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Archive for January, 2010

The health story that had everyone’s attention at the beginning of the year was the threat of swine flu. We all watched as the threat level inched up to pandemic. Yet, although millions of people have caught this flu, only a few tens of thousand have died. But there is still interesting news about the pattern of deaths. The people most likely to die are young and, almost without exception, they are obese. Frankly, if you carry excess weight, this flu is a killer, which raises a more general question for you to chew on. No matter what you might choose to believe, the majority of people are overweight because of their lifestyles. They eat too much and exercise too little. So, the US is a country where individual liberty is the most important quality of life. It’s up to every one of us to take personal responsibility for what we do and the consequences of those actions. So what personal responsibility should we take for our own health? Further, if we are against big government, should people who do not take care of their health just be allowed to die if they do not have enough money to pay for health insurance?

The latest statistics show that, as a nation, we spend about 16% of the gross domestic product on health care. This includes the cost of medications and is double the average in countries around the world. But we are not a healthy nation. Counting the number of prescriptions fulfilled through real world pharmacies, we consume more sleeping pills and antidepressants per head of population than any other nation. That’s before we start guessing how many drugs are purchased on the internet. We are seriously overmedicated. The results are easy to see. Many drugs cause insomnia as an unintended side effect. So we all walk around like zombies and beg our doctors for relief. So now comes the difficult decision. Do you reduce the dosages of the drugs you are taking, or add ambien to the mixture to offset the side effects? The rational answer is to do without the first drug altogether. If it is interfering with your sleep and making you feel worse, you should stop taking it. Adding a second drug to balance out the side effects of the first is more expensive and potentially going to make you dependent on one or both drugs.

When there is very clear scientific evidence showing meditation and relaxation techniques as a completely effective treatment for insomnia, there should never be a need to take sleeping pills. People should go through the simple training program and emerge better able to control their sleep patterns. As a result, their general health will improve. But, as with everything, there are problems. The marketers have managed to convince the majority of us that drugs are the best form of treatment. We are taught to dismiss psychology as a waste of time. Worse, private health insurance often will not pay for the training sessions. At a time of recession, this leaves many with no choice. There is only enough to buy ambien and not enough to pay for training in something we do not trust.

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Once, the world was simple. If there were two opposites like either/or and day/night, it was easy to treat them as different and act accordingly. Then along came the idea of equality and some opposites were judged the same when it came to the treatment they deserved. At least, it’s now politically incorrect to suggest men and women should be treated differently. So the law imposes rules to prevent discrimination on the ground of sex (or gender if that is also different). Except that, when it comes to insurance, there are some very good reasons for treating men and women differently. Although the law may have changed, there are some fixed biological and cultural roles that seem permanently attached to women. We may now vote, own property and pursue our own careers, but we give birth and are expected to raise a family with the possibility of becoming a carer for elderly parents. In juggling between all these conflicting demands on our time, it’s easy to drop the ball of financial planning.

In a perfect world, we women would sit down calmly and set out a plan for our lives. This would list goals and some way to monitor progress so that, if we seem to be straying off track, we can steer back on course. There would be milestones: getting a job, saving for our own home, avoiding debt, planning a family. If our partner, children or parents come to depend on the income we bring into the household, we should think about insurance. How could we leave them without providing for them? If we are not a burden to them during our lives, we do not want to become a burden by leaving them. So we need enough coverage to clear the mortgage on the home, pay for the education of our children and buy in care for our parents. In this, it does not matter whether we are a single mother or one of a couple. Loss of our earning capacity affects everyone around us.

Then we come to the key difference. We live longer than men so the right life insurance policy is our way of saving for retirement. As we reach the end of our working lives, all the major debts should be paid off. Hopefully, we have made pension arrangements and can live simply. But there are always emergencies. In such cases, having a policy with a cash value or an investment element gives us a safety net. In the worst case, we can sell the policy for a lump sum. With the right policy, we can draw down cash or borrow against the anticipated benefits.

This need for long-term thinking means we should take extra care when getting life insurance quotes. We should cover the range of policy types. It may then be appropriate to talk to an independent agent or broker to get advice. The aim is to ensure we have the right level of coverage at an affordable premium during our lives with adequate protection for our retirement needs. Rising above the selfish needs, we can also think about the flexibility to provide cover for the family we leave behind. This may involve planning to increase the investment element as we grow older, or adding coverage to boost the benefits we leave behind at the end of a long life.

There is something deeply annoying when people in a particular trade or industry start using jargon and letters to talk to us. What is wrong with the English language? Why must they hide the meaning? Why do they believe we will be impressed? The insurance industry is one of the worst offenders. By the time the experts have finished describing the different health plans and the lawyers have wrapped everything in obscurity, we seem left with a take-it-or-leave it choice. They seem to be saying, “close your eyes, trust everyone has your interests to heart, and pick something out of the alphabet soup.” Well here is a quick tour through two of the most common plans to help you decide.

The essence of all plans is a definition of the healthcare professionals available to deliver the care should you need it. The wider the choice you have, the higher the premiums you will be required to pay. With a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), a group of healthcare providers contracts with an insurance company to deliver services to the policy holders. Because the insurance company guarantees a high volume of business to the group, the rate for the services is lower than usual and so the premium rates charged and copayments are also lower. Access to the services is controlled by a primary care physician. He or she will refer you on to other members of the group for different specialist services. If you want to go outside the group, you will have to pay the difference between the HMO rate and the actual cost of your own choice doctor. Although this is the cheapest form of plan, the lowness of the fees charged by the group encourages members to see as many patients as possible every day.

A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) also contracts with an insurance company, but the relationship is less restrictive and the rates are slightly higher. In this plan, you are free to choose any doctor within the group without having to get a referral. If you decide to see someone outside the group, you will have to pay the out-of-pocket expenses. Here, you are paying slightly more to have more control over your treatment options. So, for example, if your own doctor is not a member of an HMO, you would have to change. With a PPO, you can continue to see your own doctor.

All health insurance decisions are a balancing of costs and benefits. In this case, the choice between an HMO and PPO comes down to what you can afford and whether you prefer more control over the care you and your family receive. It is fair to say that the majority pick the cheaper option of an HMO and then complain about the restrictions. This does not mean the quality of the care is worse than in a PPO. It simply reflects most people’s preference to make their own informed decisions. Perhaps it is cynical but, whichever you pick, it is better than not having insurance. When the choice is offered through your employer, look carefully at the cost differences in copayments and out-of-pocket expenses. If you are paying privately, get the maximum number of health insurance quotes. When you see a wide range of offers, it is easier to find the best deal.

Washington likes acronyms when it comes to lawmaking and this new law is no exception. This is the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and this November sees it finally come into force. Because it affects both employers and the insurance industry, this has been a hard-fought change and was only signed into law last year. Now it should prevent you from obvious discrimination. Sadly, it does not rule out discrimination by backdoor means. If an employer overhears you talking at the water cooler or routinely surveys local news including the obituaries, it is legal to use this information. But, overall, you should find some improvement. It covers two different situations with the same type of result. Firstly, it prohibits employers from asking you to go through a genetic test or making genetic information the basis of deciding whether to hire, promote or fire you. Secondly, it prohibits insurers from testing or demanding genetic information about you or your family in deciding whether to offer you coverage, in setting the premium rate and level of the deductible, or continue the cover.

Let’s be completely clear. The law does not care who is asking for the information If it is going to be used for either purpose, the asking is unlawful. If this happens to you in an interview, it may pose a dilemma. If you cite the law and refuse to answer, the interviewer may think you a troublemaker with something to hide and not hire you. That you can complain to the local Department of Labor and take satisfaction in seeing a civil penalty imposed, this does not replace the offer of employment in these difficult economic times. The temptation to answer will be strong. But when it comes to insurance companies, you must stand up and assert your rights. If the insurer persists, report to your state’s Department of Insurance. This will put the insurers at risk of losing their license to sell policies in your state. This is a big stick to wave in defense of your rights. More importantly, the Department can order the insurers to offer you insurance on regular terms which protects you. Once employed, it’s just as important to stay alert. The operators of group health plans are known to offer incentives like lower premiums to employees who answer a questionnaire including questions about their family medical history. Obviously, insurers want to know if there is a risk of serious diseases like cancer. You might be more at risk if there is a history of cancer in your family.

The reason for the law is important. Genetic tests are increasingly important in diagnosis and deciding on the best treatment for medical problems. Too many patients were refusing these tests because they feared discrimination should their employers or health insurance companies learn of the results. The medical profession strongly supported this change in employment and insurance law. Doctors want to be able to make an accurate diagnosis which means using the best available tests. With this law in place, your rights should be protected. If you are considering a change in insurer, remember you cannot be discriminated against when the companies give you health insurance quotes. They must always be able to prove their quotes are close to the average for people of your age, gender and general social background. If you think you are being victimized, complain.

A viral infection is any bodily infection that is caused by a virus instead of being caused by bacterium. Unlike bacterium which can, and do, exist with or without a host, viruses are strictly parasitical and depend on hosts for their survival. In fact, bacteria too face infection from viruses and the bacteriophage is a type of staff infection that specifically targets bacteria as hosts as opposed to larger organisms. Since viruses are so small and relatively simple, they work by infecting and taking over other cells and turning them to reproducing the virus. The result is that viruses are very hard to fight medically because most of their constituent elements come from the host body, so anything that will kill the virus will also kill the host cells.

The most successful means of fighting viruses has been the use of vaccines. Dating back to ancient China, vaccination entails the introduction of dead or inert quantities of the virus as a preventative measure which allows the body to develop a immunological response to it. Then, when a live version of the virus is introduced, the body is prepared and can fight it off. The technique has proven to be successful, from stamping out major, life-threatening viral infections like small pox to your annual flu shots. The problem with vaccination is that it has to be done long before the body is infiltrated by live versions of the virus in order to be successful. Further, since viruses mutate and evolve very quickly, the vaccine inventors are constantly running to catch up with them, meaning that many viruses are simply immune to existing vaccines.

Much more recently has been the development of antiviral drugs. These are drugs that specifically target and kill in the infecting virus. The first antiviral drugs were developed in the 1960s, but the process was extremely slow and inefficient until the 1980s, once the DNA structure of viruses was mapped and studied. Once the scientists learned how the virus operated, they were able to develop the first fully effective antiviral drugs. However, since viruses evolve quickly and most of their substance comes from the host organism, trying to find the right part to attack, specifically those parts of the virus are exclusive to it and not the host, remains challenging. There are currently dozens of antiviral drugs available, but they are very specifically designed for specific viruses, unlike antibiotics that can kill a wide range of bacterium.

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People believe multivitamins are not necessary. This is a myth. The average person does not eat a healthy diet. Very few people consume foods daily that contain all the nutrients in the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). This is especially true for people with special nutritional needs such as pregnant women and older women.

Multivitamins are not necessary as a single vitamin supplement will work fine. This is a myth as well. Vitamins work in concert with each other. Many require the presence of another vitamin to be effective. A multivitamin is designed to contain every ingredient for each vitamins optimal performance. A multivitamin will also contain essential minerals that most single supplements do not. Taking enough single supplements to maintain the essential nutrients a body needs would be a very expensive proposition.

Multivitamins are expensive. This is also a myth. While multivitamins come is varying prices, a safe effective multivitamin is not expensive. They can be bought online at great savings. Multivitamins are very cost effective when compared to other preventative health measures. Taking a daily multivitamin can prevent serious health problems in the future including osteoporosis, certain cancers, and heart problems. These problems are very expensive to treat.

Taking extra multivitamins can cure an illness. This is a myth and dangerous as well. While many vitamins can be taken in excess of the RDA, a few may be dangerous in larger quantities. Extra vitamins cannot cure a disease. Multivitamins are for preventative measures only.

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Politics is endlessly surprising. The theory of democracy states the people have the power through the ballot box. The reality is slightly different with representative government. At preset intervals, the people have a say in who should represent their interests, and may vote on proposals and policy initiatives. This actually leaves them rather powerless. It’s the elected representatives who have a better control over events, in consultation with all the vested interests and power brokers who have influence behind the scenes. This is not to condemn the current system as broken or corrupt. As it stands, it does have the benefit of being very slow-moving. There is always passionate debate when big changes are proposed. This means changes are more likely to be made for the right reasons.

For example, take a look at California. Its voters approved a Proposition to prohibit insurance companies from relying excessively on zip codes when setting premium rates. The argument is simply made. If the character of a neighborhood shifts from respectable middle-class to a more rundown area occupied by blue collar workers and their families, the rates start to change. If the racial profile of the population also changes to become more Latino or African American, rates change again. These changes reflect the statistical likelihood that certain types of crime will become more common including property damage, vehicle theft and vandalization, and so on. As the claims from that area rise, those living there should pay more. Except this is penalizing people based on the accident of where they live. There is a big difference between increasing the premium because of a bad driving safety record and hiking the premium because the racial profile of his neighbors changed. So Californian voted to outlaw using zip codes to set rates. After years of struggle, this became law and Californian insurers continue to operate profitably. All their protests they would be forced out of business have been proved a worthless gambit.

Now Michigan is threatening to go further. The Board of State Canvassers has approved a petition for a ballot initiative to reform insurance practice in Michigan. If the supporters get 300,000 signatures, this will go to a vote in 2010. The headline is a promise to reduce the premiums of all insurance products by 20% and, by a shift to personal risk assessment, reduce auto insurance premiums by a further 20%. Just imagine – premiums for good drivers drop by 40%. Taken as a whole, the law would be used to prohibit insurers from relying on irrelevant factors like the zip code and credit scores.

Instead, risk would be assessed on the personal characteristics of each individual policy holder. To make all this work, the insurance commissioner would be given sweeping new powers to instruct companies to reduce excessive premiums, to reinstate policies unfairly cancelled, etc. The supporters of this initiative have a raft of proposals to improve consumer protection, boost competition and eliminate unfair business practices. So between now and the vote, let’s all watch the auto insurance quotes. Insurers might try to increase the rates now so that, when ordered to reduce them in the future, they keep their profits. The unlikely alternative is the insurers reduce premiums to buy off the voters. Even with such a public bribe, the best guess is the voters will see their own self-interest and vote for the cuts.

One of the big dilemmas for any country’s government when it bails out a business deemed “too big to fail” is how far it should go in managing that business. There is a temptation to actually start calling the shots whenever this is seen as necessary to protect the interests of the taxpayers whose money is bailing out the company. For example, if tax dollars are propping up a bank that has lent hundreds of millions to home buyers, should the government tell the bank to take a less aggressive approach to foreclosures? You only have to look at the public anger when top executives in these businesses started awarding themselves big bonuses, claiming their performance as managers justified these rewards.

The insurance industry in Michigan is up in arms so there must be something good for consumers happening there. The Property Casualty Insurance Association of America is leading the fight against a threatened attack on their members’ profits. The Board of State Canvassers in Michigan has just approved a petition for ballot in 2010. Despite the fact the insurance industry has remained profitable, paid its taxes and maintained its employment levels, the petition’s supporters allege insurers have been making excessive profits during one of the worst recessions in the last century. If the voters back the initiative, the legislature will be empowered to produce a number of direct limits on the way the industry assesses risk and sets the premium rates. The headline to sell this to the voters is genuinely eye-catching. The aim is to cut premiums on all insurance types across the board by 20%. Because drivers have been claiming that premium increases have been victimizing them, the initiative adds a further 20% cut for the best drivers. This shifts the risk profiling approach from the current factors such as zip code, credit score, marital status, etc., to factors directly assessing the driving skills of the individual drivers such as the driving safety record, the number of tickets issued, and so on.

The petition also acknowledges the insurance industry is likely to try to manipulate rates so there are a number of specific consumer protection or fair trade limits to be applied by the state’s insurance commissioner. He would reduce premiums thought excessive, prohibit insurers from cancelling the policies of those who complain, and so on. With some cheap auto insurance premiums potentially falling by 40%, the industry is alarmed. There are dire predictions of insolvency. So in the run-up to the voting, it will be interesting to see how the insurers react. If the auto insurance quotes rise fast in the next six months so that a forced reduction will be less painful, the voters will see greed and vote accordingly. But a fall in the quoted rates will produce some interesting politics.

Ensure proper protection for your home

People often underestimate the importance of flood insurance coverage until it’s actually needed. The important aspect about flood insurance is to realize that even if your mortgage lender does not necessarily require you to carry this type of coverage with your home insurance policy, it doesn’t mean that your house isn’t at risk of flood damage. The information provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency concludes that 25-30% of overall flood damage is delivered to areas with low to moderate risk ratings. And in case you don’t have flood coverage you may end up having so much to pay for that it would be easier to buy a new house. In order to avoid such losses all it takes from you is getting flood coverage.

Evaluate your risk

Everyone risk having flood damage to different extent. Some of us live at the coast with routine floods and hurricanes. Others dwell inland but rivers, lakes and dams still make up a risk of damaging your house. FEMA provides homeowners with special maps that have risk scores accredited to all areas in the country, including several factors that can make an area more likely to have flood damage than another. Still, you have to keep in mind that although such maps are pretty accurate, they don’t provide a 100% guarantee that there won’t be any floods in an area which is denoted as to be risk-free. There are many factors that the specialist at FEMA just can’t predict and in case the flood comes it will really help having adequate coverage for your property.

Get insurance quotes

Before you actually buy flood insurance coverage for your house it is better to get multiple quotes to learn what is the competition in your area. Try to get as many quotes from different providers licensed for working in your state, because they can differ quite well from one another. Sometimes you can have quotes differing twofold for the exact same location and property. So try to learn the competition before enhancing your homeowners insurance policy with additional flood coverage.

Buy the policy

So you found a nice quote for homeowners insurance flood coverage? Well, now you have two options. First is working with your insurance agent to make all the arrangements. It is a good option if you have chosen to get the flood coverage from the same company that’s providing you with home insurance. In this case you can also opt for a discount, especially if you have auto or health insurance with this company too. Another way is to go with an online vendor. Online insurance sites are not only great for getting free homeowners insurance quotes but actually getting the policy. It usually requires filling out an online application form that will be sent directly to the insurance company. And if you are approved you will be notified personally. A great option for those who want to get flood coverage without the hassle of contacting insurance company representatives.