Health Insurance Blog

Senator Edward Kennedy has a health care plan which would require everyone to have health insurance and it would also include a government program to create more competition with private insurers.  The proposal would give health insurance providers who agreed to participate in the plan 10% more than they would get under Medicare. 

Kennedy’s plan would also require employers to provide health insurance or pay into supporting the public plan.  There would be a federal standard for Medicaid to cover people who earn up to 150% of poverty.  The Children’s Health Insurance program would be extended as well.  The age of eligible children covered would be increased to 26 from 18.  Overall, Kennedy wants to keep the foundation that if you are happy with what you have you keep it, and if not you will have more options.

Oxford Health Insurance has a publication called Healthy Mind Healthy Body and it is looking to keep its members healthier by updating them on medical news and giving diet and fitness advice.  One particular article discusses some valuable information on helping you eat consciously which may make you healthier and keep your health insurance costs down in the long run.

Medical research has shown a very strong link between eating the right foods and health.  Many experts suggest that some diseases such as diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease can be prevented through eating a healthy diet.  This diet should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low fat dairy and lean protein sources.  While some of this may seem obvious, many underestimate the power of these healthy foods.  Saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars should be limited and of course regular exercise is a must.

Health Insurance is a very important safety net to have, but more and more Americans are doing without.  Why?  According to the Thomson Reuters Center for Healthcare Improvement, US Census, more than 45 million Americans do not have health insurance.  Here are some of the reasons why:

• Can’t afford (48%)
• Not offered through job (23%)
• Not employed (11.1%)
• Waiting for Insurance to go into effect (5%)
• Other (13%)

Americans are waiting to hear how President Obama’s new health care reform plan will pan out, but until then it’s still important to ensure you have proper health insurance coverage. 

According to Reuters, below is a list and description of the key players involved in the health care debate and subsequently shaping health care reform

• Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, leads Obama’s push to enact by the end of 2009 an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. health care industry. Previously served as the Kansas health insurance commissioner for eight years.
• Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of White House Office of Health Reform, is charged with coordinating reform efforts with Congress. A former Clinton administration official, DeParle headed the Health Care Financing Administration (now Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).
• Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff.   He was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, fourth in the hierarchy of House Democratic leaders, was formerly a senior adviser to President Clinton.
• Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, and the panel’s senior Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley have taken the lead in the debate, playing key roles in writing legislation aimed at reducing soaring costs and expanding health insurance coverage to the estimated 46 million uninsured Americans.
• Senate Health Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy, has been a leader in the Senate on health care reform, pushing for a Patient’s Bill of Rights and an expansion of Medicare, to lower prescription drugs cost.
• Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming, senior Republican on the Senate Health panel, advocates for bipartisan support for health care reform.
• House Energy and Commerce committee chairman Henry Waxman, has championed reform efforts, including expand of health coverage for children, seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income families.
• Joe Barton, the senior Republican on the House Energy panel, says ensuring that Americans are able to afford the health care they need is an important priority.
• House Ways and Means chairman Charles Rangel, supports an expansion of health care to include Americans who lack health insurance coverage. He says the United States must provide health coverage for children and working people the same kind of coverage Medicare provides for Seniors.
• Rep Dave Camp, the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means panel, says health coverage expansion can and should be done without making the government the sole health insurance provider.

More coveage of health care reform topics.

A recent Reuters article quoted these facts about our healthcare system.

1. According to US Government economists, public and private health care spending will hit $2.5 Trillion this year, 17.6% of GDP
2. Americans spend more per capita on health care than any other country at $7,421 per person, and receive poorer care than many other industrialized countries that have nationalized health care.  (Of the $7000 plus spent on health care per person…35% of this is paid by private health insurance companies, 19% paid by Medicare, 15% is paid by Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs, 12% from public funds, 7% private sources, and the remaining 12% out of pocket by patients.)
3. 15% of population (46 million people) have no health insurance coverage.
4. 63% of US companies offer health benefits to workers.
5. Growth in health insurance premiums has outpaced workers’ earnings and inflation since 2004 by a ratio of 4 to1.

Florida’s Health First InsuranceWound Management & Hyperbaric Center now offers free foot screenings for anyone diagnosed with Diabetes. 

The American Diabetes Association says that diabetes patients can suffer from poor circulation especially in the legs and feet and have a harder time fighting infection in these areas.  Many with diabetes also have a reduced sensation in the lower extremities because of nerve disease.  These two risks increase the chance of ulcers and infection which may lead to amputation. 

Because of these serious risks, Health First Insurance is offering weekly Diabetes Foot Check Clinics to check patients by a physician.  The free screening includes an evaluation of foot circulation, temperature, feeling, toenails, calluses and open sores.  They also provide patient education and recommendations.

For more information on these clinics, please visit Health First Health Plans’ website.

Are you a member of Blue Cross Blue Shield or have you gotten a Blue Cross Blue Shield quote to become a member?  If you are a member you may be eligible for their healthier living plan called Blue365. 

This is another example of companies trying to make us healthier and hopefully it will pay off over the years.  Blue365 gives members access to educational information, tools and guides to healthier living, discounts on health programs and special products from well known companies.  Blue Cross Blue Shield hopes this program encourages members to make healthy choices every day of the year and by offering this support they sure make it easier.

With the recent US declaration of a public health emergency in response to reports of swine flu, Oxford Health Insurance, owned by UnitedHealthcare, put out a convenient quick reference guide to better understand how to protect yourself and people around you.  View the quick reference guide and if you have any additional questions contact Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. 

Republican lawmakers introduced a new bill calling for tax payer credits for those purchasing health insurance, but does not include a public insurance choice. 

The Patients’ Choice Act would stop tax cuts for companies that provide health insurance.  Individuals and families would be given money to help them purchase health insurance coverage.  Lower income households would get even more money to buy private insurance plans.  The Republicans want to make it easier to comparison shop for health insurance and believe employer-based coverage is becoming a thing of the past as more and more benefits are being stripped.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), has broken rank with the health insurance industry and will air TV ads which attack Barack Obama’s proposed health care plan.

In recent times the health insurance industry, led by the AHIP, has made some consessions to the government such as agreeing to keep health insurance premiums in check and accepting all customers regardless of medical conditions.  The concessions were not completely altruisitc as they were designed to fend off the governments desire to create a government health plan which would compete with the private health plans in each market.

In three 30-second videos, sponsored by BCBSNC, the North Carolina health insurance company paints a picture of a future system in which patients wait months for appointments and can’t choose their own doctors.  Storyboards of the BCBSNC videos were obtained by the Washington Post.