Why Do You Need Insurance?

You've worked most of your life to give your family a comfortable house to live in. You want your children to live happily and contented with the business that you've built through the years. Yet accidents do happen. When it does happen, the first question will be, are you protected to ensure that what you've built through the years won't easily be blown with the wind? If your answer is yes, then congratulations! Yet then again, what if you're not protected to ensure everything that you've worked for including yourself? You need to think it over. Remember, even the most careful person needs insurance. They can't prevent accidents from ever happening. Although, having insurance is not a substitute for risk management, yet it's designed to help you absorb any responsibility that may occur.

Hopefully as you read on, this article will let you realize the importance of having insurance. Not just for your protection, yet for the protection of your loved ones and the d ream that you've built. If you do have insurance and you're tempted to put it off, don't. Insurance helps you pay for everyday expenses and provides you a back-up in case of serious illness.

First, what is insurance? Insurance, according to the dictionary, is a promise of reimbursement in the case of loss or is an amount paid to people or companies after a disaster or accident. In short, insurance is a policy designed to make sure that you are no worse off after an accident or disaster than you were before it happened. Insurance is designed to protect you and your family from unforeseen disasters and financial burdens. Insurance comes in all shapes and sizes. It runs the extent from personal insurance to corporate umbrella liability plans, as well as auto and homeowner's insurance plans. Knowing what types of insurance you need is also important to make sure that you don't overspend on things that are unnecessary.

There are different types or kinds of insurance for every type of situation. Here are some important types of insurance: Disability insurance, life, health, long term care insurance, auto, homeowner's insurance and liability insurance. Consider your needs and what you need to protect. These are the most common types that anyone may need in case something happens to your property, to your loved ones and most specially to you.

Disability insurance. Did you know that a person like you is more likely to be disabled for sometime before you die in case of a serious accident? Ask yourself, if you become disabled, how can you cover your expenses? How will you be able to save for your retirement? Since majority of disabilities are health related, can you afford the risk of being without earnings and having increased healthcare expenses? If you are someone whose income is required to maintain your lifestyle, then protect your income by purchasing this type of insurance as this is a vital risk management strategy for all wage earners.

There are 2 types of disability: short-term and long term. Short term coverage will provide income replacement protection, usually after one week of disability, and will pay up to six months. Long term, on the other hand, is the type of disability that starts generally at the six-month mark and continues until age 65.24.5% of American household no longer have he alth insurance when they lost or changed their jobs. The sad part about health insurance is that if you can't afford to pay the premium, you definitely won't be able to afford bearing the risk yourself. If you contract an illness while being uninsured, you may not be able to buy insurance later because you will have a pre-existing condition or would likely end up paying more than what you should.Health insurance.

Almost one out of five Americans has no health insurance. Most of these people state that cost is the reason.Life insurance. On most occasions, life insurance protects your surviving family in the event of your death.

This type of insurance offers protection to the family you leave behind and serves as a cash resource to deal with money owed, payment of mortgages, and other living expenses. Also, life insurance can have a savings or pension component that provides for you during your retirement. It also protects your hard earned possessions b y providing tax free cash which can be used to pay estate and death duties and to tide over business and personal expenses. In case of bankruptcy, the cash value as well as death benefits of an insurance policy is exempt from creditors, if any.

Auto insurance. Imagine you were to be involved in a car accident with another car and was found out that it was your fault, you need to pay for all the damage done would you be able to pay for repair or replacement of the other car and pay for the medical bills of the other driver and their passengers? Owning a vehicle and letting it out of the garage would definitely mean you should have auto insurance. Depends what state you're located and the brand and make and model of your vehicle as well as your age, would depend on the amount of premium that you need to pay.

Having insurance is important to good financial planning and security, yet you need to assess your personal risk and long term commitments. Insurance gives a person a heads up throughout life and can be used in cases of emergencies during a life time by requesting a withdrawal or loan. If you are still having second thoughts of getting insurance, you may want to think again. Having insurance is an investment, you'll say you don't need it so why pay for something you don't need? Remember there is always something that you need yet you can't see - protection and knowing it's just there when you need it.

Homeowner's insurance. Having a beautiful home and furnishing it doesn't stop there. If you have a home and you have a mortgage, you must have homeowner's insurance protection. First, your mortgage company would require you to have it and second, even if you own you home outright, you still need to have homeowner's insurance to replace or fix the things that are too expensive or impossible to pay for yourself.

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Congressman Shadegg Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election

Jan 14 - Today, Congressman John Shadegg (AZ-03) issued the following statement regarding his plans to represent Arizonas Third Congressional District beyond 2010:

I am today announcing that, while I will serve out my current term in the U.S. House of Representatives, I will not be a candidate for re-election to Congress. Representing the people of Arizona in the House has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. And, while it would be difficult to leave this position at any time, it is particularly hard to do so now with the challenges we face as a nation, but it is necessary for me to do so.

While representing the people of Arizona in the House was one of my goals in life, it is not the only one. After 16 years it is time for me to take my life in a new direction and to pursue my commitment to fight for freedom in a different venue.

In doing so, I particularly want to thank the people who have supported and voted for me through out the years. I couldnt have won this seat or engaged in this fight without their steadfast friendship and support. I will remain forever in their debt. I also especially want to thank my wife, Shirley, and my children, Courtney and Stephen, for their sacrifice, patience, and encouragement. They have been there through the highs and lows, and I sincerely appreciate all they have done to make my career in Congress possible.

I also want to thank the men and women that I have been blessed to have on my staff, working alongside me as we fought the good fight. My staff is Shirleys and my extended family, and their creativity, wit, and hard work stands unparalleled. Most importantly, together we share a passion for freedom.

Two years ago I considered retiring and briefly announced my intention to do so. I was talked out of that decision by my constituents and colleagues. For those who encouraged me to run then and particularly those who stepped up and help ed financially in that race, I want to reiterate my sincere appreciation. 2008 was a disastrous year for Republicans. Yet, with their help we proved that this is a solidly Republican seat, defeating my Democrat challenger by double digits notwithstanding the millions of dollars poured into this race by National Democrats. This time, however, my decision is irreversible.
As the Obama Administration and Speaker Pelosi grow further and further out of touch with average Americans, evidence continues to build that 2010 will be a record year for Republicans running for Congress. And, I am extremely confident that the people of the Third District of Arizona will elect a solid conservative.

In the last year, I have been able to fight the massive government takeover of our nations health care system advanced by President Obama and Speaker Pelosi. I will continue to do so with every ounce of energy I can summon. This takeover is deeply flawed and overwhelmingly opposed by my constituents.

I have worked on health care reform my entire Congressional career. One of my proudest moments came when my legislation to encourage states to cover those with pre-existing conditions was passed by Congress and signed into law.

I have introduced legislation every year since 1996 to give Americans greater choice in selecting their health care and greater control over their health care decisions. Time and again, I have proposed innovative ideas. Early on, I introduced legislation giving individuals the ability to purchase coverage on the same tax-favored basis businesses now enjoy. I was the first to propose allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines, an idea that continues to gain momentum. These are real reforms that would force Americas health insurance companies to compete with each other for our business, and drive costs down and quality up.

I have repeatedly introduced legislation that would give every American, rich and poor, health coverage and cover those with pre-existing conditions while preserving choice, creating real competition, and cost savings.

The biggest problems in health care in America today are the result of misguided government policies. It is the government that puts your employer and the health plan your employer selecte d between you and your doctors. It is the government that allows employers to buy health care coverage tax-free but makes individuals use after-tax dollars to buy coverage. And, it is the government, including a specific provision in the current House and Senate bills that gives health insurance companies immunity from damages if their decision injures or kills someone. Yet, National Democrats are about to bail out the health insurance industry, compel every American to buy their product whether we want to or not, dramatically expanding the roll of government in health care. This is a tragic mistake which we will come to regret.

To this day, I get goose bumps when I walk back to my office in the Cannon Building after a late night vote and look up at the Capitol Dome shining through the darkness. I will deeply miss doing so. Our Nations Capitol is the greatest symbol of freedom in the world. And, I will be forever indebted to the people of Arizona who bestowed on me the privilege of representing them in the fight for freedom.

While the rules of the House do not allow me to pursue future employment while I am still in office, rest assured, I will continue to remain in the fight for freedom and defend American exceptionalism.

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California Congressman Receives CHA Annual Award for Medicare Funding Coup

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And the award goes toRep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced), at least according to the California Hospital Association (CHA). They are giving their annual Health Care Champion award to the Congressman from California for doing "a particularly heroic job in health care" by ensuring that $3 billion in Medicare reimbursement money that was earmarked for hospitals in other states, stayed in California.

"What Rep. Cardoza recognized is that California was going to be hurt because funding was going to be broken down in such a way as to favor smaller-population states," noted Alan Weinstock, insurance broker at www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com.

What Rep. Cardoza Did for California Medicare Funding

According to Rep. Cardoza, he saw first-hand how other states were able to afford clean health care facilities with no overcrowding while here in California there is a shortage of caregivers and low reimbursement rates. Because he felt the regional allocation of Medicare funding had been unfair, he knew he needed to step in and fight for a change.

One of the variables that federal lawmakers use to help allocate Medicare funding is called geographic variation. It looks at more populous and affluent states such as California, New York and Texas where there is a higher cost of living, higher utility costs, wages, land values -- overall, a higher cost of doing business. This is what Rep. Cardoza battled to establish in Washington.

The California Hospital Association Health Care Champion Award

The award, given to Rep. Cardoza on August 24, 2010 recognized him for his leadership and dedicated commitment to patient care during the health care reform debate in Congress earlier this year and honored him for his ongoing effort to improve access to health care services for patients in underserved and rural areas.

In accepting the CHA award, Rep. Cardoza noted that providing access to quality health care had been a significant challenge in the district for many years. It was among the key reasons he initially ran for Congress in 2003.

In his acceptance speech Rep. Cardoza stated that the opportunity to advocate the needs of his community as the health care reform legislation was developed was a high point of his career in public service. He continued by saying that he was grateful and humbled that he had such an opportunity. And that he was equally grateful and humbled by this award and all that it represents.

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Pet Insurance and the Meaning of Policy Terms

Pet insurance policies can be difficult to understand if you are unfamiliar with the meaning of the terms they contain. Many policies are written with jargon that is difficult to understand which can prevent you from knowing exactly what you are getting for your money.

Deductibles, co-pay, exclusions, pre-existing; the list of terms goes on. Understanding what these terms mean before you start looking for a pet health insurance policy will help you to avoid any frustration or confusion.

Here then are the meanings of the more common terms in pet insurance policies. The next time you read through the features of a pet health insurance policy, you'll have a better understanding of what everything means.

By knowing the meaning of each term, you'll be able to ask intelligent questions, make informed decisions and ultimately buy the right policy for you and your cat.

Let's get started.

Descriptions of Pet Insurance P olicy Terms

Deductible

The term 'Deductible' is fairly straight forward. You've probably heard of the term deductible from car insurance. If you don't have a car or are new to insurance, here is what it means.

A deductible is essentially the money that is deducted from a Vet bill or a charge for medication. It's the part of a claim that you are responsible for paying.

There are two types of deductibles in pet insurance; the annual deductible and the per-incident deductible.

The best way to explain what they mean is by example. Let's say your Cat, Simone, is going to the Vet to be treated for an infection. After everything is done including the blood work, treatments, medications and visits to the Vet the total costs are $1800.

Luckily you have pet health insurance and won't have to take a second job to pay for the costs. The deductibles on your insurance policy determine how much money you will have to pay. The remaining amount will be paid by the ins urance company.

First there is your annual deductible. Let's say its $500. Next is the per incident deductible which is usually around $100. Your total deductibles come to $600. The remaining balance of $1200 dollars is paid through your insurance policy.

The next time Simone has to go to the Vet during the same year all you need to pay is the per-incident deductible and your policy covers the rest.

Once you've fully paid your annual deductible, you're good for the rest of the year. With your annual deductible fully paid, you'll only need to pay a per-incident deductible on any new claims made during the remainder of the year.

Per-Incident Deductible

A per incident deductible is the amount that you pay on a claim for a specific incident. Depending on your insurance policy you may need to pay a per-incident deductible.

Let's say your Cat has been diagnosed with kidney disease. The first time he goes in for treatment you will pay a per-incident deductible. If the treatment continues you will not need to pay another per-incident deductible since it is part of the same incident.

Benefit

If your pet dies during the term of your pet insurance policy, you will receive a benefit from the insurance company. This is a lump sum paid out to you that covers any related expenses such as the burial or cremation of your beloved pet.

Claim

A claim is a request made to a pet insurance company for any Vet expenses, treatments and or medications for your pet. Your pet insurance policy will have a list of the items you are able to claim for. Check your pet insurance policy to see the expenses you are able to claim.

Most claim forms are available on the insurance company's web site. Once you have downloaded and printed the form, simply fill it out and mail it in.

The amount of time it takes your insurance company to process a claim and send out a payment varies from company to company. Check with your insurance company to see when you can expect to receive a payment.

Co-Pay

A co-pay is a small fee that is paid each time you visit your Vet. Any additional expenses will be paid through your pet insurance policy. A Co-Pay is usually around $20. and must be paid before any other pet health insurance payments can be made.

Exclusions

Exclusions are items that your policy will not cover. Exclusions can be anything from specific diseases and ailments to the Vet you would like to use.

Depending on your pet insurance policy, only certain Vets or types of pet care will be covered. If you are unwilling to switch Vets, make sure the Vet you plan to use is covered before buying a policy.

Does your cat have any pre-existing conditions? Check to see if their condition is covered. Be sure to review all the exclusions of a policy and ask any questions in order to fully understand all the exclusions.

Most pet health insurance plans contain a number of common exclusions. If the pet insurance plan you are looking at has an exclusion that you need coverage for then ask what the additional cost would be to have the coverage added. If nothing can be done, consider looking for another pet insurance plan.

AM Best Underwriter Rating

The AM best underwriter rating is a top rating company that develops independent reviews on insurance companies. They determine how well an insurance company can make payments based on their financial state.

To get an idea of the stability and quality of the pet insurance company you are planning to use, be sure to take a look at the AM best rating. This rating is a good indicator as to the ability of a particular insurance company to pay on a claim.

Final Words

We hope this list of terms and their meaning will come in handy during your search for a pet insurance policy. Although this list is not exhaustive, it will help you to better understand pet insurance policies.

There are many pet insurance companies with different plans available. By knowing the meaning of these common terms you'll see that pet insurance isn't as complicated as you may have originally thought.

If there is a term you come across while reviewing a pet insurance policy that is not covered here, share it with us in the comments. Also, be sure to ask as many questions as you need to fully understand the meaning of any terms not covered here.

Never assume or take someone elses word for anything that appears in a policy. It's your money and your Cat's welfare you're protecting. Make sure you understand everything completely.

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Health Savings Accounts

As the owner of an independent health insurance agency and the founder of a website for comparing health insurance providers I often get asked, "What type of health insurance do YOU have?" Of course, no one health insurance company or health insurance plan is right for everyone because everyone has different needs, lives in a different area, etc� but I can certainly feel comfortable telling people that I personally have a Health Savings Account (HSA) and I absolutely love it!
Here are 7 reasons why I love my HSA:
#1 All Contributions to my HSA are Tax Deductible

Every single dollar that I contribute into my HSA http://www.easytoinsureme.com/united-health-one.html every year is deductible on the front of my personal 1040 tax return (up to certain annual limits imposed by the IRS � for 2010 the maximum deductible HSA contribution is $3,050 for singles and $6,150 for families with those age 55 or over getting an extra $1,000 allotted maximum contribution amount). This HSA contribution deduction is great because it is an "above the line" deduction meaning that it is deducted before arriving at your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) number. To make this deduction even better there are absolutely no income phaseouts for the HSA contribution deduction so you could be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet and still take the full HSA contribution deduction. The more money you make the more attractive this deduction is to you.
#2 The Money in my HSA Grows Tax Free

All of the money in my Health Savings Account grows tax free as long as I use the money in the account for qualified medical expenses or wait until I am age 65 or older and use it for my retirement. Yes, you heard me right "Tax Free" not just "Tax Deferred" as you may be accustomed to hearing about with a 401K or other similar tax deferred account.
#3 I Can Choose any Health Insurance Company I Want

Another reason I love my HSA is that the HSA itself is si mply a savings account with some special paperwork so that it receives special treatment from the IRS. The HSA itself is NOT health insurance but is simply the second component of what is commonly thought of as a HSA health insurance plan with the first component being a high deductible health insurance plan (according to the IRS a high deductible health insurance plan is any health plan with a deductible of at least $1,200 for singles and $2,400 for families � so still pretty low minimums). What this means is that many different banks offer Health Savings Accounts and you can choose the bank that you prefer to set up your HSA and then buy your high deductible health insurance plan from any insurance company that you like. You can even purchase a plan from United Healthcare one year and then shop around in year two and switch to a potentially cheaper plan with Humana and then in year three switch to Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc. This ability to constantly comparison shop and not be tied to one particular insurance provider is a great benefit to an HSA (as your actual savings account component of the plan still stays with your original bank).
#4 I Pay Very Low Monthly Premiums

The higher the deductible is on your health insurance plan then the lower your monthly premium payments will be. Since a high deductible health insurance plan is a requirement for opening a Health Savings Account then one of the nice things about the plans is that the monthly premiums are comparatively very low! I would much rather save a large sum of money every month by paying less in premiums each month than paying extra for a very low deductible and co-pays.
#5 I Am Firmly In Control of My Health Care Dollars

The beautiful thing about an Health Savings Account as compared to a Flexible Spending Account is that while Flex Spending Accounts require you to use up the money in the account every year all of the money that you contribute to an HSA rolls over from year to year. In fact, as mentioned above, even if you don't end up using the money in your HSA for medical expenses (a good thing!) then when you reach age 65 you can withdraw the money tax free for your retirement. Most HSA custodians will give you an option to place your HSA money into a savings account, investment account, etc. as the decision is up to you as to where you place your HSA account money.
#6 I Can Rest Easy

Admittedly some people simply sleep better at night knowing that they have a very low deductible and low co-pays for things like doctor's visits and prescriptions and I understand that but I like to think of it like this - After your first year of contributing the maximum to your HSA then unless you use up all of the money with a large unforeseen medical bill then you will have enough money in your HSA for years two and on that even if you have to meet your deductible then as long as your HSA health insurance plan cover s all expenses 100% once the deductible is met then you effectively have zero out of pocket costs because you already have the money in your HSA account! Sure, if you start an HSA tomorrow and you have only contributed a couple hundred dollars into the account so far and you get hit with a big medical bill then you will have to come out of pocket for your deductible amount but once you have maxed out your HSA contribution for a year or two then you are essentially home free with potentially no additional out of pocket costs even for large medical bills!
#7 HSA Setup is Very Easy

If you can open a savings account then you can open a Health Savings Account just as easily. If you can apply for a regular health insurance plan then you can apply for a high deductible health insurance plan just as easily. Almost every bank has HSA's available and almost every health insurance company has high deductible health insurance plans available. Setting up an HSA is so easy that I probably took twice as long to write this article as it would take you to apply for both a Health Savings Account at your bank and a high deductible health insurance plan at your health insurance company.

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The Week In Health Reform

The Week in Health Reform�Federal Legislative Overview

The White House
On March 3, President Obama continued his push for Members of Congress to complete health insurance reform legislation within the upcoming weeks. He delivered a statement to a group of medical professionals in the East Room of the White House, in which he said that he has asked Senate and House leaders to finish work on health reform and schedule final votes in the next few weeks. The President went on to say that the issues have been debated thoroughly and that now is the time to make a decision. Although he did not specifically mention the budget reconciliation process, the President said that the American people deserve an "up or down" vote on health reform in the same way that welfare reform and tax cuts were approved by Congress in the past under reconciliation rules.

The President said that health insurance reform would change three things:

* End the "worst practices" of health insurance companies
* Give individuals and small businesses the same kind of choices members of Congress have
* Bring down health care costs for families, businesses and the government


The President made numerous references to the health insurance industry and stated that there is a fundamental disagreement between Republicans and Democrats about whether there should be more or less regulation of health insurance companies. The President concluded by emphasizing that he will do everything in his power to make the case for health reform in the coming weeks, and he also urged the American people to make their voices heard.

In addition, the President said he is open to exploring policy priorities identified by Republicans at the bipartisan summit such as:

* Conducting undercover investigations of health care providers that receive reimbursement from federal programs.
* Appropriating funds f or state-based demonstration programs to test alternative approaches, including health courts, to resolving medical malpractice suits.
* Linking Medicaid eligibility expansions to higher Medicaid reimbursement for physicians.

* Clarifying that Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) may be offered through the proposed health insurance exchanges.


On March 4, Health Care Service Corporation President and CEO Pat Hemingway Hall attended a meeting at the White House, along with CEOs from other leading health insurance companies and officials from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The group met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and President Obama to discuss premium issues in the individual market.
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Health Care Reform March 15 2010

Week of March 15, 2010

The White House last week continued to rail against rising health insurance premiums to help build popular support for his health care reform package. But the effort to focus the blame for rising costs on insurers was questioned, in particular, by state insurance experts and economists quoted in a New York Times story last week. Insurance commissioners said that trying to hold down premiums before costs were under control would be very risky. This approach could mean solvency issues in some cases, they told the Times. To help educate Americans about the true drivers of rising health care costs, America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade association, last week launched a new national ad campaign. The ad demonstrates that health insurance company costs represent a small slice of the overall health care cost pie.

Federal

With a cadre of staff operatives searching for the right health insurance reform provisions among those previously discarded from the House, Senate and the President's proposals, Democratic leadership has been relentlessly pursuing every possible pathway to pass a final bill. The expected process would have: 1) the House pass the Senate-adopted reform bill (which most House members hate), 2) the House passing a bill to "fix" all the things it hates using a reconciliation legislative vehicle, followed by 3) the Senate passing the very same reconciliation bill -- requiring only 51 votes in the Senate. The House Budget and Rules Committees are expected to start the review, hearing and mark-up process of the reconciliation bill this week. The Senate commitment to using reconciliation was made official in a scathing letter from Leader Harry Reid to the Minority Leader. Along the way the two Chambers will need to see the latest CBO "scores" on the bill before voting, and 216 House Democrats will have to resolve policy disagreements over abortion, federal health insuranc e rate review and authority, and other substantive issues. Additionally, the House will have to trust that the Senate can pass the reconciliation measure without changing one comma. Partisanship has blossomed into open hostility over health reform. Whether Congress can overcome these policy, process and political mine fields remains as murky as ever, but Democrats have chosen to try and will push for resolution by the Easter recess.

The Senate has passed Jobs Bill II and shipped it off to the House, where passage is not certain. Within the bill are two health-related items of note. First, the COBRA eligibility and subsidy program will be extended to the end of 2010. (These provisions are set to expire at the end of March.) Second, the bill contains a suspension until September 30, 2010 of the cut to physician Medicare reimbursements for the current calendar year. (This provision is also set to expire at the end of March.) Aetna urged Congress to apply the "doc fix " to next year's reimbursement as well, since insurers' Medicare rates are based on what doctors are paid, but in the end Congress failed to make this change. Aetna and the industry will continue to find ways both to establish a more lasting, if not permanent, doc fix and to devise a legislative solution to the disconnect between doctor reimbursement and Medicare Advantage rates for 2011 and beyond.

States

ARIZONA: Budget issues remain front and center as the governor and Republican leadership proposed a plan they hope will close the $700 million deficit this year and reduce the anticipated $2.6 billion deficit in 2011. Righting the state's fiscal ship has become a very partisan exercise, with the Republicans supporting reductions in Medicaid and KidsCare, and the elimination of full-day kindergarten. As the special session on the budget is running concurrently with the regular session, no other bill hearings were held. The oral chemotherapy parity bill may be dead for this year as proponents did not meet the deadline for submitting amendatory language.

CALIFORNIA: The Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee chaired by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre held a hearing last week to examine how the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the Department of Insurance (CDI) has handled issues surrounding the rescission of policies in the individual market. According to a report prepared for the committee by Bryan Liang, director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at the California Western School of Law, fewer than 300 of 6,000 former policyholders are participating in health insurers' agreements to settle such cases. Republican committee members were highly critical of this witness, while De La Torre was critical of the Departments. The DMHC reported that since their settlements were completed there have only been nine rescissions over the past two years, proof that the DMHC and the health pl ans have revamped their processes for rescission and have worked to address the problem.

COLORADO: A bill mandating maternity and contraceptive coverage in individual policies continues to receive significant attention in the Senate. The most recent amendment proposes requiring maternity coverage in at least three of the plans marketed by an insurer. It would also allow a current member of a plan without maternity coverage to switch to a plan with maternity coverage from the same carrier during the first trimester. The other major bill would require that second level appeals be performed by physicians who are actively involved in clinical practice. This measure is counterintuitive in the current economy, since it would result in outsourcing appeals and drive up costs for plan sponsors and their employees.

CONNECTICUT: A proposal that would require health insurance plans to cover oral chemotherapy in the same way that intravenous chemotherapy is covered made it through the legislature's Insurance and Real Estate Committee last week. Currently, many health plans treat the two kinds of cancer treatments differently. Chemotherapy treatments that come in pill form are often categorized as prescription drug benefits that can require patients to pay a larger share of the cost. Cancer patients, doctors and patient advocates spoke in favor of the bill, while insurers and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association opposed it, arguing that it would put a mandate on health plans that could raise costs and make it more difficult for employers to afford insurance.

GEORGIA: A bill restricting the use of rescissions in individual health insurance policies passed a Senate committee last week. Aetna continues to work with its trade organizations to educate legislators about the adverse effect of this type of legislation. Discussions also continue regarding legislation affecting the use of rental networks.

KANSAS : Roughly half way through the legislative session, several health care bills are still moving through the process. On the regulatory front, the Insurance Department has proposed a regulation that would mandate coverage of routine patient care costs while the insured is enrolled in a cancer clinical trial � a mandate that was rejected by the legislature in 2008. A hearing will be held on April 20, and Aetna will have an opportunity to present testimony on this issue. Bills still alive include mandates for autism and orally administered chemotherapy, legislation prohibiting dental contracts that require the dentist to follow a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a ban on "most favored nation" clauses by some insurers. Another bill would allow small employers to create individual HRAs to fund premium payments on individual policies, require administering insurers to offer employees the option of receiving health insurance coverage through a high-deductible health plan w ith an HSA, and requiring insurers who offer small group health plans to offer high-deductible health plans with HSAs, while authorizing tax deductions for health insurance premiums for individual insurance policies. Separate legislation would amend the definition of "eligible employee" to include part-time workers (currently less than 30 hours per week). Pending legislation concerning hospital charges would prohibit charging private-pay patients more than 25 percent of what the hospital's highest volume private payer would pay for the same goods or services. Legislation that died includes a telemedicine mandate and creation of a health care insurance database for employers.

KENTUCKY: Health issues that are being hotly debated by the legislature right now include an autism mandate, a dental bill that would not allow insurers to hold dentists, optometrists or ophthalmologists to a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a bill setting a reimbursement floor for c hiropractic services. The chiropractic services proposal would allow chiropractors to bill, and would require insurers to reimburse, an evaluation and management (E&M) CPT code on each and every visit. In addition to billing for follow-up services for manipulations and other therapies, the chiropractor would be allowed to submit, and the insurer required to pay, for another E&M code on each and every visit. The legislation would also add a new mandated benefit to the Kentucky statutes. Currently, reimbursement for chiropractor visits is required only if the chiropractor performs a service already covered by the health benefit plan. Under the proposal, any service within the scope of practice of a chiropractor that is billed would become a mandated benefit. Finally, the bill would require health benefit plans to provide reimbursement without the chiropractor having to provide any documentation that the services were medically necessary. Each of these bills has, or is expected to, pass at least one chamber.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Several important legislative deadlines are approaching, resulting in a flurry of activity. Bills or resolutions not passed by the second chamber by March 9 died. But the Governor has already signed a bill that amends the premium rate-setting procedure for the high-risk pool so that rates for a given classification are 150 percent of the average actively marketed premium. The pool will have to offer three or more plan designs, remove coverage requirements for the plans (such as disease management) and remove set cost-sharing values. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 1 and will become effective on July 1, 2010. The Governor has also signed a bill prohibiting rating based on injuries caused by domestic violence and legislation requiring refunds of premiums for partial months, in the case of mid-month cancellations. Both chambers have passed legislation prohibiting contract language requiring dentists to accept a fee schedule for non-covered services, and the bill awaits the Governor's signature. Finally, the legislature passed a resolution opposing the federal health care reform proposals passed in the U.S. Senate and House.

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Health Care Reform March 15 2010

Week of March 15, 2010

The White House last week continued to rail against rising health insurance premiums to help build popular support for his health care reform package. But the effort to focus the blame for rising costs on insurers was questioned, in particular, by state insurance experts and economists quoted in a New York Times story last week. Insurance commissioners said that trying to hold down premiums before costs were under control would be very risky. This approach could mean solvency issues in some cases, they told the Times. To help educate Americans about the true drivers of rising health care costs, America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade association, last week launched a new national ad campaign. The ad demonstrates that health insurance company costs represent a small slice of the overall health care cost pie.

Federal

With a cadre of staff operatives searching for the right health insurance reform provisions among those previously discarded from the House, Senate and the President's proposals, Democratic leadership has been relentlessly pursuing every possible pathway to pass a final bill. The expected process would have: 1) the House pass the Senate-adopted reform bill (which most House members hate), 2) the House passing a bill to "fix" all the things it hates using a reconciliation legislative vehicle, followed by 3) the Senate passing the very same reconciliation bill -- requiring only 51 votes in the Senate. The House Budget and Rules Committees are expected to start the review, hearing and mark-up process of the reconciliation bill this week. The Senate commitment to using reconciliation was made official in a scathing letter from Leader Harry Reid to the Minority Leader. Along the way the two Chambers will need to see the latest CBO "scores" on the bill before voting, and 216 House Democrats will have to resolve policy disagreements over abortion, federal health insuranc e rate review and authority, and other substantive issues. Additionally, the House will have to trust that the Senate can pass the reconciliation measure without changing one comma. Partisanship has blossomed into open hostility over health reform. Whether Congress can overcome these policy, process and political mine fields remains as murky as ever, but Democrats have chosen to try and will push for resolution by the Easter recess.

The Senate has passed Jobs Bill II and shipped it off to the House, where passage is not certain. Within the bill are two health-related items of note. First, the COBRA eligibility and subsidy program will be extended to the end of 2010. (These provisions are set to expire at the end of March.) Second, the bill contains a suspension until September 30, 2010 of the cut to physician Medicare reimbursements for the current calendar year. (This provision is also set to expire at the end of March.) Aetna urged Congress to apply the "doc fix " to next year's reimbursement as well, since insurers' Medicare rates are based on what doctors are paid, but in the end Congress failed to make this change. Aetna and the industry will continue to find ways both to establish a more lasting, if not permanent, doc fix and to devise a legislative solution to the disconnect between doctor reimbursement and Medicare Advantage rates for 2011 and beyond.

States

ARIZONA: Budget issues remain front and center as the governor and Republican leadership proposed a plan they hope will close the $700 million deficit this year and reduce the anticipated $2.6 billion deficit in 2011. Righting the state's fiscal ship has become a very partisan exercise, with the Republicans supporting reductions in Medicaid and KidsCare, and the elimination of full-day kindergarten. As the special session on the budget is running concurrently with the regular session, no other bill hearings were held. The oral chemotherapy parity bill may be dead for this year as proponents did not meet the deadline for submitting amendatory language.

CALIFORNIA: The Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee chaired by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre held a hearing last week to examine how the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the Department of Insurance (CDI) has handled issues surrounding the rescission of policies in the individual market. According to a report prepared for the committee by Bryan Liang, director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at the California Western School of Law, fewer than 300 of 6,000 former policyholders are participating in health insurers' agreements to settle such cases. Republican committee members were highly critical of this witness, while De La Torre was critical of the Departments. The DMHC reported that since their settlements were completed there have only been nine rescissions over the past two years, proof that the DMHC and the health pl ans have revamped their processes for rescission and have worked to address the problem.

COLORADO: A bill mandating maternity and contraceptive coverage in individual policies continues to receive significant attention in the Senate. The most recent amendment proposes requiring maternity coverage in at least three of the plans marketed by an insurer. It would also allow a current member of a plan without maternity coverage to switch to a plan with maternity coverage from the same carrier during the first trimester. The other major bill would require that second level appeals be performed by physicians who are actively involved in clinical practice. This measure is counterintuitive in the current economy, since it would result in outsourcing appeals and drive up costs for plan sponsors and their employees.

CONNECTICUT: A proposal that would require health insurance plans to cover oral chemotherapy in the same way that intravenous chemotherapy is covered made it through the legislature's Insurance and Real Estate Committee last week. Currently, many health plans treat the two kinds of cancer treatments differently. Chemotherapy treatments that come in pill form are often categorized as prescription drug benefits that can require patients to pay a larger share of the cost. Cancer patients, doctors and patient advocates spoke in favor of the bill, while insurers and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association opposed it, arguing that it would put a mandate on health plans that could raise costs and make it more difficult for employers to afford insurance.

GEORGIA: A bill restricting the use of rescissions in individual health insurance policies passed a Senate committee last week. Aetna continues to work with its trade organizations to educate legislators about the adverse effect of this type of legislation. Discussions also continue regarding legislation affecting the use of rental networks.

KANSAS : Roughly half way through the legislative session, several health care bills are still moving through the process. On the regulatory front, the Insurance Department has proposed a regulation that would mandate coverage of routine patient care costs while the insured is enrolled in a cancer clinical trial � a mandate that was rejected by the legislature in 2008. A hearing will be held on April 20, and Aetna will have an opportunity to present testimony on this issue. Bills still alive include mandates for autism and orally administered chemotherapy, legislation prohibiting dental contracts that require the dentist to follow a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a ban on "most favored nation" clauses by some insurers. Another bill would allow small employers to create individual HRAs to fund premium payments on individual policies, require administering insurers to offer employees the option of receiving health insurance coverage through a high-deductible health plan w ith an HSA, and requiring insurers who offer small group health plans to offer high-deductible health plans with HSAs, while authorizing tax deductions for health insurance premiums for individual insurance policies. Separate legislation would amend the definition of "eligible employee" to include part-time workers (currently less than 30 hours per week). Pending legislation concerning hospital charges would prohibit charging private-pay patients more than 25 percent of what the hospital's highest volume private payer would pay for the same goods or services. Legislation that died includes a telemedicine mandate and creation of a health care insurance database for employers.

KENTUCKY: Health issues that are being hotly debated by the legislature right now include an autism mandate, a dental bill that would not allow insurers to hold dentists, optometrists or ophthalmologists to a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a bill setting a reimbursement floor for c hiropractic services. The chiropractic services proposal would allow chiropractors to bill, and would require insurers to reimburse, an evaluation and management (E&M) CPT code on each and every visit. In addition to billing for follow-up services for manipulations and other therapies, the chiropractor would be allowed to submit, and the insurer required to pay, for another E&M code on each and every visit. The legislation would also add a new mandated benefit to the Kentucky statutes. Currently, reimbursement for chiropractor visits is required only if the chiropractor performs a service already covered by the health benefit plan. Under the proposal, any service within the scope of practice of a chiropractor that is billed would become a mandated benefit. Finally, the bill would require health benefit plans to provide reimbursement without the chiropractor having to provide any documentation that the services were medically necessary. Each of these bills has, or is expected to, pass at least one chamber.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Several important legislative deadlines are approaching, resulting in a flurry of activity. Bills or resolutions not passed by the second chamber by March 9 died. But the Governor has already signed a bill that amends the premium rate-setting procedure for the high-risk pool so that rates for a given classification are 150 percent of the average actively marketed premium. The pool will have to offer three or more plan designs, remove coverage requirements for the plans (such as disease management) and remove set cost-sharing values. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 1 and will become effective on July 1, 2010. The Governor has also signed a bill prohibiting rating based on injuries caused by domestic violence and legislation requiring refunds of premiums for partial months, in the case of mid-month cancellations. Both chambers have passed legislation prohibiting contract language requiring dentists to accept a fee schedule for non-covered services, and the bill awaits the Governor's signature. Finally, the legislature passed a resolution opposing the federal health care reform proposals passed in the U.S. Senate and House.

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deadline on health care bills

The Legislature has until the end of the month to pass or reject several key health bills, making this week a turning point for some reforms related to the new federal health law.

Among the measures heading for a final floor vote are bills that would regulate health insurance rates and set up an "exchange" through which consumers would buy insurance under the federal law.

The legislative session is set to end Aug. 31, so lawmakers must act on the pending legislation, or the bills will die.

"I've not seen a year with such a combination of significant health care legislation that could be potentially passed and signed," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a statewide consumer and labor advocacy coalition.

Several of the bills are generating controversy. A bill that would set up California's health insurance exchange, the virtual marketplace of health insurance options required in 2014 under the fede ral law, passed the Assembly on Friday. The bill, authored by Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-Santa Clara, is scheduled to go back to the Senate and be voted on with a companion bill.

Insurers are against both bills, as are several Republican lawmakers, without amendments that would limit taxation on insurers and require more legislative oversight. They argue that the bills set up a new bureaucracy with broad powers to tax them and create disadvantages for smaller health plans in the exchange.

"Our concern is that (the bill) sets up very broad authority and powers," said Charles Bacchi, executive vice president of the California Association of Health Plans. "We believe if they make wrong decisions, it could result in fewer choices for consumers."
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boomers will cripple health-care system

Four in every five Canadians believe that the demands placed on the health system by aging Baby Boomers will result in reduced access and lower quality care, a poll commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association reveals.

There are also widespread fears � by close to 75 per cent of respondents � that growing health costs will result in significant tax hikes and an inability of seniors to afford health care as they age.

At the same time, the survey shows strong support for user fees and having well-to-do Canadians pay more out-of-pocket to help attenuate the impact of caring for a growing population of seniors.

According to the poll, younger Canadians in particular (those born after 1966) are willing to adapt to the pressures on the medicare system by buying private health insurance to supplement publicly provided care, using their retirement savings to pay for health care and going into debt to pay the health costs of their parents and the mselves.

"What we see in these poll results is a refreshing acknowledgment of reality," Anne Doig, president of the CMA, said in an interview.

"Canadians are not giving up on medicare but they're recognizing that medicare needs to be transformed to deal with current realities, demographic and otherwise," she said.

The poll, which is being released Monday at the CMA general council meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., dovetails nicely with a report released earlier this month entitled Health Care Transformation in Canada: Change that Works, Care that Lasts.

In that document, the CMA, the group representing Canada's 72,000 physicians, argues that the current health system cannot meet future needs, in part because of the aging population. It calls for significant changes, including a universal prescription drug plan, a charter that enshrines the rights of patients, an independent body that can monitor whether health dollars are being spent efficiently, and monetary incentives for doctors and hospitals to treat more patients. The proposals are based on the premise that health care in Canada needs to be more patient-centred, with a greater focus on prevention and ensuring that geography, income level and age are not a barrier to getting quality, timely care.

Dr. Doig said the poll results show Canadians are pretty savvy about the challenges facing the health system.

Asked to rank who or what is most responsible for increased demand for health-care services, survey respondents blamed individual Canadians not taking responsibility for their own health (33 per cent), the large number of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age (30 per cent), higher demands and expectations by all Canadians (21 per cent) and new medical advances (16 per cent.)

Dr. Doig expressed concern that fingers would be pointed unfairly at Baby Boomers (those born between 1947 and 1966) for many of the woes of the health system.

"I worry that the blaming will happen," she said. "We don't want intergenerational tension, we want intergenerational fairness."

Dr. Doig said she takes comfort in the fact that the younger Canadians who were polled "are being extremely realistic about the limits of medicare and so-called free health care."

For example, the survey found that, among Canadians under the age of 46, 44 per cent said they were willing to buy private health insurance to supplement the publicly funded system; 37 per cent said they would also buy insurance to ensure their long-term care when they were elderly; and 29 per cent said they would save specifically to pay for health costs after retirement.

Ipsos Reid polled 3,483 Canadian adults online between June 8 and June 21. A sample of this size is considered accurate within 1.66 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The survey, which has been conducted annually by the CMA for th e past 10 years, also asks Canadians to rank the performance of governments in managing the health-care system as they would on a report card.

The marks awarded remained virtually unchanged over the past year: 41 per cent of respondents assigned either an A or B grade to the federal government performance (as 40 per cent did in 2009). Similarly, 41 per cent of Canadians awarded their provincial government either an A or B, consistent with the 2009 results (42 per cent).

Overall, 35 per cent of those polled said they thought health-care services would improve in the next year, while 51 per cent predicted they would get worse.

Health-care spending in Canada was an estimated $183-billion last year, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

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Buying Texas Health Insurance

Having health insurance in Texas is crucial to keeping your health intact. There are plenty of places that have health insurance in Texas. Most of them are competitive, because they have affordable prices. So basically, you have your pick of the small when searching for a health insurance plot. If you are one of those people that don't have a clue as to how you should go about looking for an affordable health plot, this article will clarify how to go about it.

Health insurance quotes

With the emergence of the internet, it is much simpler to find what you're looking for in health insurance coverage. Just use one of the major search engines and plug in where you live along with the words "health insurance quotes". With some health insurance plans in Texas, they are connected with certain hospitals, depending on where you live. It's a excellent thought to have health insurance where you can go to a medical facility that is close to your home.

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Small Business Health Insurance Problem

Through the debate on reforming health insurance for small businesses, an important piece of information was missing: Policymakers had little data on why only some young companies offer their employees health insurance. Common sense and much research indicate that cost plays a big role in business owners' health insurance decisions. Why do some entrepreneurs choose to incur this cost while others do not?

Back in March, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, which in 2014 will require all Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Although many people would now like to put discussion of employer health insurance behind them, the question of why only some founders of small businesses offer insurance remains an important one. Its answer will influence how much of a role government will play in providing employee health insurance for years to come.

One part of the new law is a set of tax credits and penalties designed to encourage employers to provide insurance.The problem is that for most young small businesses, it won't work.That's the conclusion I reached, based on research I conducted with Alicia Robb of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.We examined the decisions of founders of young companies on whether or not to offer health insurance, using information from the Kauffman Firm Survey, which tracks a cohort of nearly 5,000 new businesses started in 2004.

The data show that very few new businesses offer employee health insurance. Nearly two-thirds of companies with employees did not offer employee health insurance at any time during their first five years of operation. Moreover, only one in five offered insurance to their workers in all of the years.
insurance: no performance benefits

The few young small businesses that offered health insurance differed dramatically from those that didn't: They tended to be larger and higher-paying, structured as partnerships and corporations, and they offered their employees a wide variety of benefits. Most young businesses don't fit this profile. The majority are sole proprietorships with few, modestly paid employees. Only a handful of young companies grow dramatically. A minority shift from sole proprietorships to other legal structures. Few ever add a lot of benefits. This means that only a small portion of young small businesses are health-insurance-providing types. Most are not.
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How to Take Health Care Responsibility

"Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too." - Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright

The World Health Organizationreports that the United States has the 37th best health care system in the world. America's health care system is fraught with problems and its patient satisfaction is rated among the worst in the world. Even though America's health care system is envied by the world, it ranks at the bottom of many health care indicators. In the developed world, the United States is at the bottom of the list for infant mortality and life expectancy.

Health care responsibility is the process is taking control of your health care. The health care system has many problems, but great health care can be obtained if you are a smart health care consumer.

Being educated does not mean that you need to have a medical degree or even a high school diploma; it means that you know how to get and transmit critical information.

Having a system to organize and communicate your health information will significantly improve health care.You need a system toorganize your medical information. Having this information improves the relationship with your doctor and having a good relationship with the physician who serves as your primary care provider is an essential step to getting optimal health care.

The current capitalistic health care system focuses on profit instead of patient care. This does not mean that you cannot receive great health care in the current system. It does mean that you will have to do more than have a good doctor. You need to take responsibility for your health care. Health care responsibility includes understanding your health and disease states, organizing your health information and communicating it with the system.

Five fast and easy things that you can do to improve your health care:

Become educated Learn to communicate at doctors appointments Prepare before each doctor's appointment Know what preventative testing and treatments you need Practice healthy lifestyle changes � exercise and eat well, avoid smoking, tobacco and excessive alcohol
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Ireland: a Modern Country With a Third World Health Service

This is the story of 'Rosie" who had to wait seven months, because of a dire Irish Health Service, to see a consultant for bowel cancer.

This brave ladies' real name was Susie Long and she passed away in October 2007...she really never had a chance because she didn't have Health Insurance. She left behind two teenage children.

Below is her letter to our national broadcaster RTE...Joe Duffy's Liveline Program.

=========================================

Dear Joe,

Today I had my 12th session of chemo. I got to talking to the partner of a man who was also getting chemo. She told me that when her partner's GP requested a colonoscopy for him he was put on the waiting list. She then phoned the hospital and told them he had private health insurance and he was seen three days later. He had bowel cancer that was advanced, but had not broken through the bowel wall and spread to other organs. She said the tumour was the size of a fist and what made him go to the doctor (apart from her nagging) was he started to lose weight rapidly. Thank goodness they got it in time and he's going to recover.

I then came home, flicked on the tv and got into bed. The first ad on the tv was from the government telling people that bowel cancer can kill, but not if caught in time. If Bertie Ahern or Mary Harney or Michael McDowell were within reach I would have killed them. Literally. I'm not joking.

I don't have private health insurance. It's a long story, so I'll start at the beginning.

I've suffered from digestive complaints for years. It started out with being unable to eat in the mornings or when my stomach felt tense. I'd feel too queasy. Then I got heartburn after just about everything I ate. I lived on Rennies. Then, in 2005, I got a lot of diahrea and after a few months it became constant and blood accompanied some of my bowel movements. I went to my GP clinic in the Summer of 2005. Probably about 2 months after the blood started appearing. I look back now and feel stupid for delaying for 2 months, but I wasn't sure if the blood was caused by piles, which my late mother suffered from. I was 39 years old and had read in books and heard a doctor say on tv that bowel cancer doesn't affect people under 50. Anyway, my normal GP was on holiday, but I saw his colleague, and she immediately sent a letter to the local hospital requesting a sonogram and a colonoscopy. Within weeks I was called for a sonogram and was diagnosed with a gallstones. That explained t he queasiness and the heartburn. I expected to soon be called for the colonoscopy. I waited through the autumn, then through the start of winter. No word on the colonoscopy and no word on when my gall bladder would be removed.

In November I started to get serious lower abdominal pain after eating. I phoned the consultants secretary and asked if I was on the waiting list. She assured me I was and would be called soon. In December I started to rapidly lose weight. This definitely wasn't like me! I love my food, Joe. I phoned the hospital again after Christmas. Again I was told that I was still on the list and would definitely be called soon. (I later found out that that consultant had retired and they had just hired a new one). Joe, from November to the end of February I was in agony. Apart from the pain and diahrea I was tired all the time. I'd literally got out of bed to go to work at 4.30 in the afternoon. Came home around 10.30pm, ate my dinner (I couldn't eat before work because it'd make me too sick to do my job), tidied the kitchen and went to bed again. I was miserable.

Finally, on February 28, 2006, four days after I turned 40, I was called for a colonoscopy.

I woke up in the middle of the procedure and saw on a large screen, them probing a blob on my colon. They were taking a biopsy. But I didn't have to wait for the results. I knew what I had. Soon after I met my wonderful consultant, Dr George Nassim. What a gem he is. Friendly, compassionate and funny on top of being a great surgeon. I felt like I was in good hands. I didn't panic for more than a few hours after I was told that I had cancer. They can do loads of things to save cancer patients these days. I was young and strong. I'd been a vegetarian since I was 16. I ate mostly healthy foods, although eating at night was a serious no no when it came to my weight. I went for walks a few times a week. I felt I could beat this.

I was booked in for surgery to remove the tumour. I was given a stoma, which means I'll have to poop in a bag for the rest of my life. I found that really difficult to handle. More difficult than the cancer sometimes. I was in St Lukes hospital for over 50 days last year. (I had to have a second surgery due to complications) Recovery was hard, but I did it. I shared a room with two lovely women who also had cancer. They have since died. In another ward I was in I was next to another woman who had cancer. She died too. The staff at St Lukes in Kilkenny are the most kind, hardworking people I've ever met. In March, in between surgeries, I was sent to the Mater in Dublin and had a porto-cath put in for putting the chemo through, and a PET Scan to see if the cancer had spread. If it hadn't, I'd live. If it had spread to other organs, I'd die. It had spread to my lungs.

I felt bad enough to go to the doctor. She did what she was supposed to do. She told them I had diahrea and blood from my rectum. But what could they do? So do lots of people. Should I have skipped the list ahead of those other people with the same symptoms? I don't think so. Should there be a list so long that it puts people at risk of dying? No. Definitely not.

I know in my heart and soul that when I started to feel really, really bad, especially in from December to February 2006, is when the cancer broke through the wall of my bowel. Of course I can't prove it. But I know. Because it broke through the bowel I have been given 2 to 4 years from diagnosis to live. The chemo is to prolong life, not to save it. I have 3 years, tops, to go. Despite that, I'm going to try my best to make it for 5 more til my youngest turns 18. He needs me too much now. My husband has suffered right along side of me in his own way knowing that the woman he loves will be dead soon. My 18 year old daughter has been told and has gone quiet and doesn't want to talk about it. But I know she's scared. I haven't told my 13 year old son yet. He's too young to handle it. The South East Cancer Foundation in Waterford have been very helpful and will help us when the time is right to do and say the "right" things.

I don't blame the wonderful people who work in St Lukes in Kilkenny. They work with what they are given. St. Lukes has the best A+E unit in the country. I had to use it three times in 2006 and twice with my son (nothing serious, thankfully). What did the government do? Threaten to shut it down. They also threatened to shut down the maternity unit AFTER spending millions to improve it!! That would mean Carlow women would have to travel to already overcrowded hospitals in Dublin and Kilkenny women would have to travel to Waterford, which is grand if you live in South Kilkenny. The rest could lump it and birth at the side of the road if necessary.

Twice I had to listen to two women die next to me in hospital because there's no place for people nearing death and their loved ones to go to die and grieve in dignity.

My time in the Mater was dreadful. I was terrified I'd pick up MRSA because it was filthy. I was put on a ward with cardiac patients, mostly men, who because of their ill health were unable aim too well when they went to the toilet. Once when I used the toilet my pajama bottoms soaked up urine up to my ankles. Even though I was still sick and weak I still tried to hover over the toilet so I wouldn't have to touch it. I wasn't able to hover and hold up my pajama legs at the same time. I had just given my sister-in-law two sets of pj's to take home and wash and had nothing to change into. I rinsed them out in the grimey sink and wore them damp until she returned the next day with clean ones.There was excrement stuck to the sides of the toilet for days at a time. Water flooded the shower room, soaked my clean pjs and towel that were on the floor outside the shower and ran out into the hall. After that happened the first time I learned to take a chair in to the shower room to put my stuff on. At least I knew THAT floor got water and soap put on it regularly. The man in the bed next to me, who had suffered a triple bi-pass was served up a greasy fry for tea when he had specifically ordered fish because it was healthier. On the third day he refused to eat it when they wouldn't give him what he had ordered and went without eating on principle. I was vegetarian and so was served cheese on crackers and cheese sandwiches (fake cheese slices on white bread) for all but two meals. They brought one of the two nicer meals when I was fasting and not allowed to eat it. My suspicion is that the catering has been privatised, although I could be wrong. The staff, apart from one really nasty nurse, were lovely.

Should I blame anyone for my hard luck? I've thought about it over the last year and have tried to be reasonable about it. After all, I waited to get Christmas over with before I phoned the hospital for a second time asking to be seen. But today, when I heard that a very nice man who was in the same, if not worse condition, than me when he went to his GP is going to live because he had private health insurance and I'm going to die because I didn't, I had to bite my tongue. I'm happy he's going to live. He deserves to live. But so do I. Then I came home and watched that ad which told people to hurry up and get checked out for bowel cancer because it will save their lives, and I fucking lost it.

I've finally reached the angry stage, I guess. Who am I angry at? I'll tell you, Joe. The health service has been in the hands of Fianna Fail and the PD's for years and all they can think to do is put resources into privatisation. They don't have the ability to change structures in the public sector that would put more resources toward patient care. But it's not just the politicians. I'm also angry at every single voter who voted for Fianna Fail and the PDs because they thought they'd get a few more shillings in their pockets but were too greedy and stupid to realise that that money they saved in wage taxes would be made up with stealth taxes. We all knew before the last election what their health policies were and the majority of people ignored this and voted for them anyway. Maybe they thought this would never happen to them. Or maybe because so many have private health insurance they just didn't care because they were alright, Jack.

I never dreamed I'd get cancer, let alone die from it. But I was wrong. My message to anyone with symptoms of bowel cancer is go to your GP immediately. If you, like me, don't have health insurance, pester them until they hate you, go to your politicians and beg them to help, go to the media, get a solicitor to threaten to sue the government and the hospital if they don't get you in soon for a colonoscopy. Otherwise, the people who love you might lose you and you'll not get to do all the things you planned in life.

I'm writing to you because the way this country is run leads me to believe that contacting a radio show is the only way to try to change things like this. I hope that when Ms SUV and Mr Builder goes into the voting booth, they'll think about me, my husband and especially my children. My husband is a decent man. He works full time in a good job and I worked part-time in a job I loved that helped people, but didn't pay well. It depended on government money to help women and children in crisis, so of course couldn't pay me well. We know what Bertie, Michael, Micheal and Mary's priorities are.

Despite 1 1/2 incomes we couldn't afford VHI or Bupa. But even if we could have we wouldn't have gotten it because we believed (and still do) that all people should get good care despite their incomes. We thought jumping queues was wrong. We're socialists...just like Bertie. Ha Ha. Now I feel like vomiting and it's not the chemo!

From a Cancer Patient in Kilkenny.

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Wisconsin fights health care reform law

At some point after Jan. 3, when Scott Walker becomes governor, Wisconsin will challenge the constitutionality of the federal law to overhaul the health care system.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has not decided whether the state will join the lawsuit filed in Florida by 20 other states, the National Federation of Independent Business and two uninsured individuals, or file its own lawsuit.

"That work is under way," Van Hollen said. "I have been in discussions not only with my staff but also with staff of both the Florida AG's office and the Virginia AG's office."

Joining a lawsuit filed by the Virginia attorney general would be more difficult because that case includes legal issues surrounding a state law.

Van Hollen expects to make a decision in the next month or so.

The key issue in the legal challenges is whether the federal government can require people to buy health insurance or fine them for failing to do so. That requirement is considered essential if health insurers must cover people with pre-existing health problems.

Wisconsin joining the legal challenges to the law would fulfill a campaign promise by Walker while making the state a participant in a historic case almost certain to be settled by the Supreme Court.

"It is the biggest ongoing constitutional law dispute in the country, certainly the one with the most far-reaching effect," said Andrew Coan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

More than 20 separate challenges to the law, including lawsuits by conservative groups and individuals, have been filed in federal courts throughout the country. And most legal experts agree that both sides raise valid questions.

"This case could be decided either way without overturning any existing Supreme Court precedents," Coan said.

So far, federal judges have dismissed two of the lawsuits - one filed in Virginia by Liberty University, founded by Jerry Farwell, and the other filed in Michigan by the Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm that focuses on defending the religious freedom of Christians, family values and other issues.

But federal judges in Florida and Virginia have denied the federal government's motions to dismiss the lawsuits by the states.

Van Hollen, a Republican, wanted to challenge the health care law immediately after it was passed but needed Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle's approval - and the governor in a strongly worded letter made clear that wasn't going to happen.

"The State of Wisconsin will not enter into litigation intended to deny health care for tens of thousands of residents," Doyle wrote in March.

The state also has estimated that the law would save Wisconsin $745 million to $980 million from January 2014 through June 2019 as the federal government picks up a larger share of the cost of insuring residents with limited incomes.

But Van Hollen said Wisconsin should bring a lawsuit to protect the balance of powers between the federal government and states.

"This is an issue that needs to be clarified one way or another," he said.

If people are not required to buy health insurance, they could wait until they are sick to buy it. Health insurers regularly liken it to being able to buy homeowner's insurance while your house is on fire.

Subsidies

The health care law provides subsidies for people and families with low to moderate incomes to buy insurance, if they don't get affordable health benefits from an employer. The legislation specifically notes that people who don't buy insurance - out of choice or necessity - saddle hospitals and doctors with large unpaid bills that raise costs for people with insurance.

That's one reason for the so-called individual responsibility requirement.

But the uninsured population disproportionately includes people in their 20s and 30s. Many of them could afford to buy insurance. Economists call them "free riders." They also tend to be healthy - and their premiums are needed to offset the cost of providing health insurance to people who are sick.

People with health problems who don't get health benefits from an employer now are effectively locked out of the insurance market in many states because health insurers will not cover them. Changing that is one of the key provisions in the new law.

States can require people to have health insurance; Massachusetts does so now. And the federal government's right to regulate the insurance industry is clear. The issue is whether that right also gives it the authority to require people to buy health insurance.

Opponents note that the federal government has never passed a law requiring citizens to buy a private product or service or pay a penalty.

Congress passing a health care law requiring people to buy health insurance, opponents contend, is no different from requiring people to buy vitamins or join a gym.

Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C., said no principled limits on federal power will exist if the health care law is allowed to stand.

Economic activity

The legal arguments hinge at least to some extent on whether deciding not to buy health insurance is an economic activity.

Here's why:

Since the 1940s, the Supreme Court has given broad authority to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

Those powers, though, are limited to economic activities.

The Constitution, under the Necessary and Proper Clause, also gives Congress the authority to enact regulations needed to regulate interstate commerce.

The Department of Justice contends that the decision not to buy health insurance is an economic decision that affects the entire health care system. It also contends that everyone, even people who are healthy, is part of the health care market.

But Shapiro and other opponents contend this reasoning would lead to a federal government of unlimited powers.

"Everything is an economic decision in some way," he said.

Opponents contend that requiring people to buy health insurance regulates an economic inactivity.

To Coan, the UW law professor, this isn't the key issue in the case.

"If Congress needs to regulate inactivity to make its regulation of commerce effective, the Necessary and Proper Clause gives it that power," Coan said. "That's how I would analyze the case."

The federal judges in the lawsuits brought by the Thomas More Law Center and Liberty University agreed.

But Shapiro has noted that there are "many, many rulings yet."

The lawsuits raise other issues - including complex tax issues - but more legal experts have said the most important issues involve the mandate to buy health insurance.

No one expects that issue to be resolved until 2012 at the earliest.

Deciding what to do

Van Hollen now must decide how to proceed.

Joining other states in the Florida lawsuit would give Wisconsin less control over the direction of the case.

The Florida case also may be too far along for Wisconsin to intervene.

The state also could file a friend-of-the-court brief. That would give it more flexibility in its arguments. It also could file its own lawsuit.

"We, in further analysis, may decide we want to take a little different legal or augmentative tack than them," Van Hollen said. "There are a number of different considerations and, once again, we've got a little bit of time to figure out which ones prevail."

The cost of challenging the law will depend on whether the lawsuit is handled by his staff and how the state proceeds.

Van Hollen acknowledged people have asked what difference Wisconsin could make in the outcome given the number of lawsuits already filed. But he said a multitude of parties can give a position more legal authority.

"I really do believe it makes a difference," he said.

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Make the Most of Your Money With Herbal Highs

Herbal highs come from plant sources, herbal blends, and natural plant extracts. They produce natural euphoric feelings which are totally different from what you feel when you are drunk. The experience of getting high with these herbal supplements is very pleasant and natural. Each of the herbal highs has its own distinct characteristics, taste and effect. Some of them can be ground into very fine powder that can be burned like incense and inhaled by the user.

Purchasing of herbal highs is legal. But in some countries they are constrained by anti-drug laws. If you have bought them legally, you will not experience adverse consequences. They are safe to use unlike their illegal counterparts such as marijuana and other intoxicating substances.

Herbal highs, however, should not be taken if you are driving or running the machinery equipment. Doing so could cause horrible accidents on the road or in the workplace. Pregnant women should also avoid using these products. They can produce developmental deformities on the unborn child. It is advisable to use them under the prescription of a medical specialist.

Herbal Highs Online offersproducts which are safe and legal herbal supplements. Popular products are Purple Haze, Wicked Smoke, Skunk Blend, Tropical Explosion, and Pineapple Express. They are also very affordable. More and more users have switched to taking herbal highs because they are not addictive. The effects they bring are the same but it is highly recommended to start out with little amounts. Assessing their initial taste and effect is a good start before deciding to use them on a regular basis.

The herbal highs are burned like incense. The smoke produced is inhaled by the user. This is a better alternative for tobacco smokers and those who decide to quit smoking. You get the best value for your money when you purchase Kronic products because they are manufactured from safe botanical sources that do not contain tetrahydrocannabinol. The health benefits they bring are very remarkable because they help clean the body by eliminating harmful toxins such as nicotine.

Kronic products are getting popular these days. The society is slowly accepting these herbal products because of the health benefits they bring. Buy them from a reliable retailer such as Herbal Highs Online. Whatever reason or purpose you have for using them, you get the most of its benefits. You still enjoy using these products without the hassle on safety and legality issues.

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Get your future completely secured using the Medicare supplement plans

The Supplemental Medicare Insurance plans have provided huge support to the old aged people, when their Medicare plans failed to cover the entire amount of payable bills for their treatment. Medicare health insurance plans, which are provided by the government of some countries, have proved to be very useful so far. Whenever any Medicare policy holder faced any sort of financial troubles for their treatment in the medical clinics, the government used to pay a part of the treatment bill. But nowadays, the expense of treatment has reached such a high level, that it has become quite problematic for the common people to pay the rest amount of the treatment bill which is not covered by the Medicare policy. Such situations are really unfortunate for the old aged people, who cannot earn at that age to pay their medical treatment bills. The Medicare Supplement Plans introduced by the private health insurance companies have helped these old aged to a large extent. The part of the t reatment bills which is left uncovered by the original Medicare policy is paid by the Medicare Supplement Plans.

The Medicare supplemental health insurance plans are also known as the Medigap plans as they bridge the gap left by the original Medicare policy; thousands of people nowadays use these supplement Medicare plans along with the original Medicare plan to make their future completely safe and secured. There are 14 Medicare Supplement Plans available to the common people. They are denoted by the first 14 English alphabets ranging from Plan A to Plan N. The Plan M and Plan N have been newly introduced and they provide better benefits and facilities than the previous 12 plans. Each of these Medicare Supplement Plans provides different benefits and facilities, but they serve the same purpose. The introduction of these 14 Medicare Supplement Plans has helped the old aged people to a large extent so far. Whenever the Medicare plans left huge gap while paying the huge bills of medical treatment, the Medicare Supplement Plans fulfilled that gap. These Medicare plans are sold and administered by the private health insurance companies, but the rules of these policies are fixed by the government of the respective countries. The private companies cannot modify or change these plans at any cost.

If you are a Medicare health insurance policy holder, then you should buy any appropriate Medicare Supplement health insurance plan and use it along with the original Medicare policy. Using this combination of both of these plans will help you to make your future secured completely. You do not have to worry about the payment of the medical treatment bills. But, one thing that every person should keep in mind is that the Medicare Supplement Plans are entirely dependent on the original Medicare policy. You cannot buy the Medicare Supplement Plans if you do not have the Medicare health insurance plan provided by the government. Besides this , it should also be kept in mind that only people above the age of 60 or 65 can use these Medicare supplemental health insurance plans and receive the full benefits.

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Medicare supplement plans the best help for effective health insurance

If you are willing to get the best help from your Medicare health insurance plans it is the most essential to have Medicare supplement insurance plans ready with your original Medicare plans. In fact the point is that the Medicare health insurance plans are actually supplementary health insurance plans needed to bridge up the gap left behind by the original Medicare health insurance plans. In this respect it is very essential to note that there are a lot of things to consider in this respect. In fact the point is that the Medicare supplement insurance provides a good deal of benefits along with providing the best coverage of the gaps left behind by the original Medicare health insurance plans. Besides that it should also be kept in mind that each and every Medicare supplement plan have their own set of benefits. Therefore it is very much essential to make the choice of your Medigap plans very carefully. In this respect is always a better idea to seek the idea of some profe ssional expert who can provide the best guidance in your decision of choosing the most suitable Medicare supplement health insurance for yourself.

Other than that there are also certain other things that should be kept in mind in this respect. One of the most notable fact in this regard is that the Medicare supplement plans are actually supplementary insurance plans to the original Medicare therefore these policies cannot be sold independently. Therefore one must be first get enrolled to the original Medicare part A and B to get enrolled for the Medicare supplement plans. Other than that it should also be kept in mind that once enrolled to the Medicare supplement health insurance plans one must continue being a beneficiary of the Medicare original plans in order to get the benefits of the original Medicare plans. In fact the point is that if you switch over to any other plan other than the original Medicare say for example the Medicare advantage plan you can no lo nger use the benefits of the original Medicare. You can only use the benefits of your Medigap plans only if you switch back to original Medicare plans.

Other than these there are also some other things that should be kept in mind in this respect. In fact the point is that the Medicare supplement plans were originally standardized in 1992 and since then there had been 12 standard Medicare supplement health insurance available to the Medicare beneficiaries sold and administered by the private health insurance companies. But since July 2010 a few new changes have been brought in the standard Medicare supplement plans. According to the recent changes four of the existing plans have been dropped and in their place two new plans M and N are introduced. These plans use the means of deductible and cost sharing offers a good deal of help to the Medicare beneficiaries for that extra coverage and to get better benefits from the Medicare original plans. Therefore, the fact is that getting enrolled to the Medicare supplement plans offers the best help to cover up the gap between the original Medicare policy coverage and the actual medical bill payable.

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Best Medicare Supplement-Best Medicare Supplemental Plan

Best Medicare Supplement

Here�s an easy step-by-step guide to finding the best Medicare Supplement (also referred to as Medigap).

Most people want coverage for what they are paying out of their own pocket for Medicare�s co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles � and they want that coverage at the lowest possible price.

Here�s a secret that could save you a lot of time, money and effort � it�s one of the biggest differences in Medicare Supplement plans. Each insurer can sell the exact same Medicare Supplement plans at a different price!

Medicare Supplement plans are standardized so if you buy Plan F, for instance, from any insurer, you�ll get the same coverage, but you may find it at a much lower price with comparison-shopping.

You can get professional help to compare Medicare Supplement plans from the Medicare planning team at MediGap Advisors. With years of experience in Medicare Supplement insurance, these experts know Medicare Supplement plans and the insurers offering them.

Just call MediGap Advisors at 866-681-7712 to get the answers you need and find the best Medicare Supplement plans. MediGap Advisors can help you sort through the 10 Medicare Supplement plans now available by comparing your situation and needs to the benefits of each plan. They�ll take a look at your biggest health care expenses and show you the best Medicare Supplement plans to protect you from charges that Medicare doesn�t cover.

If hospital care is a big concern for you, you�ll need coverage for Medicare�s Part A $1,100 deductible because you have to spend that much out-of-pocket per illness before Medicare pays for hospital bills. You can take care of the Part A deductible with any one of nine Medicare Supplement plans.

If you spend a lot on doctor office visits, you have to meet an annual Part B deductible before Medicare pays for your doctor bills. The best Medicare Supplement plans, the ones with the most comprehensive coverage, reimburse you for the Part B deductible.

Medicare Supplement plans C and F will reimburse you for that deductible regardless of how much it is in any given year.

Medicare pays for 80% of a pre-approved amount for doctors� services, after the Part B deductible has been met. You can choose from seven of the best Medicare Supplement plans to pay for the 20% that�s left.

Your doctor may charge more for a procedure than Medicare will pay. When Medicare covers 80% of a pre-approved amount, Medigap covers 20% of the same pre-approved amount. Your doctor could charge a lot more than Medicare�s pre-approved amount and leave you to make up the difference.

The best Medicare Supplement plans help with doctor�s excess charges. Medigap Plan G pays for 80% of any doctor charges above what Medicare will pay. For a slightly higher premium, Plan F will cover 100% of these excess charges.

The best Medicare Supplement plans help whenever Medicare doesn�t completely cover your health care expenses. That includes doctor and hospital bills, but it also helps with skilled nursing facilities and even emergency care when you�re traveling out of the country.

If you have to go to a skilled nursing facility, Medicare will cover 20 days of care in a skilled nursing facility following hospitalization. You have to meet your Part A deductible before Medicare picks up the charges. After 20 days, you have to pay for a portion the daily costs from day 21 through 100, but eight Medigap plans will pay your share for those days.

If you travel abroad, Medicare has no coverage at all for any emergency medical care outside of the country. You can travel safely with several of the best Medicare Supplement plans. They will cover 80% of your emergency medical care during the first 60 days you�re abroad, with a $250 deductible.

The best Medicare Supplement plans cover your costs whenever Medicare will not pay.

To find the plan that�s just right for you, list your biggest health care costs and see which Medicare Supplement plans cover those charges for the lowest premiums. After you compare Medicare Supplement plans, compare the prices different insurers are offering on the plan you like most.

You can save a lot of time and effort with free professional advice from the Medicare Supplement experts.

As the nation�s leading independent agency specializing in Medicare Supplement plans (Medigap plans), MediGap Advisors can show you how you can save money with the best Medigap plans that fit your needs and your situation.
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Womens Croc Shoes – Crocs' Comfortable Womens Shoes Now Make Walking a Healthy Pleasure

If you are a womens croc shoes newbie welcome on board, boy have you been missing out on some serious comfort for a while. But, hey never mind, I can promise you that now you have discovered womens croc shoes you will never be without a pair in your closet or wardrobe ever again.

They have been around for about 8 years now and were originally designed to be worn in a health resort or spa environment. They were a little quirky in looks to say the least and caused a bit of a stir, developing a bit of a love, hate type of following. I find that just plain daft, you should never judge a book by its cover and they just have to be the most amazingly comfortable shoe you are ever likely to slip your feet into.

Because of the original concept of how croc clogs were to be used to their best advantage, they contain some pretty awesome health benefits. The clever designers have now come up with some new funky colours and styles to bring crocs right up to date on the fashion front but still maintaining all of the good stuff too.

There cannot be too many pairs of shoes that have been endorsed by the US Ergonomics Council and the American Podiatric Medical Association as having proven health benefits to the wearer. But crocs have been given these high accolades so, regardless of which style you choose your feet will be looked after.

So what is it about them that make foot people and other medical bodies within that sort of profession say that they are so good? Well for starters (and they do have quite an extensive list of positive health benefits, honest) they are all made of a special foam like material that contains both antibacterial and antifungal properties. What this means in a nutshell to you and me is no more athletes foot or stinky feet either.

Now in summer that has to be pretty good and not only that but they are designed to allow maximum air flow in, around and over your foot while you are wearing them. So, you stay super cool and dry all of the time. The cooler your feet, the less likely they are to swell and get hot and tired.

There are some nobbly bits on the footbed of the croc clogs too which massage your feet as you walk, which ultimately means your legs and feet do not tire as easily either. So, you can stay out and have fun for longer, especially if you are a walker or a hiker. Believe me , they are more than robust enough to cope with some pretty mean terrain, no problems and with anti slip properties on the sole you are going to stay upright too.

Whichever style of womens croc shoes you finally decide on, one pair will not be enough, you cannot possibly have too much of a good thing now can you? I can guarantee that your womens croc shoes will carry you through all the seasons and any situation stylishly and with the ultimate in comfort.

There is also a Womens Croc Shoes website that is associated with this site, run by Nicole Rousell it provides a great insight into the great benefits and features that are associated with the croc shoes brand, on top of that is the facility to view an entire collection of the latest womens croc shoes. You can visit the Womens Croc Shoes site in question by going to=> http://www.firstforfootwear.com

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