Posts Tagged ‘medical insurance’

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State Insurance Experts Question Obama’s Plan

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Mr. Obama says health insurance companies should not be allowed to raise premium costs at will. As part of his plan, the President would block excessive rate increases. But exactly what rates should classify as excessive? Some state officials are worried about how they will determine which companies rates are too high.

State officials are concerned they would be left to police health insurance companies while federal officials pressured insurers to reduce premiums, as Mr. Obama has done in recent days.

The President and White House officials have been asking medical insurance companies to be more transparent about why they increase health insurance premiums. However, insurers are often hesitant about to oblige.

As an example, Mr. Obama has pointed to a request by Anthem Blue Cross to increase premiums for individual policyholders in California by an average of 25 percent, with some rates going up as much as 39 percent.

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Minorities Struggle with Alzheimer’s

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The Alzheimer’s Association has released a study that says African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to develop dementia. The troubling disease is taking over the lives of more minorities due to lack of good health insurance.

The study found that African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The reason for this is not believed to be genetics, but rather their lack of comprehensive medical care.

Some family members ignore signs of Alzheimer’s, victims are unaware, and before you know it the disease matures into a stage beyond doctors’ control.

Those with the disease often times don’t have access to affordable medical insurance which lessens their quality of life. Other conditions linked to the Alzheimer’s often go untreated including diabetes and high blood pressure.

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Fighting Cavities Among Children

Monday, March 1st, 2010

The state of Massachusetts is helping keep kids teeth healthy. Massachusetts is now the first state to require tooth-brushing for kids who spend more than four hours a day or have meals in licensed centers. Children will brush their teeth themselves or get help from a caretaker during the day. However, parents who don’t want their kids to participate may opt out.

The move in Massachusetts comes after experts say the number of children with cavities is on the rise. In part, experts blame the increase on the same dietary changes causing a record number of overweight youngsters: constant snacking on processed foods, fewer fruits and vegetables, more sugary drinks at younger ages, including juice in baby bottles and sippy cups.

This program is needed because tooth decay leads to expensive dental work. It is especially pricey for parents whose children don’t have affordable medical insurance. And if parents let cavities go untreated, they spread to other teeth.

Inexpensive health insurance is a great way to reduce risk of cavities. It encourages parents to take children for regular checkups at the dentist.

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Young Adults & Strokes

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Young adults tend to think they are invincible, but new studies give pause for concern. The new research reveals strokes are on the rise among younger people, a group not usually at high risk for such conditions. More patients in their 30s and 40s are being treated for strokes.

A total of 7.3% of stroke victims were younger than age 45 in 2005 up from 4.5% in 1993. The number of older people having strokes is actually decreasing. This is believed to be because medical advice has been targeting older individuals and it has worked.

Health issues such as rising rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes — are the major risk factors for stroke — among younger people. Individuals without medical insurance are at an even greater risk, because they don’t have an opportunity to get regular screenings and medical advice.

The best thing you can do on your own to prevent strokes and other diseases is to eat right, exercise, and refrain from smoking. If you don’t have health coverage, call and speak with a licensed insurance agent to get free guidance in finding affordable health insurance.

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Brace Yourself, Government says stop Dodging Flu Shot

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The government is not holding back on flu shot recommendations anymore. At first, the government panel was suggesting 85% of Americans get a flu shot. That was there recommendation for this flu season. The group that did not have to take a flu shot included healthy adults between the ages of 19 to 49 who don’t have close contact with anyone at risk of flu and its complications.

Now, every American is supposed to get a flu shot except babies younger than 6 months and those with egg allergies or other unusual conditions. The recommendation begins this fall. In many cases, you can get the flu shot at no charge or for a small fee. If you have health insurance, you will probably be able to receive your vaccination with your doctor. Uninsured individuals are not left out local clinics offer everyone flu shots.

Even though the government is recommending the flu shot, there is a good chance that you won’t listen. Only about 33% of Americans actually get a flu shot, and unusually millions and millions of doses get thrown away annually.

Receiving a flu shot can reduce your chances of getting sick, health costs, and subsequently medical insurance premiums will stay lower for everyone when people stay healthy.

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Coverage for All

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

President Obama is asking Republicans and Democrats to push all ideas to the side to focus on one idea: Providing a way to help every single American get affordable health insurance. Issues about malpractice, lawsuits, rising healthcare costs were all addressed at the meeting. However, President Obama said the most important issue regarding the healthcare system is some people are being left out and can’t get health coverage.

President Obama said he needed both sides to remember that 30 million people do not have health insurance. He said there was no reason why the wealthiest county in the world could not find a way to help everyone. The President is suggesting everyone be required to purchase medical insurance to increase to pool of insured individuals. This way health insurance companies will be in a better position to keep premium cost down. The idea is to have a pool of mixed individuals those who are healthy and those with pre existing conditions–which would help balance medical costs.

Democrats are citing that nearly 45,000 die in the United States each year — one every 12 minutes — in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care.

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Obama wants New Power Over Insurers

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

President Obama wants to gain more control over health insurance companies by putting a cap on excessive rate increases. Mr. Obama is asking lawmakers to focus on tightening regulations of insurance costs. This move comes as Blue Cross Anthem is under fire for proposing a 39% increase on individual health insurance premiums which could affect nearly 800,000 customers.

There has been so much outrage over the expected increase. President Obama’s team says when you consider the incredibly high profits these companies make, the increases forced on the insured just don’t add up. Anthem claims the hike is only to compensate for increasing medical cost.

Republicans are openly against any government takeover and are not expected to agree with Mr. Obama’s new provision. Both parties are set to meet regarding other changes in the healthcare system this week. The President has been working for several months to make medical insurance more affordable for Americans.

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Optometrists Donated To Medical Insurance Reform Backers

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

(Image: Plutor under CC 2.0)

2009 was an eventful year for the health care industry. Political action committees (PACs) gave an especially large amount of donations to politicians who supported their views on potential changes to the American health insurance system. The top 15 alone increased their giving by 14% over the last non-election year, for a total of $11.7 million.

About $800,000 of that came from the American Optometric Association PAC, one-fifth of it in November alone. The vast majority of the vision doctors’ funds were steered towards Democrats. Their influence likely paid off in a favorable provision in both House and Senate legislation: medical insurance plans would no longer be allowed to restrict optometry care access. As a result, more business would be steered towards them.

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Health Insurance Reform Drug Lobbyist Jumps Sinking Ship

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

(Image: cliff1066 under CC 2.0)

Recently, PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America) CEO and President Billy Tauzin announced that he is going to quit his job. What does that mean for healthcare reform? Well, PhRMA is the largest lobbying group for the prescription drug industry. The cost of health insurance is driven up partially by the high cost of brand name drugs.

The Obama administration’s healthcare reform efforts will probably suffer even more with Tauzin’s resignation. Big Pharma was one of the key early supporters of the Democratic legislation, in somewhat of a surprise. PhRMA, whose members include major drug companies like Merck and Pfizer, agreed to $80 billion worth of discounts on their products over the next decade–in exchange for potential access to millions of potential consumers who would then have affordable health insurance.

Such back-room dealings prior to Congress beginning its negotiations last year were controversial. Politicians in both parties were skeptical of getting in bed with the industry, and the $26 million the lobbying group spent last year appears to have been for naught. There are rumors that Tauzin (a former Congressman with bipartisan connections) was forced out due to his political miscalculation. Any scaled back medical insurance legislation that may pass now will have less in it for the drug companies, but may still expect their concessions.

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Health Bill still Following Republicans

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

President Obama plans to show Republicans the same health bill they’ve been rejecting for months at an upcoming health summit. Mr. Obama wants lawmakers to use the current house and senate passed bills as a starting point for the health bill discussion. The meeting is set to bring Republicans and Democrats together. The President has said he wants both sides to discuss their opinions and ideas about the health bill at the summit, to come together on a comprehensive health bill.

Republicans agree the health system needs some changes and that medical insurance should be more affordable. However, they have been very open in their opposition to the current health bills. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, have said the current health bills should be scrapped and that any negotiation should start with a blank slate.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the current bills incorporate many ideas from Republicans including a special pool for people with pre-existing conditions, more affordable health insurance for young and healthy individuals, and allowing consumers to shop for health coverage across state lines.

The health bill may soon be accessible for all to see. Mr. Obama said he envisioned posting a merged House-Senate bill that would address his goals of controlling costs and expanding coverage. “Now, we have a package, as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate, and we’ll put it up on a Web site for all to see over a long period of time, that meets those criteria, meets those goals,’’ the president said.

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