Starting on January 1, 2012, Dallas County employees in Texas will be required to pay an additional monthly $50 on their health insurance premiums if they smoke. This increase in premiums will not be charged to nonsmokers, but will also apply to each of the employee’s family members who smoke and who are covered by the health insurance plan provided by the county through the worker’s employment. According to Dallas County, there will be a medical cost savings of $500,000 as soon as next year as a result of this…
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The cost of health insurance for low income families
Although the Affordable Healthcare for America Act by the Obama administration was created in order to make certain that a larger number of Americans will have access to health insurance, many are finding that the premiums are still too costly to be able to afford them. The Act has already gone through some significant improvements since its first creation, especially in terms of Medicare, as it has assisted in lowering those costs. That said, many Americans are still struggling to afford their current health insurance rates or remain without any…
Read MorePerry may repeal healthcare reforms without alternative in state with highest rate of uninsured
Texas has been named the state with the largest number of residents who do not have health insurance, so they should also be one of the states that could receive the most benefit from the health care reforms made by the Obama administration. However, Governor Rick Perry has halted attempts to lay the foundation for the coverage expansion. That said, one of the solutions that Perry is supporting as an alternative to the overhaul is an untested regional effort that may make individual states responsible for Medicare; a method that…
Read MoreMassachusetts and Vermont residents pay the highest individual health rates
A recent analysis has shown that in 2010, the most expensive individual health rates in the country were in Massachusetts and Vermont, with premiums up to and higher than $400 per month per person, which is about twice the average of the country. The information was collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which drew the data from the insurance company filings to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and discovered a significant discrepancy in the rates charged from one state to the next. The researchers are referring to their analysis…
Read MoreLower health insurance premiums with a discount for regular excercise
As health insurance costs begin to rise, largely spurred on by increasing medical costs, many companies are looking for ways to mitigate the inflation. Researchers at the University of Florida are suggesting that companies should begin paying for exercise classes. This initiative could help curb the costs associated with certain high risk groups, such as diabetics. Doctor Marco Pahor, Director of the university’s Institute on aging, led research regarding this concept. Pahor and his team have been conducting this research for the past several decades. “There is solid evidence for public…
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