Health Blog » Insurance

No Insurance Equals Less Health Care

Charlie — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:03:59 +0000

Health insurance has long been a controversial topic. In the developed countries of the world, health care is primarily the government’s concern. The people in general get better health care services than in the developing countries. In the United States, people are generally covered by the public health care system. Still, they have better chances of getting better health care if they have additional health insurance to cover them.

Based on results of a new research, those who are not insured will end up spending more OR getting less health care. The Washington Post reports:

In a report appearing in Monday’s online edition ofHealth Affairs, Jack Hadley, of George Mason University, and John Holahan, Teresa Coughlin and Dawn Miller, of the Urban Institute, analyzed data on medical spending in people who are insured versus those who are uninsured.

They found that people uninsured for any part of 2008 receive about half as much care as those who are fully insured. A person who is uninsured all year will average $1,686 in medical costs, while someone who is privately insured will average $3,915.

“The uninsured receive a lot less care than the insured, and they pay a greater percentage of it out of pocket. Contrary to popular myth, they are not all free riders,” study author Hadley, a senior health services researcher at George Mason, said in a news release from the journal.

The moral to story is simple: it is better to get medical insurance. Reality check: is your health insurance enough to cover your needs?

Health Resolutions for 2008

Charlie — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:11:09 +0000

I remember starting 2007 with a two-post series on health resolutions. Looking back at those posts, I have to be honest and say that I stuck religiously by my resolutions for about a couple of months and then slowly reverted to old habits. They do die hard, don’t they? I am happy to say, however, that I was able to keep some of them – like eating a good breakfast and eating more slowly.

This year, I though I’d focus on something other than diets. I just realized how little attention I have been paying to visits to the doctor – I hate going to the hospital. So this year, I thought it would be a good idea to pay my doctor regular visits just to make sure that nothing is wrong. I should get some use out of my medical insurance after all!

Another resolution I would like to try to keep is to exercise – for real. My lifestyle is really sedentary. I wake up, sit in front of my computer, and write. I go to work and then sit in front of my computer again. This is what I do day in and day out. I think I shall get an exercise bike and use it while watching TV, at least 3 times a week. It won’t be much but at least I will be able to burn some calories.

Last, I will try to lessen drinking even more. I have been doing this a bit for the past months due to my hyperacidity but I think I shall “enforce” it more – not only because of weight issues but because of general health as well.

Do you have your own “new” resolutions this year?

Embarking on Regular Physical Examinations

Charlie — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:37:36 +0000

People are not always aware of their current state of physical condition by simply looking at the mirror or relying on what they feel at present. The need to undergo certain medical examinations and physician�s advice are the best ways to go about the overall assessment of a person�s current health status.

The common belief for some is that unless they feel something strange, they would not go to their physician for medical evaluation. With the trend today leaning more towards being health conscious, regular physical examinations are slowly becoming a regular practice to safeguard their overall hiatus.

Diseases and illnesses have slowly been spreading and resorting to the possible immunizations brought about by advanced medicine is a good way to avoid illnesses that can make a person�s life dreadful. Physical examinations can be availed of even for just once a year and practicing this from a 365 day period in a year does not really take up much of a person�s time.

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Charlie — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:38:56 +0000