Barack Obama’s ambitious health care plan is fairly simple and straightforward. His plan seeks to dramatically and swiftly increase the number of people that have medical insurance. He insists that this plan will save the typical American family approximately $2500 in annual costs. Since the average Ohio premium is less than most other states, savings to Ohio residents may average less than $2500.The plan is designed to give the federal government more control over medical decisions and dollars, a major difference from the current decentralized system of employer-based insurance and state-based insurance regulation. Here in Ohio, insurers have been effectively held in check by the Ohio Department of Insurance. This, however, is not the case in many other states.The Obama PlanMany parts of the Obama plan resemble initiatives from the Clinton health plan of 1994 and the Kerry Health plan of 2004.Essentially, Obama’s plan is divided into three sections:1. Modernizing the US system to lower costs and improve quality2. Promoting prevention and strengthening public health3. Quality, portable and affordable health coverage for every personThe “Savings”The $2500 in savings will come from health care reform, using some of the following initiatives:*Making medical insurance universal, which may reduce spending on uncompensated care.*Improving management and prevention of chronic conditions.*Increasing insurance industry competition and reducing underwriting costs and profits.*Providing reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, which will reduce insurance premiums.Shifting Cost BurdenWhile all of these ideas are feasible, the underlying theme seems to be simply shifting some of the cost burden from the private sector to the government. And of course, much more control of our dollars and decisions would come from Washington D.C and not Anthem or UnitedHealthCare.The plan will actually compete directly with Ohio private insurance companies in a “National Health Insurance Exchange.” The federal government (not health insurance carriers) would determine the quality of benefits that Americans would receive. And these new rules would apply to both the new national health plan and all participating private health plans.Preventative Coverage Would Be EmphasizedObama’s health care plan will encourage “healthy lifestyles” with specific emphasis on wellness. Employer wellness programs will be increased, and cafeterias and vending machines in the workplace may see healthier food.School-based screening programs may increase along with increased support for physical education.For Ohio individuals and families, the Obama plan would require preventative services on many federally-supported programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. One benefit may be possible discounts to on insurance premiums for enrollment in wellness and prevention programs.Currently, some Ohio individual health insurance policies offer a similar discount, such as Anthem’s Lumenos Health Incentive Account (HIA).Ohio Group Health InsuranceEmployer-based health insurance would radically change under the Obama plan. Here in Ohio, both small and large employers are able to choose among many different plans for their employees. The Obama plan would force employers to offer a specific level of health benefits to their employees or pay a tax to finance a national health program. Currently, the amount of provided health benefits and the size of the tax have not been specifically discussed.Perhaps the best and most economical plan for Ohio residents would be a concept already in place… HSAs (Health Savings Accounts). Thus, instead of imposing a top-down change on the health care system, it would seem to be prudent to transfer direct control of medical dollars to individuals and families. This would allow Americans to choose their own health plans and benefits, while making companies compete directly for consumer’s dollars by providing a real value to patients.All of this could be accomplished by specific tax and regulatory changes designed to utilize the power of free-market competition. Health care spending could be reduced, preventative treatment could be emphasized and portability could be promoted. Reforming the tax treatment of health insurance and aiding employers that help their employees buy health insurance would help quite a bit.For now, Ohio health insurance rates are remarkably low compared to many other states. There are many reputable insurance companies that offer a wide array of policies, including Health Savings Accounts. That shouldn’t change much for the next two years. In 2011, things might change… hopefully, for the better.
Barack Obama’s Health Care Plan
Denied Individual Health Insurance Coverage? Reasons For Health Insurance Coverage to Be Denied
What should you do if you have been denied health insurance coverage? What options do you have if you have been denied individual health insurance coverage? What are some of the common reasons that health insurance coverage can be denied?In a nutshell, if you have been rejected individual health insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions then you should first of all shop around and compare rates from multiple companies. After all, different health insurance companies have different underwriting guidelines and just because you have been denied coverage with one company does not necessarily mean that the next company will do the same. Having the services of an experienced independent health insurance agent at a time like this is a definite plus.If for any reason you are rejected from receiving health insurance by a company, you may also want to try to look for companies that don’t require you to answer questionnaires, or even better go for some that can give you at least a little coverage for a low-cost – this is a last option though as almost all individual plans that do not have medical underwriting are really just discount plans in disguise and will not give the coverage that a true major medical comprehensive health insurance plan will.Some states (29 to be exact) have what are called high risk pools. These were created to serve those people that are considered medically uninsurable or those that are described as a “high risk” for the insurance companies. What these pools do is give those people that have been turned down an opportunity of having health insurance. With a high risk pool you will never be turned down for any reason and the best part is that it will help you pay for large medical costs.There are however, a bunch of things that might be viewed as disadvantages to the customer deciding whether or not to consider a high risk pool. Some of the disadvantages include that the state can terminate your coverage if there is legislation against it, there are usually long waiting lists, the cost is much higher than private health insurance plans and you can lose eligibility if you move or if you start receiving Medicare and Medicaid. If you want to know if your state is one of the 29 that offer “high risk” pools or for more contact information to enroll in one of them then you should speak with a health insurance broker local to your state. Again, keep in mind that a high risk pool should be one of the last options that you consider.With the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) passed in the year 1996, new doors were opened for the people that weren’t able to qualify for private individual health insurance. Within this act a law was passed that states that a person cannot be denied health insurance for any reason if they decide to join a group health plan. This means that if you have a job with an employer that offers group health insurance coverage, more than likely you won’t be denied coverage. The only way in which coverage wont be given to a person in the even that they seek group health insurance, is in the event that you do not meet the eligibility requirements of your employer.Some of those eligibility requirements could be the total number of hours you work per week and whether you have a salaried or an hour employee. It is of note to highlight that group health plans may refuse to cover a person with pre-existing conditions; however if you have at least 12 months of continuous creditable coverage, a group plan will not be able to deny you insurance due to pre-existing conditions.This doesn’t mean that if you have had health insurance in the past and you have a pre-existing condition you are covered. If you have had a break in coverage (lapse in coverage) and you apply for group coverage you will be given an exclusion period. During this exclusion period the insurer will not pay for any treatment or doctor visits related to your pre-existing conditions, instead you will be responsible for all unrelated treatment.The HIPAA laws also dictate that individual health insurance coverage must be issued on a guaranteed issue basis (everyone is approved) and all pre-existing conditions are covered if someone meets 6 criteria. These 6 HIPAA health insurance requirements are an important part of the HIPAA laws to understand if you have major pre-existing conditions and have been denied for regular individual health insurance coverage.
Keep Your Vehicle in Good in Shape by Purchasing Basic Automotive Tools for Home Use!
Most individuals take pride in owning a car and take care of it as their most cherished possession. But taking care does not only mean keeping the body shining clean. Maintenance of a vehicle also requires regular visits to the repair shop and checking different parts including engine parts with appropriate engine repair tools. The automotive tools market is vast with innumerable specialized tools meant for specific kind of repair work. But though specialist tools are important for big and complicated repairing jobs it is not always possible to run to an automobile repair shop for every trivial matter. Therefore it is necessary to keep some basic automotive tools also known as hand tools that should be kept at home.You get different tool cabinets and portable tool boxes to store your different kinds of automotive tools in a systematic manner. Some of the very basic hand tools are wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers which are very effective and handy when it comes to performing quick repair jobs for both cars and motorcycles.Wrenches: There are basically three different types of wrenches; the monkey wrenches, torque wrenches and impact wrenches which are all used by mechanics in their daily work. Wrenches come in a number of sizes since they are mainly used to hold different sizes nuts and bolts in place for tightening or loosening them.Pliers: look like a two handled hand tool that has two movable jaws. Pliers also help to grasp small objects and either tighten or loosen parts into place. Pliers are effective automotive tools that also help to bend materials such as wires and also have the ability to snip wires at the base. Pliers have several types which are all used by mechanics as well as in home garages in their daily work such as the channel pliers, long nose, diagonal cutting and slip joint pliers.Screwdrivers: these are perhaps the most versatile type of automotive tools that is used both inside and outside the house. Screwdrivers also form part of engine repair tools without which it is impossible to open any kind of screws or bolts. Screwdrivers are again of several different types that are made to fit into different types of screw sizes. This handy automobile tool includes types such as the Flat-head, Phillips, Robertson and hex which are all used by auto mechanics.