Clipmarks | SCallahan's clips

CDC releases recommendations on implementing health programs to communities

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:44:03 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: CDC makes recommendations on keeping the U.S. healthier and decreasing health care costs and obesity.

Clip Source: affordablehealth-insurance.org

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released two-dozen recommendations to communities stating how to implement better programs and policies to slim people down. The percentage of obese adults is still rising, increasing to 26.1 percent last year.

A 3 day conference taking place right now in Washington D.C. is allowing the CDC to answer questions about what they are doing to make the United States healthier. One important question to think about is whether tackling the obesity problem so deeply may intrude the country’s restaurants and grocery stores. Can you restrict food content?

"It's a question of limiting personal choice," said Texas State Senator Kel Seliger. He recently opposed a trans fat ban. Though he believes that providing healthier foods in public schools and educating about better food choices is a good idea, the government should not restrict food content. "I like to inform the public rather than coerce the public," he said.

Workers delaying retirement

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:17:43 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: www.medicaresolutions.com

Many workers aged 65 and older are delaying retirement due to the economic state of our country, approximately 430,000 to be exact. This is a 45% increase from last year according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. Severe market losses are among one of the main reasons why seniors are continuing to work well into their 60s. Many seniors’ retirement accounts have suffered a huge hit over the past year.

Nearly 10% of the country’s population is unemployed. Issues like age discrimination resume gaps, and out of date skills can keep seniors from finding jobs or keeping their jobs. Cynthia Shapiro, a career coach, suggests going back to school and obtaining a higher degree such as a master’s degree. Another option is to show that your years of experience can make you a good mentor or put you into a position of higher responsibility.

Get health insurance, or pay a penalty

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:49:24 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: House Democrats proposed health care bill that forces individuals and employers to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty.

Clip Source: affordablehealth-insurance.org

Democrats of the House of Representatives released their House plan on Tuesday which asks for guaranteed access to health care. President Obama has been pushing leaders in both the Senate and House of representative to produce health care bills in order to move the legislation through the committees and to a floor vote before the August congressional recess.

The health care plan is a 10 year plan that will cost approximately $1 trillion. The plan requires individuals to carry insurance and businesses must offer it. For individuals who opt out of obtaining health insurance, they will pay a penalty of 2.5% of their income.

"We are committed to fiscal soundness," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Lowering costs is essential to this."

Madoff Victims may be able to get Part B premiums reduced

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:48:51 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: If you are a victim of Bernie Madoff's scam, then you may be eligible for a reduction in your Part B premium.

Clip Source: www.medicaresolutions.com

Part B premiums are determined by the previous year’s tax returns. For most people, the income from the previous year isn’t always accurate. Many events can occur in one year including marriage, divorce, death, loss of job or any other life changing event. Social Security may lower your Part B premium if any of the above events occur. By providing evidence of a death, marriage, or divorce certificate, or a letter from an employer, Social Security will lower your Part B premium according to your current income.

Many people were victims of Bernard Madoff’s fraud and have lost a considerable amount of income due to this scheme. Originally, Madoff victims were not included in the above categories of life changing events. As of June 9, Social Security determined that “if someone had a reduction of income as the result of criminal theft or an investment scam, they can qualify as having a life-changing event.”

Domestic partners: are you properly covered?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:22:52 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: affordablehealth-insurance.org

Many states do not legally recognize domestic partnerships unless your among the lucky people who reside in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New York, and Washington D.C. Other states such as Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine will have legalized same sex marriage by January 2010. Though these states may recognize same-sex marriage, domestic partners still face many problems. One of the main problems they have to deal with is their health insurance options.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ website gives helpful hints and special considerations for domestic partners. According to data from the American Community Survey (ACS), there are approximately 777,000 same-sex couples in the United States as of 2005.

Check to see if your employer offers domestic partner benefits. With the number of partnerships increasing, more and more employers are offering domestic partner benefits. Double check with the health insurance carrier to make sure your partner is covered.

Eat your vitamins to prevent loss of sight

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:38:29 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: www.medicaresolutions.com

A new study, conducted by Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland shows that a specific amount of vitamins and other nutrients can slow down the rate of sight loss in AMD (age-related macular degeneration). AMD is a major cause of blindness in the elderly that destroys sharp, central vision which is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as driving and reading.

The study discovered that Vitamin C and E, zinc as well as lutein and zeaxanthin could not only slow degeneration to the given 400 senior citizens in the study, but also lead to improved sight and sharper vision.

“An economic analysis based upon losses to the gross domestic product suggests that ARMD has approximately a $30 billion annual negative impact,” according to Dr. Gary Brown of the Center for Value-Based Medicine in Pennsylvania.

Faulty database overcharged patients

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:50:21 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: Ingenix, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has a faulty database that drives up costs for patients using out of network doctors.

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

Investigators found yesterday that two-thirds of the health insurance industry in the United States uses a faulty database that charges patients more for seeing out of network doctors. The database, operated by Ingenix, kept rates low in order to underpay doctors which then drove up costs for patients.

Health insurers submit information to Ingenix to determine the costs for care received out of network. Health insurance companies often skew data to underestimate the costs of medical services so that patients would have to pay more in out of pocket costs.

“Insurers know that policyholders are so baffled by those notices they usually just ignore them or throw them away,” said Wendell Potter, a former insurance executive at CIGNA. “And that’s exactly the point. If they were more understandable, more consumers might realize that they are being ripped off.”

PWC study suggests 9% increase in employer health coverage

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:00:23 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: Employers health insurance costs may rise 9% in 2010 and it could be ever higher for employees!!

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

Price Waterhouse Coopers annual medical costs trends report suggests that a 9 percent increase in health insurance coverage will occur in 2010. This 9 percent increase is primarily for businesses and their employer sponsored health plans. Though employers may suffer a 9 percent cost increase in health insurance coverage, employees might have to cope with an even larger increase in coverage.

A survey done by PWC that involved over 500 employers concluded that 42 percent will increase health care costs for employees in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, and copays.

“As the economy recovers, employers will refocus on more sustainable longer term approaches to medical cost containment based on an increasingly shared interest between employers and their workers,” says Price Waterhouse Coopers Principal Michael Thompson.

HDHP and HSA limits increase in 2010

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:35:55 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: On June 1, the IRS and Dept of Treasury released the High deductible health plan and health savings accounts annual limit for 2010.

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

The IRS has released on June 1 the 2010 annual limits or high deductible health plans (HDHP) and health savings accounts (HSA). Under Code Section 223, the new limits are effective for the calendar year 2010. The IRS released the increase on June 1 to allow time for employers, employees, and plan administrators to make adjustments to their plans.

For high deductible health plans (HDHP), the deductible is increasing from $1,150 to $1,200 for individuals and $2,300 to $2,400 for families. The HDHP Maximum Out-of-pocket amount is increasing from $5,800 to $5,950 for individuals and from $11,600 to $11,900 for families.

As for the HSA Statutory Contribution amount, it is increasing from $3,000 to $3,050 for individuals and from $5,950 to $6,150 for families. The catch-up contributions for individuals 55 or older are staying at $1,000.

owner of medical marijuana dispensary sentenced to 1 yr prison term

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:52:30 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

Though Medical Marijuana has been proven to help relieve pain for cancer patients and other sufferers, under federal laws it is still considered illegal. Charles C. Lynch, owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in California, was sentenced to a 1 year prison term. While state laws may allow for the disbursement of medical marijuana, federal laws doesn’t even though the Obama administration promised not to prosecute anyone if they have complied with state law.

Many legal experts believe that this case highlights the conflicts between state and federal laws. Federal law prohibits the development, sale and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but 13 states allow it. The 13 states that allow it include Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

A look into Sen. Kennedy's long term care insurance proposal

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:57:00 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

Senator Edward Kennedy’s new long-term care insurance program proposal will help healthy young adults and disabled senior citizens. The bill will provide assistance to disabled people so they can continue to live in their homes, all at an affordable monthly premium. The bill would also extend children’s coverage under their parents’ health insurance until age 26.

The plan is designed to help disabled persons pay for services that would allow them to stay in their homes and not have to move into a nursing home. The disabled people begin paying premiums while they are still working in order to use the services when they are retired. For students and young workers, premiums could be as low as $5 a month.

Medicare Part D plans should be reduced according to study

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:55:28 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: A study done by UCLA and the University of Plymouth shows that medicare beneficiaries are not choosing the most cost-effective medicare part d plan due to the overwhelming amount of plans to choose from.

Clip Source: www.medicaresolutions.com

According to a study done by the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Plymouth in the U.K., many Medicare beneficiaries find it hard to choose the most cost-effective Medicare Part D plan when there are so many plans to choose from. Beneficiaries often choose unnecessarily expensive plans and don’t realize that they are overpaying for these plans.

“Many seniors are unaware that they can be saving hundreds of dollars every year by choosing a different drug plan, because there are entirely too many choices for them to navigate,” said Yaniv Hanoch, Ph.D., author and lecturer at the University of Plymouth.”The system should limit choice and empower its beneficiaries to make informed and cost-effective decisions about their prescription drug plan.”

The study was funded by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and can be found at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122407933/abstract. It will be published in the August 2009 issue of Health Services Research.

Land of the free denies healthcare to illegal immigrants

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:34:07 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan

Clip Source: affordablehealth-insurance.org

There are approximately 11.9 million illegal immigrants in the United States as of October 2008. There has been an ongoing debate over residency status of illegal immigrants for years, but a more recent debate is what benefits, if any, they deserve.

David Hayes-Bautista, a professor of medicine at the University of California explains that, “Eliminating illegal immigrants from health services may enable counties to balance their budgets this year but won't solve the problem in the long term. We are mortgaging the future to scrape through the present.”

On the other hand, anti-illegal immigration activist Barbara Coe says “Illegal immigrants have absolutely no right, No. 1, to be here and, No. 2, to take the tax dollars of law-abiding American taxpayers for anything."

Tags: health insurance, healthcare, health care costs, illegal immigrants

Washington close to 1 million mark for uninsured residents

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:33:24 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: The state of Washington has reached over 876,000 uninsured, jumping up 21% since last year.

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

The state of Washington is nearing the 1 million mark for uninsured residents. Approximately 1 in 5 Washington residents above the age of 19 are uninsured. The record of 876,000 people for this year jumped more than 150,000 since last year. According to Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, the jump is due to the 95,000 state residents who lost their jobs in 2009 and the 15,000 depends who lost coverage when those people lost their jobs.

The 150,000 jump amounts to a 21 percent increase from 2008. Kreidler also states that the number of uninsured will continue to increase even if the economy improves. The 876,000 uninsured includes 40,000 people who have been scheduled to be cut from the state’s Basic Health plan this year. The state doesn’t want to have to cut people from the plan so they will be raising rates instead. Monthly rates will increase by about $25. Deductibles will also increase from $150 to $250.

South Dakota expands risk pool to uninsurable children

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:24:43 GMT

clipped by: SCallahan
clipper's remarks: Beginning July 1, South Dakota will expand its risk pool to children who are considered medically uninsurable. More than 455 children will be able to receive health insurance!!

Clip Source: www.healthplanone.com

Beginning July 1, a new law in South Dakota will expand the South Dakota High Risk Pool to children with preexisting conditions that may not be able to get coverage any other way.

The law will help to cover approximately 455 children that are under the age of 19 who are considered medically uninsurable. Governor Mike Rounds explains that “Every child in South Dakota should have health insurance, and now every child can. The South Dakota High Risk Pool will begin taking applications today for children who have been without health care coverage.”

Though 455 children does not seem like a lot, especially compared to the 200,000 uninsured children in the state of South Dakota, but it’s a start and South Dakota is definitely making a positive stand for uninsured children.

Tags: health insurance, uninsurable, medically uninsurable, uninsured, children