By S Porter
Healthcare in this country has hit a major roadblock, but most people don't have any idea why or what caused the problem. The cost of a good health plan has gone through the roof in the last several years, and the reason is Medicare and Medicaid. These programs seem like a good idea because they provide healthcare for people who don't have any way to pay for their own medical expenses. Someone has to pay for them so some of the money is taken through higher taxes on all of us, and the rest is added to your health insurance premiums. The government won't pay hospitals and doctors their asking price, so the doctors have to charge private insurance programs higher prices.
The cost of healthcare is the real concern that Americans have about their health insurance plans. The more people that can't pay for treatment; the higher the cost of health insurance becomes for those paying for it. As the cost goes up more people can't afford it and have to get it for free, this causes the price for the payers to go up even more. Now the government is talking about healthcare reform, but their ideas will only make the problem much worse. A public health plan offered by the government will completely destroy our healthcare system and bankrupt our country at the same time.
The government's idea to fix the problem is to offer their own health plan that essentially is more Medicare and Medicaid. We have to pay for it with our tax dollars and the private healthcare industry can't compete with a plan that everyone is already paying for. In the future, private health insurance will rise in price to a level that will force everyone onto the government plan. Once that happens you no longer have a choice, a substandard health plan that you have to take that takes away all of your options and limits the amount of healthcare you can receive. They will argue that it won't happen that way, but we have seen several other countries go through this process. When everyone goes to the doctor for every little reason because they don't think they are paying for it, the national healthcare bill goes through the roof.
The bill for all this wonderful healthcare will end up costing us about 3 trillion dollars per year. That's twice as much as our national budget for everything including defense. We can't afford this no matter what our tax rates are, so the government will have to start limiting what people can get. The UK now has a government body that examines cases to decide if a person's needed healthcare is worth the expense. Without the ability to make good money as a doctor, the number of people who want to be doctors goes way down. In Canada, there is a waiting list years long to receive life saving treatments because there just isn't enough doctors to go around.
Healthcare needs to be fixed with free market solutions like Ameriplan and other discount health plans. Medicare and Medicaid need to be severely cut to drive prices down, so every American can afford to get a health plan. Once the government gets its fingers in the healthcare industry, it will be nearly impossible to get them back out. Our government is on an eternal quest to control our lives, and this would be a big step in the wrong direction. Their public health plan will only lead to the government telling us what healthy living is and forcing us to live by it. As Ronald Reagan once said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
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Showing posts with label Ameriplan Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ameriplan Health. Show all posts
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
We, The Healthcare Dependent People
By Frank Menkal
How does paying a little over eight hundred dollars a month as a retiree for your healthcare sound? If you have a mind set that is anything like mine, then you are not looking forward to retiring… at least when it comes to your healthcare and what your family will have to pay for it! Far too many people these days suffer when it comes to paying there monthly health insurance bill.
Over the past several years the healthcare world as we know it has drastically changed for the worst. The cost to just live a healthy life has dramatically increased in price. So to make up for the lack of good and cheap health care, several companies have stepped up to take on that responsibility. One of the companies to make its mark is now taking the lead in the discount healthcare industry. Ameriplan started 16 years ago as a small company that offered discount dental to small businesses. Now 16 years later, the company has grown significantly and offers not only discount dental, vision, chiropractic, and prescription coverage, but also a discount health program. Over the last few years the company has revamped its health care network by adding proprietary doctors nationwide.
Due to the innumerable amounts of individuals that are now using Medicare and Medicaid, our healthcare costs have exploded beyond our control. The more the government has their hands in our healthcare the more doctors have to charge patients for their services. These government funded programs are supposed to help those in need and eliminate the high medical costs that come with age and low income. Due to the easy access and availability of these government funded programs, our society has become more dependent on them. In response to this dependency on Medicare and Medicaid, the cost for good health care continues to climb.
We as a nation need to turn from this destructive path by not depending on the government to provide healthcare, but instead to depend on our hard work and determination to provide care for our families. With this kind of mindset we as a country can drive down healthcare costs by eliminating the need for the government to provide healthcare for our families. Thus, saving us all money in the long run and leading us back to affordable health care again.
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How does paying a little over eight hundred dollars a month as a retiree for your healthcare sound? If you have a mind set that is anything like mine, then you are not looking forward to retiring… at least when it comes to your healthcare and what your family will have to pay for it! Far too many people these days suffer when it comes to paying there monthly health insurance bill.
Over the past several years the healthcare world as we know it has drastically changed for the worst. The cost to just live a healthy life has dramatically increased in price. So to make up for the lack of good and cheap health care, several companies have stepped up to take on that responsibility. One of the companies to make its mark is now taking the lead in the discount healthcare industry. Ameriplan started 16 years ago as a small company that offered discount dental to small businesses. Now 16 years later, the company has grown significantly and offers not only discount dental, vision, chiropractic, and prescription coverage, but also a discount health program. Over the last few years the company has revamped its health care network by adding proprietary doctors nationwide.
Due to the innumerable amounts of individuals that are now using Medicare and Medicaid, our healthcare costs have exploded beyond our control. The more the government has their hands in our healthcare the more doctors have to charge patients for their services. These government funded programs are supposed to help those in need and eliminate the high medical costs that come with age and low income. Due to the easy access and availability of these government funded programs, our society has become more dependent on them. In response to this dependency on Medicare and Medicaid, the cost for good health care continues to climb.
We as a nation need to turn from this destructive path by not depending on the government to provide healthcare, but instead to depend on our hard work and determination to provide care for our families. With this kind of mindset we as a country can drive down healthcare costs by eliminating the need for the government to provide healthcare for our families. Thus, saving us all money in the long run and leading us back to affordable health care again.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
A Cold, The Flu Or Something More Serious
By S Porter
Getting a cold or the flu is a common problem. We often go to extremes to ensure that we don’t get sick; but the inevitable will happen, and life will be unpleasant for a few days. You can’t catch the same cold or flu virus twice, but they are constantly mutating and each new strain may feel slightly different. When you get sick they all feel bad, but you may not know if you have a cold, the flu or something more sinister right away. There are many illnesses that can display similar symptoms, but almost all of them aren’t dangerous unless you have a compromised immune system. Some people go to the doctor with the slightest sniffle, and others won’t go to the doctor even on their deathbed.
A cold virus usually presents itself 3 or 4 days after you have caught it and starts with a soar back of the nose or throat. Keep in mind that each person’s reaction is different and it could be a little shorter or longer for you. Symptoms come on slowly over the course of several hours and may not feel full blown until you wake up the following morning. Coughing, sneezing, congestion and minor muscle aches are common for a cold and the flu. You are contagious within hours of catching it so you can give it to someone else days before you even know you have it, and you stay contagious for about a week. The symptoms are at their worst about 2 days after you start to feel it and will last around 48 hours, but you may remain congested for up to 2 weeks.
The flu virus is very much like a cold, but with a few added bonuses. The most noticeable difference is that the flu comes with a fever and a cold doesn’t, so if you have a fever you don’t have a cold. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can also accompany the flu and the symptoms will come on much faster than a cold; maybe even in minutes. You don’t start to feel bad for about 3 days after you get the flu, but just like a cold, you are contagious before you even know you have it. Also like a cold, the worst of it lasts about 48 hours but the symptoms can linger for up to 2 weeks. The flu can be very dangerous to the elderly, young children and people with compromised immune systems or heart disease, so see your doctor if you know you’re a high risk.
Infections and other diseases can display symptoms very much like a cold or the flu; but unlike a cold or the flu, they won’t get better in a few days. You know it’s time to see a doctor if you keep getting worse 4 days after you start having symptoms. A fever is common with the flu, but if your temperature goes above 102 it’s time to get to the hospital right away. You may also consider a trip to your doctor if any of the symptoms seem unusually severe; like serious pain in your sinuses or coughing that nearly knocks you over. You can usually tell if something feels far worse than what you would expect from a common cold or the flu.
There are many over the counter medications that can help alleviate the symptoms, but there is no cure for the most common ailments we face every year. The rates at which these two viruses mutate make them impossible to get rid of completely and they will continue to plague us for a long time to come. If you need to go to the doctor or the hospital for an emergency, a good health insurance plan or a discount plan like Ameriplan will help with the cost; but they won’t make you feel any better. No one wants to go to the doctor with an illness too late, but we also feel bad rushing to the hospital only to find out it’s a just a cold. A little common sense can help keep you healthy so long as you are willing to visit the doctor when you need to, and stay home when you don’t.
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Getting a cold or the flu is a common problem. We often go to extremes to ensure that we don’t get sick; but the inevitable will happen, and life will be unpleasant for a few days. You can’t catch the same cold or flu virus twice, but they are constantly mutating and each new strain may feel slightly different. When you get sick they all feel bad, but you may not know if you have a cold, the flu or something more sinister right away. There are many illnesses that can display similar symptoms, but almost all of them aren’t dangerous unless you have a compromised immune system. Some people go to the doctor with the slightest sniffle, and others won’t go to the doctor even on their deathbed.
A cold virus usually presents itself 3 or 4 days after you have caught it and starts with a soar back of the nose or throat. Keep in mind that each person’s reaction is different and it could be a little shorter or longer for you. Symptoms come on slowly over the course of several hours and may not feel full blown until you wake up the following morning. Coughing, sneezing, congestion and minor muscle aches are common for a cold and the flu. You are contagious within hours of catching it so you can give it to someone else days before you even know you have it, and you stay contagious for about a week. The symptoms are at their worst about 2 days after you start to feel it and will last around 48 hours, but you may remain congested for up to 2 weeks.
The flu virus is very much like a cold, but with a few added bonuses. The most noticeable difference is that the flu comes with a fever and a cold doesn’t, so if you have a fever you don’t have a cold. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can also accompany the flu and the symptoms will come on much faster than a cold; maybe even in minutes. You don’t start to feel bad for about 3 days after you get the flu, but just like a cold, you are contagious before you even know you have it. Also like a cold, the worst of it lasts about 48 hours but the symptoms can linger for up to 2 weeks. The flu can be very dangerous to the elderly, young children and people with compromised immune systems or heart disease, so see your doctor if you know you’re a high risk.
Infections and other diseases can display symptoms very much like a cold or the flu; but unlike a cold or the flu, they won’t get better in a few days. You know it’s time to see a doctor if you keep getting worse 4 days after you start having symptoms. A fever is common with the flu, but if your temperature goes above 102 it’s time to get to the hospital right away. You may also consider a trip to your doctor if any of the symptoms seem unusually severe; like serious pain in your sinuses or coughing that nearly knocks you over. You can usually tell if something feels far worse than what you would expect from a common cold or the flu.
There are many over the counter medications that can help alleviate the symptoms, but there is no cure for the most common ailments we face every year. The rates at which these two viruses mutate make them impossible to get rid of completely and they will continue to plague us for a long time to come. If you need to go to the doctor or the hospital for an emergency, a good health insurance plan or a discount plan like Ameriplan will help with the cost; but they won’t make you feel any better. No one wants to go to the doctor with an illness too late, but we also feel bad rushing to the hospital only to find out it’s a just a cold. A little common sense can help keep you healthy so long as you are willing to visit the doctor when you need to, and stay home when you don’t.
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Friday, June 19, 2009
Why Healthcare Is In Bad Shape and the Government Can't Fix It
By S Porter
Most people in the United States are upset with the state of our healthcare system, and I have heard many different explanations why it’s this bad. The main complaint about our healthcare system is the price tag because the cost of health insurance has gone through the roof. In addition, healthcare providers have become more distant and less responsive to Americans questions about how to take care of themselves. The worse it gets, the louder the cries become for some kind of healthcare reform; including a government based program or universal healthcare. The reasons for the problems in our healthcare system are easy to understand, but many people have no idea what’s really going on.
For starters, our system is already partially socialized. Medicare and Medicaid are government based programs that give free health services to the underprivileged and the elderly. When healthcare is free, people go much more often and for every imaginable reason; so the 20% on these programs create a larger bill than the other 80% that are paying for it. The government is on an eternal quest to make these costs go down, so they have limited how much doctors and hospitals can charge Uncle Sam for these services. As a result, healthcare providers must raise costs for the people who are paying for it and their health insurance premiums go up. Obama’s administration has decided to try and fix this problem by further socializing the system and offering free healthcare to about 40%, but this will only lead to even higher costs for the population that is already paying for it.
The other big reason for price hikes in the health field is our culture of sue now, sue later and then sue some more. Doctors are people just like you and me, and occasionally they make mistakes. Today Americans can sue their doctors for any reason they feel like and the more we do, the more expensive insurance becomes for the doctor. These costs then get passed on to the people who are paying for their health insurance and doctors become even more hesitant to help patients. If the doctor tells you that a treatment will help your condition, but it doesn’t and they get sued for it; then the next time around they are much less likely to even try to fix your condition. Once again, the government doesn’t see this as a large problem and encourages patients to sue more.
As a result of all these price increases, health insurance companies are also looking for ways to cut costs. The easiest way for them to do this is to limit the amount and types of services that consumers can get from their healthcare providers. As long as private insurance exists, you can shop around until you find one that covers what you want; but if we move to universal healthcare, that choice will go away. I’ve heard many people including the president himself say that private insurance won’t disappear with government healthcare, but there isn’t any way for insurance companies to really compete with a “free” plan that everyone is already paying for anyway. In the UK and Canada they have already adopted a universal healthcare system and their citizens now have to wait in very long lines to get the simplest of procedures. To keep their costs down, their governments now decide who is worth saving and who isn’t by a committee of bureaucrats!
There are free market solutions to these problems, but the outcry for reform is so great now that I don’t know if people are willing to listen. Limiting lawsuits to very serious matters would bring healthcare costs down, and weaning people off Medicare and Medicaid would bring them down much further. I think we can all agree that some form of healthcare should exist for those that can’t care for themselves, but is that really 40% of this entire country? One free market solution is discount health programs like Ameriplan. These programs are very inexpensive, but they only provide a discount at the doctor rather than just paying for it; this way you only go to the doctor when you need to, and you get a discount on services when you do.
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Most people in the United States are upset with the state of our healthcare system, and I have heard many different explanations why it’s this bad. The main complaint about our healthcare system is the price tag because the cost of health insurance has gone through the roof. In addition, healthcare providers have become more distant and less responsive to Americans questions about how to take care of themselves. The worse it gets, the louder the cries become for some kind of healthcare reform; including a government based program or universal healthcare. The reasons for the problems in our healthcare system are easy to understand, but many people have no idea what’s really going on.
For starters, our system is already partially socialized. Medicare and Medicaid are government based programs that give free health services to the underprivileged and the elderly. When healthcare is free, people go much more often and for every imaginable reason; so the 20% on these programs create a larger bill than the other 80% that are paying for it. The government is on an eternal quest to make these costs go down, so they have limited how much doctors and hospitals can charge Uncle Sam for these services. As a result, healthcare providers must raise costs for the people who are paying for it and their health insurance premiums go up. Obama’s administration has decided to try and fix this problem by further socializing the system and offering free healthcare to about 40%, but this will only lead to even higher costs for the population that is already paying for it.
The other big reason for price hikes in the health field is our culture of sue now, sue later and then sue some more. Doctors are people just like you and me, and occasionally they make mistakes. Today Americans can sue their doctors for any reason they feel like and the more we do, the more expensive insurance becomes for the doctor. These costs then get passed on to the people who are paying for their health insurance and doctors become even more hesitant to help patients. If the doctor tells you that a treatment will help your condition, but it doesn’t and they get sued for it; then the next time around they are much less likely to even try to fix your condition. Once again, the government doesn’t see this as a large problem and encourages patients to sue more.
As a result of all these price increases, health insurance companies are also looking for ways to cut costs. The easiest way for them to do this is to limit the amount and types of services that consumers can get from their healthcare providers. As long as private insurance exists, you can shop around until you find one that covers what you want; but if we move to universal healthcare, that choice will go away. I’ve heard many people including the president himself say that private insurance won’t disappear with government healthcare, but there isn’t any way for insurance companies to really compete with a “free” plan that everyone is already paying for anyway. In the UK and Canada they have already adopted a universal healthcare system and their citizens now have to wait in very long lines to get the simplest of procedures. To keep their costs down, their governments now decide who is worth saving and who isn’t by a committee of bureaucrats!
There are free market solutions to these problems, but the outcry for reform is so great now that I don’t know if people are willing to listen. Limiting lawsuits to very serious matters would bring healthcare costs down, and weaning people off Medicare and Medicaid would bring them down much further. I think we can all agree that some form of healthcare should exist for those that can’t care for themselves, but is that really 40% of this entire country? One free market solution is discount health programs like Ameriplan. These programs are very inexpensive, but they only provide a discount at the doctor rather than just paying for it; this way you only go to the doctor when you need to, and you get a discount on services when you do.
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Panic Over the Not So New Swine Flu
By S Porter
For several years the media has been cautiously following the possibility of a bird flu outbreak, but swine flu has beaten it to the punch. Influenza is a nasty little virus that can be deadly under the right conditions, and bird flu is a particularly bad strain that is deadly more often. No matter which strain happens to be floating around; the symptoms are the same; coughing, sneezing, aching and fever. If you have a cold, this could also describe how you feel except for the fever; which only occurs with the flu. Education is always the best way to combat fear, so knowing the facts about influenza can help ease the mind.
There are dozens of different possible flu strains that can circulate through the population at any one time. Once you get one of these strains, your body learns to produce a defense against that particular strain and you can’t get it again after your body beats it. If you could get all of them, you would never get the flu again; but only a few strains float around at once. As time passes and new people are born, old strains begin to come back and infect a whole new population with no immunity. About 2% of all the people who catch the flu will die from it due to complications like old age and compromised immune systems. The worst outbreak happened in 1918 and killed about 20% of everyone who contracted the virus, but our knowledge is far greater now than it was then.
The first thing to remember about swine flu is that it’s just another flu strain; and this isn’t the first time we have seen it. Every year doctors guess which strains will float around the population and they produce a vaccine to fight them. Swine flu wasn’t what they guessed for this year, but even last years flu vaccine seems to be partially effective in preventing people from getting this strain. It also responds very well to every type of treatment we currently use to fight influenza. All in all, less than 1% of people who catch swine flu die from it; so it’s even lighter than just a regular flu.
The last time swine flu showed up was in 1976, and just like now there was a large panic in the population because of bad information. The government spent millions of dollars on a flu vaccine that did little to help with the strain, and people were urged to get the shot for the whole family. When it was all said and done, more people had died from the vaccine than from the flu itself because the strain never swept through the population. This time around, it is more widespread and it appears to be hitting the population with a fury. A feverish, achy, take a couple days off and you will be fine fury. You may get it and you may not, but unless you are at risk from any other virus; it isn’t anything to really worry about.
If you have a fever and it rises over 102, it’s time to go get treatment; regardless of the cause of the fever itself. Health insurance or discount plans like Ameriplan will help with the cost, so don’t hesitate to go to the doctor if you find yourself in this situation. Another warning sign that you may be at risk is if the symptoms are still getting worse after the fourth day. Most people have had at least one strain of the flu in their lives, and it isn’t much fun; but the panic that is currently in the media is unfounded. Over the course of 2009 we will most likely see this strain slow down and then resurge later in the year, and some people will die from it. Given the choice though, swine flu is easier to deal with than the various other flu strains we see every other year.
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For several years the media has been cautiously following the possibility of a bird flu outbreak, but swine flu has beaten it to the punch. Influenza is a nasty little virus that can be deadly under the right conditions, and bird flu is a particularly bad strain that is deadly more often. No matter which strain happens to be floating around; the symptoms are the same; coughing, sneezing, aching and fever. If you have a cold, this could also describe how you feel except for the fever; which only occurs with the flu. Education is always the best way to combat fear, so knowing the facts about influenza can help ease the mind.
There are dozens of different possible flu strains that can circulate through the population at any one time. Once you get one of these strains, your body learns to produce a defense against that particular strain and you can’t get it again after your body beats it. If you could get all of them, you would never get the flu again; but only a few strains float around at once. As time passes and new people are born, old strains begin to come back and infect a whole new population with no immunity. About 2% of all the people who catch the flu will die from it due to complications like old age and compromised immune systems. The worst outbreak happened in 1918 and killed about 20% of everyone who contracted the virus, but our knowledge is far greater now than it was then.
The first thing to remember about swine flu is that it’s just another flu strain; and this isn’t the first time we have seen it. Every year doctors guess which strains will float around the population and they produce a vaccine to fight them. Swine flu wasn’t what they guessed for this year, but even last years flu vaccine seems to be partially effective in preventing people from getting this strain. It also responds very well to every type of treatment we currently use to fight influenza. All in all, less than 1% of people who catch swine flu die from it; so it’s even lighter than just a regular flu.
The last time swine flu showed up was in 1976, and just like now there was a large panic in the population because of bad information. The government spent millions of dollars on a flu vaccine that did little to help with the strain, and people were urged to get the shot for the whole family. When it was all said and done, more people had died from the vaccine than from the flu itself because the strain never swept through the population. This time around, it is more widespread and it appears to be hitting the population with a fury. A feverish, achy, take a couple days off and you will be fine fury. You may get it and you may not, but unless you are at risk from any other virus; it isn’t anything to really worry about.
If you have a fever and it rises over 102, it’s time to go get treatment; regardless of the cause of the fever itself. Health insurance or discount plans like Ameriplan will help with the cost, so don’t hesitate to go to the doctor if you find yourself in this situation. Another warning sign that you may be at risk is if the symptoms are still getting worse after the fourth day. Most people have had at least one strain of the flu in their lives, and it isn’t much fun; but the panic that is currently in the media is unfounded. Over the course of 2009 we will most likely see this strain slow down and then resurge later in the year, and some people will die from it. Given the choice though, swine flu is easier to deal with than the various other flu strains we see every other year.
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
Health and Dental Insurance vs Discount Plans
By S Porter
There are many options available to Americans for health and dental plans. The most common health plan is regular insurance provided by employers, but there are other types of plans that don’t cost as much. Dental plans are also usually provided by the workplace, but they are disappearing as employers are trying to cope with rising health costs. 46 million Americans are without health insurance and nearly 50% of this country has no dental insurance. As we live longer and demand more from our health and dental providers, the price tag for these plans will continue to go up.
Health insurance is what everyone is familiar with, but most people don’t really know how it works. You and your employer pay the insurance company a regular monthly premium, and you are responsible for a small co-pay when you go see the doctor or get a prescription. Over time, the money you pay the insurance company adds up to much more than the average person will ever use in healthcare. If something tragic happens, you will thank your lucky stars that you have insurance, but even major surgery will not offset a lifetime of paying into the system. Insurance companies only pay the doctor a small percentage of what they bill and the result is multi-million dollar insurance companies.
Dental insurance works almost exactly the same way that health insurance does but dental insurance companies are usually much smaller. Like healthcare, you will pay into the system much more than you will ever use for the comfort of having it when you need it. Most employers have stopped offering dental to their employees because it’s not as important as health, but still expensive. You can also get a dental plan directly from some dentists that work in a dental chain, but they don’t usually cover the big expenses like braces. This leaves most people stuck with nothing and they just pay full price when they need to go to the dentist.
Discount plans like Ameriplan insurance are the alternative to regular health and dental insurance. With these programs, you pay a very small monthly fee and in return the health and dental providers give you a large discount on their services. The down side to these plans is that 80% off a $100,000 bill is still a $20,000 bill. You pay the discounted price that insurance companies enjoy, but this can still leave you stuck if something really bad happens. Dental is better than health with these programs because no one is going to lose their house over a dental bill. These plans are good for people that have no health or dental at all because something is better than nothing, and the cost is hundreds of dollars less per month.
Each person’s situation is different and the plan that’s best for them depends on their needs. If you are in good health and don’t have any coverage, a discount plan is going to be your best option. This will give you the option to save money for an emergency while enjoying a good discount on your everyday health needs like regular checkups. Another great option for most people is a discount plan combined with catastrophic health insurance. Catastrophic health insurance covers you in case of a big problem, but has a large deductible so it won’t help with everyday healthcare. Together you can have good coverage for substantially less than regular health insurance premiums. Health and dental care have a huge impact on your life, and it’s in your best interest to learn as much as you can about them so you can get the perfect plan for you.
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There are many options available to Americans for health and dental plans. The most common health plan is regular insurance provided by employers, but there are other types of plans that don’t cost as much. Dental plans are also usually provided by the workplace, but they are disappearing as employers are trying to cope with rising health costs. 46 million Americans are without health insurance and nearly 50% of this country has no dental insurance. As we live longer and demand more from our health and dental providers, the price tag for these plans will continue to go up.
Health insurance is what everyone is familiar with, but most people don’t really know how it works. You and your employer pay the insurance company a regular monthly premium, and you are responsible for a small co-pay when you go see the doctor or get a prescription. Over time, the money you pay the insurance company adds up to much more than the average person will ever use in healthcare. If something tragic happens, you will thank your lucky stars that you have insurance, but even major surgery will not offset a lifetime of paying into the system. Insurance companies only pay the doctor a small percentage of what they bill and the result is multi-million dollar insurance companies.
Dental insurance works almost exactly the same way that health insurance does but dental insurance companies are usually much smaller. Like healthcare, you will pay into the system much more than you will ever use for the comfort of having it when you need it. Most employers have stopped offering dental to their employees because it’s not as important as health, but still expensive. You can also get a dental plan directly from some dentists that work in a dental chain, but they don’t usually cover the big expenses like braces. This leaves most people stuck with nothing and they just pay full price when they need to go to the dentist.
Discount plans like Ameriplan insurance are the alternative to regular health and dental insurance. With these programs, you pay a very small monthly fee and in return the health and dental providers give you a large discount on their services. The down side to these plans is that 80% off a $100,000 bill is still a $20,000 bill. You pay the discounted price that insurance companies enjoy, but this can still leave you stuck if something really bad happens. Dental is better than health with these programs because no one is going to lose their house over a dental bill. These plans are good for people that have no health or dental at all because something is better than nothing, and the cost is hundreds of dollars less per month.
Each person’s situation is different and the plan that’s best for them depends on their needs. If you are in good health and don’t have any coverage, a discount plan is going to be your best option. This will give you the option to save money for an emergency while enjoying a good discount on your everyday health needs like regular checkups. Another great option for most people is a discount plan combined with catastrophic health insurance. Catastrophic health insurance covers you in case of a big problem, but has a large deductible so it won’t help with everyday healthcare. Together you can have good coverage for substantially less than regular health insurance premiums. Health and dental care have a huge impact on your life, and it’s in your best interest to learn as much as you can about them so you can get the perfect plan for you.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Does Anyone Really Need Health Insurance
By S Porter
We have all heard the numbers by now; 46 million people in this country are uninsured. This is a disturbing number, but it’s important to understand who these people are and why they are uninsured. Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that have been set up to take care of many of these people, but not all of them. Government programs take money from the taxpayers and use it to cover the uninsured, but the more government intervenes; the more expensive healthcare gets for all of us. The government tells healthcare providers what they can legally charge someone on Medicare and Medicaid, but it’s not enough to cover operating costs for the hospitals and doctors so they have to overcharge the people with private insurance to cover the difference. This makes healthcare more expensive for the people who are paying and less affordable for lower income families who then have to start relying on the government as well. There are a little over 300 million people in the United States and 1 in 6 of us doesn’t have any health insurance at all because the cost keeps going up to cover those who can’t pay.
People who are 18 to 30 years old make up about half of the uninsured. Simply put, they believe they are invincible and really don’t see much of a need for health insurance. They rarely to never need to see a doctor so if they don’t get health insurance from their employer, they won’t buy it themselves at any price. The people I know from this age group that do need to see a doctor quickly realize that if they are in a lower income bracket, the government will take care of them, so why buy health insurance?
The 30 to 65 age group is the backbone of our healthcare system and this is where all the money comes from. These people are in moderate health and they are in the prime money making years of their lives. The other half of the uninsured are from this group; 11 million of them are uninsured and another 11 million of their children. If we are to fix the healthcare system and bring down costs, this is where we need to start. Low income families are covered by Medicaid but these 11 million families make a little too much, don’t have health through their employers and can’t afford to get insurance. Discount fee for service plans like Ameriplan are designed for this group. Combined with catastrophic health insurance they can provide the right cost vs. coverage to supply this need.
Those aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare at one level or another. Medicare also covers the disabled and the government is on an eternal quest to expand these benefits to cover every procedure in existence. We are living longer lives and the older we get, the more healthcare we need. Baby boomers are just starting to hit retirement age and over time, there will be more people in this age group and less in the 30 to 65 age group. This is a recipe for trouble as there will be many more healthcare users and fewer healthcare payers. One solution to this problem is government subsidized elderly healthcare combined with tax credits to offset the premiums. This way healthcare is still not run by the government and companies can compete to offer the best rates.
There is a deep debate going on across the country about healthcare reform. Some people, like me, believe that the answer is always a capitalist solution and the government can only get in the way and make things more expensive. Others think that a socialist approach would work better with the government completely taking over the industry, offering universal healthcare and then charging the people for it. One thing is for sure; if we do nothing, healthcare costs will continue to go up and more people won’t be able to afford insurance.
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We have all heard the numbers by now; 46 million people in this country are uninsured. This is a disturbing number, but it’s important to understand who these people are and why they are uninsured. Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that have been set up to take care of many of these people, but not all of them. Government programs take money from the taxpayers and use it to cover the uninsured, but the more government intervenes; the more expensive healthcare gets for all of us. The government tells healthcare providers what they can legally charge someone on Medicare and Medicaid, but it’s not enough to cover operating costs for the hospitals and doctors so they have to overcharge the people with private insurance to cover the difference. This makes healthcare more expensive for the people who are paying and less affordable for lower income families who then have to start relying on the government as well. There are a little over 300 million people in the United States and 1 in 6 of us doesn’t have any health insurance at all because the cost keeps going up to cover those who can’t pay.
People who are 18 to 30 years old make up about half of the uninsured. Simply put, they believe they are invincible and really don’t see much of a need for health insurance. They rarely to never need to see a doctor so if they don’t get health insurance from their employer, they won’t buy it themselves at any price. The people I know from this age group that do need to see a doctor quickly realize that if they are in a lower income bracket, the government will take care of them, so why buy health insurance?
The 30 to 65 age group is the backbone of our healthcare system and this is where all the money comes from. These people are in moderate health and they are in the prime money making years of their lives. The other half of the uninsured are from this group; 11 million of them are uninsured and another 11 million of their children. If we are to fix the healthcare system and bring down costs, this is where we need to start. Low income families are covered by Medicaid but these 11 million families make a little too much, don’t have health through their employers and can’t afford to get insurance. Discount fee for service plans like Ameriplan are designed for this group. Combined with catastrophic health insurance they can provide the right cost vs. coverage to supply this need.
Those aged 65 and older are eligible for Medicare at one level or another. Medicare also covers the disabled and the government is on an eternal quest to expand these benefits to cover every procedure in existence. We are living longer lives and the older we get, the more healthcare we need. Baby boomers are just starting to hit retirement age and over time, there will be more people in this age group and less in the 30 to 65 age group. This is a recipe for trouble as there will be many more healthcare users and fewer healthcare payers. One solution to this problem is government subsidized elderly healthcare combined with tax credits to offset the premiums. This way healthcare is still not run by the government and companies can compete to offer the best rates.
There is a deep debate going on across the country about healthcare reform. Some people, like me, believe that the answer is always a capitalist solution and the government can only get in the way and make things more expensive. Others think that a socialist approach would work better with the government completely taking over the industry, offering universal healthcare and then charging the people for it. One thing is for sure; if we do nothing, healthcare costs will continue to go up and more people won’t be able to afford insurance.
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