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Why public health insurance is essential to save American lives

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:57:36 +0000

The current debate on health reform is getting lost in the numbers and dollars game in Congress. The arguments have become about price. What is the cheaper option? How can we pay for it? What is the best value? It is about the health insurance industry defending its ground, and attempting to maintain the current status quo. It is about how this industry may continue to make substantial profits out of the misery of all those patients who are sick, while maintaining a system that encourages them to avoid making payments as much as possible, to either patients or doctors. It is about a system where large special interests are able to negotiate low payments to doctors who have little bargaining power or strength, and which leads doctors to increasingly insist that patients pay them directly, rather than go through their insurers, hence letting the insurers completely off the financial hook.

Let’s put a real human face on what is happening in American healthcare at present.

As a physician working in a major academic medical center in California, let me tell a few stories of some of the horrors that I have seen that are directly caused by the appalling way that American healthcare is organized and paid for. These stories are clear evidence that we cannot continue with our current system of insurance funding, and simply have to have a public insurance option available to offer choice to all Americans, and to create competition for private insurance companies which they just don’t have at present.

Firstly let me say that I am extremely proud to be working in this medical center, which last year provided over $160 million of uncompensated care to the uninsured. This is about double the year before, a fact that is directly the consequence of the recession, increased numbers of uninsured patients, and an increased level of social poverty.

Think of the middle-aged homeless woman with diabetes who was admitted yet again with pneumonia. She has been sleeping rough, and in great personal danger having been assaulted numerous times. She cannot get out of a cycle of poverty, homelessness, illness and peril, and every time she recovers in hospital, it is sickening for the medical and nursing staff to know that she is being discharged to the street, where the cycle will continue. She has no insurance, no family, no future and no hope. Her medical prognosis is dreadful, she is unable to receive any regular follow up care for her diabetes, and she will probably not live for more than a few years unless there are major changes in her situation. She desperately needs good medical and social care, but there is little for her to receive, and she ends up costing society a huge amount because of her multiple expensive hospital admissions, occurring because she has no regular outpatient care. She would be so much better off with regular public health insurance, and would at least have a chance of breaking this cycle.

Think of the recently unemployed father of three young children whose wife died a year ago. He lost his company sponsored health insurance when he lost his job, and is unable to afford to pay the quoted premiums from other insurance companies because of his possible prior history of high blood pressure, found on two medical exams in the past, andwhich is seen as a risk factor for possible cardiac problems in the future.

Think of the patient with chronic schizophrenia who has suddenly had his treatment program closed by a county mental health department desperate to save money and faced with the decision to close either their firefighting or mental health services to meet their budget. This patient has nowhere to go for treatment, eventually runs out of medication, becomes psychotic again, tries to kill himself because of his delusions, and is re-admitted to an inpatient facility for several weeks at great public expense.

These are the faces of the health reform debate. These are the people that President Obama is fighting for, and which the insurance industry will not help, which they prefer to ignore. This is why we have to have a public health insurance option. And this is why we have to have true health reform in this country.

Peter Yellowlees MD has recently published “Your Health in the Information Age how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together”. It is available at

Why public health insurance is essential to save American lives is a post from: Health

Affordable Health Care Insurance – Inexpensive Health Care Insurance Plans

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:42:08 +0000

Affordable Health Care Insurance! As the words show themselves that a medical health insurance policy that helps an ordinary person to keep up his leverage of medical checkups and costs. The usual medical costs without an insurance plan have become obsolete nowadays due to mainly the touching sky high medical costs. Due to this reason, many self-employed and other people having no medical insurance offered are looking for an affordable health care insurance which helps them keep up their medical needs in case of emergencies.

Getting an affordable health care insurance may not be as simple. It requires extensive background research to look and find the best possible insurance plan for you. So, to find the best one, use the best searching tool, the internet. With the internet, you can find different insurance policies and compare their quotes.

Contact your State Health Department for better insurance policies. One which not only cost much less but also helped to take care of all your necessary needs. Always go for the policy which doesnt ask you for much money deductions first before going on with the insurance.

Try and get a few days insurance package from the companies to make sure that the insurance policy suits you. If it does suit you, then go ahead and buy the Health Insurance. Search for the policies that guarantee renewal of your policies and do not return them back. Check for the best policy ratings and even contact different people who have had those insurance policies to get a better idea of what you are going to have to deal with.

Affordable health care insurance may not even be as less expensive too but they certainly lower some fiscal burden from your shoulders. Obviously, it is better to pay less then to pay too high for health care. You know of your situation better, so whatever policies you select, just make sure it is in the best of your interest and that it will have long lasting fruitful effects on your health.

Affordable Health Care Insurance Inexpensive Health Care Insurance Plans is a post from: Health

Find Health Insurance – Necessity Undeniable

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:45:23 +0000

Many fast cash people go bankrupt these days after they have had their heart transplant or their surgery because of the fact that the surgeries are too high to pay for. You simply dont have enough cash to pay for them and so when you dont, you need to sell your belongings in return to pay them back, thus even making you homeless. Find health insurance policies that can help you cope up with the high medical bills.

The best way to find health insurance is to do extensive and widespread research. Use the internet tool to google around for different health insurance plans. Make sure you find the right one for yourself, keeping a close eye on your medical requirements and money you can pay monthly for the insurance. Contact different health departments for tips and tricks to find you the right health insurance. If that doesnt work, try hiring a broker who knows the financial and medical conditions to choose the best possible package for you.

Make sure any health insurance policy you find is free from any hidden charges or taxes. Read the policy instruction closely before signing off the deal. Even try to talk the company into letting you have a few weeks recession period in which you could decide more clearly as to whether go through with the policy or not.

When you find health insurance, make sure you are up to date with the promotions and packages offered time to time to gain maximum financial and remedial benefits from them.

These were some of the important aspects that would lead you to find health insurance which suits all your medical needs. Remember you cannot live in this world without a health insurance, so better take it now than losing too much money. Being healthy is a part of successful life and for being able to do that, you need to sign up for your health insurance today!

Find Health Insurance Necessity Undeniable is a post from: Health

Individual Health Insurance Plans – Quick Guide to Best Plans

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:41:14 +0000

Individual health insurance plans are necessary steps to be taken by almost everyone today in order to be able to pay for the medical facilities they get. Individual health insurance is of immense importance for the people who are not offered any insurance by the companies they work for. These are also made available to people currently self employed or have any other trading business.

Individual health insurance plans help you and your families in many ways but these plans are just not readily available. You need to meet different medical people, numerous organizations and even health departments in order to find yourself the best possible health insurance policy. You might find a number of websites over the internet linking you to those insurance plans but most of them might not either fulfill your medical requirements or you wont be able to pay for the high insurance fees each month. Therefore, the key is to find the right individual health insurance plans which is not only in your fiscal reach but also provides you with promotions and leverages regarding your health needs.

In order to find the best plan, always ask questions to people around you who have had health insurance plans earlier. They will guide you better about the pros and cons of each insurance package plan.

Contract a number of agencies and when you find the right individual health insurance plan, try and cut different health requirements in it to make the cost less effective for example some treatments like the ultra sound may not be in use for many people so they can cancel that coverage, thus reducing their insurance bills per month.

These individual health Insurance plans will surely help you choose the right plan for you but remember that even due to its low cost, these plans are still going to be cost effective for ordinary people. Therefore, always look for a company that respects your needs and one that knows how much you can pay. Ask them to guide you through these steps to keep you healthier always.

Individual Health Insurance Plans Quick Guide to Best Plans is a post from: Health

How Mental Health Disorders Can be Caused by Personal Suffering?

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:06:29 +0000

Mental disorders cause immense suffering for the lack of support and damaged social relations. Substance abuse refers to the use of psychoactive substances such as alcohol and recreational drugs.
And the addiction to psychoactive substances
There is high risk for the development of psychoactive substance dependence. Dependence is characterized by deterioration of the normal capacities of behavioral, functional and physiological. There can be a strong desire by the ingestion of drugs despite negative consequences.
The development of tolerance and withdrawal conditions of physical dependence occurs with the indiscriminate use. Drug addiction interferes with general health and family obligations. Efficient mental health is essential for the effective functioning of an individual in society.
Abuse of psychoactive substances can be effectively tackled through the development and periodic assessment of treatment services. Disorders associated with alcohol are present in about 77 million people worldwide.
The recreational use of drugs affects about 16 million to initiate mental disorders. There is a high rate of HIV infection in intravenous drug users. Plans comprehensive drug treatment can reduce the medical and social burden of abuse. Government and policy makers must increase the percentage of annual medical expenditures allocated to mental health.
What are the side effects of chronic alcohol intake?
Moderate alcohol consumption may cause no harm. Alcoholism is due to the dependence characterized by a strong craving to drink. There is loss of voluntary control over consumption habits.
Physical symptoms such as sweating, nausea, weakness and muscle tremors indicate dependency. Tolerance begins regular consumption of larger amounts of alcohol.
Alcohol can increase the risk of mortality?
Top organs like the heart, liver and brain suffering irreversible damage to the toxicity of alcohol in the blood. There is high risk of oral cancer and gastrointestinal cancer. Mental health can be affected by the presence of chronic systemic diseases.
There is no greater incidence of birth defects in children of alcoholic parents. There is increased risk of suicide, accidental injury and homicide with alcoholics.
Alcoholism is closely related to the patho-physiology of about sixty different types of health problems. The car accident death occurs in about twenty to thirty percent of alcoholics. The procedures for detoxification under medical supervision can reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms in alcoholics.
Chronic alcohol consumption can cause neuro psychiatric disorders. The disability prevents the quality of life in about forty percent of alcoholics. The mental health of recovering alcoholics can be improved through self-help groups.
How do recreational drugs in the body?
Recreational drugs initiate relaxation and elevate mood gain experience of euphoria. The short-term side effects of psychoactive substance use include dry mouth, tachycardia, anxiety, and neuromuscular disorders.
There is a temporary loss of cognitive ability, memory and motor skills. The lack of trial, respiratory failure, lung infections and low fertility is reported in chronic abusers.
The emotions of aggression, anxiety and insomnia are experienced by addicts trying to recover. The behavior therapy sessions and support groups can benefit most recovering addicts. Mental health policies and laws should work to serve individuals with severe behavior.
No substance abuse disorders in general health?
The substance abuse can be classified as a mental disorder and diseases of the brain. Recreational drugs with regular use alter the neural circuits and expression of genes that affect normal human behavior.
The drug-seeking behavior and physical dependence is derived from the above changes in brain function. Malignant tumors, strokes, and the path physiology of hepatitis can be influenced by drug abuse.
Substance abuse is a factor causing many avoidable health problems. The intake of alcohol, recreational drugs and snuff increases the risk of suicide in adults. The substance use disorders are closely related to the incidence of psychiatric disorders in the average population.
The restoration of the mental health of addicts can work through specific policies of the medicine. Public health problems that arise with alcoholism and substance abuse require intervention at the micro levels of health care. Mental health departments should work to reduce the social stigma associated with mental disorders and substance abuse.

How Mental Health Disorders Can be Caused by Personal Suffering? is a post from: Health

Employer’s Health and Safety Responsibilities

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:41:49 +0000

Employers have responsibilities for the health and safety of their employees. They are also responsible for any visitors to their premises such as customers, suppliers and the general public. Find out more about your employer’s duty of care.

Risk Assessments

Your employer has a ‘duty of care’ to ensure, as far as possible, your health, safety and welfare while you are at work. They should start with a risk assessment to spot possible health and safety hazards. They have to appoint a ‘competent person’ with health and safety responsibilities (usually one of the owners in smaller firms, or a member of staff trained in health and safety) for businesses employing five or more people. For businesses employing five or more people, there must also be:

All employers, whatever the size of the business, must:

Making the workplace safe and healthy

So that the work premises provide a safe and healthy place to work, your employer should:

What to do next

Information provided by Direct Gov

Employers Health and Safety Responsibilities is a post from: Health

Degree in Health Administration Programs

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:38:47 +0000

Over the past few years, the health industry is growing at rapid pace and as a result the demand for health management/caring professionals has boomed proportionately. If we look at the present scenario the need for qualified, well trained and dedicated health managing personnel are relatively high in comparison to last year. Consequently, today the ratio of students selecting a health administration course or going for a degree in health administration has grown dramatically. A health care administration degree actually prepares you to manage various issues within the health care industry effectively.

Not long ago, the professions liking administering or managing health issues or health-centers were just considered to be merely a data management element. But the present picture depicts a different story. Today health administration has steadily become one of the quickest growing sections of health care. In fact, it is predicted that the field will see a steep growth in the need for qualified health-care personnel and administrators in coming next few years. However, a degree in health administration from reputed college can put you in a position to fulfill this demand in just over two years. These days there are numerous health care administration training and nursing colleges that offer programs or courses that not only address this need but give your career a giant push.

Earning a master’s or bachelor’s degree in health administration allows you to widen your career opportunities, as you could find yourself working in different places like Hospitals, Medicaid, Public Health Departments and Rehabilitation Centers. Moreover, you may even earn a lot more money. Besides this, you may even advance your healthcare career and become an administrator, manager, or supervisor. The major highlight about attaining a health administration degree is that the degree incorporates business and healthcare knowledge and in many countries the program is also well accredited by the commissions or bodies on Accreditation of Healthcare Education. At the end of doing your health administration degree, you will also gain a thorough understanding of critical health care issues and how to evaluate the deficiencies within the system.

Once you complete the course, you can acquire a responsible possible like health administrator, where you won’t be just responsible for analyzing or interpreting healthcare service but as an invaluable member of health network you will be the supporter for insuring that the quality of service is uphold. As a graduate, you will have the learn tools to improve the systems within healthcare organizations like Hospitals, Medicaid, so that patient needs are served more efficiently. In addition, the course also provides you with opportunity to enhance your management/administrative backgrounds through a curriculum that primarily focus on theories and contemporary practice applications.

This health administration degree help you achieve expertise in health care service leading to other high positions in health care. Alternately, it is important that you choose the program that is accredited and affiliated to a well-ranked institution or university. Practical and clinical training is also essential for health administration program. So you should have a clear knowledge about the kind of practical lessons that institute plans to provide you.

Without doubt, deciding to follow a career in the health care and accomplishing a health administration degree is a dignified and rewarding decision.

Degree in Health Administration Programs is a post from: Health

Find the best Texas health insurance quotes

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:08:29 +0000

One cannot deny the importance of having a health insurance in todays times where incidences of illnesses and diseases are constantly on the rise. This is applicable for all regions around the world and Texas is no exception. This need to have a health insurance becomes even more essential if you are forced to visit any doctor for an illness of any magnitude or nature and are unable to pay the medical bill. Once you realize the importance of procuring cheap health insurance Texas for you and your family, you must do some research in terms of the best Texas health insurance quotes that are provided by insurance companies in this region.

It is true that every health insurance policy has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is quite difficult to find something that would be the ideal choice for you and your family. Yet it always better to make an informed decision rather than an ignorant one. If you are looking for the best Texas health insurance quotes in order to procure cheap health insurance Texas, you should first know that are two basic plans or policies for health care that you can consider opting for. These are broadly classified into the Fee-for-Service plans and the Managed Care Health plans.

The plans falling under the category of Managed care essentially function through a network of reputed doctors. This entails that you will receive medical coverage if you visit any hospital or doctor that is mentioned in the list of this plans network. On the other hand, the plans belonging to the category of fee-for-service or indemnity plans, give you the liberty to visit any hospital or doctor of your individual choice or preference. These plans are more expensive but provide greater flexibility to the patients. Thus, before obtaining Texas health insurance quotes in order to locate cheap health insurance Texas, you should select the type of insurance that will suit you best.

To obtain cheap health insurance Texas, you can also consider ordering Texas health insurance quotes online. If you do some research online, you will find countless websites that advertise prices and quotes of different heath plans that their company offers. You will not only find details about the various prices and plans, but also be provided with guidance in terms of the most feasible and suitable option for your individual requirements. You can consider ordering brochures of the best insurance companies and make a comparison between their co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance, premiums, preventive care, diseases they seek to cover and the coverage that they will provide in the case of prescription drugs.

Finally, you should consider visiting the website of the state health department. It would be more beneficial if you could find the time to visit it personally. The staff present there would be able to provide you with the best guidance in terms of obtaining the best Texas health insurance quotes. You will know about the companies that are reputed and reliable and accordingly you can procure cheap health insurance Texas. Moreover, Texas State Health Insurance Risk Program can guide on obtaining the best insurance plan for you and your family.

Find the best Texas health insurance quotes is a post from: Health

Need Health Insurance Coverage?

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:32:45 +0000

Four Steps to Help You Get the Most from Your Health insurance Coverage Finding, buying, and understanding health insurance coverage options arent always easy tasks. Here are some easy tips to follow on how to start your journey through all of the online healthcare madness.Step One – Make a list of your current health conditions, medications, and any other current health related issues. Youll also want to make a note of your primary concerns and questions about choosing adequate health insurance.Step Two – Get information from several health insurance providers. Not all health care plans are the same. Its well worth the time and effort to review more than once health insurance policy. It can save you time, money, and improve the quality of your healthcare in the future.Some of the big names in Health insurance may be a great place to start your comparisons such as: Golden Rule Insurance, Celtic Insurance, American Medical Security Insurance, Time Insurance, UNICARE Insurance, Humana Insurance and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Insurance just to name a few.Those of you looking for Michigan Medicaid and Medicare help must first meet the requirements for qualifications. Each county may have different requirements such as income and more. Check with your local health department for more information.Step Three – Review each health insurance plan making notes of benefits provided for these basic coverage sections: physical exams, specialists care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, emergency care Ob-Gyn care, preventative care, and alternative care coverage. Remember to evaluate using the notes you made in step one.Pay careful attention to co-pays, spending limits, and deductible amounts in each section for each health insurance plan youre reviewing. The goal is to do whats called comparison shopping. As you go through this process, most likely one or two health care policies will seem to meet your needs better than the others.Step Four Once youve picked out two or three possible health insurance plans, make notes of questions and concerns about each. Now its time to get your questions answered and make your decision.Its important to make sure youre speaking with a qualified, licensed health insurance agent. Dont hesitate to continue to ask questions until you feel you have all the information you need to make a good choice.Other Helpful InformationCompare Health insurance Plans Online and Save TimeTake your time to find what you need at a price you can afford. What is great about looking for Health insurance options online is you can compare plans and benefits first on your own, without talking to different representatives. Most Health insurance companies offer FREE online services and FREE online instant rate quotes. All that is required is for you to quickly fill out a secured application. In the matter of minutes you should have your results in front of you. Just in case you have questions these companies have licensed Health insurance professionals waiting for your call.Keep it Going! Who Can Benefit From Temporary Health insurance?Temporary health insurance or short-term medical insurance is also available in Michigan and will allow you to have coverage for a temporary amount of time. This type of insurance isnt right for everyone. Inquiries of this form of health care usually comes from those who are between jobs, seasonal employees, laid-off and can even benefit young adults recently coming off of their parents health plan. Plans tend to last somewhere between six months but some have been known to go twelve months.Temporary Health insurance forms are much more simple than permanent insurance. Coverage on a short-term plan can begin as quickly as twenty-four hours. This insurance caters to unseen accidents and illness. Because it is temporary, they do not typically cover preventive care, vision, dental or pre-existing conditions. For pre-existing conditions you may want to check your COBRA benefits. There Are Other Ways to Keep Your Health insurance after Losing Your JobDont let recent un-employment keep you from the care that you need! For instance if a loved one is expecting, the last thing you want is to lose your maternity insurance. There is another alternative called consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or COBRA. This type of insurance normally last longer than temporary or short-term insurance but it is still a type of temporary insurance. Normally COBRA policies can last for approximately eighteen months. For more detailed information on COBRAs extended policy plans talk to your employer about their specific Health insurance carriers plan. Many people dont know about temporary Health insurance coverage. In fact, people take chances between coverage all the time because of lack of knowledge. The advantage of temporary Health insurance coverage is to fill a gap in coverage. Although this is temporary coverage is great to have, it does not replace permanent coverage. Michigan HIPAA Laws and How They Could Effect YouIf you currently have pre-existing conditions and are looking into short-term Health insurance coverage WAIT! You may be buying health coverage that will not cover you and then make you ineligible for the care that you need. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA plans are mainly for those who have pre-existing conditions and may have trouble getting health insurance. These plans can be extremely expensive. The HIPAA Federal law gives a person immediate access to comparable coverage when leaving employment that provided coverage.Get familiar with your rights and consult your benefits advisor to discuss the best options for you. You can take back your health with Health insurance companies where there is a plan to fit everyones need. Reading up and doing your homework on plans that pertain to your needs can help eliminate useless information and help you find the right Health insurance plan much faster.

Need Health Insurance Coverage? is a post from: Health

Music & Mental Health

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:36:27 +0000

Music has the power to influence peoples emotions; it can make them happy, sad, or angry. Music can also aid in the recovery of mental illnesses.

The Geriatric Mental Health Department of the Chhatarati Shahuju Maharaj Medical University in India is starting a music therapy clinic to treat elderly patients with mental disorders (like dementia). Nearly 5% of elderly people older than 60 suffer from dementia.

S.C. Tiwari, the head of the Geriatric Mental Health Department, said that music is found to have a positive impact on patients suffering from mental tension. Slow and melodious music soothes tension; rock, pop, and fast music should be avoided because of the negative emotions it can draw out, and it also raises blood pressure. So, soft, melodious, and soothing music is the way to go if you want to relieve your mental tension.

Not only can music therapy help people with mental illnesses, but playing an instrument and being a part of an ensemble can help, too.

Tunefoolery Concert Ensembles is a group of 50 musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts, who are all living with a mental illness. The group helps musicians move away from the mental patient role into a new identity as a professional musician and performer.

Tunefoolery is a great example of how non-traditional mental health treatment truly can change peoples lives, said one of the band members. Music is powerful medicine! I have a tremendous feeling of belonging with Tunefoolery. I have found great friends here. Its a job and a creative outlet at the same time.

The members perform as solo acts or small ensembles; they play 75 to 90 gigs every year at mental health treatment programs, hospitals, nursing homes, and other locations. You can visit their website atwww.tunefoolery.org.

During my research, I found a website for artists living with a mental illness: www.mentalhealthmusicnetwork.net. I also found a study about how music therapy soothes mental illness:www.uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/4302. Check those out if youd like; theyre pretty interesting.

Music & Mental Health is a post from: Health