Category: Medicare (Page 3 of 5)

Very Few Are Spending the Most Health Care Dollars

January 20, 2012 / Staff

White, elderly, women with private health insurance are spending the most health care dollars, the federal government reported.

$2.6 trillion the nation spent on health care in 2010 translated into just over $8,400 per person.

But that is not the whole story.

A different study just released by a separate federal agency shows that second number doesn’t actually mean very much.

Specifically, in 2009, just 1 percent of the non-institutionalized population accounted for 21.8 percent of all U.S. health spending. And just 5 percent accounted for half the total spending.
Meanwhile, the bottom half of the population accounted for a mere 2.9 percent of total health spending in 2009.

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

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Health Care Reform Battle Begins

January 5, 2012 / Staff

Health Care reform has been sparking rather heated debates from both sides of the aisle and from every other possible direction, it seems.

There has been no consensus on a number of key topics; cancer screening and cell phone dangers and mandatory compliance is set to be enforced by 2014.

There is a lot of work to be done and special interests will have their hands full lobbying for their stake in the game.

Supporters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2010, claim the legislation will extend coverage to 30 million Americans. But opponents labeled it an unconstitutional intrusion of government upon personal rights, especially the “individual mandate” clause that requires Americans to purchase health insurance or face fines.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare

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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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America’s Growing Waistline and Health Care Woes

November 21, 2011 / Staff

Americans are getting fatter.

At the rate we’re going 83 percent of American men will be overweight or obese by 2020 followed by women at 72 percent projected to be overweight or obese by then, as well.

The implications go far beyond tight pants and groaning sofas. Obesity is a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Imagining an America of overweight, unhealthy people gives public health officials the willies. And it should be frightening to us civilians, too.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Living Wills a Touchy Subject for Baby Boomers

November 19, 2011 / Staff

Baby boomers avoid making living wills because they feel too young and healthy.

Who can even think of writing a will between yoga class and triathlon training?

Kathy Brandt says wills and health care proxies are a good idea for everyone whether they are healthy and young or older and not so healthy.
Brandt, a senior vice president at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, said the two documents can spare families a painful fight and ensure that patients receive — or don’t receive — the medical treatment they wish should they end up in a situation where they can’t speak for themselves

Saving loved ones from making the tough decisions as we age could be the kindest gift of all at the end of our lives.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Hospitals, Medicare, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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