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www.BestHealthcareRates provides free medical insurance quotes, information and resources to help consumers find the best medical insurance to meet their specific needs. The process of buying an individual medical insurance plan, family medical insurance plan or group medical insurance plan can be confusing, and without a basic knowledge of the insurance regulations in your state you could select the wrong plan to meet your needs. .com

Here we have assemble some important information and resources that can help you make the best decision, and please feel free to contact us at 877-812-5111 if we can be of any help to you in selecting the right plan, we do not charge consumers any fees.

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Health care spending equals the sum of public and private spending on health care. The Obama Administration hopes to spend an additional trillion dollars on subsidized Medical insurance over the next decade. The only way such added federal spending could possibly “slow the rate of growth in health care spending” would be for private spending to fall by $1 trillion.

Total health care spending did stop rising faster than the economy during the Clinton Administration, when the government stopped paying for a rising share of the costs: Spending on health care was 13.6% of GDP in both 1993 and 2000. By no coincidence, government spending stabilized during those years, accounting for 43% of health care outlays in 1993 and 43.2% in 2000. Once government resumed paying a growing share of the bills, combined public and private spending began rising again, to 16% of GDP.

Congressional Democrats seem eager to tax the stuffing out of both sellers and buyers of private medical insurance. Maybe their “reform” plans really do aim to shrink private health insurance benefits by enough to compensate for their extra spending on public insurance, subsidies and Medicaid. Unless the new federal spending reduces private health care spending by more than a trillion dollars, however, their plans must push overall health care spending up, not down.

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A good article form Forbes magazine by Brian Wingfield

ObamaCare promises to pay for itself. It can’t possibly–if Democrats come through with all the side deals they’ve made in order to get a reform bill.

The embarrassing quid pro quo the Democrats cut with drugmakers was part of the dealmaking necessary to keep health care reform alive–and only one of many potential side deals if overhaul is going to happen.

Most Republicans don’t want any part of Democrats’ existing health care proposals. A bipartisan Senate plan, still in the works, may not include a public option for medical insurance (especially since the White House has backed off from one), but senators are deadlocked over how to pay for customers who can’t afford health insurance. For now “reform” is synonymous with an unpopular House of Representatives bill that makes the rich fret about possible tax hikes and leaves people who already have medical insurance coverage wondering if their benefits will be cut.

While the President hit the road to drum up public support for his plans, the White House and Capitol Hill Dems have been serving up closed-door promises to keep various interests happy.

“All the key groups have been bought off,” says Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy & Strategy Associates, an Alexandria, Va. consultancy. Worse, he says, it’s undermining potential cost savings–perhaps preventing a new system that would pay for itself.

Doctors. The White House has no chance of changing the system without physicians on board–and some are very unhappy there are no provisions to cap malpractice suits. Among other things, the American Medical Association is eager to prevent a 21% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, currently scheduled to take effect in January. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of changing the Medicare payment system is $245 billion over ten years.

Old people. Although AARP hasn’t endorsed any health care reform proposal, Democrats know they’ll lose this interest group if Medicare benefits are cut. The White House has already pledged to close the “doughnut hole” gap in coverage for prescription drugs. Right now Medicare recipients pay 100% for prescription drugs when their total cost is between $2,700 and $6,154 annually. The President proposes to slash that payment obligation by at least 50% for brand-name drugs to help the middle class, ostensibly using concessions offered by drugmakers. Cost of keeping AARP happy: $30 billion or so over ten years.

Hospitals. In June the American Hospital Association grumbled after President Obama proposed lopping off $220 billion in government payments to hospitals. Less than a month later large hospital groups agreed to accept $155 billion less in Medicare and Medicaid payments over the next decade, but they also don’t have to worry about a reduction in government subsidies for treating the uninsured until 2015. If all Americans get insurance, as the President has proposed, that’s even better news for hospitals. (Conservative Democrats in the House have also won protections for rural hospitals.) The amount the Administration conceded in order to keep hospitals at the table: $65 billion.

Private insurers. They helped kill health care reform in 1994 and now say Democrats are trying to demonize them. But don’t expect the carriers to sever ties with the White House just yet. Lawmakers know that insurers still have the firepower to derail reform. (Industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross/Blue Shield and its subsidiaries have spent a combined $13.4 million on lobbying this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.) Insurers want the government to mandate universal coverage; they just don’t want Uncle Sam to provide it–and they’re betting that the Senate won’t want it, either.

Conservative Democrats. Without the support of conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats, health care reform can’t pass the House of Representatives. In July this group was successful in forcing the White House and Democratic leaders to accept a compromise that, among other things, allows doctors and hospitals to negotiate their own payment rates under a government-run medical insurance plan. It also exempts businesses with annual payrolls of under $500,000 from paying a tax if they don’t offer employees health insurance. To keep Blue Dogs licking their hands instead of biting them, House Democratic leaders agreed to slash the price tag of reform by roughly $100 billion. The potential cost: fewer people covered.

The middle class. President Obama has repeatedly promised no tax hikes on middle-income earners. As such, the idea of eliminating the tax exclusion for employer-provided coverage, which could raise $225 billion annually, is off the table. House Democrats have proposed raising taxes on the more affluent (individuals making $280,000 a year; couples filing jointly, more than $350,000). That would amount to a tax bill of $544 billion over ten years. But if private insurers increase premiums, or if health care reform greatly adds to the deficit, the middle class won’t escape.

Contentious as reform has become, the Administration is pushing hard for passage of a bill. With all the requisite giveaways, what will it look like–and how will we be able to afford it?

 Visit www.BestHealthcareRates.com for the latest information and insight regarding medical insurance reform

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From The Washington Post -

Aug. 20: Washington – Public confidence in President Obama’s leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes to the system, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Among all Americans, 49 percent now express confidence that Obama will make the right decisions for the country, down from 60 percent at the 100-day mark in his presidency. Forty-nine percent now say they think he will be able to spearhead significant improvements in the system, down nearly 20 percentage points from before he took office.

As challenges to Obama’s initiatives have mounted over the summer, pessimism in the nation’s direction has risen: Fifty-five percent see things as pretty seriously on the wrong track, up from 48 percent in April.

But there has been a notable increase in optimism about the length of the recession: Half of all Americans expect it to be over within the next 12 months. In February, just 28 percent said would end that rapidly.

Obama’s economic stimulus plan has come under attack from Republicans, who say it has failed to bring tangible benefits. But in the poll, almost twice as many say the program has made things better as say it has made things worse (43 percent to 23 percent), with a third saying the plan has had no effect.

The president’s overall approval rating stands at 57 percent, 12 points lower than its April peak, as disapproval has ticked up to 40 percent, its highest yet. On specific issues, Obama received more mixed marks. A majority, 53 percent, now disapprove of his handling of the federal budget deficit, and his ratings on health care continue to deteriorate. On the marquee issue of the economy, 52 percent approve of his actions, unchanged from June.

Despite the decline in general confidence in Obama, there is still little competition in the battle for public trust: Just 21 percent say they think congressional Republicans will make the right decisions for the country’s future, while 35 percent have confidence in Democrats.

Disapproval of Obama’s handling of the health-care issue reached 50 percent in the new poll, the highest of his presidency, and 42 percent of those surveyed say they now “strongly disapprove” of the way he is dealing with his main domestic priority. Views of the president’s actions on reform have dropped most sharply among seniors and independents.

The poll was completed just as a new debate about a public health insurance option erupted after administration officials appeared to signal their willingness to jettison the proposal as part of an eventual compromise. White House officials later insisted that there had been no change in their support for the public option as they sought to reassure Democrats furious about what they regarded as an administration cave-in.

In the survey, 52 percent of Americans said they favor the government’s creation of a new health insurance plan to compete with private insurers, while 46 percent are opposed. That is a big shift from late June, when 62 percent backed the notion and 33 percent opposed it.

The drop in support for the public option has been particularly steep among political independents, the closely watched group so critical to the Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006 and Obama’s victory last year. Two months ago, independents supported the public option by a 2 to 1 margin. Now, 50 percent are in favor, and 47 percent are opposed.

Seniors have also become decidedly negative toward the proposal: In June, seniors were evenly split on the plan, but now a majority strongly oppose the idea.

The momentum for any reform appears to have slackened as the debate has intensified, with 51 percent now behind the notion that government action is needed to control costs and expand coverage and 46 percent seeing such measures as doing more harm than good. Two months ago, proponents outnumbered opponents by a wide margin.

Obama faces an increasingly polarized environment as he campaigns for his health-care initiatives. Fifty percent of those surveyed say they oppose the set of proposals advanced by the president and congressional Democrats, while 45 percent support them. Intensity is on the side of the detractors: Forty percent of all Americans strongly oppose the plans, while 27 percent are solidly behind them.

Angry protests at some congressional town hall meetings have dominated the news over the August congressional recess. Just over half, 51 percent, of Americans see these demonstrations as “appropriate,” while 45 percent call them “inappropriate.”

Eighteen percent of those polled say they feel “angry” about the health-care changes that Congress and the Obama administration are proposing. And about as many, 15 percent, say they are “enthusiastic” about them, with the majority almost evenly divided between “satisfied” (32 percent) and “dissatisfied” (31 percent).

Positive feelings about reform drop significantly by age, with 57 percent of seniors holding negative feelings, including 29 percent who say they are outright angry.

Partisan affiliation plays directly into the intensity of feeling: Fifty-one percent of those who describe themselves as strong Republicans say they are angry, while enthusiasm peaks at 40 percent among liberal Democrats.

The lack of energy behind broad change stems in part from widespread skepticism that the proposed overhaul would make things better. Only 19 percent envision the quality of their care improving or their costs going down if the system is changed and few of those who now carry health insurance (the vast majority of Americans) say they think their coverage or costs would improve. Seniors are more than five times as likely to see their care deteriorating under projected modifications as see its improving.

The overall drop in support for government action on health care is notable among political independents, who now divide evenly between whether government reform is even necessary or would do more harm than good.

Disapproval of Obama’s handling of the reform issue has spiked to 57 percent among independents, a new high, with nearly half giving him strongly negative marks. Nearly six in 10 independents oppose the proposals.

There has also been slippage among independents on broader measures of Obama’s presidency. His job approval among independents now stands at 50 percent, the lowest level of his presidency. For the first time, more independents strongly disapprove than strongly approve of how he is doing.

His approval among independents is also below 50 percent on the economy, the deficit and taxes. Before Obama’s inauguration, 61 percent of independents expressed confidence in his ability to make the right decisions for the country. That number fell to 52 percent about 100 days into his presidency and now sits at 41 percent. Confidence in his judgment has also slipped substantially among seniors.

Looking ahead to the 2010 midterm elections, half of independents say a congressional candidate’s support for the proposed health-care changes will not affect their vote, but among the other half, twice as many say they are less apt to back such a contender than say they would be more likely to vote that way. Seniors tilt even more negatively on the question.

The poll was conducted August 13-17 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults on both conventional and cellular telephones. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

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From The Los Angeles Times –

Aug. 24: Lashed by liberals and threatened with more government regulation, the medical insurance industry nevertheless rallied its lobbying and grass-roots resources so successfully in the early stages of the healthcare overhaul deliberations that it is poised to reap a financial windfall.

The half-dozen leading overhaul proposals circulating in Congress would require all citizens to have health insurance, which would guarantee insurers tens of millions of new customers many of whom would get government subsidies to help pay the companies’ premiums.

“It’s a bonanza,” said Robert Laszewski, a medical insurance executive for 20 years who now tracks reform legislation as president of the consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates Inc.

Some insurance company leaders continue to profess concern about the unpredictable course of President Obama’s massive healthcare initiative, and they vigorously oppose elements of his agenda. But Laszewski said the industry’s reaction to early negotiations boiled down to a single word: “Hallelujah!”

The insurers’ success so far can be explained in part by their lobbying efforts in the nation’s capital and the districts of key lawmakers.

The bills vary in the degree to which they would empower government to be a competitor and a regulator of private insurance. But analysts said that based on the way things stand now, insurers would come out ahead.

“The insurers are going to do quite well,” said Linda Blumberg, a health policy analyst at the nonpartisan Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. “They are going to have this very stable pool, they’re going to have people getting subsidies to help them buy coverage and … they will be paid the full costs of the benefits that they provide plus their administrative costs.”

One of the Democratic proposals that most concerns insurers is the creation of a “public option” medical insurance plan. The industry launched a campaign on Capitol Hill against it, grounded in a study published by the Lewin Group, a health policy consulting firm that is owned by UnitedHealth Group. The lobbyists contended that a government-run plan, which would have favorable tax and regulatory treatment, would undermine private insurers.

Opposition increased this month when boisterous critics mobilized at town hall meetings held by members of Congress home for the August recess. The attacks, supplemented by conservative critics on talk radio and other forums, drew national attention.

Leading insurers, including UnitedHealth, urged their employees around the country to speak out. Company “advocacy hot line” operations and sample letters and statements were made available to an army of insurance industry employees in nearly every congressional district.

Some insurers supplemented the effort with local advertising, often designed to put pressure on specific members of Congress. Late in the spring, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina — the home state of several conservative Blue Dog Democrats — prepared ads attacking the public option.

Leading Democrats have fought back, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) last month calling the industry “immoral” for its past treatment of customers and suggesting insurers were “the villains” in the healthcare debate.

Still, recent support for the public option has declined, and the stock prices of health insurance firms have been rising. Undermining support for the public option wasn’t the only gain scored by insurance lobbyists.

In May, the Senate Finance Committee discussed requiring that insurers reimburse at least 76% of policyholders’ medical costs under their most affordable medical plans. Now the committee is considering setting that rate as low as 65%, meaning insurers would be required to cover just about two-thirds of patients’ healthcare bills. According to a committee aide, the change was being considered so that companies could hold down premiums for the policies.

Most group health plans cover 80% to 90% or more of a policyholder’s medical bills, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. Industry officials urged that the government set the floor lower so insurers could provide flexible, more affordable plans.

“It is vital that individuals, families and small-business owners have the flexibility to choose an affordable medical coverage option that best meets their needs,” said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s Washington-based lobbying shop.

Consumer advocates argue that a lower government minimum might quickly become the industry standard, placing a greater financial burden on patients and their families.

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Alarming statistics have been revealed regarding the state of socialized health care in Britain, as compared to the United States’ private medical insurance system in its present state. Despite the fact that the health care system in this country is flawed and there is an excessive amount of waste while many Americans are slipping through the cracks, the current system still outperforms Britain in terms of healthcare and mortality rates in many different areas.  

Even though high-profile Britons like Stephen Hawking champion the healthcare system of his country, the statistics speak for themselves. American women with breast cancer outlive their British counterparts almost 2 to 1. Angioplasties are done less than 25% as often as they are done in the U.S. This is a very useful preventative procedure to delay heart problems. Death due to heart attacks is 20% higher there than in this country. Prostate cancer is fatal for 57% of British sufferers, while only 19% of American men with it die as a result. 

Critics of the socialized system find its policies concerning healthcare alarming. Those suffering from macular degeneration used to have to wait until they had lost sight in one eye before becoming eligible for a pricey new drug to save eyesight in such cases. Another policy reduced the number of steroid injections that could be given for back pain from 60,000 a year to 3,000.  

The wait time for healthcare is a big factor for many people’s fear of the government run healthcare insurance system. Wait times in Britain for most procedures are double what they are in the U.S. For cancer treatments, patients may wait up to one year and often patients who might have been saved turn into incurable cases before they start treatment. The number of diagnostic machines like MRIs and CT scanners is much lower per capita than in America. That also affects the speed at which diagnostic testing is done.  

You want to be able to say ‘No thanks, I’ve got private medical insurance’ when they come by with the health care reform package. By having your own medical insurance plan, you retain control of your own healthcare and isn’t that the way it should be?

For additional information, Contact: BestHealthcareRates.com, at 877-812-5111 or online at http://www.BestHealthcareRates.com/.

BestHealthcareRates.com has been helping individuals and families find the absolute best medical insurance plans for them at the best rates since 2001. Their dedication to staying on top of what is vital to the healthcare industry is reflected in the high quality service they provide to those looking for affordable medical insurance.  Visit us today for your individual medical insurance, family health insurance or group medical insurance quotes.
 

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We have been notified that Anthem Blue Cross will be increasing their health insurance rates effective 11-1-09.

If you are insured by Anthem Blue Cross you do have options to help you to lower your medical insurance costs. If you have been putting off applying for health insurance, now would be a good time before the rate increase takes effect.

Your options are:

1. Anthem Blue Cross has a website at www.changemycoverage.com. It is very easy to use and you can compare all of their plans and rates to your current plan. If you find a plan that meets your needs at a lower premium, you can apply online to change to the new plan.

2. Go to our website at www.BestHealthcareRates.com where you can compare all of the medical insurance plans offered by all of the major insurance companies. Compare plans from companies such as Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, PacifiCare, Kaiser, Celtic, Assurant, Health Net and many more. You can apply online for any of these plans at www.BestHealthcareRates.com .

3. Call us at 877-812-5111 and we would be happy to help you find and apply for an affordable medical insurance plan that would better suit your needs. I hope you find these sites useful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help!

Have a great day!

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Dear President Obama:

We are all aware that the greatest barrier to accessing medical insurance coverage in America today is cost. Skyrocketing medical care costs are the key factor in rising health insurance premiums that put the cost of health insurance coverage beyond the reach of millions of Americans.  As a health insurance agent, I am all too familiar with the increasing costs of medical insurance coverage and the burden it places on all Americans.  So I urge you, as comprehensive health care reform is considered before Congress, please realize that the best way to expand access to health insurance coverage is to work toward containing health care costs. America needs affordable medical insurance coverage!

Health care costs are not expensive because of insurance; rather, insurance is expensive because of the rising cost of medical care, and by the increased demand created by unhealthy lifestyle choices. Insurance companies are not simply increasing premiums to increase their profits, but to cover the expanding cost of health care.

PricewaterhouseCoopers calculated the health insurance industry’s profit at barely three cents per dollar. New government programs and mandates, albeit designed to help Americans gain access to health care coverage, would significantly raise health care costs and spending for the federal government as well as for millions of American business and families. Thus, health care coverage would be just as unaffordable as it is today.

Many of the topics that need to be addressed to truly lower health care costs in the country are not ones that I have particular expertise in, however, as a health insurance agent and employee benefit specialist, I do have an extensive knowledge of health insurance markets and factors that directly drive up health insurance claims costs and consequently health insurance premiums. Congress and America must turn its attention to wellness programs and improving system inefficiencies as starting point for making health care affordable for all Americans. Nearly 50% of health care costs in America are attributed to individual behaviors such as smoking, alcohol abuse and obesity. We must establish wellness programs for Americans that work to help us cut our unhealthy lifestyle choices. Providing incentives to strive to eat more nutritiously and be more active and healthy will result in fewer doctor visits and medical procedures. If we can help contain the increasing costs of health care by simply helping America make healthier choices, why wouldn’t we?

We also must focus on our current health care system’s tendency to reward quantity—not quality—of care. Duplication of procedures and overuse of high‑end procedures in situations where they add little value just further increases costs. We need to work on increasing communications between doctors through electronic medical record technology, establish comparative effectiveness research that helps determine when more expensive treatments are needed or just superfluous, and provide incentives for doctors and medical facilities to improve system inefficiencies and eliminate costly errors through pay for performance, best practice guidelines and support for evidence‑based medicine.

In addition, health system reform and reducing costs can no longer ignore the need for balanced and sensible medical liability reform. Numerous studies indicate that doctors and other medical professionals unfortunately practice a lot of “defensive medicine” that drives up costs but adds little value to healthy outcomes just so they can steer clear of possible junk lawsuits.

It is a critical time for our health care system and we need to ensure increased access of health care to all Americans. We cannot simply open doors to health care; we must strive to make sure health care is affordable. Now is the time to work together and find ways to contain the skyrocketing health costs that burden all of America. We need to work towards containing health care costs not just expanding health care.

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As Americans become increasingly frustrated with rising health care costs, for many of them it seems that affordable medical insurance is out of their reach. Families are searching for ways to pay for medications that are partially covered by insurance plans as well as those that are not typically covered, such as Viagra. The struggle to make ends meet is intensified by these medical costs, yet it is still possible to obtain affordable medical insurance, even during a time of economic crisis.

Because quality medical coverage is becoming a necessity in order to handle the high costs of health care, financial experts are suggesting that families make cuts in other areas of spending before skimping on medical insurance plans. Some families are attempting to cut costs by choosing plans with the highest deductibles, but a better plan to cover health costs is to make good coverage a priority on the list of budget expenditures.

Of the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, it is likely that many are suffering from financial hardships due to an unexpected medical emergency. One major medical expense can lead to collections and even bankruptcy. Making insurance a priority and securing an affordable medical insurance plans is an effective way to guard against such circumstances.

Employees who have either lost their jobs or experienced a cut in benefits also may obtain affordable medical insurance coverage. While these plans may not cover medications like Viagra and procedures deemed unnecessary, they can often provide coverage for urgent and catastrophic medical issues that would drain one’s finances if paid out of pocket.

The fact is that these days it’s simply too risky to go without medical coverage. It is tragic when an uninsured family is blindsided by a medical problem that wreaks havoc on finances and credit ratings, therefore, at www.BestHealthcareRates.com our goal is to help such families prevent these scenarios by offering them affordable health coverage that meets their unique needs and works with their limited budget.

About BestHealthcareRates.com:

Since 2001 BestHealthcareRates.com has helped thousands find affordable medical insurance plans, getting the most benefits possible for the lowest possible cost The company is committed to exceptional service and strives to achieve 100% customer satisfaction and affordable health insurance for all. For a one-on-one consultation to determine whether your condition or medication is covered, visit www.BestHealthcareRates.com (http://www.BestHealthcareRates.com), or call 1-877-812-5111.

Visit us today for individual medical insurance, family health insurance or group medical insurance.

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