Obama, McCain and Health Care

September 28, 2008

Some people get health insurance from their jobs. Some people don’t. It is not uncommon for one spouse to have health insurance from their jobs and another spouse not to get health insurance. Sometimes there is just a lack of affordability for health insurance.

Buying health insurance for oneself may not give you all the benefits you want and you will be penalized for poor health. The crisis in the financial industry has taken center stage on media. However the health care problem is more deep rooted and many families are having to deal with it.

Of Alabamians, one in five working age adults lack health insurance. One in five is also eligible for Medicaid. This coverage is likely to consume 31 percent of the general fund budget. Alabama has the highest stroke risk, second highest obesity rate and third highest infant mortality rate.
Read more

What About Insurance For Your Pet?

September 28, 2008

I have a family of five, mom, wife, two lovely kids…three actually. One is a dog. It is funny how pets become part of the human family so soon after they join you. When I come home, my dog greets me like he hasn’t seen me in years. Sometimes I think he loves me more than anyone else in this world. We do a lot for our pets just like they make us feel so much better about ourselves.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to take the pet to a veterinarian. This is where pet insurance comes in. It is essential to own pet insurance if you want to keep your pets healthy and happy. Since the first policy in 1982, pet insurance has become more widespread. Many people don’t see value in purchasing pet insurance, and many do. With a rise in veterinary cost more people started taking pet health insurance and the result is it’s great popularity today.
Read more

Should Health Insurance Be Deregulated?

September 21, 2008

According to McCain, health insurance should be deregulated just like Wall Street. He compares the benefits the banking sector received by deregulation with the benefits that might come to the health insurance sector if it were deregulated too. According to him opening up this market to vigorous competition nationwide will give more innovative products to the consumer. Also, state based regulation would not burden this sector.

 

His enthusiasm about the deregulated banking sector seems to reflect in his desire to make health care as good as the financial system. This comes at a time when the Lehman Brothers have gone bankrupt. So the timing of his statement is not the best there could be. Meanwhile one of his advisors had earlier said that there were no uninsured Americans. They are certainly out of touch with reality. Read more

Issue With Health Insurance

September 20, 2008

Florida is seeing people who are influential in the health insurance domain who are there to find a solution to a critical problem facing Americans today - health care which is ailing itself in the country. This election season, health insurance is of primary importance to both voters and the voted. America’s Health Care At Risk : Finding A Cure is a bipartisan and lively discussion on the issue.

In Florida, nearly 25 percent of the population is not insured. Here this two day event is being held at the Orlando International Airport Hyatt Regency. James R Bean, MD is speaking here. He is a practicing neuro surgeon. The health care debate is often just about health insurance and it’s astronomical cost. Also the talk on this subject is about insuring everyone. Although this is important, there are many things that matter here.

Read more

The Young May Be Hardest Hit

September 13, 2008

The campaign to provide guaranteed health coverage that is affordable seems unreal. Barack Obama’s campaign does not take into account illness or condition. According to Obama’s proposal a National Health Insurance Exchange would exist. This would be like a shopping mall run by the government – for health insurance. Prices would be negotiated with private insurers by this NHIE. A government run Medicare like plan would also be offered.

 

Participating companies could not turn someone away due to their medical conditions. These conditions would also not result in a higher premium. This concept is not a new one. However where it has been tried, it has run into trouble. After insurers left Kentucky and South Dakota have had to drop their guarantee. Where this coverage continues, young healthy people have to pay a high premium.

Read more

Health Care Realities

September 7, 2008

Almost one in seven Americans lack health insurance. Most Americans regard this as moral stain. Some senators regard health care as a right. There needs to be universal insurance in this opinion. It doesn’t matter who wins the elections, health care needs to be up there on the priority list.

 

The main issue is not improving coverage, but controlling costs. In 1960 one in every twenty dollars spent in the US economy was on health care. Now that figure is one in every six dollars spent. By 2025 that could be one in every four dollars. Imagine a quarter of the US economy devoted to health care.

  Read more

Lack of Insurance Leaves Statues Naked

September 6, 2008

Blue Shield of California is illustrating the vulnerability of lack of insurance in a unique manner. People feel like they are missing something important when they don’t have insurance and Blue Shield of California is depicting this by putting up naked statues. The bronze statues will soon be unveiled in an effort to bring to light the plight of almost 7 million Californians who do not have health insurance.

The statues numbering about 100 will be seen striking pensive poses in South California in shopping centers. A fig leaf will cover up some parts of the statues, most likely. Although the statues will make some people uncomfortable, that is perhaps the objective according to CEO Bruce Bodaken who reminds us of the 800,000 children in California without health insurance.

Read more