It seems like Maryland, “The Free State,” is working hard to provide health care for all its residents. Lawmakers in the state outlined a $1.6 billion proposal in March of 2009 that was designed to help the state’s 760,000 residents, of whom 14% don’t have individual health insurance. What are the details of this revolutionary sounding proposal, is it the right choice when you get past the glitz and glamour, and should the nation be following Maryland’s example – considering all the recent hoopla surounding universal health care on the federal level?

Health Insurance for All becoming a Reality in MD

What are lawmakers in Maryland suggesting for this come one, come all health care proposal? According to Kaiser’s Daily Reports, the legislation would build on a plan approved in 2007 by the legislature that expanded Medicaid eligibility and extended funding to small businesses to compensate for the cost of providing coverage. The current bill would provide an insurance plan for residents with premiums of about $250 per month, as well as sliding-scale funding for low-income individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. Residents who do not get insurance would pay an additional tax of as much as $1,800 annually, while low-income residents would be exempt from the penalty.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: swanksalot

America’s health care system is pretty political. There’s Medicare and Medicaid, tax cuts for employer-funded health insurance, and an upcoming election in which health reform policy has been under much debate.

None of that is bad. America’s government takes some responsibility for the health of its people, and that’s a good thing. But how good is it when the pharmaceutical industry buys TV advertisements that back lawmakers who back the industry?

The Ties Between Political TV Spots and State Children’s Health Insurance Programs

Over the last five or six weeks, the drug industry has spent a total of $13 million to buy TV time for advertisements that praise lawmakers who voted to expand a program called the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Brooks Elliott

Getting more employers to provide healthcare benefits for their workers isn’t simply a matter of making health coverage cheaper.

A recent report from consulting group Mercer has found that most employers who don’t offer health benefits to employees say that they could not – or would not – pay more than $50 per month per employee to cover healthcare insurance.

Much of the national health reform debate is centered on the question of how to encourage more employers to provide their workers with healthcare benefits. An additional question is whether this should be done at all.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: wilhei55

Open enrollment season is approaching, and soon employees will be able to investigate their healthcare cover options for 2009. With that in mind, here are a few tips for keeping your costs down in the coming year.

Don’t Ignore your Options

Many people ignore the fact—or just aren’t aware—that they have the option to choose their healthcare plan. If you didn’t know, or you haven’t bothered in the past to check out your options, make this year the one that you break the habit. If you have options, it’s never a good idea to ignore them—you could end up saving money simply by choosing a new plan.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: r3v || cls

Picture this: You visit your doctor and find out that you have a chronic and potentially serious illness for which you will need medication. With half a dozen different medications which might be appropriate, which should your doctor choose? What if there is no way of knowing in advance which will work best in your case?

That’s an important decision for a doctor, simply because choosing the wrong medication can have negative consequences for patients. Currently, however, the new field of pharmacogenomics – genomics-based medicine – is revolutionizing the way doctors prescribe medicine, leading to an entirely new type of highly personalized healthcare.

Read the rest of this entry »