As Health Insurance Rates Go Up, Those Who Need It Can't Afford ItNovember 2007
As new survey reports tracking
health insurance rates report higher costs, a just-released medical study shows that lowered income actually has an inflammatory effect on the body, which may explain why people of lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk of heart disease.
It has long been known that those who can't afford medical coverage suffer from diseases that are either preventable, or manageable when caught in early stages. However, the study released this week by the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health is the first to discover that poverty may in fact lead to many of those same diseases.
According to
MSN Health, "Our results suggest that persons of lower socioeconomic position have greater inflammatory burden than those of higher socioeconomic position because of the cumulative effects of multiple behavioral, psychological and metabolic characteristics." Translated, this means that the psychological effects of poverty impact everything from health care decisions - like what to eat and whether or not to smoke - to the actual response that the body has to stress. These impacts lead towards a greater propensity for illness, especially heart disease.
Facts on:
Medical Coverage Costs
Did you know...
Health insurance rates are going up; nationally, costs increased from last year about 6%, or approximately double the rate of inflation?
|
At the same time, health insurance rates are going up; nationally, costs increased from last year about 6%, or approximately double the rate of inflation. The combination of these two interesting studies proves that the poorer a person is, the likelier they are to suffer from life-threatening disease,
and the less likely they are to have medical coverage. This double-whammy is what contributes, once again, to the cycle of rising health insurance rates. Those who are poor can't afford
medical coverage so they don't get checkups, they are more likely to fall ill, and when they do, their medical bills turn into a medical debt that will then cause health care costs to go up even more.
When will it end? Many suggest that upcoming legislation and presidential elections will provide a measure of health care to those who can't afford their own coverage. In the mean time, the best way to minimize health care costs and debt is to avoid unhealthy lifestyle decisions, and to look online for reported "cafeteria-style" health insurance plans that offer important yearly checkups.
Current Topic:
Recent Topics:
Past Topics:
