When is a doctor not a doctor? When is a clinic not a clinic? All questions of this type sound a little nonsensical. You can check whether someone has a degree and the credentials to be a doctor. Similarly, you always rely on a doctor in a clinic to diagnose and treat your medical condition. Right? Well, not necessarily. Here’s a slightly different question for you. Suppose a nurse works in a hospital for years and has vast experience in dealing with certain types of medical problem. You have that problem and are lying in a bed when this nurse gets in an argument with an intern – that’s a new medical graduate going through supervised training. The nurse effectively tells the doctor-to-be he has made a mistake. Whose judgement do you trust?

In other countries, experienced nurses are trusted to make limited diagnoses and prescribe some drugs. This allows urgent treatment to be given. If a consultant has to be summoned to confirm the treatment, this delay could be dangerous to health. In America, doctors are careful to protect their status and reputation. There are also medical malpractice implications if nurses are allowed to assume responsibility for critical parts of the treatment regime. It’s therefore interesting to observe the spread of medical clinics in drugstores and other retail environments. As an example, the Minute Clinic chain has more than 600 outlets in 24 states. These clinics are staffed by family nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Why should they have become so popular? Continue reading →

As and when 2014 comes along, we may be looking at mandatory health coverage. That’s all rather uncertain given all the cases that are lining up to attract the attention of the Supreme Court. So instead of guessing what the final decision will be, let’s focus on the here and now. As children, we shelter on our parent’s health plans and policies. Except, of course, these have become increasingly unaffordable for the poor and self-employed. Even employers have been feeling the pinch and pass on some of the cost to their employees. It’s tough out there right now. But when you start to grow up, there are decisions to be made. The health plans offered by many employers allow dependents to stay on the plan up to around 26 years old. This actually varies by state. Some actually allow employers to go up to 30 years old but this is a small minority. So, keeping this real, there’s a good case for leeching on your parent’s plan or policy for the maximum possible number of years. But not every parent is insured. Continue reading →

A theory is always a wonderful thing. Everyone can look at it and admire it. Except, when it comes to applying it, people can suddenly realize that theories don’t always work so well in the real world. Here we are with one of those swings and roundabouts situations. Ask any insurer and, when it comes to driving, they will all sing the same tune. Women drivers are the safest on the roads. That means they earn the maximum discounts and generally have the lowest premium rates. But, when it comes to health, all the statistical evidence is reversed. Women are the first through the doors of their regular healthcare provider’s door, they make the highest demands on hospital time and have more drugs prescribed to them (although whether they take them all is a different question). So how should equality work when it comes to insurance? More importantly, should there be laws requiring insurers to avoid discrimination on the ground of sex?

Well, let’s start with the theory of insurance. We gather a group of people, all of whom face the same risks, and we share the cost of all the losses among all the members of the group. Since not everyone suffers a loss, this works out cheaper for everyone. So, if we group all drivers together, the good drivers who never get into an accident subsidize the bad drivers. Hmmm. Well, that doesn’t seem very fair does it? If people have no price incentive to drive well, why should they bother? Or, if the price of insurance keeps going up, does this not encourage bad drivers to improve? So the theory breaks down in practice because, although we want to spread the cost of the losses around the group, we do want to use price to influence driving behavior. That means women drivers pay less than men. When it comes to health, the same reasoning applies to justify men paying significantly less than women. Men never complain about their health unless the pain is too much to ignore. Fewer claims means lower premiums. Continue reading →

The new healthcare reform bill will completely change how health insurance works in the United States by 2014. Here are just a few highlights:

• In 2014, not only will most adults be required to carry health insurance but insurance companies will not be allowed to decline coverage based on pre-existing conditions. While this could be viewed as a great change in the way health insurance works in this country, it is unknown how it will affect health insurance rates. By having the requirement that all citizens be covered, insurers have a better chance to spread the risk that they take on by approving all applicants, but it is unknown if this spread of the risk will be enough or if rates will need to increase substantially. Continue reading →

There are two major types of health insurance that consumers can choose from, a PPO plan or an HMO plan and you’ll run into both of these when you get your health insurance quotes. Today we are going to talk about the PPO plan.

PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization. A PPO plan is an insurance policy that allows you to seek medical treatment from a designated provider who is a part of a network of providers and medical treatment facilities that was created by the insurer. Everyone within the network agrees to work for a certain price. If you have a coinsurance amount in the plan, then this agreement to work for a certain price can help you keep your out-of-pocket costs affordable.
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There are many different aspects of your health and habits that are taken into consideration when you have a health insurance policy underwritten. These factors work together to create the general risk that you life presents to the insurance company. It is not until all these factors are considered that your insurer can determine whether or not to issue your policy and what premiums to charge. Here are some of the main factors that health insurance underwriters consider when reviewing your health insurance application for approval.

Your medications: The medications you take give a tremendous insight not only on the prior events of your health history, but also on what your doctor thinks might be in the future. For instance, you might not have had a heart attack yet but if your doctor has you on a cholesterol medication, then it is likely that he or she thinks you may be at risk for one in the future. That indicates to a health insurance underwriter that you could be a risky bet.
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You cannot be sure that you’ve gotten the best health insurance coverage unless you understand health insurance terminology. Here are some of the most commonly used terms in the health insurance industry.

COBRA: The Act that allows for continuation of group coverage for a limited time after you leave the group.

Co-insurance: The amount you must pay for treatment after copayments and deductibles.

Copayment: The fixed amount that you must pay out-of-pocket for physician visits, medical procedures and prescription medications.
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The great temptation whenever you start shopping around is to assume you can afford to buy whatever you are looking for. It comes from those long-lost days when credit card companies would write you every month with good news about your borrowing limits. You were tempted into more debt, but it meant never really having to worry about whether you could afford to buy. The additional money would simply be added on to your overall debts.

Now the credit crunch has settled in as your permanent house guest, it’s a good idea to start doing a real set of accounts to keep track of your family’s spending. Why bother, you ask? The number of foreclosed property up and down your streets, the number of business shuttered on Main Street, should give you a clue. People who hope for the best when trying to live beyond their means usually come unstuck. Now’s the time to count the dollars and cents. When you are employed, you know exactly how much money you have coming in every month. When you are self-employed, your income is likely to go up and down, making it more difficult to budget. The best you can do is average the monthly income over the last twelve months. Now let’s list the main headings.
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You have definitely heard much about Health Information Technology lately with numerous politicians and organization advocating for the introduction of a whole nation-wide Health IT system. While it sure sounds very progressive not everyone understands what it is all about and what are the benefits of introducing such a system for separate individuals. Do not worry, this is the place to find about more about Health IT!

What Health Information Technology is all about?
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There’s much debate around the healthcare system reform proposed by President Barack Obama. And while there are many people who protest against it, and those who support it, it is important to know what it is all about in the first place. Here is a short overview of the reform, which is comprised of three essential parts:

1. Assure all American citizens with access to comprehensive and affordable health coverage
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