Obesity and Health Insurance: Alabama State Employees Must Pay For Coverage If Obese

Obesity and Health Insurance: Alabama State Employees Must Pay For Coverage If Obese in Individual Health Insurance

Alabama is the first state in the U.S. to require state employees to pay for their health insurance if they are obese.

The Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board will assess a charge of $25 per month if any of the 37,527 state workers have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or higher and doesn’t show weight-loss progress.

The plan was approved last week, reported the Los Angeles Times.

According the proposal, employees have until January of 2010 to get in shape.

Alabama already penalizes state workers for unhealthy habits — smokers must pay $24 per month for their health insurance. If they also are obese, their health insurance will go up to $49 a month.

“We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health,” said an Insurance Board member.

On the surface, the proposal makes sense. It’s widely accepted that being obese is a health risk — risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, and a myriad of other health problems. So why not penalize people for being unhealthy?

Well, the problem is every overweight and obese person is not necessarily unhealthy.

A recent study found that about half of overweight Americans (BMI of 25 to 30) have normal blood pressure and normal cholesterol levels. Of those who are obese, having a BMI more than 30, almost one-third have normal blood pressure and cholesterol counts, wrote the LA Times article.

“[The new plan is] terrible. Some people come into this world big,” pointed out an Alabama state employee.

It seems like an interesting debate to come.  

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Health Insurance/Health Care Policy Advisor To Senator John McCain Can Instantly Erase Number Of Uninsured

Health Insurance/Health Care Policy Advisor To Senator John McCain Can Instantly Erase Number Of Uninsured in Individual Health Insurance

That title is admittedly a bit misleading, but John C. Goodman, the president and CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis, says it is possible to instantly erase the number of uninsured Americans.

How would he do it?

“The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American, even illegal aliens, as uninsured,” said Goodman, who is also an advisor to presumptive Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain.

Goodman argues that the Census Bureau would get better data by finding out where people get funds if they need care. Presumably that includes financial help from family, friends, the government, and free care from a hospital.

He goes on to say that only people who are denied health care altogether are truly uninsured, wrote the Dallas Morning News.

In a nutshell, he’s arguing that everyone who has access to an emergency room — which is just about everyone — technically has health insurance.

But not everyone agrees with Goodman.

“[Access to an emergency room] is not the same thing as having health insurance. People without insurance are less likely to seek care, and when they do, the cost to the health system is greater,” said Eva Deluna, from the Center for Public Policy Priorities.

At the very least, Goodman brought a very interesting analysis of any statistic that shows the number of uninsured Americans.

And also… We hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend!

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More Americans Had Health Insurance In 2007

More Americans Had Health Insurance In 2007 in Individual Health Insurance

In 2007, many health care experts had expected the number of uninsured Americans to increase for the seventh straight year, reported CNN.

But much to their surprise, the amount of uninsured Americans went down.

According to the Census Bureau, 45.7 million people in the U.S. had no health insurance in 2007, which is 1.3 million less than 2006.

What is the reason for the decrease?

The CNN article points to increased enrollment in government health care programs including the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicaid.

Roughly 600,000 more children had health insurance in 2007 than 2006 and Medicaid enrollment went up by 13.2 percent in the same period.

The Census Bureau also found that the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance or private health insurance dipped slightly.

So the report says that there are more people with government health care and fewer with private insurance.

Is this good news for expanding government health insurance programs?

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No Health Insurance? It'll Cost You $30 Billion

No Health Insurance? It'll Cost You $30 Billion in Individual Health Insurance

According to a report from George Mason University and the Urban Institute, if you don’t have health insurance, you’ll spend a pretty penny on your health care.

In total, uninsured Americans will spend a total of roughly $30 billion on health care this year.

The federal government’s health care bills aren’t looking any better — care for the uninsured will cost the feds around $56 billion.

The George Mason/Urban Institute report comes out at the same time as a Census Bureau report that will show total health care spending in the U.S. is $2.2 trillion.

That’s 16.3% of the total U.S. gross domestic product, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The article also reported that health care spending could double in just a decade. If spending continues to increase at that rate, we might actually be in an undisputed health care crisis.

So which health insurance reform is going to work again?

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Universal Health Care in Massachusetts: The Flip Side

Universal Health Care in Massachusetts: The Flip Side in Individual Health Insurance

Yesterday, we posted on the successes of the universal health insurance mandate in Massachusetts: the number of uninsured residents way down and the number of emergency room visits are down.

But like just about everything else in the world, there’s a downside to every upside.

For Massachusetts’ health insurance law, the major downside is government spending.

According to a report from Moody’s Investors Service, Massachusetts is set to spend $869 million for the 2008 fiscal year.

That’s a 41 percent increase in costs from fiscal year 2007, reported Reuters.

“Costs related to [Massachusetts’]2007 health care reforms are increasing far more rapidly than initially projected,” said a Moody’s representative.

So it seems like these high costs should be factored in when measuring the success of the state’s universal health care.

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Good News For Universal Health Care In Massachusetts?

Good News For Universal Health Care In Massachusetts? in Individual Health Insurance

There’s been a lot of debate of whether or not the health insurance mandate in Massachusetts is doing any good.

Supporters of the law point to numbers, like those reported by the Boston Globe, that show a heavy increase of residents who have insurance.

According to report from the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, over two-thirds of residents who were uninsured in 2006 now have coverage.

The Globe article also reported that the state is actually saving millions of dollars because the number of emergency room visits has drastically gone down.

“This shows a cultural shift in public attitude, where people understand that as a community, by everyone getting health insurance, we are improving the health of everybody,” said Brian Rosman, research director for the consumer advocacy group, Health Care for All.

But critics of mandate laws say it significantly raises insurance premiums, reduces health care access, and relies on inefficient government bureaucracies to run health care.

Critics also argue that such laws make it more attractive for residents to hop on government coverage, rather than find a private health plan.

The report, however, showed something different.

Almost half of the newly insured Massachusetts residents got their coverage through an employer or found a plan in the individual market.

Still, costs for Commonwealth Care, the state-subsidized health care plan, are steadily increasing. The state has even asked for $11 billion in federal funds to help finance the plan over the next three years.

What’s your take on universal health care in Massachusetts?

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More Women Passing On Mammograms

More Women Passing On Mammograms in Individual Health Insurance

ORIGINAL POST: 1/24/08

A study conducted by Brown University and Harvard Medical School found when a copayment is required for a mammogram, many women between ages 65 and 69 years old with Medicare coverage do not get the screening for breast cancer.

The study’s results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Women with plans that required copayments for mammograms had an 8 percent lower rate of screening than women with full coverage, reported Medical News Today.

“The message is simple and it’s startling — a small copayment for a mammogram can lead to a sharp decrease in breast cancer screening rates,” said the lead author of the study, Amal Trivedi, M.D.

The study suggested even a $12 charge is a large enough barrier for women to skip mammograms.

“Eliminating copayments for mammograms in the Medicare program has the potential to save lives, because screening detects breast cancers at an earlier, more curable stage,” said Harvard professor and study co-author, John Ayanian, M.D.

But it’s important to make sure you go in for regular mammograms, recommends the National Institute of Cancer. Women over the age of 40 should go in for a mammogram once every 1 to 2 years. Younger women should also regularly do breast self-exams to check for lumps.

Breast cancer claims the lives for around 40,000 women in America, according the Mayo Clinic. And with the right preventive care and screening, women can make sure they catch it early. So, really, it is worth it to spend a few dollars to get screened.

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Poll Find Most Americans Want Health Care Change

Poll Find Most Americans Want Health Care Change in Individual Health Insurance

A new poll finds that a vast majority of Americans think the health care system in the U.S. is broken and needs broad change. [Read More]

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Cities Help Uninsured Residents Find Preventive Health Care

Cities Help Uninsured Residents Find Preventive Health Care in Individual Health Insurance

Health care officials in Sioux Falls, South Dakota are planning a program to help uninsured residents get access to low-cost or free preventive health care services. [Read More]

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More West Virginia Children Could Get Health Insurance

More West Virginia Children Could Get Health Insurance in Individual Health Insurance

Health officials in West Virginia recently approved a plan to expand the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. [Read More]

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Massachusetts Health Insurance Companies Will Cover Retail Clinic Visits

Massachusetts Health Insurance Companies Will Cover Retail Clinic Visits in Individual Health Insurance

A few of the largest health insurance companies in Massachusetts will offer their policyholders coverage in retail health care clinics in stores such as CVS and Walgreens. [Read More]

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States Get Federal Grants For High-Risk Health Insurance Pools

States Get Federal Grants For High-Risk Health Insurance Pools in Individual Health Insurance

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is handing out funds to help states’ high-risk health insurance pools expand coverage.  [Read More]

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Tennessee CoverKids Program Spreads The Word With Public School Flyers

Tennessee CoverKids Program Spreads The Word With Public School Flyers in Individual Health Insurance

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is promoting the CoverKids program for uninsured children by sending students home with a flyer. [Read More]

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Louisiana Health Insurance Companies Now Must Cover Care For Children’s Autism

Louisiana Health Insurance Companies Now Must Cover Care For Children’s Autism in Individual Health Insurance

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently signed a bill that requires insurance companies to cover autism in children. [Read More]

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North Carolina Begins Mental Health Parity

North Carolina Begins Mental Health Parity in Individual Health Insurance

This week, North Carolina health insurance companies will have to provide equal coverage for mental health conditions and physical conditions. And have a happy Fourth of July!

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