Rob's Daily HSA & Healthcare Newsletter - Dec 30, 2005

Happy Hanukkah & Happy New Year!
Rob's Daily Health and Healthcare Newsletter - December 30, 2005

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2006 promises more uncertainty - Stagnant economy won't release its gripDetroit News business staff December 29, 2005Even the best prognosticators can't know with certainty what the future holds, but 2006 likely will be another year of challenges for Michigan businesses and the economy. The jobless rate is expected to remain high, with more cuts in the auto industry. Personal incomes could fall. The malaise might be reflected in slowing home sales and sliding retail sales. But casino construction will create work, and tech companies are hiring. Here's an industry-by-industry breakdown: Health care benefits will continue to slip away for Michigan workers, as companies scramble to cut fast-growing medical tabs. Higher co-pays, slashed benefits and new deductibles will be even more prevalent than in 2005.Amid the cutbacks, however, consumers will have more options when it comes to picking a health care plan as competition grows among the state's major insurers. Health saving accounts and other consumer-driven plans will emerge. FULL STORY

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/BIZ/512290353/1001

SILICON VALLEY LIVES CHANGED BY GLOBALIZATION - Flying to India for a physical - 28-STEP EXAM COSTS $110, INCLUDING MEALS

By Nicole C. WongMercury News
Posted on Thu, Dec. 29, 2005

Hemant Buch, founder of the California Cricket Academy, flew to India last month to recruit coaches for the upcoming youth cricket tournament in Cupertino. The healthy 42-year-old also made an appointment for an annual check-up at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, a city just north of Mumbai. The 28-step examination lasted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., providing the medical team with enough time to assess his health in painstaking detail. In between the phases of the physical, a friendly staffer served him breakfast, then coffee or tea, lunch, and then more coffee or tea. The bill: about $110. The Cupertino resident is among the world's 150,000 so-called ``medical tourists'' who mixed business or pleasure with health care when they traveled to India this year. FULL STORY

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/13506619.htm

To your health in 2006 - Big stories of 2005 will weigh on consumers this year

By Kristen Gerencher,
MarketWatchLast Update: 7:42 PM ET
Dec. 29, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The ways in which consumers pay for and receive health care began to shift this year and many of those changes will be felt even more strongly in 2006. The biggest news involved Medicare, the federal health-insurance program for Americans 65 and older and the disabled, which began enrolling people for its new prescription-drug benefit that starts in January. While many companies are either offering or considering offering them, few have made the move to totally replace traditional coverage with the newer high-deductible models, Ginsburg said.FULL STORY

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B2C78A047-E477-436A-8EF3-B63CAEC59E45%7D&siteid=google

Trends to watch in '06: Future of health, pension benefits looks cloudy

Thursday, December 29, 2005
By Len Boselovic and Christopher Snowbeck,
Pittsburgh Post

-GazetteConsumer-directed health plans became more popular during 2005, and that popularity is expected to grow in 2006, says Dallas L. Salisbury, president of the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington. When Verizon Communications announced this month that it would freeze pension and retiree medical benefits for about 50,000 management employees, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg raised retirement insecurities of workers everywhere. "We're seeing the movement to providing people in the plan with more information, more interactive Web sites, more information about doctors, hospitals and procedures, things that will help individuals make better decisions," Mr. Salisbury says. FULL STORY

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05363/629210.stm

The Employers' Last Stand?

By Philip Betbeze
HealthLeaders News
12-30-2005

Tired of subsidizing inefficiencies as well as 45 million uninsured, employers are working to fix healthcare--or get out.For almost 70 years, the foundation of the American healthcare system has been the employer-based model. Thanks to bursts of double-digit annual premium increases, that foundation is crumbling with age. FULL STORY

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/view_feature.cfm?content_id=75917

The Cost of Delivering Babies - Rising malpractice insurance rates challenge obstetricians

by Lou Sorendo

The cycle of life begins with the miracle of childbirth. But for those in the cash-challenged health care field, that miracle is also seen as a tough business proposition. FULL STORY

http://www.oswegocountybusiness.com/issue81/81CoverStory1.html

Health healthy for groceries - Not just a place for food anymore

The Associated Press
Thursday, December 29, 2005

COLUMBUS - Some Ohioans looking for bread and milk also can get advice about their health, shots or suggestions for a good diet in the same store. Many grocers are expanding health-related services. That's good business for grocers, said Tom Jackson, president of the Ohio Grocers Association. FULL STORY

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/BIZ/512290325/1001

NHS may not treat smokers, drinkers or obese

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor(Filed: 09/12/2005)People who are grossly overweight, who smoke heavily or drink excessively could be denied surgery or drugs following a decision by a Government agency yesterday. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) which advises on the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments for the NHS, said that in some cases the "self-inflicted" nature of an illness should be taken into account. FULL STORY

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/09/nice09.xml

A hospital where doctors are owners - Critics fear conflicts of interest possible

By ANNE BELLI
Copyright 2005
Houston Chronicle

Houston Town & County Hospital may look like just another new health care facility. But when the 99-bed hospital began admitting patients last month, it did so amid statewide, even national controversy over whether such facilities are good for health care. FULL STORY

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/3555137.html

The Argument From Morality in Action: The Right to Health Care

by Stefan Molyneux

I thought it might be interesting to subject a well-known and contentious topic to the argument from morality, to see how this theory might shake out in practice. I chose health care, since I live in Canada, where our friendly neighbourhood state maintains a rigid grip on medical services. (To my friends in the US, just imagine you are 10–15 years in the future!) The proposition that is generally believed here in Canada is: everyone has a right to health care. (In the US, generally, it is: the poor have a right to health care.) FULL STORY

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/molyneux9.html

HSA Bank in deal with Metavante unit

The Business Journal of Milwaukee
3:27 PM CST Thursday

HSA Bank Inc. in Sheyboygan said Thursday that it has an agreement with MBI Benefits Inc., a Metavante Corp. subsidiary, to provide an employee benefits debit card to its customers. FULL STORY

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2005/12/26/daily24.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Free lifetime health care will be costly

By Brad Bumsted and Debra Erdley
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Thursday, December 29, 2005

HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania lawmakers -- who awarded themselves free lifetime health insurance -- are about to learn the long-term cost of their pledge, and the cost of providing similar benefits to all retired state employees. Young said Maryland has calculated a $20 billion liability. Two states slightly smaller than Pennsylvania -- Michigan and Ohio -- are projecting $25 billion and $9 billion, respectively. "It's going to be a big issue," Young said. The financial markets, which states go to for bonds, want to see more transparency in disclosure, he said. FULL STORY

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/regional/s_408432.html

Patient's Want Lists Bear No Relationship to Medical Needs

A California legislator recently said that she felt most people are very frugal in their health-care needs. Well, for practicing physicians, patient over utilization is a daily occurrence, but only for those patients who have no financial liability in their health care. FULL STORY

http://www.medicaltuesday.net/gluttony.aspIt's not about healthcare, but about your health!

This New Year, resolve to fight childhood obesity

DAVID ORBUCH
Posted on Thu, Dec. 29, 2005

On Jan. 1, millions of Minnesotans will once again journey down a familiar path — the path of New Year's resolutions. But next year needs to be different. We need to do more than achieve our personal goals. We need to come together to improve the health of our communities. We need to come together to address a looming health care crisis that threatens to decrease life expectancy for future generations of Americans for the first time in 100 years. We need to come together to fight childhood obesity. FULL STORY

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/13502803.htm

Toys key cause of child obesity: research

LONDON: Today's children may be wiz kids who have the knack of mastering machines, but that is at the cost of neglecting out door games and physical activity. And now a study has confirmed parents worst fears by finding that unhealthy Christmas presents make children fat. FULL STORY

http://www.geo.tv/main_files/world.aspx?id=100247

Obesity before pregnancy linked to childhood weight problems

A study by Ohio State University A child's weight may be influenced by his mother even before he is actually born, according to new research. Results of the study, which included more than 3,000 children, suggest that a child is far more likely to be overweight at a very young age – at 2 or 3 years old – if his mother was overweight or obese before she became pregnant. A child is also at greater risk of becoming overweight if he is born to a black or Hispanic mother, or to a mother who smoked during her pregnancy. FULL STORY

http://pregnancyandbaby.com/read/articles/5792.htm


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Robs Daily Health and Healthcare Newsletter - Dec 29, 2005

Rob's Daily Health and Healthcare Newsletter -    December 29, 2005
"Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind."-- Leonardo da VinciThe perils of transparent pricing: the time for speculation is over: transparent pricing is becoming a reality for hospitals.Two years ago, transparent pricing was the subject of speculation more than certainty. Recent events and emerging trends, however, have caused this phenomenon--in essence, the publication of a hospital's retail prices--to become more of an imminent reality, bringing a potential sea change for the industry.  FULL STORYhttp://www.allbusiness.com/periodicals/article.asp?ID=605939&Page=1&Newly Combined Company Expands Role in Creating Affordable Quality CareINDIANAPOLIS, and NEW YORK, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP) and WellChoice, Inc. (NYSE: WC) announced the completion oftheir merger today.   FULL STORYhttp://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-28-2005/0004240219&EDATE=New practice is just what the doctor orderedDec 28th - 1:20pmFRESNO, Calif. -- Dr. Karen Hansen-Smith earned a six-figure salary as a family-practice physician and had a nice office in a shared medical complex in north Fresno.  But she also treated so many patients that she couldn't spend the time she wanted with them. Two months ago, the frustrated doctor ditched it all for a slower pace. She joined the growing ranks of doctors practicing what is commonly referred to as boutique medicine.  FULL STORYhttp://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=106&sid=659648#HSA Bank Announces Relationship With Metavante's MBI BenefitsWATERBURY, Conn., Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- HSA Bank(TM), a division of Webster Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Webster Financial Corporation (NYSE: WBS), announced today that it has formed a relationship with MBI Benefits, Inc., a strategic business unit of Metavante Corporation, to offer a fully integrated employee benefits debit card solution.   FULL STORYhttp://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051228/nyw039.html?.v=35Employers test health care ideaOption offers workers high deductible coupled with savings accountBy KEVIN HARLIN, Business writerThursday, December 29, 2005ALBANY -- Capital Region employers are slowly testing the waters of a new health plan option: the high-deductible health plan, coupled with a tax-exempt health savings account.  FULL STORYhttp://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=434340&category=BUSINESS&newsdate=12/29/2005Teachers' contract avoids binding arbitrationBy: Jim Taylor12/29/2005Town officials also said that this agreement is one of the first in the state to incorporate health savings accounts (HSAs), which could save the town substantially on health insurance.  FULL STORYhttp://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15831569&BRD=1379&PAG=461&dept_id=162906&rfi=6       WellPoint completes purchase of rival WellChoiceTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSPosted on Thu, Dec. 29, 2005INDIANAPOLIS - WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest health insurer, completed its acquisition of WellChoice Inc. on Wednesday, gaining 5 million new customers and more access to nationwide accounts.  FULL STORYhttp://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/business/13505654.htmLong-term care is hub of insurers' next pitch - Push for policies tied to Medicaid shift, baby boomers' agingJEFF D. OPDYKEWall Street JournalInsurers are ramping up efforts to sell long-term-care insurance, offering new products and forging alliances with employers to make the policies more widely available in the workplace.  FULL STORYhttp://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/business/13497965.htm
It's Not About Healthcare, but about your Health!
UCSD Team Discovers Diabetes Trigger in Fatty DietNewswise — A new study, published in the December 29 issue of the journal Cell, reports the discovery of a molecular link between a high-fat, or Western-style, diet, and the disruption of insulin production, explaining how a high-fat diet causes type 2 diabetes.   FULL STORYhttp://www.newswise.com/articles/view/516940/Carmakers widen seats for wider ... seatsBy Chris Woodyard, USA TODAYIf you gorged at the holiday buffet, don't worry: You'll still fit in your car. The front seats in the 2006 Honda Civic are three-quarters of an inch wider than those in the 2005 model. The front seats in the 2006 Honda Civic are three-quarters of an inch wider than those in the 2005 model. As Americans grow heftier, automakers are making seats wider, adding more space to interiors and using bigger virtual mannequins to help design vehicles. Domestic automakers say they already had seats for increasingly rotund motorists. Now foreign brands are catching up. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-12-27-wide-seats-usat_x.htmNavy Seal invents cure for childhood obesityWith 30 percent of U.S. schoolchildren overweight, childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. And many parents are taking drastic measures - putting their kids on twigs-and-bark diets or shipping them off to fat camps. But former Navy SEAL Instructor Phil Black has a much simpler solution: Give your kids a deck of cards to help them lose weight.   FULL STORYhttp://sheknows.com/about/look/6517.htm
Practice Golden Rule SellingBy Brian Tracy
To improve your sales performance, adopt the Golden Rule mentality. The Golden Rule says to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It also says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The Golden Rule mentality in sales, says simply, "Sell unto others as you would have them sell unto you."
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Rob's Daily HSA and healthcare Newsletter - December 28, 2005

Rob's Daily Health and Healthcare Newsletter - December 28, 2005

Consumer-driven health sees big jump
From the December 23, 2005
Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal
Nicole Garrison-Sprenger - Staff Writer

Anyone who's still convinced that consumer-driven health care is a fad should talk to Marcus Merz.CEO of PreferredOne, a Golden Valley-based health-benefits administrator, Merz says 70 percent of its employer clients will offer a plan in 2006 with a deductible of more than $1,000. That's much higher than typical deductibles historically.That participation is up from 60 percent in 2005 and only 4 percent in 2001. FULL STORY

http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2005/12/26/story3.html

Study looks at who's using new health plans

David Phelps
Star TribuneDecember 28, 2005

The typical users of health savings accounts are younger, wealthier and healthier and go to the doctor less often than people enrolled in traditional comprehensive health insurance plans, according to a study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.Written by Dr. David Plocher, the Blue Cross review is one of the most thorough looks at the key components of consumer-driven health care, a line of insurance products quickly gaining acceptance among employers and employees alike.The Blue Cross study found that patients with health savings accounts, or HSAs, made 25 percent fewer visits to their doctors and health care providers. Using morbidity and claims data, the survey also determined that HSA enrollees were 8 percent healthier than those in traditional plans. FULL STORY

http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5804028.html

Seminar will preview health plan survey

Kansas City Business Journal
2:43 PM CST Tuesday

The Kansas City office of Mercer Human Resource Consulting will provide an early look at results of its 2005 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans at a free seminar on Feb. 14. Mercer, which calls itself the world's largest employee benefit consulting firm, recently released some preliminary results from its 2005 survey, which was conducted with nearly 3,000 employers. FULL STORY

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2005/12/26/daily9.html?jst=b_ln_hl

East Bay Business Times
12:17 PM PST Tuesday

Congress to look at ways to make HSAs more attractiveKent HooverCongress next year will consider ways to make health savings accounts more attractive.HSAs are tax-free accounts that individuals can use to pay medical costs. They must be combined with a high-deductible health insurance policy.More than 1 million people now are covered by HSA-eligible health plans, many of them offered through employers. That number will "skyrocket in 2006," says Scott Serota, president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. FULL STORY

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2005/12/26/daily6.html?jst=b_ln_hl

The health insurance meltdown

By John E. McDonough
December 27, 2005

BUSINESS GROUPS ACROSS the Commonwealth are mobilizing against a proposed 5 to 7 percent payroll assessment on employers who don't provide health insurance to their workers. This assessment, approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives in November, is part of their health reform plan now before a House-Senate conference committee. This debate is of enormous consequence for business -- and for everyone. Here's why. FULL STORY

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/12/27/the_health_insurance_meltdown/

Punishing America's Families: Bush's Misplaced Priorities and Irresponsible and Unfair Policies

By AFL-CIO
12-27-05,8:44am

President George W. Bush's fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget punishes America's working families for his own misdeeds—his stubborn insistence on preserving and expanding tax breaks that mostly benefit America's wealthiest families. Unless checked by the U.S. Congress, the result of the president's misplaced priorities and irresponsible and unfair policies will produce enormous suffering for the most vulnerable of our citizens. FULL STORY

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/2460/1/138/

County clinic care to cost as little as $5
Uninsured gain access to 'safety net' at 39 sites

By ANITA WADHWANI - Staff Writer
Wednesday, 12/28/05

Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans will soon be able to make a trip to the doctor for as little as $5, under a plan announced by state officials yesterday. Beginning Jan. 3, 39 state-run clinics will begin offering basic medical care for a sliding-scale fee to treat illnesses ranging from strep throat to diabetes. FULL STORY

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051228/NEWS0204/512280398

Rx for changeAlegent Health Employees Have Turned to a Health-Care Plan Designed to Contain Costs and Improve Their health

By Jonathan Wegner

Even from his vantage point as Lakeside Hospital's chaplain, Billy Huber said it was clear the economics of the health-care system had gotten out of whack. There was no relationship between the cost of health care and how much his family used the system. He wanted to be a better steward of medical resources, but like most insured Americans, he didn't even have ballpark figures for medical costs. FULL STORY

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/341365/rx_for_changealegent_health_employees_have_turned_to_a_healthcare/index.html?source=r_health#

Patients' progress

By Scott W. Atlas
Published December 27, 2005

The Medicare Act of 2003 of Congress should be heralded as the central positive legislative act of health care reform during the past decade. FULL STORY

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20051226-095631-9678r.htm

It's NOT about healthcare, but about your health!

Stopping the Childhood Obesity Epidemic

WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 12/27/2005 --

This summer, thousands of over-sized kids will attend summer camp -- "fat camps" as they are somewhat derisively called -- in hopes of losing weight that has been otherwise difficult to shed. They will exercise, perhaps for the first time since toddlerhood, and learn about nutrition and eating meals with portions that many would consider a light snack. FULL STORY

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=104897

Fight to combat childhood obesity

CATHERINE BURRELL
Tuesday, 27 December 2005

The Southern Highlands Division of General Practice has joined forces with Wingecarribee Shire Council to work with schools to combat the growing national problem of childhood obesity locally. FULL STORY

http://southernhighlands.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=448235&category=General%20News&m=12&y=2005

Refer Rob's Daily Health and Healthcare newsletter to a friend - Click to subscribe - IT IS FREE!
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This newsletter is brought you by CashDoctor.com 3132 West Post Road Las Vegas, NV 89118 Phone 702-425-5749 Fax 800-470-1416

I'm mad as hell and can't take it any more - I ask "who is going to pay for America's obsession with mass?"

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Preparation is everything for survival in 2006!I hope the following two articles will be benefitial to you this coming year.  These articles are complements of William Prouty one of our CashDoctor.com agents







Daily Newsletter Subscription

AMERICANS RISE TO YOUR FEE AND YOU JUST MAY REDUCE YOUR WAIST LINE!

AMERICANS RISE TO YOUR FEET AND YOU JUST MAY REDUCE YOUR WAIST LINE! The talk of universal healthcare continues to grow and will do so through the 2006 midterm elections.  Healthcare will be the number concern for citizens in 2008 and will decide the out come of the 2008 presidential election. More and more columnist (mostly liberals and now some doctor organizations) are supporting a universal healthcare model as a way to provide coverage for all. The problem with all universal healthcare programs world wide is the government’s ability to control demand.  Demand is exceeding supply and we have not come up with any "politically correct" programs that will reduce demand.  Let me paint the picture for everyone - America is FAT!  FAT cost money.  Our spending on health and healthcare is OBESE!  Corporate America is getting FAT on FAT people.  From drug companies, surgery centers, diet centers, 30 min workout joints and doctors themselves, we even have to make bigger cars just to accommodate our size.  Everyone is making money off of FAT people.  In a capitalistic society, FAT is good!This past week, I posted many articles that support the rising epidemic of obesity in this country and the impact it is having on our society both on cost and longevity.  Even our major food producers are getting the message and feeling the heat.  Americans are going to demand accountability from food manufactures.  They are asking the question "What value does your product provide?”  We hold most other industries accountable,  why not the food and tobacco industry.  If an airplane killed passengers, we would hold the manufacture accountable.  If a person dies in a roll over accident, we sue the auto manufacture so how can the food and tobacco industry produce products that are the two leading causes of death in this country? We need citizens to rise up and start demanding accountability before government intervention.  We need citizens to demand school districts to put health and physical education programs back into the schools.  We need to demand the removal of junk food from our schools.  We need to demand our school cafeterias serve "healthy foods" and give the students the appropriate time and facilities to eat accordingly.  We need to just stop supporting manufactures that are not taking an active roll in improving the health of our nation.Over the next few months, I will be reporting on the many organizations who are making a difference and where you can get involved on a local and national level.  If we just "sit around and wait for someone else to do it for us" Americans will continue to get FATTER AND FATTER!Rob StehlinFounder of CashDoctor®.com

Our expanding waistline will continue to expand our healthcare expenditures

Every reporter in the country is reporting on this new survey regarding consumer-driven health plans.  All are drawing to the conclusion that traditional plans provide better care.

First, I started reading more about the organization who published this current survey and found they published a consumer directed survey back in 2003.  After reading a quote I wondered if they even understand how insurance is paid for. Here is the quote from their website referring to a surveythey did in 2003.

"High-deductible plans can undermine the two basic purposes of health insurance: to reduce financial barriers to needed care and to protect against financial hardship. This report, based on the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Survey of Health Insurance (2003)"

First and foremost,  healthcare is EXPENSIVE PERIOD.  Doctors are very expensive and hospitals cost even more. The idea of "affordable healthcare" is an oxymoron.  For the average American, 80% of us, our goal for affordable healthcare is to stay healthy and avoid the healthcare system.  Reduce financial barriers is FALSE,  all we do is SHIFT
the financial burden from one payer to another. I guess if someone else is paying the bill, we should not worry about the cost. The only variable we as consumers can reduce is CONSUMPTION.  From the start I can see this organization is SHORT SITED and is not looking at the WHOLE PICTURE.  Secondly high deductibles do protect from
financial hardship.  If one fails to exert financial self-control by not "saving" for a major medical problem (only a 3-5% chance) the system should not be blamed for ones failure to take personal responsibility for themselves and their family.  

Looking at the survey, which was limited to the "summary",  I see flaws in the summary.  First the body polled is limited to 1254 internet users who signed up to be polled by Harris Interactive. Pool is to small and limited.  In this pool only 184 had an HSA.  
In order for a survey to equally compare a user of a traditional plan to a user of an HSA,  one must find an equal comparison.  No where in this survey does the survey address cost distribution.  Cost is the number one problem with healthcare.  A fair comparison is to compare consumers equally. Consumer "A" Traditional Plan Cost=Z and Consumer "B" Consumer-Directed" Cost=(x+y)=Z  "X" being defined as HDHP and "y" being contribution to savings.  If a survey does not apply this formula and compare equally,  the results will not reflect the true power of CDHP's.

A second undertone I read into many of the articles reporting on this new survey, is the word "they".  The battle lines are being drawn between "Us" the consumer and "they" the evil employers of this country.  I would like to just comment,  it is "we".  Many of them can do with out "us", but can not do with "them".  Our nation will survive if "we" all pull together.

There is a cost to everything, and healthcare is no exception.  No matter if "we" or "they" pay the bill, affordable healthcare will only be obtained when Americans reduce the demand for the services offered by the healthcare industry and take personal responsibility for our health and finances.

Just remember, our expanding waistline will continue to expand our healthcare expenditures.  



Everyone needs to read the article by Radley Balko from the Cato Institute.  He hits the mark on many good points.  First and foremost, he is wrong when if comes to obesity in this country.  It is our number one problem facing our healthcare industry.  He was wrong or he skirted around the fact that high blood pressure and high cholesterol has risen over the past 10 years.  This rise parallels the rise in obesity.  We are only able to control the consequences of our actions by use of drugs and additional healthcare dollars.  I disagree with Mr Balko regarding the governments roll in protecting the citizens of this country.  The food industry is no different the healthcare industry, each one would benefit from more transparency.  

I am for free markets, but I feel the playing field should be EVEN.  We all know the power of advertising and public persuasion, so I just ask for the facts in every advertisement.  As a father who works every day to dispel the marketing efforts of our food industry (which amounts to BILLIONS spent every year), I can attest it is a very difficult task to get your children to desire healthy food at every meal.  It is sad when your 2 year old can recognize the ‘Golden Arches” while speeding along at 55 mph.  I limit TV viewing and stops at fast food restaurants, but still my kids are bombarded with commercials that promote GARBAGE Food.  Less than one out of ten commercials promote anything beneficial to my children’s health.  Food manufactures should voluntarily share the nutritional benefits in every form of advertisement so my kids could then make an educated decision to either avoid or support the product being promoted.  We need to level our the playing field for the sake of future generations.  Mr Balko looks into the way we “define” obesity and tries to minimize the gain.  I look to a another industry to shine some light on just how big we Americans are, the garment industry.  Using myself as an example and using garments that I acquired 25 years ago, I have been able to see first hand the way the garment industry has changed sizes to address the expanding of Americans.  In high school,   I was 168 lbs and wore a 32” waist.  I wore a large to X-large shirt or jacket.  Today I weight 170 lbs and ware a 32” waist, BUT I ware a Small to Medium shirt or jacket.  The garment industry uses averages not dimensions when determining S-M-L-XL.  I still have a large jacket from 25 years ago that today would be sized as a SMALL.  This is empirical evidence that we have expanded over the past 25 years.   The question is, can we stop the expansion or will we just continue to let it run out our control like the rest of the factors facing this nation.

Mr Balko does support the HSA and the effects it will have on consumer discretion.  We all need to be personally responsible for our actions and we also should be provided the tools in order to do so.  I closing,  we all have to take responsibility for ourselves and our families if we are going to control the exploding cost associated with the declining health of our nation

Wake Up and smell the Frech FRIES!

Today you can read a study published by National Center for Health Statistics exposing the future problems of healthcare and confirming it is not about healthcare, but about your health.  Yes, they are starting to advise the public about our "growing" problem.  As Americans expand around the waist band so will our healthcare bill - no matter who pays the bill.  Our numbers look good today,  but it is in the future where the problem lurks.  In the 55-64 year old range, obesity has risen to just under 40%  and high blood pressure to 50% of the population.  WAKE UP!  Our country is sitting on a time bomb and the the 55-64 year olds are just the fuse.  The report fails go further and look into the real BOMB.  The danger our nation faces is the 1-54 year olds because their health is going to be worse than the 55-64 year old when they reach this pre-retirement age. Studies show we get our eating habits from OUR PARENTS, advertising and TV - Oh help us now!  Obese people will raise obese children.   If we are to exist as a nation, this cycle must be broken.  As the healthcare industry has extended our life expectancy, they have NOT IMPROVED our health (oh they may MASK the problem, but the problem still exists - garbage in garbage out).   The corporations in the healthcare industry PROFIT from extending the life of SICK - UNHEALTHY Americans, just check out the top 15 healthcare and drug stocks and you will see.   Take action today for you, your family and our Country -   GetFitNow!

As I am preparing my morning newsletter and wondering how to improve my step
count over yesterday (I had less than 5000 - Bad Dad), I came across
the following two articles: The first one continues to show ALL
AMERICANS just do not move around enough. Advertising has
convinced us the American dream is one of sedation.
Americans are so flush in luxury we have forgotten how to WALK. I
encourage all to start counting your steps every day. Secondly, I
am very disturbed by the rebuttal from the advertising industry trying
to convince us that their ads do not motivate our kids to eat or drink
their JUNK! Are we all idiots? I once met a gentleman who
owned 5 Coca-Cola bottling plants and he said their studies show that
soda brand loyalty is SO STRONG that there is a 5% chance of brand
change after 18. If this is the case, what market are they
going to target in an effort to get the user hooked on their liquid
junk? Wait, obesity is up 300% over the past 30 years. Soda
consumption has exploded along with their waist lines and everyone in
this nation now are taking a little PURPLE PILL to fix the problems as
a result of consuming GARBAGE. Yesterday PRILOSEC OTC was running
an ad that told the consumer to go a head and drink the sodas and eat
the hamburger because you have Prilosec to fix the heartburn
problem. Wake up America, ELIMINATE SODAS AND JUNK and you JUST
might not need the Purple Pill. Ask yourself, do the shareholders
even care about your health? Our kids are under attack
everyday. 30 years ago it was DRUGS, SEX AND ROCK &
ROLL. Today our kids have the same problems of 30 years ago PLUS
they are under attack from our own food industry. They need help
now because the future of our nation rest on the health of our
children. A fat nation with a fat healthcare budget, with a
fat army will never survive. Wait just what did happen to Roman!

I Just Don't Get IT – We have no personal identity!

Just yesterday it was reported that ChoicePoint, a major harvester of personal information, had its security breached. This sounds like something out of the move “The Running Man”, You know Arnold in the 80's. Well, this is not science fiction, it is the reality of the day. I am not shocked to hear that someone is mining all of this information from different sources and accumulating it in one MASSIVE data base. I am not shocked to hear they are selling this information, that is American capitalism at its finest. It sure is a lot cleaner than digging for gold, and appears to be much more profitable. What really shocks me is the fact that this information is only for CERTAIN clients. Yes, you heard me right, if you are not on the INSIDE, you will be left OUT.

It all started when ChoicePoint reported a security breach in California, exposing some 35,000 – 140,000 individuals personal data to unsuspecting criminals. This is where it gets real strange. The company reports that criminals were posing as businesses. Wow, that is something new, criminals and business, never thought of that before. This company is suppose to have the security of Fort Knox because they are storing 19 billion records of personal information and they have just found out they were duped by some con men. Not just a few, put a possible 17,000 of them. We should be scared that a company of this size, with so much information has such horrible security. My children's kindergarten has better security.

Americans, watch out because all of this is about money, yes ChoicePoint has almost a Billion dollars in sales and will continue to grow as American business continues to purchase information on YOU. Just to give you a little insight as to who gains from the harvesting of your information, just last year ChoicePoint, the single largest purchaser of information from the Georgia DMV, paid over 18 million dollars for 2.8 million records. Know you know where those records come from every time you do a search on switchboard. Yes they purchase for big bucks from OUR government and sell for even bigger bucks to YOU.

The clincher came yesterday, as reported on National Public Radio, saying that the company was going to correct the flaw in their system. They said that they would limit their data base to government agencies and large public companies because, I assume, there are no criminals in government or large publicly traded companies. Wake up Americans, do you believe that there are no criminals in the Government or large public companies. Where have your been; Enron, Health South, MCI, and many many more.

We are coming to a point where those that have the power will control the information and the rest of us get the shaft. This is only the beginning because politicians and experts nationwide are moving forward to create the same databases for MEDICAL RECORDS. Yes all of your health history will be stored in companies like ChoicePoint just waiting to be breached by some company wanting to make a buck. Yes, they just may have to pay for the information, but there is always a willing buyer and seller. If we every want to live a life with a personal identity, we must change the laws allowing for the harvesting, sale and distribution of our personal information by any business large or small or the government. It should be illegal to accumulate data regardless if it is public or private. We live in the land of the FREE and want to stay that way!

Local members of Teamsters Union adopts Health Savings Account (HSA) plan!

CashDoctor.com - Los Angeles, CA February 20, 2005 - This month a small crack has appeared in the dike and the water is about to come rushing through. The unionized employees of the township of Mt. Pleasant, PA just approved a contract that includes a new HSA healthcare option. The township members of Teamsters local 30 voted unanimously for the change in their healthcare benefits plan. Members voted to change from an expensive Point of Service (POS) plan to Major Medical plan tied to a health savings account. "We understand these are trying times with healthcare, and we know the situation with the supervisors not wanting to raise taxes, so we just wanted to do our part as employees. I'm an employee, but I'm also a resident, so if it
works out that the changes benefit both, then that's a plus." Union steward Wayne Bellew was quoted in the Tribune Review.

The decision for the members and the township of Mt Pleasant was EASY. Union members were offered a major medical plan with a $2500 deductible for individuals and $5000 employees with family members. The township saves approximately $118,000 in health insurance premiums. The Township has also committed to cover the union members deductible 100% representing a maximum outlay of $75,000, thus still saving the township $43,000. No one looses in this plan.. If
fact, everyone gains. More Americans, employers and union leaders need to do the math.

This Consumer Directed Healthcare Plan design is just another example of what Americans will see being adopted across the nation. Governments, One insurance company, Aetna has already enrolled over 330,000 employees in this plan type. Unions and business's alike will benefit from
consumer directed healthcare plans. The key to success in all “major medical” based plans is the funding of the HSA account. All groups can stop the first dollar abuse of the healthcare system and LOWER their healthcare cost if they give employees a financial reward for good stewardship. This can be accomplished by employers adopting HSA qualified plans and funding the employees HSA account with part or all of the savings associated with the change in healthcare plans. HSAs are also a great program for employers with self-funded plans to reduce cost and abuse and benefit their employees or members at the same time. Americans need to embrace this new healthcare system revolution and exercise their right to consumer directed healthcare.plan programs.

Americans need to do the MATH!

Los Angeles, CA February 18, 2005 - The citizens of our great nation are on the brink of a healthcare revolution and they may not even know it. Recent report shows that in 2004 Americans spent over $1.9 TRILLION on healthcare expenses. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines across the country are sharing reports and printing articles daily on how healthcare costs are out of control. Articles talk about how President Bush's plan of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are going to save or destroy health care. Democrats and Republicans,agree that something has to be done. If we do nothing, costs will
continue to spiral up out of control.

President Bush signed into law the permanent creation of HSAs as part of the ConsumerDirected Healthcare Plan (CDHP) system in December 2003, thus allowing individuals, employees and self-employed to purchase high deductible health insurance plans combined with the tax advantaged savings accounts. The difference over current managed care plans is the fact that the insured does not have co-payments for doctor visits or prescriptions. The insured pays for these services from the tax favored Health Savings Account. This new style of plan engages the consumer in the cost of healthcare from the first dollar. Managed care pre-payment plans (HMO, PPO& POS) with co-pays insulate the insured from the actual cost of healthcare. The knowledge of the real cost is one of the keys to successfully reducing the cost of healthcare today and into the future.

Currently, political spin machines are devising reports and studies to support their theories that HSA plans are bad for Americans. In order to cut through all of the hype, Americans need to do the math. Take, for instance, the healthcare options being offered to ALL state employees in Florida and South Carolina and Federal employees. This plan is becoming the national model for all governments, unions and businesses large and small. The Florida plan helps bring out the true strength of consumer directed healthcare plan. CashDoctor.com has concluded that there must be two essential criteria for a plan to succeed:

1. The employee or individual must take ownership and responsibility of the savings contribution at time of deposit regardless if the employee, employer or both make the contribution

   
   

2. There must be a significant savings in monthly premiums over the current
   managed care plan.
   

   
   

   
   With the right ingredients, Americans either rich or poor, healthy or sick, will all benefit from a properly designed Consumer Directed Healthcare Plan. The most recent estimate is that there are over 3.2 million employees already participating in CDHP plans across the nation. Healthcare organizations and insurance companies are introducing the HSA qualified plans faster than any other plan type in history.
   
   The Florida plan, developed and implemented by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his advisers, has the two ingredients needed to be successful. First of all, the state has committed to contribute to the employees' savings accounts, on a matching basis, up to $500 for an individual and $1000 for a family. This money is fully vested to the employee at time of deposit. Secondly, the state plan offers significant monthly premium savings for the employee. For a family, the savings is $138 per month or $1656 per year. The Florida plan is faced with one challenge...insuring that employees understand just how the plan works.
   
   Florida state employees are faced with the following choices in healthcare. Do a comparison and choose the plan that makes the best financial and health sense and the best decision for the employee and their family. Here are five questions Americans and their families must ask themselves:

   
   

1. Would you like the option to choose your own provider or be restricted by having to access healthcare via only a primary care provider and limited network of specialists?
   

   
   

2. Would you like to spend $2088 out of your paycheck or spend $0 and receive a check from the state for $256 because you did not use your plan during the year? State employees receive free healthcare if they stay healthy. (Yes, there are healthy Americans. Actually 80% of the population does not spend more than $500 per year on their health care).

   
   

3. What if your family was to become very sick? Would you want a plan that could cost you out-of-pocket over $10,000 or a plan where the out-of-pocket would not cost more than $4750?

   
   
   
   

4. Would you like a plan that allowed you to pay all out-of-pocket expenses with untaxed dollars or would you like to spend $8000+ in after tax dollars?

   
   

5. If your family remained healthy, would you like the potential to accumulate, at no additional cost, an extra $125,000 or more for retirement over 25 years?

   
   

   Now “Just do the math”. If you picked CHOICE, control of your money, tax deductions, retirement benefits and limit to your out-of-pocket expenses, you choose the new Florida HSA plan over the current managed care (HMO) option.
   
   Now citizens across the USA can have this empowering healthcare plan. They need to know this and they need to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to care for themselves and their family today and into
   the future. Federal, state, local governments, individuals and businesses across the nation are moving forward to empower the citizens of this great nation with the personal responsibility for their health and healthcare. Americans need to embrace this new system and they will reap the benefits if they take action today!
   

There is A PROBLEM IN FLORIDA

Cash Doctor found this quote today in an article from the Palm Beach Post says it all

"Florida had 32,683 licensed physicians last year, down from 50,003 in 1999, according to state health deparment figures. But the county's exploding population means it needs more doctors than ever" Current GROWING population is 16.7 million or 1 doctor for every 510 Floridians.

We have a PROBLEM NATIONWIDE and we must ACT TODAY!