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Health Care

Health Care Statistics in the United States

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Health Insurance

  • The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system. Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences
  • In 2010, the percentage of Americans without health insurance was 16.3%, or 49.9 million uninsured people. Source: US Census Bureau
  • Of the 83.7% of people with health insurance in 2010, coverage was 55.3% employment-based, 9.8% direct-purchase, and 31.0% government funded (Medicare, Medicaid, Military). (Overlap reflects coverage by more than one type of health insurance). Source: US Census Bureau
  • The primary reason given for lack of health insurance coverage in 2005 was cost (more than 50%), lost job or a change in employment (24%), Medicaid benefits stopped (10%), ineligibility for family insurance coverage due to age or leaving school (8%). Source: National Center for Health Statistics
  • More than 40 million adults stated that they needed but did not receive one or more of these health services (medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses) in 2005 because they could not afford it. Source: National Center for Health Statistics Continue reading Health Care Statistics in the United States →
Health Care

Help! I Need Affordable Health Insurance

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The statistics are startling when it comes to the amount of uninsured Americans. So what do you do if you don’t have a job and can’t get affordable health insurance – either individually or for your family? Or if you have a job but still cannot afford the health insurance offered by an employer? There are options for finding more affordable health insurance.

There are low cost health insurance options out there that, in fact, many Americans have already implemented and are beating the rising battle against being uninsured.

Top 10 Ways to Find Affordable Health Insurance

1. COBRA

A good place to start looking for affordable health insurance is with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). If you are not employed you may be eligible to continue your previous employers’ health insurance through COBRA. This also applies to children going off to college… you may be able to continue on your parent’s insurance coverage through COBRA. This is a good option for people who may have lost their job and are still undergoing medical treatments. WARNING! This will not be an affordable health insurance option. The premiums will be much higher. It is best to gather all your available health insurance options first and then pick the best health insurance plan for you.

2. Worker’s Compensation Insurance

Sometimes, you don’t need to look far for affordable health insurance. Many people don’t realize that they may be covered under their state’s Workers’ Compensation program. If you are being treated for any work related injury, your employer must offer you treatment under their Workers’ Compensation program.

3. Medicaid

Medicaid is often overlooked as an affordable health insurance option. Some think if have a job, they won’t qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid will pay health care expenses for low-income families and individuals. Each state sets the eligibility requirements. If you are working and still don’t have enough to buy affordable health insurance, it doesn’t cost you to see if you or your children qualify for Medicaid, so it is always best to check Medicaid first before moving on to the next options. And, there is good news about Medicaid… more states are adding health care benefits for low-income families so if you don’t qualify now, keep informed of your state’s Medicaid and health insurance laws because you may qualify in the future.

4. Medicare

Most people know if they qualify for Medicare or not, but I need to add it to the list just to make sure it is not overlooked as an affordable health insurance choice. Medicare is provided by the government and administered by the Social Security Administration. If you are sixty-five years old or older you would qualify for Medicare. You may also qualify if you are getting Social Security disability benefits.

5. State High Risk Health Insurance Pool

If you are turned down by individual health insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions, your state may have a high risk health insurance pool you can obtain health insurance from. It may not be an affordable health insurance choice, but it may be the only individual or family health insurance option available to you that will pay for your pre-existing conditions if you don’t qualify for COBRA (see #1 of this list).

6. Individual and Family Health Insurance

This affordable health insurance option is fairly simple: you just go to an insurance company and buy individual or family health insurance the same way you would by home or auto insurance. These plans work similar to what an employer would offer their employees but would be more expensive since you don’t get the cheaper group rate and you would not have an employer contributing to some of the costs. Another drawback of individual and family health insurance plans is that there is usually a pre-existing conditions clause (they may not cover pre-existing conditions or may not cover them until after a certain period of time) and a medical exam.

7. High Deductible Health Plan

High deductible health plans are becoming a popular affordable health insurance option. Say someone did decide to cover their basic doctor’s visits and prescriptions out-of-pocket, but wanted the assurance of knowing that if they did need major medical care, such as for a surgery or disease, that they were covered. A high deductible health plan would do just that. It is designed to only “kick-in” after the out-of-pocket expenses (the doctor’s visits, prescriptions, ect.) reach the deductible, which is higher than a normal insurance plan. Using a health insurance plan such as this has a lower premium because the deductible is higher.

8. Short Term Health Insurance Coverage

This is a great affordable health insurance option for someone in-between jobs or who knows they will be starting a job soon. Short-term health insurance coverage works the same as an individual health insurance policy (see #6 above), but you will only be covered for a specific amount of time which would keep your premiums down. This is also a good option for someone who needs time to examine their individual and family health insurance choices but still would like to be covered quickly to avoid any coverage gaps. Continue reading Help! I Need Affordable Health Insurance →

Ask and Answer

Are there any good tips to losing weight?

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Ask:

i DONT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING. i would just like to know some good tips to losing weight fast. ive got a treadmill, im open minded to anything , i stay positive, and i DONT want to do anything unhealthy to my body. if DIETING is a big part of it, i will do it. but i just need some help. anything exercises anyone could recommend?

Answer:

We all have wellness goals we want to reach, and we all know what we need to do to reach them. But sometimes success isn’t a matter of knowledge and desire; it’s a matter of motivation. See if any of these thoughts sound familiar:

“I was very excited to stick to my meal plan the first couple weeks, but after a while I lost my drive.”

“If I don’t see results right away, I get discouraged and stop exercising.”

“It’s too hard to be good when my end goal seems so far away.”

Getting discouraged with your results or disinterested with your goals is natural. But there are some simple, effective ways to overcome this discouragement and stay motivated.

1. TRACK PROGRESS
You’ve got an end goal in sight. In order to reach that goal−you need to designate steps along the way. Small goals. In order to do this effectively you need to track your progress.

There are many numbers, figures, and indicators that you can choose to track. The most obvious one, of course, is weight. But reaching your wellness goals isn’t just about shedding pounds. Other factors, like the inches on your waist and arms, your BMI, your cholesterol, your heart rate when exercising, and your blood pressure can be important to
track as well.

Keep track of your progress in a journal. You can create a section for measurements of your upper arms, chest, waist, hips, and thighs. You can also log your weight, vital statistics, and exercise. Nothing makes this easier than VFL.com. Make a note when you improve in an area. Check back on your old scores often, and remind yourself of the improvements you make. Any progress—great or small—is cause for celebration.

2. REWARD YOURSELF
Looking good, feeling great, and staying healthy are all great rewards for reaching your wellness goals. But sometimes you need to give yourself a little more incentive to help you along the way. Having small rewards set up for reaching milestones is a great way to keep yourself focused and motivated.

Set milestones for yourself, and have a reward set up for each time you reach them. Here are a few milestone ideas to get you started:

every five pounds you lose
every inch you lose off your waist
extra time or weight added to your workout
It is best to have your goals and rewards set out ahead of time and written down. Keep them posted in a conspicuous place that you see every day. This will keep them in the front of your mind and will help you see your progress towards your reward.

And make sure your rewards are healthy ones. Going out for steak and sundaes after you’ve reached a weight loss milestone is probably not a good idea. You want to steer clear of food rewards that are not on track with your meal plan. Instead, buy yourself a new outfit, go shopping for a new CD, play an extra round of golf, or get a massage. There are plenty of healthy rewards you can give yourself for reaching these smaller goals on your way to total physical wellness. Continue reading Are there any good tips to losing weight? →