California Individual And Group Health Insurance Plans

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton warned Canada, not to go down an American-style, privatized health-care road.

Be careful," he said. "I know there are problems here, but it's a good thing, your
health-care system. You better think about it for a long time."

Speaking at a fundraising dinner at the Windsor Arms Hotel, Clinton described the U.S. system as "a nightmare. It's insane, a colossal waste of money."

In the U.S., 35 per cent of the health-care budget goes to administrative costs, he said, compared with Canada's 18 per cent. "In the U.S., administrative costs mean the financial tail is wagging the health-care dog."

Clinton said Canada should examine similar health-care systems - in Germany, Denmark or Sweden, for instance - that have solved problems such as overly extended waiting times.

MarketWatch - May 19: San Francisco - The value of health insurance rose 8% from 1997 to 2002, though increased worker cost-sharing has eroded some of the gains since then, according to a new study.The authors of a study published in the May/June issue of Health Affairs measured health-plan generosity in terms of actuarial value, meaning the percentage of a medical bill paid by the plan versus the portion an employee pays out of pocket, assuming health-care utilization patterns of a standard adult population.The late 1990s brought health-insurance changes that favored workers financially, said Jon Gabel, lead author of the study and vice president of the Center for Studying Health System Change."During this period of time, we had a full-employment economy, a shortage of workers, a backlash of managed care and were retreating from managed care," Gabel said. "One way we retreated was to make networks broader, and that increased the actuarial value of plans." "I'm more likely to go in network when I have a broader network," thus saving money, he added.A second reason for the increase: preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and point of service (POS) plans switched from having coinsurance to flat copayments in those years, Gabel said. "When you have a copayment, it's not just that $10 is better than 10%," he said. "When you have a copayment and go to a physician's office the deductible does not apply. All of a sudden a lot of people no longer faced deductibles when they went to see their physician."Health-plan value varies widely depending on not only where you live but also how big or small your employer is and especially the kind of plan you choose, according to the report. Adjusted premiums are 25% higher in indemnity plans and 18% higher in PPOs than in health maintenance organizations (HMOs,) according to the study. "What you pay out of pocket is sort of the flip side of the actuarial value, so you have lower expected out of pocket costs in an HMO and consequently you have higher actuarial value," Gabel said.Even so, PPOs remain popular. They dominate the market with 61% of eligible Americans enrolled in PPOs in 2005, up from 42% in 2000 and 28% in 1996, said Gary Claxton, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.Despite their thrifty appeal, HMOs drew only 21% of the population last year, down from 29% in 2001 and 31% in 1996, the peak of HMO penetration, he said. A handful of states like California are the exception, where HMO market share approaches or exceeds the national mid-90s peak.So why aren't more people rushing out to give HMOs another chance? "I think their use of prior authorization particularly and a bunch of scare stories led to the managed-care backlash and now rightly or wrongly many people associate an HMO with inferior care," Gabel said. "Even during the backlash, the people who study this...had a different opinion." Though quality of care was equivalent with PPOs, customer-service problems and the requirement to see a primary-care doctor before going to a specialist led to consumer revolt, particularly among upper-middle-class people, he said. Claxton agreed. "People seem to not like the restrictions in HMOs even though they are unquestionably cheaper. It probably will continue, too, because the PPO seems to be a better platform for some of this consumer-driven stuff we're all going to try out."High-deductible plans with or without a savings account attached "fit into an HMO but not as nicely as a PPO," Claxton said. States that have large HMO market shares and those with densely populated urban areas get more bang for their health-insurance premium buck than do rural ones, the study found. What's more, workers at small businesses with one to nine workers pay 18% more for their coverage than those in firms with 1,000 or more employees. That's partly because of the general economic disadvantage of purchasing for a small pool of workers as well as the practice of paying a percentage of the premium to brokers who set up health insurance for small firms, Gabel said.The actuarial value of the premium dollar goes furthest in populous states such as California, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania while rural ones such as Maine, Wyoming, Wisconsin and West Virginia have the lowest value. Larger states tend to have a larger share of big businesses while small states have more small employers, Gabel said. While it's true that the move from coinsurance to copayments during the 1990s likely increased actuarial value, it's not always easy to tell which plans have copayments exclusively compared with a blend of the two, Claxton said."It wouldn't be unheard of to have a plan staying with a copay for a doctor's office visit but then having coinsurance for lab tests, X-rays and the stuff that will come out of it," he said.Equally difficult to discern from existing data is whether more-expensive items like biologic drugs carry lower out-of-pocket thresholds that make coverage less protective for those who need it, Claxton said.

The Los Angeles Times - By Daniel Yi - Times Staff WriterMay 20: The nation's largest pharmacy benefits manager announced Friday that it was distributing more generic drugs than brand-name counterparts, a sign that costly brand-name prescription medicines may be losing their grip on the market, leading to lower drug costs for consumers.The trend is significant because even more generic prescription drugs are expected to hit the market in the near future. That could significantly reduce healthcare costs for some people, especially the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.Medco Health Solutions Inc., which serves more than 55 million members through various prescription plans around the country, substitutes 54% of drug prescriptions with generic equivalents, up from 47% a year ago, the company said. Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based Medco services about a fifth of U.S. consumers with health insurance. It distributes drugs by mail or through pharmacies. Last year, the higher reliance on generics helped Medco slow down the rise of prescription drug spending to the lowest rate of increase in more than five years, the company said. Drug spending rose 5.4% in 2005, compared with 8.5% in 2004 and 16.4% in 1999, when Medco began collecting data.How much generic drugs can slow the overall rise of healthcare costs is hard to say. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that total health expenditures in 2006 would be $2.16 trillion. The amount is expected to grow to more than $4 trillion in 2015.But for individual consumers, the savings could be significant. Noreen Wenjen, a piano teacher in Torrance, said generics helped her save about $1,500 in prescription prenatal vitamins during two pregnancies. "The generics were so much cheaper," Wenjen, 38, said. "I took them during the pregnancy and during nursing, so yes, it adds up."Prescription-drug spending also slowed last year because of the withdrawal from the market of two popular painkillers, Vioxx and Bextra, over possible health risks, Medco said. The use of Celebrex, an arthritis drug, also declined after U.S. regulators warned of heart risks.Although the drop in the use of certain medicines may be temporary, the shift to generics is much more significant, healthcare and pharmaceutical experts say. Many smaller drug plans say generics have accounted for a majority of prescriptions for some years now as employers and others who fund health plans demand lower costs."It is a huge part of the market," said Chris Wright, a managing principal of ZS Associates, a pharmaceutical consulting company with offices worldwide. "The pharmaceutical companies are under a lot of pressure, but they knew this was coming."Wright said the industry experienced a boom in the early and mid-1990s, but many of the patents that led to those products are expiring in the next few years. There is a pattern when a drug loses its patent protection, he said. "It usually drops 60% to 80% of its market share in the first 12 months," Wright said.Within the next four years, brand-name drugs with total U.S. sales nearing $43 billion could lose their patent protection, according to Medco. Those include top sellers such as cholesterol medicine Zocor, antidepressant Zoloft and sleeping aid Ambien.Aiding the popularity of generic drugs are state laws that allow pharmacies to offer generics. Medco switches to brand names only if doctors specifically request the drug, said Ann Smith, a spokeswoman for the company.

Young cancer sufferers in the US are two times as likely to be unemployed in adulthood, new research suggests.

Findings also show that US cancer survivors have the uppermost risk of unemployment and Europeans who have survived the disease have the best chance of working, according to reports Medical News Today (MNT).

The report, which would be published this July in the Cancer journal, indicates that people who had childhood cancers of the brain and nervous system are five times further likely to be unemployed when they are adults.

Engela de Boer, occupational health of the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam and writer of the report, says that the distinction between the continents may be due to health insurance.

According to Ms de Boer, one reason for this transatlantic inconsistency might be because health insurance and employment are not linked in Europe as they are in the US.

Health problems could occur later in life for those who survive cancer at a young age, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A state senator wants to force the owners of Louisiana's race tracks and the owners of race horses to pay fraction of the high cost of getting health insurance for jockeys.

Sen. Don Cravins introduced a bill that will set up the Jockeys Health and Welfare Benefit Fund, to cover those costs. Cravins said the jockeys face particularly high rates because they get injured so often.

"It has become a crisis in this state," said Cravins, D-Opelousas, whose region includes one of the state's four tracks. "Because of the nature of their work, it has become virtually impossible for jockeys to obtain insurance."

The Senate passed the measure unanimously on Monday, though Cravins said he planned to redraft it before it gets to a House committee. The amended bill will divide the insurance costs evenly among the jockeys, the track owners and the horse owners, he said.

Cravins said he expected some opposition from horse and track owners wary of new expenses. He said the total cost to insure the jockeys will be roughly $750,000 per year. About 50 jockeys would qualify for the fund.

Jockeys get paid based on a percentage of their races' purses. The addition of slot machines at race tracks in 1996 brought new income to the track owners, higher purses for horse owners and somewhat senior incomes for jockeys.

Much of the nation is intrigued with the agenda being launched in Massachusetts to provide health cover for all of that state's residents.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is approaching a proposal that, while far more limited than Massachusetts', will nonetheless really increase the number of Michigan residents who have health coverage.

While critics question the price tag and other aspects of Granholm's suggestion, we think it at least deserves thorough thought and review by lawmakers.

Michigan at present has an estimated 1.2 million residents who have no health insurance.

Granholm proposes using about $420 million that the state currently spends on health care to kick off her program. She said the state must be able to provide insurance for at least 540,000 uninsured adults who make less than 100 percent of the poverty level.

People making more than 200 percent of the poverty level will be able to purchase insurance on a sliding scale under Granholm's plan, and small businesses will find more affordable insurance options for their employees.

Unlike Massachusetts, Granholm proposes a charitable system. It would be delivered through the private sector, with the state establishing a system to help attach insurers with the insured.

Hyderabad (India): The state government would promote the health insurance plan for the benefit of the poor people in the state.

Nearly 40 lack families are predictable to be benefited out of the scheme. A trust would be established to oversee the program. Under this health insurance program, a sum of Rupees, 600 would serve as the premium for a year for one family.

Out of this the central government and state government would pay Rupees, 300 and Rupees. 150 respectively. The rest should be paid by the family.

A maximum of Rupees, 1 lack health insurance has been determined for each poor family and if the expenses exceed Rupees 1 lack, then the concerned family has to bear the extra amount.

A new initiative to cut doctors' bills for more than 700,000 New Zealanders have to not be used as a method for Government to meddle in fee rates for individual surgeries, Ashburton's GP spokesperson Mick Tarry says.

The government's $120 million health care subsidy, set to make doctors' visits cheaper for people aged between 40 and 65, is due for implementation on July 1.
However, that subsidy comes with a few fish hooks, which doctors find unpalatable, Dr Tarry said.

The subsidy in itself is outstanding news for patients, with fees set to drop from around $50 a visit to between $23 and $30, but it is where that final fee will settle that is causing the problems, he said.

"There is a dispute in the medical profession and with business owners because the Government is specifying how much that fee should go down to."
When an earlier subsidy reducing fees for 19 to 24-year-olds was introduced, the process was a simple one, Dr Tarry said.

"That time they just said come up with a reasonable fee and most settled at $25This time round the government is annoying to force doctors to come up with a "one fee fits all" answer and that simply will not work because each practice had a different range of costs, he said.

Indications are the government wants that fee to settle at $24, but GPs around New Zealand are challenging this amount.

"The sticking point is over how much our fees are reduced and we're arguing over $2 or $3 dollars, a piddle amount really, but we want to be able to set our fees within a range and we're miffed they're not prepared to trust us with implementing a significant reduction in our fees."

"We provide a lot of information already because it is built into our contracts, but now they're asking us to give quality indicators as well. You do have to wonder about the relevance of some of the information they want."

"Gone are the days when you could have a little practice on your own and just see your patients. People don't really realize the amount of information we have to provide and the pressures that go on behind the scenes in our small businesses."

While the country's GPs were battling to retain some suppleness in the system, Dr Tarry said he would hate to see the newest patient fee subsidy abandoned because agreement could not be reached.

"It would be a real pity if the patient doesn't end up getting the benefit of it."

The Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) lastly decided to plug one of the loopholes that have been consumption away the insurance premiums paid by taxpayers. Officials announced a far-reaching plan to crack down on almost 1,000 pharmacies in fact operated by or even affiliated with hospitals or clinics themselves.

Huang Chao-ming, a expert of the BNHI under the Department of Health (DOH), said yesterday at a push conference held in Tainan of southern Taiwan that the so-called "front door pharmacies" united with hospitals or clinics are necessary to hand back the certificates issued to "independent pharmacies" before the end of this June.

They should also revisit the "excess premium payment" for the January-April period this year previous to the June 30 deadline, Huang said.

Those complying with the directive would be exempt from prosecution. Otherwise, Huang said, charges of fraud and forgery would be filed against doctors, pharmacists, or additional medical workers running these pharmacies. Those convicted will face a utmost imprisonment of five years, according to the regulations. Unlike the "independent pharmacies," Huang explained, the "front door pharmacies" are recognized right in front of the gates of hospitals or clinics, or nearby, by the medical organization or medical workers themselves.

Hospitals and clinics are allowable to collect NT$49 -- NT$24 as medical service fee and NT$25 as analysis fee for releasing the prescriptions to pharmacies -- from the BNHI for every medical treatment case.

BNHI officials said such fees are future for "independent pharmacies" as part of the integrated medical repair network in Taiwan.

However, the pharmacies allied with the hospitals or clinics are currently also collecting the money from the bureau.

Huang said those known as "front door pharmacies" with ties to hospitals or clinics must not draw the payment from the premiums paid by taxpayers.

Such "excess premium payment" at present runs up to about NT$1.6 billion a year.

Business Wire - May 12: Sacramento, Calif. - A report released today by the California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU) sheds new light on the debate over how to reform California's troubled health care system. According to the CAHU Report, a government-run single-payer health care system in California will decrease personal choice, result in long waits for care, require significant tax increases and place huge costs on the state at a time when it continues to deal with serious fiscal challenges. The state association, representing more than 2,500 health insurance professionals serving millions of California consumers, also revealed the results of a statewide public opinion survey, in which a solid majority of Californians indicated that a single-payer system would not result in better quality health care compared to the current private system. The primary objective of the CAHU Report was to analyze the theory and evidence on centralized health care systems and apply those findings to the practical application of a single-payer style health care system in California as proposed by State Senator Sheila Kuehl in her bill, SB 840. The CAHU Report identifies a number of flaws in the fundamental assertions made by single-payer proponents, and it details a number of negative impacts that SB 840 would have on the delivery of care if implemented in California. John E. Schneider, PhD, of Health Economics Consulting Group (HECG), authored the CAHU Report as a policy analysis of the proposed California legislation.HECG includes a group of academic health economists and health services researchers, including faculty from the University of Iowa, Texas A&M University, University of California Berkeley, Emory University, University of Louisville, University of Nebraska, Purdue University and Washington University. "We hope that California's health care leaders, advocates and elected officials will work together to develop a comprehensive, workable solution to the problems of the uninsured. Good policy is good politics and it will take a bipartisan and balanced approach to build a great California solution," stated Jim Price, CAHU President. The single-payer plan envisioned by Senator Kuehl is a variation of the less-than-successful government-controlled health care system seen in other countries such as Canada or Great Britain. These state-run systems have seen significant problems in recent years, particularly in terms of rationing care that results in extremely long waiting periods for critical health care services, ballooning tax burdens and high levels of dissatisfaction among patients. The CAHU Report demonstrates that nearly one-half of California's uninsured residents are currently eligible for an assortment of public and private health coverage options. However, the state has continually fallen far short of making sure that those uninsured residents are aware of, or enrolled in, those coverage options. Further, the CAHU Report points out that administrative cost savings estimated by single-payer proponents are inaccurate because they drastically overstate private health insurance administrative expenses, estimating them to be $9.7 billion in 2006. In reality, health care administration costs typically fall between $5-6 billion annually, and have been shown to be declining over the past several years. In fact, administrative functions are the primary defense against fraud and abuse. If single-payer supporters are overestimating cost savings to that extent, the CAHU Report raises serious questions about the size of the new tax increases that would be needed to finance single-payer. It is estimated that at least $95 billion in new tax revenues would be needed to finance a state-run system. Complementing the CAHU Report, the results of a recently conducted statewide public opinion poll were also released, demonstrating voter awareness and opinions on various health care issues. The poll examined the preferences of more than 1,000 high-propensity voters throughout the State of California on an assortment of health care issues. Strategic Research Institute (SRI), a California-based research firm conducted the poll. SRI routinely predicts outcomes of voter preferences within 1 percent to 2 percent of actual voting behavior. Key findings of the survey indicate: -- Respondent's individual satisfaction with health care they received in recent years, and with their own health care plan is at 78% and 76%, respectively -- 44% feel dissatisfied with the state's current health care system-- 65% believe single-payer would result in more administrative problems, not less -- 62% oppose increasing employer payroll taxes to fund health care -- 59% believe that single-payer would not provide better quality health care than the current system "Virtually everyone recognizes that our current health care system is in a state of crisis, but this study confirms that replacing our current public-private system with a the state-run system will not result in the quality health care availability and affordability that single-payer health care presumes to offer," stated Dave Benson, President-Elect of CAHU.

Graduation day is just around the corner, but it's the parents of these young students who still require remedial education on whether their health plans cover their children and also the options now available for short-term medical insurance.

Findings from a recent national survey of the college parents revealed that only 24 percent were highly confident that their adult children would immediately find a job after college that provides health insurance. Yet, less than one in three was aware that they could buy short-term medical insurance for these young adults for as little as $52 per month.

The research was conducted by College Parents of America and Assurant Health. It reaffirmed the results of a previous Assurant Health survey, which showed 40 percent of parents mistakenly believed that adult children (ages 21 -- 25) living at home were covered under their health insurance plans.

"We hope this sends a wake-up call to the tens of thousands of parents who do not realize they may be at great financial risk right after their children graduate," said James A. Boyle, founder and president of College Parents of America, the only national membership association dedicated to advocating and serving on behalf of current and future college parents.

A "loophole", which would allow politicians to join a health insurance scheme at a moment's notice if they became seriously ill - and which sparked controversy when exactly, which was done in 2002 to pay off-Island medical treatment for the late Tourism Minister David Allen - is to be closed.

In the interest of fairness to all those who could pay premiums to be part of the Government Employees Health Insurance (GEHI) Fund, MPs and Senators would no longer be able to jump into the scheme to receive immediate insurance for costly bills.

There are more than 6,500 policyholders in the scheme, with nearly 4,500 additional policies covering dependants. It was originally a health insurance fund for civil servants but was expanded in 1998 to allow MPs and Senators to also join.

The tightening up of the scheme was announced by Finance Minister Paula Cox as she presented an amendment to the House of Assembly, which restricts entry to the scheme by politicians to the first three months after they are elected or appointed.

If they do not take up the option within those three months they, and their non-employed spouses or even dependants must wait for six months to be enrolled - or a shorter period to be determined by committee - before being admitted.

And the upper age limit for employees' children who could be included in the scheme
Providing they are full-time students is to be raised from 21 to 27 by the Government Employees (Health Insurance) Amendment Act 2006.

The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory and the Development Authority (IRDA), is planning to introduce a new way of assessing health insurance claims in the country. Simply put, IRDA will prescribe new code for hospitals for reporting data.

The code, which would be prescribed by Classification of Diseases (ICD) of World Health Organization (WHO), would be standard for all the hospitals. The code would be called as ICD 10. The new code, ICD 10, is used worldwide for creating morbidity and also for mortality statistics and reimbursement systems. In Pics: It's also for non-engineers.

This new move is expected to bring in the more transparency in health care claims. Presently, hospitals do not follow a standard code for reporting diseases. If the new code is implemented, it would be an easier task for hospitals to report claims

Currently, most of the health insurance products are actually worked out on the basis of international reinsures data. ICD10 will give hospitals a leeway to set their premiums and at the same time it would enable them to give a clear picture of medical claims.

WASHINGTON - Michigan's small-business owners said that they could make health insurance even more affordable and available to their employees under legislation now being debated on the Senate floor.

The bill, called the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and then Affordability Act, which would give small businesses greater bargaining power with insurance companies by allowing them to band together in health insurance associations that cross state lines to offer affordable insurance to workers. It will also give them relief from costly state mandates.

Critics, however, say the legislation will drive up premiums and eliminate hard-won health care coverage guarantees such as for hospice care, diabetes drugs and also prevention programs.

"The legislation will help level the playing field in the market," said Doug Hilbert, co-owner of the computer consulting firm PTD Technology in East Lansing. "Now we have only a few (insurance) providers at the top".

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In an attempt to pressure Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to honor his vow to provide health care for all California children, Assembly Democrats on Monday added $50 million for the children's insurance to next year's proposed budget.

The vote by the Assembly budget subcommittee on health and also human services means lawmakers _ and the Republican governor _ would have to accept or may be reject the proposal as they debate spending for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Around 900,000 Californians under 18 are uninsured. And only half of those children are actually eligible for existing government insurance programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.

Schwarzenegger has proposed growing funding in next year's $125.6 billion budget to expand this enrollment of low-income children who already qualify for government coverage.

On Monday, Chan presented a revised plan, which would phase in an expansion of children's insurance in the next three years. The subcommittee approved it on a party-line vote of 4-1.

Bruce Li of Schwarzenegger's Department of Finance called universal children's insurance is a "worthy goal," but said the administration opposed making it an issue in the budget negotiations.

Schwarzenegger is scheduled to release an updated budget proposal on Friday.

"We'll never get there if we don't draw the line and make it a goal," said Laird, chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. "Health insurance for all kids will pay back in better school attendance. It will pay back in (lower) long-term medical care (costs)."

PR Newswire - May 3: Washington -The Coalition on HSA Coordination today supported the introduction of the Tax-Free Health Savings Act by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) according to the Coalition's chairman Duane Olson, who manages employee benefits plans at Deere & Company."This bill represents another step forward in the process to truly transform our health care system, and that transformation begins with the active participation and engagement of our employees," Olson said."We applaud the bill and specifically want to congratulate Congressman Cantor for his inclusion of two important provisions he had previously championed in HR 4511. This bill will increase the current contribution limits to promote widespread adoption of HSAs and permit coordination of HSAs with other popular accounts, like flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRA)."Olson continued: "The real challenge facing employers as they seek to adopt HSAs is the reality that a significant percentage of their employees are burdened by the high deductible, especially those with lower incomes or chronic care conditions. Permitting coordination of different plans like flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements will accelerate the growth in health savings accounts by ensuring that these accounts make sense for all working Americans and enable employees to plan, budget, and manage their own personal responsibility.""As the legislative process moves forward, our hope is that the five year period allowing coordination will be expanded so that working Americans and their families can enjoy the many complementary benefits that each of these accounts offers into the future," Olson said. "At a time when American families' personal savings rates are low and health costs are growing, promoting educated health care decisions by informed consumers is not only smart policy, it's smart living."

The Sacramento Bee - May 7: It's decision time for an estimated 500,000 Californians who are on Medicare but have not yet signed up for the new prescription drug coverage. They have one week to enroll or face lifelong penalties if they need coverage later."If you don't have other coverage, you should enroll," urged Margaret Reilly, assistant director of California Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) in Sacramento, an unbiased consumer program. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't enroll," she said.Midnight Monday, May 15, is the deadline. The next chance to sign up will be November. Those who sign up later will pay penalties of 1 percent of the average premium for every month they delay. It can add up quickly. If your health deteriorates two years after the deadline and you enroll in a drug plan then, it will cost you 24 percent more each month.Some elderly or disabled beneficiaries may have decided they don't want the voluntary Medicare benefit, which can cost anywhere from $5 to $60 a month.But advocates are worried that some who need the coverage don't know about the deadline or are befuddled about how to pick a plan. An estimated 25,000 in the Sacramento area may be without drug coverage and need to consider a plan, said Reilly.

Lower-income working Americans, lack health insurance and this is quickly becoming the new normal. That's the insinuation of survey results just released by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan association that studies health care. The survey found that 42 percent of non-elderly American adults with incomes between $20,000 and $42,000 a year were without health care for all or part of 2005. That's up from 27 percent as recently as 2001.

Many of the uninsured reported expenditure their entire savings on health care and/or those they were having complexity paying for basic necessities. And most uninsured adults reported wounding corners to save money - failing to fill prescriptions, skipping medications, going without defensive care. Here’s the other side of the same coin: health insurers' business is lagging, reports The Wall Street Journal, as "rising premiums and medical costs shove more of their traditional-employer customers to shun and curtail company health benefits." And some investors are feeling its ache.

What would happen if Medicare was expanded to cover everyone? You might think that the nation would spend more on health are, since this would mean covering 47 million Americans who are now without insurance. But the uninsured already receive some medical care at public expense - for example, treatment in emergency rooms that would have been both cheaper and more effective if provided in doctors’ offices. If you do the math, it becomes clear that covering everyone under Medicare will actually be significantly cheaper that our current system.

As the wealthiest nation on the beautiful earth with the most advanced medical technology, and the United States ought to serve as a global model for health insurance delivery. But this is not the case, as an estimated 47 million Americans live in fear of serious illness because they don't carry health insurance that would help pay their medical bills. Experts said something needs to be done to rescue a growing number of these poor Americans from the perils of uninsured health care.

Ethel Shaw would soon join the ranks of America's uninsured. Shaw works for contractors, which provide custodial services at two U.S. government agencies.

At 61, Shaw says she is tired and wants to retire, but her medical problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and glaucoma, won't permit it

America's health care system is one of the unique among industrialized democracies in that there is no universal, government-sponsored health insurance plan for all citizens.

American employers historically have offered health insurance as the job benefit to cover doctors' office visits and also medication for their employees.

Those who would like to reform the system disagree over the best solution to U.S. health care crisis.

The Bush Administration advocates private health savings accounts that would give Americans tax credits for money they set aside to pay their medical bills. Critics said such plans favor large insurance companies over low wage earners.

That's why many people support universal health care plans similar to those in other countries, Again, Karen Davenport, of the Center for American Progress.

"I'm worried about my health... I don't know how I'm going to make it if I give up the job. But if I stay on the job, I don't know how I'm going to make it because I'm half sick," said Shaw.

Wisconsin farmers said that health care is their most important issue, according to a survey conducted by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation at two recent spring farm shows.

Farmers indicated that increasing renewable fuels and land use force from urban growth were also peak issues. Farmers also indicated that growing fuel prices, before recent spikes in crude oil, were also a concern, particularly heading into spring planting. The Farm Bureau conducted an informal survey of farmers at the Wisconsin Farm Show at Oshkosh and the Shawano Farm Show.

The survey also showed that 94 percent of the farmers responding had possessions taxes reduced because of use value assessment of farmland, with most of them indicating up to 23 percent reduction in property taxes under use value.

More than half of young adults in the U.S. lacked health insurance coverage for at least one month between 2002 and 2003, according to the report released last week by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, AHRQ based report on the annual Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which collected the information form a sample of households health care use, cost, access, and quality, as well as the health status of individuals.

"During 2002 to 2003, young adults aged between, 18 to 29 were most likely to be with health insurance coverage for at least one month" report states. The report also found that 24.2% of low-income respondents younger that 60 lacked health insurance for all the period between 2000 and 2003.

In addition, about half of Latino respondents lacked health insurance for at least one month between 2002 and 2003, and 16% lacked coverage for all of the period between 2000 and 2003, the report finds. More than 6% of all respondents younger than age 65 lacked health insurance for all of the period between 2000 and 2003, according to the report. The report finds that the healthiest respondents were the most likely to have health insurance but does not "say whether their health was a cause or an effect of having insurance,"

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday health care costs are constantly rising at an unacceptably fast pace and he called on Congress to enact the White House proposals to the tame medical expenses.

Private health insurance premiums had rose 73 percent in the last five years, forcing some businesses to drop their health coverage for their employees and prompting others to raise co-payments and also the premiums, the president said in a speech to the American Hospital Association.

"This is unacceptable for this country to have health care costs rising as fast as they are," Bush said. "If we want to be the leader of the world, we must do something about it. And my administration is determined to do something about it."

The primary element in Bush's plan calls especially for expanding health savings accounts - an idea that congressional Republicans rebuffed during earlier this year. These accounts let people who have high-deductible health insurance policies save money, tax-free, for their future health care expenses.

"People here in Washington need to do commonsense things to address the rising costs of health care," the president said.