooms and help tame skyrocketing health costs." However, such "arguments are based on myths, not facts," according to McCaughey. (more)

HCC ACQUIRES MULTINATIONAL UNDERWRITERS;

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 8:28 pm HOUSTON (January 3, 2008) . . .
HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HCC) announced today that it had acquired Indianapolis, Indiana-based MultiNational Underwriters, LLC (MNU).

MNU is a recognized leader in international life, accident and health insurance offering coverage to customers in more than 130 countries. MNU’s clients include United States citizens traveling or residing outside the country, U.S. corporations with employees and their families traveling or residing abroad, foreign nationals and the employees of foreign companies outside their home countries, missionary organizations, and institutions of higher education with foreign programs.

Founded in 1998, MNU is expected to write more than $40 million in premium in 2008. President Betsy Brougher and the MNU team of professionals in Indianapolis and at locations around the world will remain with the company following closing. (more)

Health Insurers Must Review Applications For Accuracy Before Issuing Policies, California Appeals Court Rules

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 1:33 pm A panel of the 4th District Court of Appeals in Santa Ana, Calif., last week ruled unanimously that health insurers are responsible for reviewing applications before issuing policies and should not wait until beneficiaries run up large medical bills, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court also ruled that insurers cannot rescind a health insurance policy unless they show that the policyholder willfully misrepresented his or her health or that the insurance company had investigated the application before issuing coverage.

In the case, Blue Shield of California is accused of inappropriately terminating an individual health insurance policy after authorizing more than $450,000 in medical services for a member. A lower court dismissed the case without a trial, but the appeals court overturned that decision and declared that insurers are obliged to verify information included in health insurance applications before extending coverage. (more)

Florida's SCHIP Health Insurance Slashed By Bush - Poor

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 1:28 pm For months, House Democrats have been trying to increase the amount of money spent on the nations SCHIP program, according to Florida health insurance (http://www.floridahealthinsuranceweb.com) web, a free health insurance consulting service. In response, the president said, "... our nation's goal should be to move children who have no insurance to private coverage, not to move children who have private health coverage to government coverage."

Senate leader Harry Reid reacted to the cut in funding immediately saying; "Never has it been clearer how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," Reid said in a statement. "By slashing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America."

The (SCHIP) - State Children's Health Insurance Program - is a joint state-federal effort that subsidizes health coverage for 6.6 million people, mostly children, who come from families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford their own private health insurance coverage. According to health insurance experts, there are 35 million American's who fit into this category. (more)

20,000 Kansas poor children are without health insurance

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 1:26 pm President Bush gave us a New Years present with the signing of the SCHIP legislation (Health Wave in Kansas). This legislation extended government subsidized health insurance for children in families with limited income through March 2009. Without this extension Kansas would have serious problems maintaining the Health Wave program.

President Bush twice vetoed this legislation because Congress, controlled by Democrats, wanted to extend the program to more children.

But that is not the story here.

Kansas Action for Children reports that there are 20,000 children living below the poverty line without health insurance (http://www.kac.org/ftp/File/Publications/KC_datanotes2007.pdf). This is 39% of Kansas children without health insurance. (more)

Insurance bills mean greater individual choice

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 1:23 pm Dr. David Janda's recent Viewpoint opposing individual health insurance reform legislation shifted the critical issue from access to health care for individuals, to a concern about the size and power of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. That's unfortunate, because the current market for individuals purchasing health insurance is seriously broken.

The legislation that is being considered is not about Blue Cross. No provisions of these bills "make Blue Cross the only health insurer in the state" or "eliminate all health insurance competition," as Janda alleges.

Rather, it is about creating a health insurance system that promotes long-term security for people, through access and continued affordability of coverage. The legislation will increase the "health care freedom" and "competition" that Janda promotes for Michigan residents. The proposed legislation would help Michigan residents by: (more)

Keep track of your health

Thursday 03 January 2008 at 1:21 pm ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- For 33 years, the routine in the emergency room was the same.

Patients would come in unconscious and unaccompanied.

Donna Mason and her fellow ER nurses would look in their wallets, hoping for information -- something that would tell them what medications they were taking, what health conditions they had, or at the very least a phone number for next of kin.

No information often meant the person suffered. (more)

Eligibility Rules Change for Missourians Seeking Health Insurance

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:53 pm Missourians who lack health insurance and who want to purchase it should have a little easier time getting coverage. A law expanding access to health insurance is now in effect. It expands the eligibility and lowers premiums for people to be covered by the Missouri Health Insurance Pool.

Emily Kampeter with the State Department of Insurance says the Pool is a government-sponsored program providing access to health insurance to people who cannot afford it or who are denied because of chronic health problems. In order to be accepted into the Pool a person must be asked to pay 150 percent of the standard market premium. (more)

Many Foreign Students Over-Paying for Health Insurance

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:51 pm Many foreign students have been paying far too much for health insurance, reports the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.

One of the problems, reports the paper, is that students cannot buy health insurance from any Finnish company.

Authorities have been recommending a Danish company IHI, believing it to be reasonably priced, but this recommendation was based on a mistake. Authorities believed the price quoted was for a full year, when in fact it was only for three months. As a result, many foreign students ended up paying four times that price annually. (more)

Health insurance for individuals: a world of pain

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:50 pm Private health insurance is virtually out of the question for most uninsured Americans, according to a yearlong Consumer Reports investigation.

Research cited in CR’s report found that 89 percent of people who looked into buying individual insurance did not do so because it was too costly, they were turned down for health reasons or it provided inadequate benefits. And those who do manage to acquire insurance on their own are plagued with high costs and poor coverage.

People in need of private insurance face a daunting dilemma — buying limited health insurance at a high cost or forgoing insurance altogether. Who could fall into this category? Any adult who hopes to retire early, loses a job, is self-employed or has an adult child leaving a group plan. (more)

2008 Brings Fines To Those w/o Health Insurance in MA

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:45 pm Massachusetts residents caught without having health insurance now face hefty penalties as a new heath insurance law took effect with the start of the New Year.

The monthly fines by the state could total up to $912 dollars at the end of the year for single people, while couples who are not insured face a fine of about $1.824.

Officials believe that the number of uninsured in Massachusetts could be in the hundreds of thousands.

One-day Forum To Explore Development Of Value-based Programs To Enhance Employee Health, Productivity And Outcomes

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:40 pm According to a 2007 study by the Washington-based Center for Studying Health System Change, current health insurance benefit designs that rely on higher, one-size-fits-all patient cost sharing have limited potential to curb rapidly rising costs, but innovations in benefit design can potentially make cost sharing a more effective tool. Building on this shift in focus, World Congress will host its Executive Forum on Value-Based Benefit Design for Employers on March 25 in New York City.

This intensive one-day forum will showcase industry leaders, employer case studies and best practices on implementing programs designed with a value-based approach to outcomes rather than just on cost.

WHAT: The Executive Forum on Value-Based Benefits Design for Employers
WHEN: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
WHERE: New York City (more)

In An Emergency Doctors May Be Giving The Wrong Dosage Of Adrenaline Because Of Labelling

Wednesday 02 January 2008 at 3:37 pm A new study by Cambridge University reveals that doctors treating life-threatening emergencies such as allergy attacks may give the wrong dosage of adrenaline (epinephrine) because of confusing labelling.

Adrenaline is stored in salt water in glass ampoules which are broken open when the drug is needed. The amount of adrenaline contained in the ampoule is usually expressed as both a dose (1 mg of the drug per 1 mL of salt water) and a ratio (1 part drug for every 1000 parts of salt water) on the label.

The ratio requires doing arithmetic to figure out how much drug to give. Therefore, doctors understand doses much better (and quicker) than ratios. Dr Daniel Wheeler at the University of Cambridge concluded from his research that having to do extra calculations to figure out how much adrenaline to give a person in an emergency might lead to the errors and delays which are common in administering the drug. (more)