The California PCIP (Pre-existing Condition Insurance Program) has announced a delay of one week for opening of the coverage program.
MRMIB anticipates coverage to go into force on October 7, 2010.
California PCIP (Federal Risk Pool) Delays Open to October 7
Heart-healthy diet doesn't have to be costly
"Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains, and less spending on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy, may be the bestinvestment for dietary health," Dr. Adam M. Bernstein and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues conclude.The trick, according to the researchers, is to spend more on plant-based foods.
Several studies suggest that living on junk food can be cheaper than eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, the researchers note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Research from the UK, France, Spain, and the Netherlands has also found that eating a healthy diet costs more. However, there is some evidence that "healthy diets can be obtained at different levels of spending," the authors write.
To compare the relationship between food spending and diet healthfulness, the team assessed diet and spending data for 78,191 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. They rated the women's eating habits and multivitamin intake according to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), a tool they developed, with points awarded for consuming healthier items.
Those with the healthiest diets, whose average AHEI score was 59, spent about $4.60 per day on food, compared to about $3.70 per day for the women with the least healthy diets, who had an average AHEI score of 30.
For a healthy brain, work it out -- and challenge it mentally and physically
"They all gobble?" said a 67-year-old man, grinning.Welcome to The Brain Fitness Club. It's a window into a growing population in America: adults who are beginning to forget names, telephone numbers and how to drive home, but are aware enough to do something about it whether that's playing word-association games or bowling on a Nintendo Wii.
While there's no magic pill for dementia, or even "senior moments," scientists are converging on what makes a brain-healthy lifestyle. And it looks a lot like the Winter Park class and the dozen other brain clubs that have popped up in Central Florida.
"There's no universal prescription that will solve everyone's brain problems," said Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, a brain-fitness think tank. "But the good news is, there is a lot we can do."
Good for your body? Good for your brain
Not too long ago, scientists believed we all start with roughly 3 trillion brain cells that, through careless decisions such as drinking alcohol and playing tackle football, we gradually kill off. Once a brain cell was lost, the brain was one man down, forever.
That's a myth, we now know.
The brain is a tangled web of cells that is constantly rewiring itself, like acrobats unlinking arms and swapping partners. The brain can grow new cells to link into its intricate network, tossing a new gymnast into the act.
Health care costs to rise 12.4 percent in Chicago
Chicago workers can expect to pay 12.4 percent more in health insurance premiums and out of pocket costs next year, according to a report from Lincolnshire-based Hewitt Associates.
The average employee cost, including premiums and out-of-pocket costs such as co-pays and co-insurance, will rise to $4,520 from $4,022 last year, the company said. That includes $2,286 in premiums and $2,234 for out-of-pocket costs.
For Chicago employers, the average cost per worker will rise 8.7 percent to $9,791, including employee contributions to premiums. That’s the highest increase since a 9.7 percent rise in 2006. Nationally, costs are expected to rise 8.8 percent next year.
Among factors driving the higher costs, employers are seeing an increase in the amount of charges and frequency of catastrophic claims as slower hiring has left employers with older workforces more prone to costly medical conditions, the human resources consulting and outsourcing company said.
Hewitt also estimates that health care reform requirements that dependents be covered to age 26 and the elimination of certain lifetime and annual limits contributed 1 percent to 2 percent of the increase. Most of the positive effects of the reform law won’t be felt for a few years, according to Ken Sperling, Hewitt’s health care practice leader.
Employers are responding to rising costs with plans to continue passing more of those costs along to workers over the next three to five years. Workers may see employers shifting plan designs from fixed dollar co-payments to co-insurance models, where employees pay a percentage of the out-of-pocket costs for each health care service, Hewitt said. Workers may also see higher deductibles, out-of-pocket-limits and cost sharing for use of non-network providers, Hewitt said.
A fatter future: 3 of 4 Americans to be overweight by 2020, new report warns of health costs
Citizens of the world's richest countries are getting fatter and fatter and the United States is leading the charge, an organization of leading economies said Thursday in its first ever obesity forecast.Three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020, and disease rates and health care spending will balloon, unless governments, individuals and industry cooperate on a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic, the study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.
The Paris-based organization, which brings together 33 of the world's leading economies, is better known for forecasting deficit and employment levels than for measuring waistlines. But the economic cost of excess weight — in health care, and in lives cut short and resources wasted — is a growing concern for many governments.
Milk does a body good
Got milk?
A new study from Israeli researchers found that dieters who drink a lot of milk lost more weight than people who consumed little to no calcium regardless of the rest of their diet.
Participants lost about 12 pounds at the end of the two-year study. Those who drank the least amount of milk and milk products lost about seven pounds.
More than 300 overweight middle-aged adults participated in a study that evaluated a variety of diets. Vitamin D serum levels were found to increase as participants lost weight.
Vitamin D helps to absorb calcium in the bloodstream, and can be obtained from sunlight, milk, fatty fish, and eggs.
Overweight people tend to have lower levels of Vitamin D, but researchers said this was the first study to show that vitamin increases in the body as people lose weight.
Anthem Blue Cross HIPAA Enrollment Change (California)
Effective October 1, 2010, Anthem Blue Cross California will institute a new enrollment process for HIPAA applicants.
Beginning 10/1, applicants will have start dates as follows based on application submission (WITH premium):
1st-15th of the month, 1st of the next month
(ex. Apply 11/1-11/15 start date is 12/1) (one month gap)
16th-31st of the month, 1st of the second month
(ex. Apply 11/16-11/30 start date is 1/1)(two month gap)
In order to avoid gaps in coverage, I need all Anthem HIPAA applications to be submitted to my office at least 30 days PRIOR to the requested effective date.
Anthem Health Plan Blackout (California IFP)
Anthem Blue Cross of California has today suspended it's online application program for individual & family health plans. The application will be unavailable until approximately October 1. I will update when it becomes available.
For those seeking quotes for Blue Cross coverage plans (non-HIPAA), currently over 75% of the plan portfolio is not available for sale pending Dept of Insurance approval of plan designs and rate changes. The PlanFinder tool will still work via my web site (www.davefluker.com) however it is currently only quoting the DMHC registered plans that have been approved (the expensive plans). I will update as soon as I receive word as to the availability of the new DOI-registered PPO plans.
These plans are currently being changed to meet PPACA guidelines including elimination of lifetime caps and addition of no-cost preventive services.
Currently Anthem is pending approvals for the following plan portfolios:
-SmartSense PPO
-Clear Protection PPO
-Core Guard PPO
-Premier PPO
-Lumenos PPO (HIA and HSA)
-3500 HSA PPO plan
These represent the lower-cost and non-maternity plans in the California market.
Should you use the PlanFinder tool, you will only be able to view the HMO plans and the two Share PPO plans (3500/7500) at this time.
$42. 5 Million Allotted For U.S. Public Health Investments
Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) - At least 94 projects totaling $42.5 million have been awarded to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments around the country to improve their ability to provide public health services by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obesity Hurts Your Wallet and Your Health
Researchers are putting a tag on obesity. Doctors have known that medical bills are higher for the obese, but a report from George Washington University finds that's only a portion of the real-life costs.
The researchers added in factors such as employee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline-- and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.
That's far more than the cost of being merely overweight -- $524 for women and $434 for men.
The study's co-author Christine Ferguson says the difference found between the sexes suggests that larger women earn less than skinnier women, while wages don't differ when men pack on the pounds.
Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades.
Anthem Blue Cross CA Eliminates Child-Only Enrollments
Effective 9/23, Anthem Blue Cross CA will no longer offer individual coverage plans to children under 19 as a stand-alone enrollment. Children of any age may apply for coverage as long as they are applying with parents/guardians over the age of 19. However, Anthem will no longer accept applications for children-only under the age of 19.
Several carriers in many states have taken similar action in recent weeks. It appears that Anthem across the 14 states they cover will take this action in all states. Other carriers have also instituted the same policy.
PPACA requires insurers who provide child-only coverage to insure all children under 19 regardless of health conditions. HHS is supposed to provide guidance to the insurance companies regarding open enrollment periods, however such guidance has not yet been forthcoming. As such, Anthem CA (so far) has chosen to stop selling health coverage plans to children under 19 at least until HHS provides clarification on the open enrollment.
Carriers have indicated that, absent an open enrollment schedule, many people would leave children uninsured until they have a medical emergency/condition and then purchase coverage at that time to cover it. This would create severe adverse selection problems.
Anthem BC CA has indicated that the company will review this upon HHS delivery of specific open enrollment information.
As of today, Anthem's portal will no longer quote children-only coverage under 19 and as of 9/23 no children-only plans will be sold by Anthem Blue Cross.
Make your hair removal by waxing
Waxing is one of the most effective ways of removing hair, with this process, dead cells are removed and the skin remains smooth. Waxing is classified into two categories. These are cold wax and hot wax. Hot waxing is the one that melts into the body and penetrates the hair, eventually it will harden and that's the time you have to rip it off.
On the other side, cold waxing includes a pre-coated strip that can be put directly over the skin, in this way the hair sticks onto the strip and it is removed by a quick pulling action. Redness and bumps may appear after the process, but it will disappear within few hours. After waxing, apply a moisturizer on the area.
Choose a moisturizer that has Vitamin B or aloe vera, these are the excellent skin moisturizers. Before waxing even if it's hot or cold, the area must be cleaned as well as the tools you will use. This is to avoid bacteria and germs that may enter your pores.
However, waxing also includes health precautions. Persons with diabetes and varicose veins are typically not allowed to have it, because the disease makes them very susceptible to infection. Also hair waxing shouldn't be done in areas with skin problems like pimples, warts, rashes, skin irritations or even moles. Waxing can be done in any part of the body. In waxing, hair grows back after 21-36 days, but it's finer and thinner.
Waxing is far superior to shaving, but it has some downfalls. One of them is the pain factor. It can hurt the first few times it is done. Make sure that waxing is done by a professional or a person that is very knowledgeable in it. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Removing-Hair-With-Wax&id=5006954
PacifiCare Fined $9.9 Billion by CDI
PacifiCare is once again the target for CA Dept of Insurance regulatory action.
A couple of years ago, the carrier was fined $1.2 Billion for poor claims practices.
Aocording to the article below, PacifiCare committed over 1 million violations of California law between 2006-2008.
I have maintained for several years my refusal to contract with this carrer, as have many CA health agents.
This is going to hurt if enforced.
LA Times Article
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