Health Information Center

Health insurance is very important, and can be even more important when you are unemployed after all, when you can barely afford to buy food and pay your rent, how can you pay for your own medical care? If you are in an accident or become suddenly ill, what will you do? It’s crucial that you find some sort of insurance coverage that you can afford as soon as possible. Affordable health insurance sounds like an oxymoron, but there are several options you should look into.

First of all, if you were covered on your employer’s health plan before you lost your job, you should look into COBRA. This stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, and may apply to you. This form of affordable health insurance means that you do have to pay insurance premiums, but they are usually equal to what your employer was paying for you before, and frequently are much less expensive than conventional health insurance. This coverage can last up to a year after your employment ends, and usually will cover your family or dependents as well. If you have been laid off recently, check with your former employer’s benefits administrator to see if you might be eligible for COBRA they will supply you with any forms you may need to fill out.

Continue reading ‘Affordable Health Insurance for the Unemployed’ »

The 2008 election has brought the topic of “affordable health care” and “affordable health insurance” to the forefront and, along with it, a slew of misconceptions. So, what is true and what is false? The purpose of the following article is to dispel some of these myths and misconceptions and provide information to make a muddy topic a bit clearer.

1. The first misconception is that, for some reason, Americans equate affordable health care to be “socialized medicine.”

This is not the case at all. According to Wiktionary, socialized medicine is “an umbrella term for any system of government-run health care.” Many people balk at the idea of socialized medicine because the citizens inevitably pick up the costs through higher taxes. Affordable health care, on the other hand, is as simple as the phrase states – it is health care with costs low enough for everyone to afford. The government does not necessarily oversee it and individuals are free to go to physicians of their choice. It is not discriminatory to those with lower incomes and services are equal whether one is poor or financially privileged.

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Many people today take health insurance coverage for granted; there are many people who do not even have coverage. The issue is over 46 million people who do not have any health insurance or dental insurance. When you look at these numbers it breaks down that one out of every six people have no medical or dental coverage. As you view this problem it’s happening to people all across the country.

The major issue facing medical insurance and dental insurance is the pros and cons of enforcing a universal coverage law that has been based on the research that many people across the states are uninsured young individuals, such as teenagers who are healthier individuals who don’t believe they need any coverage. Continue reading ‘Many Americans Cannot Afford Health Benefits’ »

When it comes to our health, there can be no bigger scare than hearing you have cancer. Immediately, your mind will be barraged by an endless stream of questions with no immediate answer and a sudden sense of our own mortality. You will also be faced with breaking the news to family, if you choose to do so — all this on top of the actual treatment itself.

However, cancer should not be as feared as it once was. Not so many years ago a cancer diagnosis meant almost certain death but science and research have made great steps in finding treatments and cures for many, many types of cancer. Certain health insurance companies even offer packages that specifically cover cancers so we can do all we can to help ourselves by taking out health insurance and leading a healthy lifestyle. Continue reading ‘Protecting Ours and Our Families Health’ »

Growing waistlines equal growing health care costs. At least that’s how it seems regarding health and health insurance. A famous documentary has already shown the short-term impact of too many super-sized meals. But did you know that there’s another price you’re paying now – in health insurance dollars – for our nation’s weight problem?

Health insurance rates have been rising, with double-digit increases in each of the past three years. Most analysts blame these rising costs on an increased use of medical services. Are we just a nation of hypochondriacs? Why are we visiting doctors’ offices in droves? As many experts are pointing out, part of the answer may be obesity.

Continue reading ‘You Are What You Eat And How It Affects Your Health Insurance’ »

Funny thing pain, if you’ve never had a severe pain then the suggestion of taking simple analgesia and resting the affected area all seems quite reasonable. I was reminded of this when I read recently of a doctor’s advice to someone who was suffering from sciatica. Having personally experienced sciatica, it’s a condition I would not recommend to anyone who wishes to walk, sit, laugh, sleep, or to just simply pull up your trousers. It’s a bit like a dentist drilling your teeth without an anaesthetic, but it affects your whole leg. In other words the pain is consuming, exhausting and without respite. Clinical studies do show that in the majority of cases the pain will eventually subside and surgery may not be necessary, but in the meantime the patient has to deal with the pain or deal with the medication required to dull the pain. Remember, pain-killers are not selective to the area affected. They affect the whole of the nervous system and elsewhere so there may be significant side-effects from these medications.

Continue reading ‘Cooperating In Our Health Care’ »

For the past several months, the daily economic news has been grim. We hear about more job losses, foreclosures, home sales down, food prices soar, the stock market goes up and down. These are extraordinarily difficult times for everyone, and in some way everyone is affected by the situation. The never-ending stress taps into your energy and saps your strength; it tests your faith and leaves you confused. Families without the added stressors of alcohol or drugs will pull together; they will make some sacrifices as they grumble and complain, but in the end these families will more than likely survive the current economy.

What about the alcoholic? More importantly, what about the children living with an alcoholic? Research has confirmed that alcoholics lack coping skills. When faced with problems, the alcoholic will turn to the bottle. Most of us have seen the destructive dysfunction that results from alcohol or drug abuse. What happens when the alcoholic faces a job loss or pay cut, or loses the important health insurance? These situations exceed the “normal” stress of life and will most likely find the alcoholic turning to the bottle more often and in larger quantities.

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The United States of America envisions the country providing affordable and quality health to Americans. There is a huge challenge to overcome fraud waste and abuse, medical errors and medical necessity determination. The problem of improper payments has to be dealt intelligently to avoid under and over coding.

Every common layman knows that only reforms can bring revolution in healthcare, president Obama has put emphasis on the reforms very much but only spending money on the name of reforms would not actually change the healthcare system it is about the “effectiveness of system” that will bring the change.

One of the core features of the Obama plan is the claim that every family will save about $2,500 per year. The plan accommodates a Health information technology investment aimed at tumbling unneeded expenses that result from preventable errors and infertile paper billing systems. It will also help preventing and organizing of unrelenting circumstances. The preparation is required to raise insurance industry competition and reduce underwriting costs and profits in order to reduce insurance overhead. The health insurance should be universal which will diminish spending on uncompensated care.

Continue reading ‘Healthcare Reforms and RAC Program’ »

When you first look at a person, you probably try to read his or her face. While the eyes are a large part of communicating with body language, the mouth is another important feature that can confer happiness, anger, sadness, and disgust, among other things. Thus, it is key to keep your mouth and teeth in tip-top condition so that you can flash those pearly whites whenever you want.

First, many people already have an established tooth-brushing regimen. Dentists agree that brushing twice a day is optimal, but you will not do any harm if you choose to brush a third time either. If you eat or drink an especially sugary item that may stain your teeth, it can be good to brush your teeth immediately afterward.
Continue reading ‘Tips for Good Dental Health’ »

One of the most important things that you need to think about after high school is an affordable student health insurance plan. At age 20, most of the health plans parents have will not cover the children. Once you have realized that you are going to college, you will need to see about a health insurance plan for yourself.

Depending on what college you attend will determine the health benefits they offer. You may be able to get your office visits and checkups for free. You will probably pay for any lab work and visits that are for special reasons. Health benefits from the college will usually cover services you receive from the campus health care center but if you find an off campus doctor, you could pay up to a 70% higher deductible or payment.

Continue reading ‘Student Health Insurance Plans — Yes Or No?’ »