Category: Health Insurance (Page 7 of 12)

Best Books About Healing for the New Year

December 31, 2011 / Staff

Being an informed consumer is the best way to maximize the many health choices available.

Great books have been written this year:

The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart
by Stephen Amidon and Thomas Amidon

Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You
by Jerome Groopman and
Pamela Hartzband

County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago’s Public Hospital
by David A. Ansell

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science and Fear
by Seth Mnookin

Invasion of the Body: Revolutions in Surgery
by Nicholas L. Tilney

Find reviews of these five must read healing books .

New regulations, health care policy changes and an aging population makes staying on top of new developments imperative.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Hospitals, Quality Control, Research

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Dentists Could Provide The First Line Of Defense For America’s Health

December 18, 2011 / Staff

Dentists may be the un-utilized answer to America’s health care woes.

Trips to the dentist could include some basic primary screening of patients.

It seems that people will forgo trips to their primary care physicians in a tight economy but trips to the dentists remain a high priority to consumers of health care.

Dentists could perform such primary care as blood pressure monitoring and blood screening for high cholesterol and diabetes; catching symptoms early.

Based on those findings, the researchers determined that 26 percent of U.S. children did not see a general health care provider (physician, physician assistant, nurse, nurse practitioner), but more than one-third (7 million) of those children did visit a dentist at least once in 2008.
One-quarter of U.S. adults did not visit a general health care provider, but nearly a fourth (13 million) of those adults visited a dentist at least once in 2008.
Eighty-five percent of the adults and 93 percent of the children had health insurance. This suggests that many of those who did not see a general health care provider may have had access to general care, but chose not to seek it, the researchers said.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Resources, Wellness

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Young Adults Now Covered Due to Health Care Reform

December 15, 2011 / Staff

Health care reform measures which President Barack Obama signed into law last year will help provide coverage for about 2.5 million people aged 19 to 25.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that the provision that lets young adults remain on their parents’ insurance plans through age 26,

Federal officials credited the gains to the Affordable Care Act, legislation championed by President Barack Obama that took effect last year and is deemed the biggest overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system in nearly 50 years.
The law aims broadly to eventually provide medical coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans, and already allows young adults to stay on their parents’ private insurance plans through age 26.
Since the policy helping young adults took effect in September 2010, the percentage of adults ages 19 to 25 covered by a private health insurance plan has increased significantly, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance

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Baby Boomers Need to Know These 8 Things About Medicare

December 5, 2011 / Staff

There are 8 important things that Baby Boomers need to know about health care.

As those aged 65 transition into the medicare system there may be overlap with employee benefits.

Make sure you know what’s available, what you need to pay for, and what works best for you.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 52 percent more folks are working beyond their sixty-fifth birthday than there were ten years ago. Recognizing this trend, more corporations are trying to integrate Medicare into their coverage options. Each company seems to have their own way of dealing with the trend and how it impacts company-provided health insurance coverage.
To that end, each employee needs to discover the coverage their employer offers at age 65. With some government and civil service jobs, free health care insurance continues from the date of retirement until death. Many companies also contribute to or pay their retirees’ health care premiums in full. Kaiser Family Foundation says that percentage dropped to 28 percent in 2010 from 40 percent in 1995. In some instances, the employee is covered mostly by Medicare. Other folks are covered primarily by their employer. Further complicating the issue are family members.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Medicare, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Medical Malpractice Needs an Overhaul

November 30, 2011 / Staff

Changes in medical malpractice laws are coming soon.

The system as it stands is considered broken and is blamed for contributing to driving up the cost of medical care.

Each year, physicians faced a 7.4 percent likelihood of facing a claim, but only 1.6 percent of claims received a payment, either through a settlement or jury award. Nonetheless, defending and insuring against these claims is costly for doctors.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Quality Control, Resources

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