Affordable Health Insurance

Private health insurance available, survey shows

Monday 31 March 2008 at 3:05 pm By Jackie Johnson
Survey says: Help is available if you lose your health insurance in this spiraling economy.

Considering the looming recession, many people worry most about health insurance. That's according to a new eHealthInsurance.com survey. Nearly half of those polled say, after a job loss, they would pay credit cards bills late, but only 7% say they'd let their health insurance payments slide.

"You know the good news is today that even if you do lose your job there's a very, very vibrant private health insurance market and certainly there are ways to save money and continue your health insurance even if you have to pay for it yourself." (more)

Hostage to health care

Monday 31 March 2008 at 3:03 pm Boomers hoping to retire before age 65 are finding plans derailed by soaring insurance costsBy Tom KiskenScripps Howard News Service

VENTURA, Calif. - There are many reasons H. Gene Hansmeier wants to retire. He has worked since he was 10 and delivered the Waterloo Courier newspaper in Iowa. He wants to restore antique Fords, build his own furniture and travel to Ireland with his wife.

There is one reason the 59-year-old man continues to work 10-hour days as the director of a training program for apprentice electricians: health insurance.

"I'd have to pay for it out of my own pocket," he said. "It'll be somewhere around $900 a month. It's a good reason not to retire." (more)

Growing gap between health insurance haves and have nots

Monday 31 March 2008 at 2:57 pm The gap in health security is widening between low and high income Americans and between those covered by health insurance and those who are uninsured, according to findings from a national survey paid for by Catholic Healthcare West.

Highlights:

. There was a 50 percent jump in the number of respondents that cited affordable healthcare for all as the single most important healthcare challenge facing the nation today (from 22 percent in 2007 to 33 percent in 2008).

. Democrats (34 percent), Republicans (32 percent) and Independents (39 percent) say affordability is the most important healthcare challenge. (more)

Clinton didn't pay health insurance bills

Monday 31 March 2008 at 1:28 pm Among the debts reported this month by Hillary Rodham Clinton's struggling presidential campaign, the $292,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums for her campaign staff stands out.

Clinton, who is being pressured to end her campaign against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, has made her plan for universal health care a centerpiece of her agenda.

The campaign provides health insurance to all its employees, their spouses, partners and children - and that wasn't interrupted by any lag in payments to insurance providers, said Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman. (more)

Group Health first to drop loophole, will pay for client's liver transplant

Friday 28 March 2008 at 11:39 am By Kyung M. Song

Seattle Times health reporter

Group Health Cooperative on Thursday said it is changing its policies and will pay for a Spokane man's life-saving liver transplant, a procedure that had been initially denied on a technicality because he was in the midst of a waiting period for organ-transplant coverage.

The decision not only clears the way for Fred Watley to get a new liver as soon as one is found. It also marks the first time a health-insurance company in Washington has officially revoked the controversial loophole.

Critics have long charged that the waiting period allows insurers to unfairly get out of expensive transplants for new members who had been covered under previous plans. (more)

Legislation gives insurers a break, critics say

Friday 28 March 2008 at 11:37 am Proposal pushes incentives for high-deductible plans and health savings accounts.

By ANDY MILLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/28/08

Consumer groups say legislation rolling through the Georgia General Assembly, intended to make health insurance more affordable, would also hand insurers an expensive gift: $146 million in tax breaks over the next five years.

That benefit, they say, dwarfs the five-year tax savings to employers ($64.8 million) and individuals ($6.7 million) projected under the bill. (more)

Weighing the pros and cons of student health insurance

Friday 28 March 2008 at 11:31 am Majority of students at UNLV are unaware of insurance plan
By: Brian Ahern, Managing Editor

If it were up to Lisa Valdespino she would have been bitten on a Monday morning.

Then she could have used her UNLV student health insurance at the campus health center, pay only 20 percent of the treatment cost and avoid mounds of paperwork.

Instead, the dog attacked her after the clinic had closed on a Friday afternoon, forcing her to front the money at a local University Medical Center and face the "hassle" of getting her insurance to reimburse her for the bill. (more)

Clinton Details Premium Cap in Health Plan

Friday 28 March 2008 at 11:28 am Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview on Wednesday that if elected president she would push for a universal health care plan that would limit what Americans pay for health insurance to no more than 10 percent of their income, a significant reduction for some families.

In an extensive interview on health policy, Mrs. Clinton said she would like to cap health insurance premiums at 5 percent to 10 percent of income.

The average cost of a family policy bought by an individual in 2006 and 2007 was $5,799, or 10 percent of the median family income of $58,526, according to America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group. Some policies cost up to $9,201, or 16 percent of median income.

The average out-of-pocket cost for workers who buy family policies through their employers is lower, $3,281, or 6 percent of median income, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research group. (more)

Legislature Keeps Health Insurance Option, Votes For Commission

Thursday 27 March 2008 at 11:40 am By Dennis Phillips dphillips@post-journal.com

3/27/2008 - MAYVILLE - By two votes of 14 to 11, the County Legislature voted to approve the formation of a salary review commission and once again defeated a proposal to eliminate its health insurance option.

During the legislature's regular meeting Wednesday in Mayville, the group first voted on the local law proposed by Dr. Rudy Mueller, D-Lakewood, to eliminate the option for health insurance for legislators again because it was also accompanied with another local law to increase their salaries by $3,000 - from $9,000 to $12,000. Mueller said, earlier this month, the proposals would allow legislators to buy into the the county's health insurance policy, paying 100 percent instead of 15 percent. He said the move would save taxpayers $75,000 and would stabilize the budget. (more)

Do you roll the dice on health insurance?

Thursday 27 March 2008 at 11:38 am Why is it that we will spend $20,000, $30,000 or even $40,000 on a new car or truck, but we do not or will not buy health insurance?

Health insurance costs are quite a bit less. Maybe we are gamblers, and are betting that we are healthy enough and will not need health insurance in the near future. Maybe we have a great family history and we have a healthy lifestyle, so our odds of needing health insurance are a lot less. Maybe we just cannot decide which health insurance plan best suits our needs.

Health insurance is considered by some as a necessary or unnecessary evil. If we don't use it, then it is a waste of money. With homeowners insurance, auto insurance, business insurance and even business liability insurance, we are forced to buy these types of insurance by our mortgage companies, loan companies and even clients with which we do business. Why not health insurance? Odds are that we are more likely to get sick or injured than to die at a younger age (more)

Who really pays for health care?

Thursday 27 March 2008 at 11:37 am By Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Victor R. Fuchs
March 27, 2008

By Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Victor R. Fuchs

Who really pays for health care in the United States?

Americans believe employers pay the bulk of workers' premiums, government pays for Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program and individuals pay some premiums as well as deductibles and co-pays. This is wrong. Business, government and individuals do not share the financial responsibility for health coverage. Individuals bear the full cost of health care through lower wages and taxes. (more)

Kansas House Approves Low-Income Health Insurance Subsidy

Thursday 27 March 2008 at 11:34 am The Kansas House on Tuesday voted 103-20 to approve legislation that would create an insurance subsidy for low-income residents and expand other health care programs, the Wichita Eagle reports. The measure would provide $4 million to fund the first year of the insurance subsidy. The state Senate eliminated the subsidy provisions from its version of the bill in favor of a modest expansion of SCHIP.

The legislation also would expand Medicaid coverage, and dental and anti-smoking programs to pregnant women with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level. Most services currently are limited to individuals with annual incomes up to 150% of the poverty level. (more)

Health insurers to meet with state agency on rescission probe

Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 12:24 pm Consumer advocates worry that the closed session will advance a plan that critics say could make it easier to cancel policies. Regulators say that's not on the agenda.
By Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 26, 2008
California's largest health insurers, facing possible fines and other penalties for the way they sometimes cancel policies after patients pile up medical bills, meet today with regulators to discuss ongoing state enforcement efforts.

The meeting was called by the Department of Managed Health Care, which oversees health maintenance organizations and other types of health plans, because it was nearing completion of investigations into the cancellation practices of Health Net Inc., Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield of California, said spokeswoman Lynne Randolph. (more)

Kids' Health Insurance Plan Moves Forward

Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 12:15 pm The Maryland House of Delegates agreed yesterday to encourage more working-poor families to enroll their children in a state health insurance program but stopped short of mandating enrollment and withholding tax credits from parents who don't sign up.

The issue of mandatory health insurance is roiling state legislatures and the race for the Democratic nomination for president between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.). In Maryland, despite almost a decade of marketing efforts by state government and social service agencies, nearly 90,000 children eligible for subsidized health insurance are not enrolled. Another 40,000 whose parents have higher incomes lack private insurance.

This hard-to-reach population is the focus of the Kids First Act, which won preliminary approval in the House. The state would use the annual rite of income taxes to begin to identify which children are uninsured and encourage their parents to enroll them in subsidized plans. (more)

Study: 250 Wisconsinites died in 2006 due to lack of health insurance

Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 12:13 pm Health insurance could be a matter of life and death in Wisconsin according to the non-profit Families USA. The universal healthcare advocacy group is publishing the first ever state-by-state report detailing how the uninsured are impacted on a state level. Wisconsin is one of the first 13 states to be put under the microscope and the group found that of the 2,976,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 64 living in the state in 2006, 10.7 percent were uninsured. They also discovered they in that same year, 250 Wisconsinites died due to lack of health coverage.

The organization estimates that between 2000 and 2006 adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in Wisconsin who died because they didn't have health insurance were more than 1,600. Families USA used 30 years of data concerning death and health insurance coverage to come up with their data. (more)

Candidates diverge on health care plans

Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 12:12 pm By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY
Republican presidential candidate John McCain says the United States is approaching a "perfect storm" of problems that "will cause our health care system to implode" if the next president doesn't act.
Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton would agree. But that's about where agreement over health care ends.

While McCain sees soaring medical costs as the initial problem to address, Obama and Clinton have competing plans that focus first on expanding coverage. They say too many Americans don't have adequate health insurance, and 47 million aren't covered at all. (more)

How Government Adds To Ranks of Uninsured

Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 11:19 am Many Outsourced Federal Jobs
Don't Offer Health Insurance;
Using Cash Allowance for Rent
By JANE ZHANG
March 25, 2008; Page D1

When William Rogers, a medical officer at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, noticed a cashier in the agency cafeteria was having trouble walking, he was blunt: "Fay," he said, "you need to get on a diet."

Fay Derricotte, then 289 pounds, took his advice and lost 55 pounds. Still, her walking got worse. Dr. Rogers urged her to go to the doctor. (more)

Health Care: Not So Recession-Proof

Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 11:17 am The medical industry's footing becomes shaky in tough economic times. For starters, folks could opt for mortgage payments over health insurance
by Catherine Arnst

The knees always go first. And the gums. That's what hospitals, physicians, and dentists say, noting an unusual leading indicator warning them a recession is on the way.

Demand for elective procedures such as knee replacements and gum surgery invariably rises whenever people are worried about losing their jobs—and their health insurance. In fact, the accelerated pace doesn't seem to start petering until a year and a half later, when laid-off workers are no longer entitled to COBRA and similar benefits that let them pay for health coverage through their former employers. "It's an interesting countercyclical trend," says Paul Levy, CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "I only know this anecdotally, but it's accepted wisdom in the industry." (more)

HEALTH: Seniors, beware of insurance scams

Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 11:12 am By JANE GLENN HAAS / McClatchy-Tribune

Have you been hustled and scammed by unscrupulous agents selling bogus contracts for everything from Medicare Advantage plans to prescription-drug plans?

So where do you turn for help?

Kimberly Lankford, personal finance editor for Kiplinger magazine, says the rip-offs are common and the solutions easy to find - if you know where to look.

"There are two levels of fraud to Medicare Advantage, for example," she says.

"It could be a situation where the agent didn't tell you the whole story or that you get your plan switched without knowing." (more)

Fear of losing health insurance pervasive

Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 11:09 am By DIANE STAFFORD
The Kansas City Star
Fear of losing their health insurance if they change jobs haunts nearly three-fourths of American workers, according to a survey released this morning by the AFL-CIO.

More than 26,000 individuals responded during the labor organization's seven-week-long "Health Care for America" survey at www.healthcaresurvey.aflcio.org .

Ninety-five percent of the respondents said they were dissatisfied with the cost of health care, and 64 percent said they were dissatisfied with the quality.

Three-fourths of the respondents had some kind of health care coverage, with about four-fifths of them obtaining it through employers.

The results are being sent to candidates running for public office this year, said AFL-CIO president John Sweeney. (more)

Students suffer under health insurance costs

Monday 24 March 2008 at 3:30 pm I'll be surprised if I make it to 45 years old. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who suffers from a thing called insurance. I get sick a lot and not having insurance is not an option for me.

It all started when I went into the "real" world and got a job. I was covered by BlueCross BlueShield within a month. It was all nice until I found out that I needed to have surgery. I was pretty lucky because I was insured at the time, and they helped cover my surgery.

After I lost my job and decided to go back to school, the trouble began. Not at first, though, because I wasn't yet 25. But last December I turned 25, and realized I no longer qualified for my parents' insurance and had to find my own. (more)

Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Approves 10% Premium Increases; State Finance Officer Says Program Is Underfunded

Monday 24 March 2008 at 3:29 pm The Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority on Thursday voted to approve a 10% increase in premiums for insurers participating in Commonwealth Care, less than the 15% plans had originally requested, the Boston Globe reports. Under the new contract, the state would assume more of the financial risk if beneficiaries use more medical services than expected. The board also increased premiums and copayments for some beneficiaries to partially offset increased payments to insurers (Dembner, Boston Globe, 3/21). (more)

Not so fast on the health insurance mandates

Monday 24 March 2008 at 1:32 pm Are they constitutional? Clinton and Obama need to ask the question.
By Karl Manheim and Jamie Court
March 24, 2008

An important element is being overlooked in the healthcare debate between the Democratic presidential candidates: Namely, whether the plans they propose are constitutional.

The largest difference between their healthcare plans is that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton would "mandate" that everyone (with limited exceptions) purchase private health insurance. Although Sen. Barack Obama's plan also contains a mandate, it is much narrower -- it is only required for children. Obama principally relies on subsidies, economies of scale and regulation to voluntarily achieve his version of universal coverage. (more)

Most states have high-risk health insurance pools

Monday 24 March 2008 at 1:30 pm At least 34 other states have high-risk health insurance pools similar to the one being debated by the Senate Health Policy Committee. The pool concept is supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and contested by a number of competing health insurers and consumer groups.

In 29 states, the high-risk pools - designed to cover individuals with medical conditions that essentially make them otherwise uninsurable - are subsidized by a financial assessment on all insurance carriers in the individual health market. The other five states, including Tennessee, are funded by a combination of federal, state and other assessments.

The 34 states include Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota and Iowa. Ohio and Pennsylvania do not have high-risk pools. Florida's high-risk pool is closed because of lack of funding. (more)

Nevada high court reverses ruling on health insurance

Friday 21 March 2008 at 11:15 am CARSON CITY, Nev. - In a decision Thursday affecting health insurance policies of many local government retirees, the Nevada Supreme Court reversed a lower court and said the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department must pay a subsidy to a state plan for its retirees.
The high court's 31-page decision overturns a decision by Clark County District Judge Mark Denton, who had sided with Metro in holding that the police department, Nevada's largest, didn't have to pay the subsidy.

Had Denton's decision been upheld, about 150 Las Vegas police retirees could have been forced out of the state's Public Employees Benefit Program.

Leslie Johnstone, head of the state program, has said that without the high court's reversal the total of local government retirees forced to seek more costly alternatives for health care coverage would have exceeded 3,000. (more)

House rejects ban on universities' domestic partners health insurance

Friday 21 March 2008 at 11:11 am FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A House committee yesterday killed a Senate bill that would bar state universities and other public agencies from providing health insurance for domestic partners of employees.

The Health and Welfare Committee voted 9 to 6 to reject Senate Bill 112 -- but not before committee member David Watkins, D-Henderson, delivered a tongue-lashing to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Vernie McGaha, R-Russell Springs.

Watkins, a family physician, called the measure divisive and said the Senate is ignoring the state's biggest health problems, including smoking, obesity and a lack of adequate mental health services for its citizens. (more)

Small business health insurance plan gets Senate OK

Friday 21 March 2008 at 11:10 am By TOM FAHEY
State House Bureau Chief
12 hours, 3 minutes ago

CONCORD - A plan to cut the cost of health insurance for small businesses advanced yesterday on a 21-3 vote in the state Senate.

Gov. John Lynch has made passage of the HealthFirst plan in Senate Bill 540 a priority this year. The plan emphasizes wellness and disease prevention, chronic disease management and the use of proven best medical practices to reduce the costs of health coverage. (more)

Seniors: Beware Of Health Insurance And Drug Plan Scams

Friday 21 March 2008 at 11:09 am Copyright: The Orange County Register
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA) (KRT)

Have you been hustled and scammed by unscrupulous agents selling bogus contracts for everything from Medicare Advantage plans to prescription drug plans?

So where do you turn for help?

Kimberly Lankford, personal finance editor for Kiplinger magazine, says the rip-offs are common and the solutions easy to find _ if you know where to look. (more)

Guv signs health care reform, but says more needs doing

Thursday 20 March 2008 at 7:15 pm The same day Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed a bill aimed at eventually overhauling health care in Utah, new data showed the number of uninsured state residents has dropped for the first time since 2001.
But the dip, credited to last year's strong economy, isn't big enough to warrant relaxing, health officials and politicians said, particularly in light of the economy's current downturn.
About 287,200 Utahns, or 10.6 percent of the population, were uninsured last year. That's 19,300 fewer uninsured than 2006. But several groups remain hardest hit: poor adults, Latinos, people without a high school diploma. (more)

Health insurance in perspective

Thursday 20 March 2008 at 7:12 pm Contra Costa Times
Article Created: 03/20/2008 03:00:21 AM PDT


Perhaps the most common question I'm asked by pre-retirees who are thinking about retiring soon is about health insurance.
Should I continue to work until age 65? Are there any reasonable insurance products that I can buy if I retire before age 65? Are there risks that I need to understand before I retire before age 65?

For those who have guaranteed health insurance as part of a retirement package, these concerns are generally not an issue, except for the risk that this guarantee might be reneged before one reaches age 65. For many others, the COBRA option guarantees that insurance can be purchased for 18 months following job termination, the problem here being that the full cost of the insurance is now due each month, not just the subsidized amount the employee has been paying. (more)

ANALYSIS-Clinton gaining an edge on health care issue

Thursday 20 March 2008 at 7:11 pm By Jason Szep

BOSTON, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama often says his rival Hillary Clinton would force people into buying health care "whether they could afford it or not."

But pollsters and health industry experts say a steep U.S. economic slowdown or recession could help Clinton's battle with Obama for the U.S. presidential nomination by playing to one of her perceived strengths: that she would be better than Obama at controlling surging health care costs. (more)

University provides health insurance information

Thursday 20 March 2008 at 7:10 pm Thursday, 20 March 2008

by REBECCA GARDNER
Intern News Reporter

Editor's Note: This is the second in a three-part series on health insurance.

"Nearly 47 million Americans, or 16 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2005," according to the 2006 United States Census.

Problems with health insurance are felt by all United States citizens and college students at Appalachian State University are no exception.

"A lot of people don't have health insurance or have lost their health insurance policies," Director of
Student Health Services Dr. Patricia A. Geiger said. "For example, students can lose their health
insurance if their parents lose their jobs, benefits, etc." (more)

Even with laws, not all can get, pay for health insurance

Wednesday 19 March 2008 at 12:10 pm WASHINGTON — Health-care insurance is key to a family's financial security, perhaps second only to a paycheck.

For the vast majority of workers, medical coverage comes through an employer. But more employers, particularly smaller ones, say it is too expensive to provide health insurance for workers. As a result, a growing number of Americans are faced with buying coverage for themselves.

The insurance industry argues that most people who want a policy can get one and that it will be adequate. Critics, however, contend that many people either are rejected for coverage or can't afford it, and that those who do get a policy may find its protections very limited. (more)

SG pushes student health insurance

Wednesday 19 March 2008 at 12:08 pm By Ana McKenzie

Student Government has been working for the past year to make purchasing health insurance as simple as buying a Longhorn All-Sports Package, Cactus Yearbook or "C" and "D" parking permits.

However, due to what SG executives called "poor advertising" during Tuesday's SG meeting, students do not know about insurance offered through the University.

"It's never been an optional fee, and our deal was to make it an optional fee so more people would sign up for it," said SG president Andrew Solomon. "It's going to be a little bit harder than we originally had thought it would be." (more)

Senate OKs health-care bill for businesses

Wednesday 19 March 2008 at 12:07 pm Plan would tighten control over program for small businesses
Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 19, 2008 12:00 AM

A bill aimed at saving a beleaguered state health-insurance program for small businesses passed the Senate on Tuesday.

The bipartisan proposal would tighten financial controls over Healthcare Group, which insures nearly 23,000 self-employed Arizonans or small-business employees, while opening up the program to new members. Sole proprietors would no longer be eligible to join, but a controversial requirement that businesses be uninsured for six months before joining would be dropped. Enrollment growth of employer groups would be capped at 10 percent a year. (more)

Growing problem of affordable health insurance affects everyone

Wednesday 19 March 2008 at 12:05 pm Michelle Singletary | The Color of Money

Maria Gomez knows firsthand the devastation that can hit families who don't have health insurance.

Gomez is chief executive officer of Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care in the District of Columbia. The clinic serves Latinos who either have no insurance or are underinsured.

The fact that 47 million people -- 9 million children -- in this country are uninsured has been one of the top issues in the current presidential campaign. Equally troubling is this statistic: The lack of health care coverage is most acute among Hispanics and African-Americans, many of whom work in low-wage jobs without benefits or are employed by small businesses that don't offer coverage. (more)

Republican, Democratic Health Care Proposals Focus on Insurance

Tuesday 18 March 2008 at 11:45 am Restructuring Health Care Might Be Better Choice
By James Arvantes
3/17/2008

The health care proposals put forth by the leading presidential candidates may differ sharply in their approaches to health care reform, but the common factor among them is that none of the plans represents a profound or fundamental change to the nation's health care system. (more)

Legislature backs plan to insure kids with autism

Tuesday 18 March 2008 at 11:41 am Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic

Families in Arizona with autistic children are set to be among the first in the country to have expensive cutting-edge autism therapy covered by private health- and disability-insurance plans.

After weeks of grass-roots lobbying by parents and emotional committee testimony, lawmakers have approved one of the first insurance mandates of its kind in the nation.

The bill blocks insurance companies from denying coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism, including coverage for behavioral therapy, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year. (more)

Pa. House passes health-insurance bill

Tuesday 18 March 2008 at 11:39 am By Mark Scolforo

Associated Press

HARRISBURG - A bill aimed at providing health coverage to about 270,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians passed the state House of Representatives yesterday but faces long odds in the Senate.
The 118-81 vote would establish the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care program, covering legal U.S. residents ages 19 to 64 who meet income guidelines and who have gone six months without insurance.

The bill (SB 1137) sponsored by House Democrats also provides help for smaller low-wage employers to offer workers health insurance. (more)

Report: No health insurance kills 2 Ohioans daily

Tuesday 18 March 2008 at 11:31 am By Beacon Journal staff report

About two Ohio residents die every day because they lack health insurance, according to a new report released today by Families USA, a health-care consumer advocacy group.

The group estimates that about 750 Ohio residents ages 18 to 64 died in 2006 because they were uninsured. Nearly 769,900 working-age Ohioans lacked insurance that year. (more)

Letter: Country needs reform, accountability the most

Monday 17 March 2008 at 12:41 pm By LeRoy Schlangen, Richmond

I, too, applaud the recent courage of the six House Republicans who voted for the transportation bill. I have supported the Republican Party all these years because it has supported sound economic policies and limited government. But we need to start making serious efforts to reform the tax structure and we need to be more specific who pays for what.

Ronald Reagan was so successful because the country had experienced the Jimmy Carter years, when unions forced industries to grant excessive wage increases thus resulting in runaway inflation. ... (more)

Private health insurance varies from state to state

Monday 17 March 2008 at 12:38 pm Dow Jones Newswires

NEW YORK -- About 18 months ago, Shelley MacMahon, 53, and her husband Tom, 61, moved to New Mexico from New York. The attraction: being closer to family and year-round sunshine. But what started out as an adventure soon turned into a nightmare as Tom, who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol, struggled to find health insurance.

"We had no idea how hard it would be to find coverage," Shelley MacMahon said. (more)

House panel OK's health insurance for helpers

Monday 17 March 2008 at 12:36 pm A measure requiring employers to provide health insurance for household helpers has been approved by the committee on health of the House of Representatives.

House Bill 1979, authored by Leyte Rep. Carmen L. Cari (5th district), provides that house helpers should be covered by the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) regardless of the wages they receive from their employers. (more)

Health Savings Accounts are a business opportunity

Monday 17 March 2008 at 12:34 pm Business owners never like to sit tight. We're always thinking of new schemes to make our millions. Chocolate chip cookies stuffed with bubble gum. Golf balls with GPS devices. A working cell phone.

We're jealous of those entrepreneurs that fail at 87 businesses before finally getting it right. We've seen those photos of them vacationing in Tahiti with a bikini-clad model under each arm, and we say why not us?

So, as a public service to anyone who wants to start a new business, here's a great idea to chew on: Sell and service Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). No, I'm not kidding. What the hell are HSAs you ask? Exactly! I say. If you're not intimately familiar with them now, you will be. Oh, you will be. (more)

Senate votes to end health insurance statements

Friday 14 March 2008 at 12:06 pm Friday, March 14, 2008

Article Tools

Small businesses won't have to distribute, and workers won't have to fill out, those health statements asking them about their health conditions, if a bill passed by the Senate Thursday becomes law.

Senate Bill 468 would eliminate the statements, which are filled out so an employer's insurance company can assess its risk involving the possibility of whether an employee would file claims that would require it to draw on the high-risk pool. Instead of insurance companies, the reinsurance pool would simply pay all claims once they exceed $200,000. (more)

Crist's plan for health insurance for all can work, experts say

Friday 14 March 2008 at 11:56 am His proposal is doable, experts say, if people rein in expectations.
Harry Wessel | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 14, 2008

Among the many ideas floated by Gov. Charlie Crist last month for improving health care in Florida, one stood out for its simplicity and its allure: Offer the estimated 3.8 million Floridians who lack health insurance an affordable plan for "$150 a month or less."

Crist's "Cover Florida" proposal would not come with a state mandate that individuals had to buy it or employers had to offer it. And it would give insurance companies lots of leeway in deciding how to structure such a health plan -- as long they included "a robust package of preventive, primary and urgent-care benefits, including hospitalization." (more)

The Next Failure of Health Care Reform

Friday 14 March 2008 at 11:18 am By Vicente Navarro, CounterPunch. Posted March 14, 2008.

Neither Clinton nor Obama's health care plans get at the root problem our of broken system.

A major problem -- if not the major problem -- for many people living in the U.S. is the difficulty of accessing and paying for medical care when they are sick. For this reason, candidates in the presidential primaries of 2008 -- the Democrats more often than the Republicans -- have been recounting stories about the health-related tragedies they have encountered in meetings with ordinary people around the country (an exercise conducted in the U.S. every four years, at presidential election time). These stories tell of the enormous difficulties and suffering faced by many people in their attempts to get the medical care they need. I have been around long enough -- I was senior health advisor to Jesse Jackson in the Democratic primaries of 1984 and 1988 -- to know how frequently Democratic candidates, over the years, have referred to such cases. The only things that change are the names and faces in these human tragedies. Otherwise, the stories, year after year, are almost the same. (more)

Closer look: Dependents' health insurance eligibility verification procedures vary among state's universities

Friday 14 March 2008 at 11:15 am By DAN SCHNEIDER, DMG Writer

HOUGHTON - Michigan Technological University's requirements for verifying an employee's spouse or dependent is eligible to receive university health insurance benefits are similar to some universities in the state while other universities have more rigorous requirements.

In the midst of a years-long trend of escalating health insurance costs nationwide, The Daily Mining Gazette surveyed six of Michigan's 15 public universities to determine how Tech's verification requirements stacked up against those of its peer institutions. (more)

Pa. Plan for Uninsured Adults Advances

Thursday 13 March 2008 at 8:30 pm By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A billion-dollar-plus plan to help about 270,000 uninsured Pennsylvania adults get state-subsidized health coverage cleared a major hurdle Wednesday in the state House.

The 114-81 vote followed a nine-hour debate during which backers promoted the measure as the next logical step to follow recent state laws that cover children and pay prescription costs for the elderly. The amendment still needs a final House vote and faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. (more)

Steinberg Legislation Would Set Standards for Individual Health Insurance Market in California

Thursday 13 March 2008 at 8:28 pm Consumers Would Be Able To Price Shop, Do "Apple-to-Apple" Comparisons
Bill Would Set Standards for Health Insurance Cost-Sharing And Benefits

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

The fight on health reform in the last year put a spotlight on many of the real issues in the insurance market, and in response, legislators this year have introduced a slew of stand-alone bills designed to set cost and benefit standards for health insurance and otherwise increase oversight of the private insurance industry. (more)

Durbin challenger backs health insurance tax credits

Thursday 13 March 2008 at 8:25 pm By DOUG WILSON

Herald-Whig Senior Writer

NAUVOO, Ill. -- U.S. Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg has a plan that he believes would give people access to health care without putting the nation in hock.

Sauerberg has been a family physician for more than 25 years and says the Democratic health care proposals would be disastrous. Now the Republican nominee challenging U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Sauerberg shared his views Wednesday night at the Hancock County Lincoln Day dinner in Nauvoo. (more)

Governor Proposes Health Insurance Option

Thursday 13 March 2008 at 8:23 pm A bill making its way through the legislature would create a new health-insurance option for small businesses and their employees.

At the capitol Thursday, Governor Haley Barbour urged house members to pass a senate bill that would establish a statewide "Health Insurance Exchange." It's designed to make health-care plans more affordable for smaller firms by offering tax breaks for employers -- and tax-free benefits for their employees. (more)

Prosthetic Limbs Spark Latest Insurance Backlash

Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 12:26 pm Posted by Joe Mantone
As prosthetic limbs become more advanced and more expensive, insurers are balking at paying for the devices, the WSJ reports.

Many private health plans limit coverage to $2,500 or $5,000 a year, or pay for just one device per limb in a lifetime, even when the recipient is a child. No-frills prostheses can cost between $3,000 and $15,000, while more advanced models can cost as much as $40,000.

Device makers and amputees are pushing state lawmakers for legislation that would mandate coverage. They favor coverage similar to Medicare, which pays at least 80% of the cost of prostheses and allows for regular replacement of artificial limbs. Eight states have passed such requirements and 27 others are considering bills. (more)

Texas enrollment in Children's Health Insurance program surges 7%

Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 12:08 pm By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
rtgarrett@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN - State health insurance rolls for children of the working poor swelled by about 7 percent this month, though much of the gain was offset by having fewer children on Medicaid, the state announced Tuesday.

Enrollment in the Children's Health Insurance Program increased over last month by some 24,000 youngsters, to about 382,000 - the highest level in three years.

Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said the gain was expected because of last year's decision by the Legislature to extend CHIP youngsters' coverage to 12 months, from six months. (more)

Health insure bosses make bigtime bucks

Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 12:03 pm Bay State health insurance bosses are raking in multimillion-dollar pay packages - and politically wired powerbrokers get tens of thousands as part-time directors - even as the state and its taxpayers struggle to pay skyrocketing health care costs, a Herald review shows.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, by far the state's largest insurer, paid nine million-dollar pay packages - including base salary, bonus, retirement and health care benefits, parking allowances and other perks - to its top executives in 2007. The nonprofit firm's CEO, Cleve Killingsworth, was paid $3.6 million, including a bonus of $1.8 million, according to compensation records filed with the state Division of Insurance.

Blue Cross also paid significant sums to its politically connected board of directors. Among them: (more)

Health Insurance Carrier Aetna Introduces Personalized Health Search From Healthline

Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 11:59 am Vertical health destination and search engine Healthline has teamed up with US health insurance carrier Aetna to offer what the company is calling Aetna SmartSource -- customized health search. The service, powered by Healthline, will roll out on Aetna’s member self-service website and offer personalized search results based on individual health records and profiles. That means that two different Aetna customers searching for "diabetes type II" will see potentially different results based on their individual health histories.

What's different about this vs. what Microsoft, Google and Revolution Health are doing is that it's all taking place within the context of the existing relationship between insurance provider and customer-patient. Aetna already has the health records and histories of its insureds so there's little or no effort for the users to obtain the benefits (so to speak) of the system. In other words, they don't have to construct detailed profiles or upload information themselves. (more)

Small businesses need Health Insurance Partnership

Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 11:40 am By JODY HALL
GUEST COLUMNIST

Small businesses are hit hard by the health care crisis. More than 200,000 small business employees in Washington are uninsured.

Even those with coverage are not secure. Premiums for small businesses have increased faster than for large businesses, and the quality of coverage they receive is lower.

Lawmakers in Olympia have designed a program to help.

The Health Insurance Partnership would help make quality coverage choices affordable for small businesses. Participating businesses and employees would save by paying premiums with pre-tax dollars. Low-wage small business employees would receive premium assistance. (more)

Letter: Health insurance companies ignoring the public trust

Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 11:39 am U.S. health care stands out as being the most costly and having so many uninsured. Failure can be traced to the insurance industry, which, for the most part, was given the very central responsibility of deciding who is eligible, treatment to be covered, premiums to charge and benefits to be paid. In satisfying their demand for profits, insurance companies ignore the public trust when they make up rules to deny individuals coverage and pay doctors unreasonably reduced amounts.

For many years a specialty company, solely owned by an insurance company and not accountable to any outside oversight, has routinely collected claims data from insurance companies. This database determines the “reasonable and customary” rates for reimbursing physicians. The New York state attorney general and the American Medical Association now accuse the companies involved of manipulating the data to arbitrarily reduce reimbursements. (more)

Why McCain has the best health-care plan

Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 11:37 am His is the only one of the candidate proposals that has a chance of getting medical costs under control. An argument for some free-market sanity.
By Shawn Tully, editor-at-large

(Fortune Magazine) -- Fellow Americans, choose your revolution. One way or another, we're getting a new health-care system. The old one is obviously broken. The U.S. now has 47 million uninsured, and costs are out of control. The Department of Health and Human Services predicts that if things continue as they are, health spending will almost double by 2017 to $4.3 trillion, or one-fifth of GDP, vs. 16% today. (more)

Universal government plan would make health care affordable

Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 11:34 am By W. Frank Ward
For the Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/11/08

Our elected and non-elected leaders have proposed numerous ideas for increasing health insurance coverage. However, no plan substantively deals with how to make health insurance more affordable while at the same time providing comprehensive coverage, which would encourage people to practice preventive care through regular checkups. (more)

Steve Kagen seeks health reform; Appleton lawmaker proposes uniform insurance coverage

Monday 10 March 2008 at 12:06 pm By Ellyn Ferguson
Post-Crescent Washington bureau

WASHINGTON - Rita Gould never considered herself a medical risk, despite her diabetes. She had never missed a day of work or been hospitalized because of it.

But an insurance carrier said it was a pre-existing medical condition serious enough to deny her the individual health policy she needed to cover a six-month gap between the end of her husband's group health insurance and the start of her Medicare coverage. (more)

Dowell may accept student insurance

Monday 10 March 2008 at 12:02 pm Health Center may start taking private insurance coverage for Fall 2008
Kiel McLaughlin

Beginning Fall 2008, the Dowell Health Center may start accepting student health insurance policies.

According to the Third Party Insurance Billing Proposal, 89 percent of students have health insurance coverage, however, only about 1,100 students are insured through the University's plan. For years, immense costs have kept Dowell from accepting all insurance policies.

"We have been looking for alternative forms of funding that would not involve major fee increases or a mandatory fee for student health services," vice president for student affairs Deb Moriarty said. "It's an expensive task to have a health center on campus, but it's something that we feel is necessary for the school community." (more)

State program helps chronically ill who lack money, insurance

Monday 10 March 2008 at 11:58 am By LARRY WEISS
adn.com/healthcareblog

The Chronic & Acute Medical Assistance (CAMA) program is a state-funded program designed to help needy Alaskans who have specific illnesses get the medical care they need to manage those illnesses. It is a program primarily for people age 21 through 64 who do not qualify for Medicaid benefits, have very little income and have inadequate or no health insurance.

To be eligible for CAMA, you must have a covered medical condition, no third party resources to cover treatment of that medical condition, limited financial resources and be a U.S. citizen or legal alien. (more)

Health Insurance Plans and Health Management

Monday 10 March 2008 at 11:56 am by Scott MacStravic

March 10, 2008 at 8:58 am . Filed under Insurance, Health Plan/Payer CEOs, Policy Makers, Health Management

At first glance, health insurance plans ought to be major supporters of proactive health management (PHM) for their member populations, at least to the extent that this reduces members' use of sickness care. Most health plans do offer some kinds of PHM services, and many are into it in a big way, with large plans such as CIGNA and Aetna offering PHM to employers who are not even their health insurance clients. (more)

Senate OK's bill to encourage cheap, limited insurance

Friday 07 March 2008 at 2:05 pm By SONJI JACOBS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 03/06/08

The Georgia Senate jumped into the contentious debate over health insurance on Thursday by approving a measure that would make less-expensive plans available to Georgians.

The Georgia Health Marketplace Act would create an Internet Web site where consumers and business owners could shop for health insurance plans and compare coverage options, deductibles, co-payment requirements, benefits, and premiums. (more)

Could Your Health Insurance Be Revoked When You Need It Most?

Friday 07 March 2008 at 2:04 pm Kristen Gerencher
MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO -- A series of troubling developments in California's individual health insurance market is bringing national attention to the problem of patients having their coverage taken away when they need it most.


Last month, an arbitration judge ordered California-based health insurer Health Net Inc. to pay $9 million to a cancer patient whose individual coverage was canceled during her chemotherapy treatments in 2004. The judge ordered Health Net to repay $129,000 worth of Patsy Bates' unpaid medical bills and awarded the 52-year-old hairdresser $8.4 million in punitive damages and $750,000 for emotional distress. (more)

Today's Health Insurance Ain't Insurance

Friday 07 March 2008 at 1:58 pm Charlie Martin examines the ongoing evolution of the health care landscape, and realizes that what we call insurance these days is anything but.

by Charlie Martin

Ever think about insurance? It's not really a difficult idea, although the mathematics that goes with it — called "actuarial science" - can be hard going. But the basic idea is simple: you are making a bet with a bookie that some unfortunate thing will happen to you in some fixed length of time.

Usually, the one hard thing about explaining insurance is that you're doing exactly what Pete Rose said he never did: you're betting against your own team. If the unfortunate thing happens, at least you win your bet, and you get some money - or at least your heirs do. If it's car insurance, you are betting you will have a car accident during the term of the insurance, and the insurance company is betting you won't; if it's life insurance, you're betting the insurance company you will die during the term of the insurance, and they're betting you won't. (more)

Oregon's Health Insurance Lottery

Friday 07 March 2008 at 1:55 pm By Christian Dobbins
March 7 - This week Oregon state will begin conducting a lottery with the prize being free health care, reports the Associated Press. Over 80,000 people have signed up to participate since January, although only 3,000 will make the cut and receive coverage under the Oregon Health Plan's standard benefit program.

At its peak in 1995 the Oregon Health Plan covered 132,000 Oregonians, but due to a recession and the budget cuts that followed, the program was closed to newcomers in 2004. Only recently has the state managed to find the money to enroll 3,000 new members. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, there are an estimated 600,000 people in the state who are uninsured. (more)

Student health insurance varies by company and restrictions

Wednesday 05 March 2008 at 11:41 am Joe Sneve

National statistics show almost a third of college students live without medical insurance and USD students who don't have insurance say they aren't worried.

"I don't have insurance, but it doesn't keep me up at night. I suppose I'd use Student Health if I got hurt or sick," said senior Jason Wayrynen.

According to a 2002 study by the Chickering Institute, 30 percent of American college students do not have health insurance.

Students who do have health insurance typically have issues with complicated restrictions and qualifications that differ between insurance companies. (more)

New Lower-Cost Health Insurance Choices Now Available from UnitedHealthcare’s Golden Rule to Individuals, Families in South Dakota

Wednesday 05 March 2008 at 11:39 am INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With new options for individuals and families who are trying to fit health insurance into already-tight budgets, UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule Insurance Company begins offering its health plans in South Dakota this week.

Golden Rule, a leader in the individual insurance market for 60 years, enters the state with a range of products that includes health savings account plans (HSAs), other lower cost high-deductible plans and traditional co-pay plans. In addition, short term medical plans are available for individuals and families who are between jobs or whose lives are in a time of transition and change.

Saver options within each type of Golden Rule plan feature the lowest premiums. The "Savers" provide customers with protection from the more costly medical expenses that can break a family's budget, like hospital stays, outpatient surgeries or CAT scans. Premium costs are lowered by limiting the amount of coverage for more routine expenses, such as doctor visits. (more)

Harwich Health Insurance Decision Raising Blood Pressure

Wednesday 05 March 2008 at 11:37 am by William F. Galvin

HARWICH - The cost for employee health insurance has been a major issue in recent years, with annual hikes of 10 to 15 percent on several occasions. In an effort to get control of those costs, the town has been encouraging employees to drop expensive master medical coverage and move to a preferred provider option (PPO) or health maintenance option (HMO).

Over the past year, Town Administrator James Merriam has spent a lot of time negotiating the removal of a master medical plan from health benefits with town employee unions. Instead the town is providing the option of joining the Cape Cod Municipal Health Care Group [CCMHCG], which Merriam says "provides many more plans for active employees and retirees." (more)

There's help for residents needing with health insurance

Wednesday 05 March 2008 at 11:35 am By Thomas M. Menino

West Roxbury - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently became the first state in the nation to require residents over age 18 to have health insurance. Since then, the Commonwealth's landmark health care reform legislation has helped an estimated 325,000 Massachusetts residents secure health care coverage.

At the same time, many residents and businesses remain uninformed or confused about their rights and responsibilities. And others remain uninsured due to a lack of information or the cost of coverage is too high. The law is complex and defies easy explanation, however, some highlights include: (more)

Insurance falls short for mental health

Tuesday 04 March 2008 at 6:24 pm Bills aim to expand mental-illness coverage in Ariz.
Amanda J. Crawford
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 4, 2008 12:00 AM

Couper Harding was not yet in kindergarten when he started taking his meds.

There had been uncontrollable rage, biting, kicking. One day he turned a hose on dozens of kids in his Montessori-school class.

He saw therapists and psychiatrists. The meds didn't help much. One day Couper, unusually strong for his age, picked up a vacuum cleaner and threw it at his parents. (more)

'Free riders' must be part of health debate

Tuesday 04 March 2008 at 6:23 pm BY FROMA HARROP | Froma Harrop is a syndicated columnist based at The Providence Journal in Rhode Island.
March 4, 2008

The Cleveland debate ends, and, presto, the MSNBC boys pop up to discuss "who won." Chris Matthews complains of "a lot of back and forth about health care, which I find almost absurd given the fact that we don't have a national health care plan." That's right, Chris. We don't have national health care in America.

That's why the candidates wasted 16 minutes of your precious time arguing about it - time you and Keith Olbermann could have spent throwing out more football metaphors.

Oops, my TV screen went blank. (more)

Health Secretary's Statewide Tour to Discuss Health Insurance for All Pennsylvanians Makes Stop in Cambria County

Tuesday 04 March 2008 at 6:20 pm JOHNSTOWN, Pa., March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Health Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today met with healthcare professionals at Conemaugh Health System in Johnstown to discuss Governor Edward G. Rendell's plan to provide access to health insurance to hundreds of thousands of uninsured adults through his "Cover All Pennsylvanians" proposal.

"Access to affordable insurance is critical to help prevent disease, successfully manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, and to reduce the burden that caring for the uninsured places on our health care system," said Dr. Johnson. "Cover All Pennsylvanians is the bold step our state needs to improve access and affordability of health care for every citizen." (more)

Small businesses deserve affordable health insurance

Tuesday 04 March 2008 at 6:16 pm By Carl Hum
Chamber of Commerce president

Tuesday, March 4th 2008, 4:00 AM

Be our guest

For the past few years, the increasing cost of health insurance premiums has been consistently ranked in the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's annual Membership Survey as one of the top three challenges to small business growth and expansion. The heavy premium costs and ongoing increases mean unpredictability, and most small businesses need to eliminate as many uncertainties as possible to turn a profit. (more)

Insurance commissioner to call shots on health policy rate increases

Monday 03 March 2008 at 1:05 pm By BRIAN SLODYSKO
P-I REPORTER

OLYMPIA -- After eight years of unregulated insurance company control over health insurance cost increases, the Legislature -- concerned over double-digit annual rate rises -- has returned control of health care premium increases to the state insurance commissioner.

The House on Friday passed Senate Bill 5261, granting the insurance commissioner oversight of rates in the individual policyholder market, which has been hit the hardest by insurance rate increases. The bill's passage by a vote of 68-26 is seen as a measure of the dwindling credibility insurance companies have with legislators here. Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the legislation. (more)

2050: health insurance in tomorrow's world

Monday 03 March 2008 at 1:00 pm What will the world of PMI look like in the future? Harvey Jones makes some predictions

Making predictions is difficult - especially about the future, as physicist Niels Bohr famously remarked. But this has not deterred Health Insurance magazine from taking a brave punt at predicting how the private medical insurance industry (PMI) might look like in the distant year of 2050.

That is more than 40 years hence, which leaves plenty of time for a host of groundbreaking policy innovations and breathtaking leaps in technology. Plus a few wrong turns along the way.

We asked a selection of PMI industry futorologists to polish their crystal balls and deliver their predictions. (more)

Health Insurance Mandates: Great for Insurers, And That's About It

Monday 03 March 2008 at 12:57 pm Ohio residents, at least, have a chance to hear some common sense during this election year health care debate.

Until the March 4 primary polls open, a 60-second radio commercial is airing in the Buckeye State from the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association.

This is the same organization that took on California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over health-related issues and won. (more)

Retirees return to work to pay health insurance premiums

Monday 03 March 2008 at 12:52 pm Fewere companies offering benefits to retirees
By Deidre Williams NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 03/03/08 7:39 AM

Patricia Mull knew she would need health insurance.

But she didn't know it would mean taking on a full-time job to get it.

Retired last year after 15 years teaching seventh-through 12th-grade English for Rochester Public Schools, Mull never took the health plan offered by the school district. Instead, she was included on her husband's health insurance because he had better coverage. (more)