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With the rising cost of health insurance, more employers are encouraging employees to seek expensive medical procedures overseas. According to CNN Money, more than one million Americans will travel to foreign countries for surgery this year, and insurers and employers are increasingly paying a portion of the cost. Steve Chavez, for example, president of Integrated Control Systems, a construction firm with 180 employees, now encourages employees who need major medical procedures to travel to Costa Rica, India or Singapore for treatment. Chavez watched health insurance premiums go up 32% last year, adding 12% to Integrated Control Systems' overhead. He predicts that medical tourism will cut medical costs by 10% and will help avoid another rise in premiums. Surgery overseas can cost 30-80% less than in the U.S. For example, a coronary bypass can cost about $75,000 in the US, but is only $11,400 in India (including airfare). Not everyone is in favor of medical tourism. Last year, the United Steelworkers union intervened when Blue Ridge Paper Products was set to send an employee to India for surgery. Letters of protest were sent to Congress and Blue Ridge cancelled its plans. But for some employers, medical tourism may mean the difference between being able to afford small business health insurance or not offering any insurance at all.
According to The Motley Fool, "There's no bigger threat to your financial well-being than being without health insurance." That's why it's important to make sure you're covered even when you're in-between jobs. An unexpected illness can cost you your life savings. Just one hospital visit can cost thousands, and complicated procedures can cost as much as $100,000. So if you're leaving a job, whether it's to take time off or because you've been offered another job, make sure you're covered. When you quit a job, the COBRA laws mandate a 60-day period for you to decide whether you want to remain covered under your employer's plan. If you decide to stick with your employer's COBRA plan, you're entitled to the same coverage you had while you were employer for up to 18 months, but you'll have to pay the entire bill. You may want to look into an individual or family health plan because the rates may be lower than your employer's COBRA plan. If you're starting a new job, make sure you have continuous coverage from your old job to your new job. There are affordable short term health insurance plans available than can help cover any gaps.
Eating a balanced diet, exercising and having a good health insurance plan are the three components to creating and maintaining good health. A new study shows just how important eating a low-fat diet can be. Just one high-fat meal increases stress levels on the body. According to The Toronto Star, participants of the study saw blood pressure go up 1.25 to 1.5 times higher after eating a McDonald's breakfast meal. 30 young healthy subjects, all without any history of high blood pressure or heart problems were given either a low-fat or high-fat breakfast. Half of the subjects were given low-fat breakfast of cereal, a fruit bar and juice. The other subjects were given a Sausage McMuffin, an Egg McMuffin and hash browns. Both meals contained about 825 calories, but the fast food version had 42 fat grams. Two hours after eating, the subjects were given a series of stress tests such as public speaking, math tests and putting their hands in icy water. The people who ate the higher fat meals showed higher blood pressure levels. High-fats foods are thought to constrict blood vessels, therefore making the heart beat harder in order to circulate blood. Travis Campbell, the lead researcher of the study, says, "We already know that a high-fat diet is linked to cardiovascular disease, certain kinds of cancer and so on." The study is significant because it shows that even one meal can have an impact on health. This doesn't mean that people shouldn't enjoy an indulgent meal once in a while, but it's good to know that eating high-fat foods on a regular basis can be harmful. Perhaps changing our diets will lead to better health, which will in turn lead to lower health costs and lower health insurance premiums.
Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle combined with good health insurance is key to enjoying a long, active life. The good news is that staying healthy may be as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables, according to Forbes. Results from three new studies, presented at an annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, show that fruits and vegetables help prevent a variety of cancers. Adding just one additional serving of a fruit or vegetable was found to have health benefits according to one study. But in order to really maintain good health, 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is recommended. Individuals who increased their plant-foods intake saw a decrease in head and neck, breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. Protective compounds called flavonols, found in onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli, reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 23%. Smokers saw even more benefits from consuming flavonols; their chances of getting pancreatic cancer decreased by 59%. So make sure to eat vegetables with every meal, and snack on fruit between meals. Try to buy different vegetables each time you visit your local grocery store and explore farmers' markets. Eating right, living a healthy lifestyle and getting the best health insurance plan for you and your family will help you get the most out of life.
There are many good reasons to quit smoking, and generally, non-smokers pay lower health insurance premiums than people who smoke. If you're trying to quit smoking, scientists now report that certain foods may help. According to IT Wire, scientists at Duke University Medical Center found that certain foods improved or worsened the taste of cigarettes. Dairy products such as cheese and cold milk, fruit, vegetables such as broccoli and non-caffeinated drinks such as water or juice made cigarettes taste worse. Alcohol, coffee and meat increased cravings for cigarettes. Over 200 men and women who smoke an average of 22 cigarettes a day were polled in the study. The findings suggest that people trying to quit smoking may want to consider going on a non-smoking diet by eating more fruits and vegetables. The researchers don't know exactly why certain foods make smoking less pleasurable, but scientists will next look more closely at the relationship between food and cigarettes. For more good reasons to quit smoking, MSN Money's Hilary Smith describes the financial benefits of being a non-smoker including lower life and health insurance rates, lower dental bills, lower dry-cleaning bills and more.
Individuals without health insurance may be inclined to skip routine medical exams, but a recent study about breast cancer highlights the importance of early detection and treatment. According to The Globe and Mail, the Canadian Cancer Society reports that the breast cancer death rate is falling due to improvements in detection and treatment of the disease. The breast cancer death rate has fallen from 30 cases out of 100,000 in 1986 to about 22 cases per 100,000. Due to medical advancements, 86% of women now survive at least 5 years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer society recommends that women between the ages of 50-69 undergo a mammography every 2 years, but only 34-61% of women are following this advice and getting tested. Breast cancer can be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. Early menstruation, birthing age, late menopause, birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy may come into play, but carrying the breast cancer genes (mutated BRCA1 and BRCA2) poses the greatest risk. Alcohol consumption, inactivity and obesity can also increase the risk of breast cancer. During a routine exam, Jane Hawley, an educational assistant, was advised to get a mammogram. At first, Hawley saw the test as a waste of time because she didn't think she was at risk. But she went ahead with the exam, and the doctor discovered a small lump that was cancerous. Because of early detection, Hawley is now living cancer-free after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. This shows just how important it is to get routine medical exams. In the case of Ms. Hawley, it saved her life. If you're hesitant to go to the doctor because you don't have insurance, you may be putting yourself at risk. It's always a good idea to have health insurance and affordable health plans are available for individuals and families. Calculate how much you can afford and compare a wide range of plans to make sure you're getting the coverage you need.
It's important to make sure your health insurance plan provides the coverage you need. This is especially true for women since women need more routine medical exams than men. According to The Houston Chronicle, a new study shows that high-deductible health insurance plans are more costly for women. Men pay an average of $500 per year while women pay more than $1,200 yearly in medical expenses under a high deductible plan. Women pay more because of needed routine medical exams such as mammograms, Pap tests, birth control and other pregnancy-related services that men don't need. The report, issued by Harvard Medical School researchers, points out that employers that switch to high deductible plans are essentially giving women a $1,000 pay cut. Some experts disagree with the findings of the study, citing that the researchers make too many assumptions about how a health plan is designed. But the study certainly raises some interesting questions about the different health care needs of men and women. That's why it's especially important for women to find out what benefits are included in their health insurance policy, whether they're covered in an individual plan, a family health plan or through an employer. Women who get yearly exams will want to make sure ObGyn visits are covered. Also, if a women is considering having children, it's a good idea to make sure pregnancy costs are included in the plan. Most people don't like surprises when it comes to out-of-pocket medical expenses, so make sure you're prepared by learning about the benefits of your health plan.
People without health insurance are more likely to skip routine medical exams. According to News Medical, a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports that uninsured individuals are more likely to skip routine physical exams. Forgoing routine medical exams can lead to a higher risk of not knowing about high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. And these particular health problems are especially important since they are all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Experts believe that having a good individual or family health insurance plan is important in maintaining good health. "We believe that our findings underscore the great importance of medical insurance in maintaining the health of the population," says Angela Fowler-Brown, MD, lead author of the study. The study also points out that people with less education and lower incomes are more likely to be uninsured. Affordable health insurance quotes are available and it's always a good idea to get a reliable plan. Hopefully everyone will realize that health insurance is a priority and make sure that they're covered.
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