Though health insurance is important for any and all Americans to have, it is especially important in the state of California. California is one of the leading states with businesses that do not provide health insurance benefits for their employees. Many jobs in California are based on the W9 form rather than the W-2 form, which makes the employee personally and fully responsible for all health insurance benefits.

High Competition

However, California health insurance is one of the most competitive markets in the health-insurance industry, precisely because the insurance companies are competing for the plans of individuals rather than large corporations. And although California had one of the largest health insurance rate increases in the recent premium debacle, the fees were one of the lowest in the nation to begin with, especially for cities and metropolitan areas with comparable populations.

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Many Options

California health insurance also has many different types of plans for different situations. California is one of the best states when it comes to the sheer volume of plans that are available or people of different demographics. This is done because the insurance companies can provide better services as well as create profit the more segregated each of the demographics are that it serves.

However, the fact that the health insurance companies in California are making more profit from segmentation is nothing for the individual health insurance buyer to worry about. As a matter of fact, this is part of the reason why insurance rates in California are able to stay so low, and individuals who receive services from their health insurance plans are much more covered than those people in other states.

California also has many laws which require insurance companies to pay out for injuries and preventive services that many other states do not. Overall, the health-insurance industry in California is one of the best in the nation, and one in which you can get a health insurance policy that is specific to your needs, whether you are an individual or you have a family to take care of. There are also many more companies in California that offer health insurance than in any other part of the nation, giving customers a much wider variety of plans to choose from, as well as competition to drive the prices of healthcare insurance premiums down to the lowest in the nation.

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According to a report from the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee, a record number of Americans lacked health insurance in 2010. United States Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., chairs the committee, which issued the report on September 13. The percentage of Americans who have health insurance is at its lowest point since 1987, when researchers began to collect the data.

Percent uninsured

The report states that in 2010, 49.9 million Americans, or 16.3 percent of the population, lacked health insurance. The percentage of Americans without coverage has increased by 1.6 percent since 2007.

Private coverage

According to the report, the number of Americans with private insurance coverage has steadily decreased since 2000. Job losses during the recession have resulted in 8.3 million fewer Americans with employment-related health insurance. Between 2008 and 2010, the percentage of Americans with job-based health insurance dropped from 58.9 to 55.3 percent. In 2010, 20.2 million full-time employees and 7.8 million part-time employees lacked health insurance. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of direct purchases of private health insurance increased from 9.6 to 9.8 percent of the American population.

Public coverage

The percentage of Americans with public health insurance increased by 1.7 percent, or 7.4 million people, between 2008 and 2010. In 2010, 31 percent of the American population had public health insurance coverage, such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Young adults

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 1.6 percent more young adults had health insurance coverage in 2010 than in 2009. Since September 2010, a provision has allowed 19- to 25-year-olds to retain dependent status for health insurance purposes. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of insured adults in this age group increased by 29.7 percent.

Children

One in 10 American children lacks health insurance coverage; however, 571,000 more children had health insurance coverage in 2010 than in 2007. Between 2007 and 2010, the number of children enrolled in Medicaid increased by 5.1 million, and the number of children enrolled in CHIP increased by 608,000. In 2010, 3.4 million fewer American children had private coverage than in 2007.

Minorities

The percentage of Hispanic Americans without health insurance decreased from 33.1 percent in 2006 to 30.7 percent in 2010, but the percentage of African Americans without coverage increased from 18.6 percent to 20.8 percent between 2007 and 2010. Minorities are less likely to have health insurance than white people.

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If you have not purchased affordable health insurance plans for families, it’s high time that you get yourself acquainted with the various policies. Affordable health insurance plans for families do exist and they don’t necessarily cost as much as you might think, contrary to several misconceptions.

Premiums

You may think that having to pay a premium every month is a waste of money as there is no visible returns. However, as unwilling as we are to face the fact, we are not immune to accidents and illnesses. While we certainly hope that we won’t have the chance to rely on insurance coverage, they could be a great help to relieve financial burden of medical fees if crises do occur.

Deductibles

When purchasing family health insurance, it is crucial to fully understand the type of deductibles that apply to the policy. Some policies have separate deductibles for doctor visits and surgical procedures. The rest have deductibles based on a per visit basis. These can create confusion to the buyer and you ought to seek clarification with your insurance agent to avoid any misunderstanding and conflict when there are claims to be made.

Use an Agent

Usually, your agent can tailor the family health insurance to your needs and budget. There are different kinds of hospitalization coverage that can be included in the package along with medical and outpatient services. It is best to discuss with your agent to ensure a comprehensive insurance plan is created to cover most, if not all aspects.

Travel Overseas

An often neglected aspect of coverage buyers will take note of is whether coverage exists if the family travel overseas. Different insurance companies have different policies regarding this issue so do your research carefully. Having a comprehensive insurance plan allows you and your family to have a peace of mind knowing that they have got themselves covered if anything happens.

Negotiate

The topic of premium rates is usually a sensitive discussion. Besides trying to negotiate for an affordable premium rate, it will be ideal for families to actively participate in activities that can help themselves earn health credits to offset premium costs. This is a win-win situation for both parties. Insurance companies raise awareness of the importance of healthy lifestyle among the policy holders in the hope of reducing costs, while policy holders get to enjoy a rebate off their premiums.

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In today’s economy thousands of people are for the first time feeling the effects of having no health insurance and no way to pay for basic health care. Regular medical check-ups are essential to maintain good health. Getting medical and dental exams helps identify problems early. If there is an issue that needs to be treated, especially life threatening conditions like cancer, early detection is the best protection. Unfortunately those who live in poverty often cannot get the most basic health care. Poverty and healthcare don’t mix well in a society where anyone who goes to a doctor’s office is told to pay first or show an insurance card before getting past the receptionist.

Lack of Health Care

The issue of poverty and health care reaches deep. Families with small children, recent high school or college graduates and others are competing for the few jobs that have decent health insurance. Add to that the fact that many companies are hiring only part-time employees or temporary workers. These positions usually come with limited or no benefits. If health insurance is available, it takes a big chunk of an employee’s take-home pay. This discourages these workers for signing up for insurance. The problem with poverty and health care is that when a health issue is not addressed before it gets serious, it will eventually have to be addressed. At this point treatment may be much more expensive. Usually an individual will receive some type of care, and when he or she cannot pay, someone else will. People who have health insurance may see spikes in their premiums and more tax money is needed to pay for indigent persons.

Financial Hard Times

Those who are in the poverty and health care trap need a workable solution. Many people fall on financial hard times through not fault of their own. Layoffs, personal or family illness, death of a spouse, or divorce are all situations that can cast some into the pool of uninsured or under insured persons who have little resources to take care of their health. There are solutions that will address the issue. Health education classes that teach people how to eat well and engage in other healthy behaviors can go along way in preventing disease and disability. Health education is a low-cost way to help people stay healthy. Regular check-ups that help people identify health problems before costly treatment is necessary is another way to avoid serious illness. Low-cost or free screenings can help identify problems when they are easier and less costly to treat.

 photo credit: kenteegardin

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Scientists in the United Kingdom are preparing for work on important international trials to determine the effectiveness as well as the safety of using stem cells to halt, slow or reverse spinal cord and brain damage in individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis. This work is possible thanks to £1 million awarded by the UK Stem Cell Foundation and the MS Society.

A great number of scientists feel this unprecedented international collaboration will dramatically lessen the timetable for determining if stem cells are an effective and safe way to treat multiple sclerosis.

The MS Society released a statement on July 29, stating that the funding is for three studies within the international trials conducted during these UK studies. One will investigate the effects of using autologous mesenchymal stem cells as a type of immunotherapy to inhibit and possibly reverse neurological decline in relapse remitting multiple sclerosis.

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A collaborative phase two study, the trial will encompass one hundred fifty to two hundred patients with multiple sclerosis from all around the world, including the United States, Italy, Canada as well as the UK. Dr. Paolo Muraro of Imperial College London will act as the study leader for the trial, which will be held in Edinburgh and London in the United Kingdom.

Along with his colleagues, Dr. Muraro is going to collect bone marrow stem cells from thirteen different multiple sclerosis patients. Then, the stem cells will be grown in the lab and injected back into the same thirteen patients. To sum it up, the patients are going to be receiving a huge boost of their own stem cells.

Scientists conducting these trials have hope that the stem cells will travel up to the patient’s brain where it will begin to repair damage from multiple sclerosis. This even includes active lesions.

photo credit: kaibara87

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The major health insurance companies in the nation are heading into their third year of record profits. Such profits have been supplemented in the past few months by a recessionary mindset that is lingering among Americans, leading many to forego or postpone health care. One of the biggest commercial insurance providers, UnitedHealth Group, reported to analysts that so far in 2011, in some instances insured hospital stays have decreased. Another major insurance company, Cigna, also recently reported a low level of medical use.

High Insurance Policy Premiums

However, insurance companies continue to campaign for higher policy premiums, although their reserve coffers are even with profits and the shareholders have been awarded new dividends. Several defend the proposed rate increases, claiming there is a need for protection against an abrupt increase in demand when people have more money for health care expenses in addition to rising health care costs.

Even with sluggish economic recovery, health care professionals claim several people remain incredibly budget conscious, indicating the likelihood of a major change in American health care.

A family practitioner in rural Tennessee, Dr. Jim King said, “I am noticing my patients with insurance are more interested in costs.” He also said, “Gas prices are going up, food prices are going up. They are deciding to put some of their health care off.” For example, a patient may put off seeking the care that they need from a specialist whose office is fifty mile away because they do not want to or cannot afford to pay for the gas to get there.

However, King claims that patients are actually beginning to consider their needs more. Less are asking for MRIs just because they have a bad headache. Dr. King said, “People are realizing that this is my money, even if I’m not writing a check.”
photo credit: homesbythomas

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