(Reuters) - The healthcare legislation released by the U.S. Senate's Democratic leaders on Wednesday resembles a bill passed by the House of Representatives on November 7 in many ways but there are some major differences between the two.
The Senate has yet to begin debate on its bill, which is likely to change during the amendment process. Here is a summary of some of the major differences between the proposed Senate bill and the House-passed legislation.
PUBLIC OPTION
Both bills would establish a new government insurance program to compete with private companies on proposed new state insurance exchanges. Under the Senate bill, states would be allowed to opt out of offering the federal health plan.
INDIVIDUAL MANDATES
Both the Senate and the House require most individuals to obtain health insurance. But the penalties on those who fail to get coverage are different.
The House would impose a 2.5 percent penalty tax on income up to the average cost of an insurance policy.
The Senate would phase in a maximum $750-per-adult annual penalty. A slightly higher penalty would be imposed for failure to obtain coverage for children.
EMPLOYER MANDATES
The House bill requires employers with payrolls above $750,000 to provide health insurance to workers. Those who fail to do so face a penalty of 8 percent of payroll. Employers with payrolls between $500,000 and $750,000 pay fines on a sliding scale of 2 percent, 4 percent and 6 percent of payroll.
The Senate bill has no employer mandate. But firms with more than 50 workers would have to pay a fine of $750 annually per worker if any of their employees obtain federally subsidized coverage on the exchange.
ABORTION
Both the Senate and the House bills bar the use of federal funds to finance abortion. The House bill contains tougher language that would require anyone seeking coverage for elective abortions to purchase separate insurance riders.
FINANCING
The biggest difference between the two bills is in the area of financing.
The House bill would impose a 5.4 percent surtax on individuals earning more than $500,000 a year and couples making more than $1 million. It also raises money by imposing a 2.5 percent excise tax on medical devices, by ending some tax breaks for multinational companies and by closing a biofuels tax loophole for paper companies.
The Senate bill includes a 40 percent excise tax on high- cost health insurance plans.
It also raises payroll taxes for Medicare, the government health insurance plan for the elderly, to 1.95 percent from the current 1.45 percent for individuals earning $200,000 or more and for couples earning $250,000 or more.
The Senate bill includes special fees on insurers, drug companies and medical device makers and it imposes a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery.
(Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths
Anthem has released this great document about the Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths. Thought I would share it with all of you.
"Ask any woman what disease she most fears, and she's likely to say it's breast cancer. Ask her what the number-one killer of women is, and her answer will probably be the same. She'd be wrong.
Among the most lethal diseases of women in the
But breast cancer does kill more women age 35 to 54 than any other disease, and therein lies one big reason why it's a woman's worst nightmare.
"The really compelling reason that people put breast cancer on a different scale is that everybody knows somebody with breast cancer. Many of us know someone with it in her 40s, and we don't know someone with heart disease in her 40s," says Barbara Brenner, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, an information and advocacy group based in
Breast cancer is also a disease rife with mythology. Although it gets a huge amount of media attention, a lot of what's widely circulated is wrong. Here are a few choice myths and misconceptions worth correcting:
Myth No. 1: If I get it, I'm going to die.
The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been rising substantially each year, but the death rate has been steadily declining. Eighty-three percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are alive after five years. That's compared to 64 percent in the 1960s. Better treatments and early diagnosis through mammograms and regular breast exams – including monthly breast self-exams – are responsible for these improved outcomes.
Myth No. 2: All women have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer today.
The widely quoted "one in eight" figure applies to a woman closer to the end of her lifetime. A 20-year-old, for example, has a one in 2,500 chance of developing breast cancer in the next ten years, and a 30-year-old's probability is one in 250 in the next decade. At age 40, it's one in 67; from 50-60, it's one in 30, and from 60-70 it's one in 29. The one-in-eight risk is a cumulative lifetime risk of developing breast cancer if you live at least to age 85.
Myth No. 3: If my mother had breast cancer, I'll get it too.
If your mother or sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, your chances of getting the disease are doubled – that is to say if, with no family history, you would have had a 1.5 percent chance of developing the disease in the next five years, with your history, your chance rises to 3 percent.
Myth No. 4: I'm at astronomical risk if I test positive for gene mutations.
Only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are the result of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in the genes. How a particular mutation influences your risk for getting breast cancer depends on what other risk factors you may already have. For example, if 10 or more people in various generations of your family have had breast cancer, a particularly dangerous BRCA1 mutation could give you as much as an 85 percent chance of developing the disease by the age of 70.
But if you've had only a few relatives with breast cancer, such a mutation probably gives you at most a 56 percent chance of a breast cancer diagnosis before you turn 70. A genetic counselor can help you sort out whether you should be tested, and your doctor can help you determine whether you have enough of a genetic predisposition to warrant taking medication as a preventative.
Myth No. 5: If I have no family history and I exercise, eat right, and don't smoke, I probably won't get breast cancer.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. About 70 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors. Go ahead and exercise, eat a low-fat diet, avoid tobacco, and drink alcohol only in moderation, because all those things will certainly help guard against heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions – and research has shown a relationship between breast cancer and drinking more than one alcoholic beverage a day. But since we really don't know the cause of breast cancer, there's very little you can do to prevent it.
Myth No. 6: In general, only white women get breast cancer.
The truth is that although more white women are diagnosed with breast cancer, a greater percentage of African-American women who have the disease will die of it. The rate of diagnosis is 13 percent higher among white women. But after five years, only 71 percent of African American women diagnosed with breast cancer are alive, compared to 86 percent of white women, according to the American Cancer Society. Most experts attribute the difference to black women's poorer access to health care.
As a group, white, Hawaiian, and black women have the highest rates of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. The lowest rates occur among American Indian, Vietnamese, and Korean women. (The rate of breast cancer among white women is four times as high as it is for Korean women, who have the lowest incidence.) No one knows what accounts for this, although there are unproven theories that the groups with less breast cancer consume less fat. Some researchers and advocates for women with the disease say there's a correlation between breast cancer incidence and industrial pollutants.
Myth No. 7: Women get it from wearing underwire bras.
Underwire bras are reputed in some circles to obstruct lymph flow. Interesting theory, but there's no evidence.
Myth No. 8: Breast cancer is a women's disease.
Breast cancer in men is rare – only about 1,600 men are diagnosed each year, and the disease in men accounts for less than one percent of all breast cancers. But breast cancer kills 25 percent of the men who develop it, largely because men – and often their doctors – don't know they can get it, so the cancer goes untreated until it has reached a late stage.
Myth No. 9: If a lump hurts, it's not breast cancer.
Tenderness associated with a lump, particularly if it's cyclical in nature, is often a good sign. But many breast tumors that are malignant can be tender as well. It's best to have your doctor check out anything suspicious.
Myth No. 10: Mammograms catch all breast cancers.
At the moment, mammograms are the single most important tool for finding breast tumors. They catch 85 percent of breast tumors, but that still leaves 15 percent that escape detection. It's harder to spot tumors in dense glandular tissue than in fatty tissue, and some women -- particularly those who are thin, young, premenopausal or on hormone-replacement therapy -- have dense breasts (more gland tissue, less fat). For women with dense breasts, breast ultrasound or MRI may be useful along with mammography.
For more information on breast cancer, visit MyHealth@Anthem at anthem.com.
Reprinted with permission of Consumer Health Interactive; Copyright Ó 2001 Consumer Health Interactive; updated January 2004.
This information is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Please consult your physician for advice about changes that may affect your health"
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Governor Strickland recently signed the FY 2010-2011 budget into law several changes were make that will effect the health insurance in Ohio
Continuation of Health Insurance Coverage
Effective Jan 1 2010 - Eliminates the requirement that an individual be eligible for unemployment compensation in order to be eligible for continued coverage under employer-sponsored health insurance plan after termination. However it requires that the individual did not voluntarily terminate employment and it was not terminated as a result of any gross misconduct;
Lengthens the time that the individual would be eligible for continued coverage from 6 months to 12 months.
Requires an employee notify the health insurance company if the employee elects continuation of coverage.
Allows the insurer to require the employer to provide documentation if the employee is seeking premium assistance or the continuation of coverage under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Health Insurance Coverage of Dependent Children
Requires health insurance plans offered in Ohio covering unmarried dependent children, extend that coverage, under certain conditions, until the dependent child reaches 28 years of age.
Adds the following two requirements:
1) The child is the natural child, stepchild, or adopted child of the policyholder.
2)After having attained the limiting age, the child has been continuously covered under any health benefit plan.
Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage
Requires employers of 10 or more employees to adopt have a “cafeteria” health insurance plan – (Section 125 Flexible Spending Account) that allows their employees to pay for health insurance coverage pre-tax through their paychecks under the Internal Revenue Code.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
2010 HSA limits released
The federal government has released the new contrbution limits for HSA's in 2010.
Coverage Type | Regulation | 2009 | 2010 |
Self-Only | Annual Contribution | $3,000 | $3,050 |
Deductible | $1,150 | $1,200 | |
Out-of-Pocket Maximum | $5,800 | $5,950 | |
Family | Annual Contribution | $5,950 | $6,150 |
Deductible | $2,300 | $2,400 | |
Out-of-Pocket Maximum | $11,600 | $11,900 |
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