All Articles Tagged "health insurance"
Gabrielle Union: Cancer Took My Friend. Don’t Play With Healthcare.
From HelloBeautiful.com
In this exclusive opinion piece, actor Gabrielle Union issues an impassioned and very personal plea to spare the Affordable Care Act, now under attack by politicians.
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I am going to do something that most people in my position don’t do often – tell you my age. I am 39 years old. I am at an age where I realize that life isn’t always fair and that unlike fairy tales, life doesn’t always have a happy ending.
Nearly two years ago, I lost a close girlfriend to cancer. Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 32 years old, I remember thinking this wasn’t part of the plan. We were too young to worry about getting sick. In fact, we were supposed to be invincible.
For the complete story, visit HelloBeautiful.com.
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39, Affordable Care Act, age, cancer, doctors, friend, Gabrielle Union, health insurance, healthcare, impoverish8 Mistakes People Make When Choosing Health Insurance
theinsurgent.net
Often you’re slapped with a giant medical bill, and you’re too in shock to ask yourself, “How did this happen?” So, ask yourself ahead of time, so that you don’t make these mistakes.
Health Insurance Premiums Skyrocket
(New York Times) — Major health insurance companies have been charging sharply higher premiums this year, outstripping any growth in workers’ wages and creating more uncertainty for the Obama administration and employers who are struggling to drive down an unrelenting rise in medical costs. A study released on Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a research group, showed that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011 — 9 percent higher than in the previous year. And even higher premiums could be on the way, particularly in New York, where some companies are asking for double-digit increases for about 1.3 million New Yorkers in individual or small-group plans, setting up a battle with state regulators.
Poverty Levels At Highest Rate Since 1983
by R. Asmerom
It seems that in the last decade, there’s been a lot of bad news for the U.S. economy and just when things seemed to be getting better, they got worse. A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that the national poverty rate has risen to 15.1% which is the highest rate reported since 1983. That percentage roughly translates to 46.2 million Americans living below the poverty line.
Unemployment and the shrinking of the economy is the culprit for the stunning poverty levels. In addition, median income fell 2.3 percent between 2009-2010. As the cost of living is increasing, salaries are not keeping up. Nearly 50 million Americans lack health insurance, which includes freelancers and those with full-time jobs whose employers have cuts costs by cutting health insurance.
With many jobs going overseas and demands of the economy rapidly changing, it’s time for the American economy to embrace fruitful change.
Gov’t on the Hunt for Steep Health Insurance Hikes
(Wall Street Journal) — A new federal and state program on health-insurance rates will determine whether bad publicity alone is enough to stop insurers from levying steep increases. Starting Thursday, the Obama administration and states will automatically scrutinize any proposed health-premium increase of 10% or more as part of the 2010 health-overhaul law. The change applies to an estimated 34.8 million insurance policies that Americans buy on their own or get through a small employer—two markets where consumers have faced particularly hefty increases in recent years. America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s main lobbying group, found that about half of all increases in the individual-insurance market exceeded 10% each year for the past three years.
Free Clinics Overwhelmed by Need
(Daily Finance) – Free clinics and the uninsured are paying a heavy price for the nation’s teetering recovery: More than half of free clinics are now turning away eligible patients — many for the first time — according to an AmeriCares report published Wednesday. Shrinking staff, expensive lab tests and drugs, and declining financial support are proving to be a prescription for disaster for the nation’s uninsured, the study found through interviews of staff at 300 clinics.
Keep Your Healthcare Despite Losing Your Job
(Daily Finance) — If you think there have to be better ways for an uninsured person to get health care than robbing a bank for $1 — as a North Carolina man did recently to get access to medical care in prison — you’re right: There are. While most people get their health insurance from their employers, that doesn’t mean the jobless have to take desperate measures. If you’re one of the nation’s nearly 14 million unemployed, here’s what you need to know.
Get the Facts: ”The health insurance system is complex and can be confusing,” says Ankeny Minoux, president of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, a nonprofit organization and research resource,www.coverageforall.org. “Start by doing your homework and taking the time to fully understand all options before enrolling in a program or plan.”
Fewer Georgians Get Insurance Through Jobs
(AJC) — The share of Georgians who got health insurance through an employer dropped sharply between 1999 and 2009, as rising costs prompted fewer small companies to offer coverage and the recession forced some workers out of jobs with benefits, a new study found. Among Georgians under 65, 59.8 percent had employee health plans during 2008 and 2009, down from 69.3 percent during 1999 and 2000, according to the study released Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The change was also fueled by a decline in the share of Georgia employees willing to pay rising premium and out-of-pocket costs for employer-based coverage. The shift away from employer plans pushed slightly more Georgians to buy their own insurance or resort to government coverage such as Medicaid, the tax-funded program for low-income families. But the biggest jump was in the share of non-elderly Georgians without insurance, which climbed from 14.4 percent to 20.4 percent over the decade — one of the steepest state increases and three points higher than the national average.
Atlanta Court a Health Care Battleground
(AJC) — In a key test of President Barack Obama’s health care law, the federal appeals court in Atlanta today will hear arguments on whether the government can require Americans to buy health insurance. The cornerstone of the law — the requirement that almost all Americans purchase a minimum level of insurance by 2014 or face a tax penalty — is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by Georgia and 25 other states. They contend Congress cannot mandate that individuals have coverage in the interest of controlling health-care costs; allowing that, they say, could conceivably lead to extreme results, such as laws requiring people to eat more vegetables and exercise more. The Obama administration counters that everyone will need medical care sooner or later, and it is unacceptable for those without coverage to have fellow taxpayers pay for their care when the time comes.
From His Bed, Paralyzed Athlete Leads Fight for Health Insurance
(Chicago Tribune) — In the five weeks since paralyzed running back Rasul “Rocky” Clark told the media of his fight for health insurance after his $5 million policy expired, his family has been overwhelmed with support, he said. One south suburban woman offered to volunteer at the family’s house in Robbins so that Clark’s mother, Annette, could have a few hours a day to exercise, he said. A man from Joliet emailed and said he wanted to come visit and offer the injured former football player prayer. Another suburban couple set up a website,rasulrockyclark.com, so that residents can send medical supplies, like gauze, hand soap, Lysol wipes and spray directly to Clark’s home. ”I’m grateful for those who saw me and reached out,” said Rocky Clark, whose ordeal was first detailed March 1 in the Tribune. “They have showed a lot of love. But I’m not asking for money, I just want the health insurance I (had). ”My situation is a push for life. That’s what it is. It’s very unfortunate, but I’m going to keep at it and I’m not going to give up.”
