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Breast cancer treatment and a more aggressive form of this disease have been linked to the high mortality rate of young black and hispanic women in America. But, alongside that more aggressive form of cancer, the rising cost of health insurance rates are contributing to the death of many young women. At health.msn.com it states that "U.S. breast cancer patients with a particularly deadly form of the disease are more likely to be poor, black or Hispanic, and under 40 years of age, new research shows." But, while breast cancer treatment for those with the "triple-negative" form of the disease is more difficult, health insurance rates are so high that most of these young women don't have the kind of medical coverage that could catch the cancer early, and provide the expensive treatments they need. Spiraling prices for new cancer therapies — up to $10,000 a month for a single drug — are causing alarm among patients and insurance companies, but so far little has been done to make these drugs more affordable. And montly costs for breast cancer treatment can reach up to $7,000. Without good medical coverage, these women must face both the "triple-negative" cancer, as well as a poorly structured healthcare system. The best thing women can do right now to protect themselves is to have enough medical coverage to allow for basic checkups, to stay healthy and do breast self-exams, and to have any suspicious lumps checked out immediately by a professional.
Good news (at last) regarding health insurance costs has been released at albany.bizjournals.com. The New York State Senate has approved legislation to create a panel to study any proposed health insurance mandate and their impact on costs to the consumer. What this means is that, perhaps, legislation will finally begin evaluating how we go about controlling health insurance costs without sacrificing the kind of medical coverage that people really need. And this kind of help can't come fast enough. While health care costs are rising slower than in previous years, the rate of increase is still well above consumer price index increases. In order to cope with health insurance inflation, companies are changing their benefits packages, shifting costs onto employees and dependents. Not only is health care spending rising at the fastest rate in our history, it is expected to keep going up, reaching $4 trillion dollars by 2015. In 2006, employer health insurance premiums increased by 7.7 percent - two times the rate of inflation. And that's nothing compared to the travesty of individual health insurance. Hopefully, as more and more people demand control over health insurance costs and coverage, someone will finally be forced to do something about it.
Michigan consumers are petitioning to halt yet another increase in their individual health insurance premiums. As healthcare costs continue to rise, will all medical coverage become impossible to afford? At freep.com, the situation in Michigan is reported, but it isn't very different from what's happening everywhere in the US. Rate increases for individual health insurance policies are expected to be anywhere from 4% to 25%, and in some cases up to 42% depending on the policy in question. Most people who purchase individual health insurance do so because they don't get medical coverage from their employer, and rates for these plans are already significantly higher than those paid by groups through an employer. By raising the prices yet again, medical coverage will be completely out of reach for thousands of Michigan residents. At the same time, profits are down for health insurance agencies, and healthcare costs continue to go up. This makes it hard to point the finger at anyone in particular, since everyone seems to be losing. Many claim that individual health insurance, alongside all medical coverage plans, won't become more affordable until federal guidance controls the market. But, this doesn't appear to be on the horizon. In the mean time consumers need to shop around, comparing different policies and rates from different companies, and hopefully finding coverage that is more affordable without sacrificing their health.
Requests for health insurance plans for domestic partnerships are on the rise. Unfortunately, many agencies and employers don't recognize the need to provide medical coverage to unmarried couples. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, unmarried couples comprised approximately 4.5 million families, and more than 62% of Americans support domestic partners receiving equal access to benefits. It makes sense, then, that health insurance plans for domestic partnerships are in demand. At the Springfield Business Journal Online the issue is addressed in depth. But, since there are no standard legal recognitions as in marriage or divorce, many agencies and employers don't offer medical coverage for domestic partnerships. One complaint is that excess paperwork could pose difficult for consumers and agencies alike. Others claim that costs would be too high. But the truth is that domestic partnership benefits are not costly and enrollment is low; generally less than 2.5% of employees elect these benefits. Hopefully, as demand continues to climb health insurance plans will evolve to cover domestic partnerships on a regular basis.
A survey regarding health insurance rates and availability in Arizona reveals that many citizens worry about having access to medical coverage, and about the kind of costs that come with it. At azstarnet.com, it's a familiar fear. One couple can't afford medical coverage because they have existing health problems, but they're too young to qualify for Medicare. For others, the high costs of prescription drugs make health insurance rates obsolete - why pay such high premiums if you can't afford the medications anyway? This situation is reaching a critical point in Arizona, and in every other state in America. Millions of people can't afford medical coverage, and even if they could it usually offers inadequate coverage for important medications or services. One doctor put it perfectly, "since insurers are in the business to make money, there will always be patients who are denied coverage in order to keep the insurers' costs down and profits up." Hopefully upcoming federal and state legislation will prove helpful in alleviating some of the stress for consumers. Until then, people will need to shop around carefully for competitive health insurance rates, and hope for good health.
In the struggle to provide children with adequate medical coverage, no one is admitting that the expensive and confusing nature of individual health insurance plans is hurting the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). At the National Center for Policy Analysis, it's clear that the SCHIP is in trouble. About 14 states can't afford to cover the program right now, and more will be too bankrupt to do the same in the very near future. So what's going on? There are too many adults covered by the plan. In some states up to 66% of those with taxpayer subsidized health care are adults, and many of them even come from middle-income families. How is this possible? Individual health insurance is confusing, and completely overpriced. And let's face it; if mom and dad get seriously sick, then the kids will suffer then too. Of course all children should enjoy medical coverage, but it's easy to see how adults need to stay healthy too. The situation is intolerable, and it's only getting worse. The best scenario would be to have all children protected by insurance, and to make individual health insurance plans affordable and available to all the adults who take care of them. Sadly, this isn't going to be the case for some time. In the mean time parents must take good care of themselves, stay healthy, and shop carefully for competitive insurance prices.
Missouri health insurance was the topic of discussion at the healthcare summit held yesterday. And while the ideas that came out of that summit are good ones, the rising costs of medical coverage are going to make it difficult to turn those ideas into an affordable reality. At the Southwest Missouri Business Journal, the long list of insurance providers, legislators, and industry representatives is proof that Missouri health insurance is in need of revision, and somebody wants to do something about it. And the HealthNet proposal is a good one. It would provide qualified, uninsured Missouri citizens a single caregiver to plan and administer wellness appointments and other checkups. This could be of tremendous help to the more than 700,000 people in Missouri who aren't insured. But the implementation of such a plan is the real issue at hand, and sadly it isn't going to be very easy for those present at the summit. Healthcare costs are ridiculously high, and many states are struggling to insure their citizens without going broke. While all of these folks at the summit truly mean well, getting better funding for insurance, or lowering healthcare costs, is the only way to make medical coverage available to everyone. One good point in this plan is that participants will be better able to choose their own health plan, or purchase Missouri health insurance from a more competitive market. This could save people a lot of money, easing the insurance burden, at least for awhile.
At latimes.com, cheap prescription drugs might help to "soothe the pain" of high health insurance rates. But, as it's made clear in the article, lowering the price of those drugs is proving to be very difficult. In 2003 more than 15% of insured Americans had skipped a refill for their medicine because of the cost. And last year, more than 10% of the 39 million people enrolled in Medicare's prescription drug plan paid out-of-pocket for drugs that potentially cost hundreds of dollars. And this doesn't even take into account all of those who can't afford medical coverage. Health insurance rates have gone up 90% in the last 10 years, much higher than inflation or the American minimum wage. So, would cheap prescription drugs ease that burden? Absolutely. Too bad it isn't going to happen anytime too soon. Prescription drug use has been rising steadily in the last 5 years, and it's predicted to go up even more. And while lawmakers push for legislation that would make it easier to get cheap prescription drugs from Canada, such efforts are opposed by the Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical lobby. For the time being, those who want to find or keep affordable health insurance rates will have to remember that the cheapest and easiest way to do it is to shop around extensively for medical coverage, and to eat right and stay healthy for as long as possible.
At monstersandcritics.com, the startling truth about parents and individual health insurance reveal that millions of people are falling through the cracks in the American healthcare system. As it says at the site, "Less than half of U.S. parents earning moderate salaries can get health insurance through their jobs." Outrageous costs and healthcare inflation have made it difficult, if not impossible, for most small businesses to offer medical coverage. But, individual health insurance is costly in its own right, leaving millions of Americans without health insurance. The results are sadly predictable; the uninsured are less likely to go to the hospital for wellness check-ups that they can't afford. When things do go wrong, they end up in the emergency room dealing with something that should have been preventable all along. At that point, the bill is going to be a big one, and as parents it's not as if these people don't already have bills to pay. Hopefully tax breaks for those who purchase individual health insurance will help those who can't afford coverage today. This would allow people to choose the plan that works best for them, keeping them healthy without undue financial burden.
At the washingtonpost.com, more than 25% of the outrageous growth in healthcare spending has been linked to obesity. Will solving the American weight problem lead to more affordable health insurance? The study was conducted by Emory University, and goes on to say that "with 60% of the U.S. population deemed overweight or obese, the only way to control soaring medical costs is to begin targeting prevention efforts and treatment on the most costly weight-related illnesses, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease." In other words, obesity just isn't being treated properly, resulting in rising healthcare costs and little availability of good medical coverage. It's true that obesity costs America about $100 billion a year, but the current methods of handling the problem are proving inadequate. Some are suggesting that weight play a role in healthcare costs, making affordable health insurance more available for those who maintain a healthy body weight. But this will not help those who are already struggling with weight problems and the disease that comes with it. And, by making medical coverage even more expensive, obese people are not less likely to get sick; they're just less likely to get proper treatment. Many insurance agencies are taking this problem seriously by including education and preventative check-ups in their coverage. This method seems to hold the most hope for a problem that is as deadly as it is costly.
A newly released study finds that black men are twice as likely die of prostate cancer than their white counterparts. Why such a disparity? The answer is socioeconomic in nature, and comes down to a lack of affordable health insurance for those who are lower on the economic ladder. At myrtlebeachonline.com, the study from the Journal of Cancer reveals that raising awareness of the disease just won't be enough to combat this problem. More than 8% of black men report having no health insurance, compared to 3% of white men. When prostate cancer strikes, this leaves black men without options for treatment that save the lives of white men who are insured. As the article says, "It is well established that uninsured patients, regardless of race, delay getting needed care. And once they do seek medical attention, uninsured patients often receive less aggressive treatment than patients with health insurance." So, if you can't afford health insurance not only will it take you longer to get care for prostate cancer, you're not likely to get the best kind of treatment anyway. Such a situation is deplorable. And as premiums go up, more and more people will suffer the same consequences. These days it isn't just the economically challenged that can't find affordable health insurance, many middle class men and women can't keep up with the rising costs of healthcare either. With cancer deaths predicted to double in the upcoming decades, we will have to do something soon to make health insurance, and life-saving care, available to all Americans who suffer from prostate cancer, or any disease at all.
At insurancenewsnet.com, the growing trend towards uninsured, middle class Americans reveals that health insurance is even too expensive for those who make a "decent living." We're used to the idea that the poor can't afford insurance. Healthcare costs are in the trillions, and that's a hefty bill to be paying through your health insurance premiums. But more and more, insurance is so outrageously expensive that even those people who make a good wage can't afford it. According to the article, "more than one-third of the uninsured -17 million of the nearly 47 million - have family incomes of $40,000 or more." How is this possible? For people considered a risk, meaning those in poor health or at risk for illness, health insurance premiums are much, much higher. And, if you're self-employed and don't have anyone to help ease the burden of costs, health insurance can easily become the most expensive bill on the table. Hopefully upcoming legislation will help to rectify this situation. Since so many middle-class people are now uninsured, health insurance has been gaining a lot of press. It's unfortunate that this is what it takes to make health insurance a priority, but if change is on the horizon then there could be some relief approaching for those who can't afford good medical coverage.
At msnbc.msn.com, a Hartford Connecticut insurance agency is offering up to 20% reductions in life insurance premiums for customers with low body-mass index (BMI). With the rising number of obesity related deaths in America, could more affordable health insurance be available under the same terms? Your BMI is a measure of your body fat based on height and weight. A BMI between 19 and 25 is considered healthy, while The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as a BMI of 30 or more; people between 25 and 30 are considered overweight. Nearly one-third, or 32% of adult Americans, are considered obese. And it's costly; the bill for obesity related death and disease is predicted to top $100 billion dollars, half of which will be paid by an already strained Medicare system. So, it's not hard to predict that affordable health insurance premiums will someday be available to those who maintain a healthy BMI. But unfortunately, this will also mean that those individuals who really need medical coverage aren't likely to get it. The costs of health insurance are already outrageous, and should an obese person face even higher premiums, the likelihood that they will received adequate care will go down. It is undoubtedly best to stay healthy, which is the best way to avoid health problems. But all people need affordable health insurance to protect them in their time of need.
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