During tough economic times, paying your insurance bill may seem difficult.

But not paying it could be devastating.

Try cancelling that car insurance policy and you may soon find yourself facing huge fines, jail—or even losing your license.

Forego a homeowner’s policy and you’ll soon be hearing from your lender, who’s as invested in your home as you are and requires you to insure it to protect you both from disaster.

And what about that life insurance policy you’ve had hidden away the past few years? What would happen to your family if you decided to cash it in now and use the money to pay other bills—or take a vacation instead?

Because we never know if we’ll really need it or not, buying insurance is a bit like playing the lottery: As one man said, “It’s a gamble, but you have to have it.”

Are things tough at your house? If so, we understand. But during these difficult times, resist the urge to skimp on insurance. Instead, find other ways to save money so you have the provision you need when you need it.

It may seem like you’re playing the lottery; but if you ever need to file an insurance claim, you’ll feel like you’ve hit the jackpot!

[Footnote:]

To lower your insurance rates, let us help at InsureMe.com.

One of the most frequently occurring weather events, tornadoes have struck southern, mid-western and plains states with fury this spring and summer.

Photo Credit: NOAA Photo Library

As we’ve nervously watched weather reports, listened for tornado watches and warnings, and headed to our basements or cellars when necessary, we’ve begun to realize just how vicious these storms can be.

Referred to by experts as nature’s most violent and devastating storms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate neighborhoods in seconds, says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Along with that kind of risk for damage and injury comes higher home insurance rates in tornado-prone areas.

Consider these facts, courtesy of FEMA:

• Tornadoes may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
• They’re most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer months.
• Though they may occur at any time of day, tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 and 9 p.m.
• They usually move forward at an average speed of 30 mph, but they may also remain stationary or move up to 70 mph.
• A southwest to northeast movement is most common, but they have been known to move in any direction.
• Peak tornado season is March through May in southern states and late spring through early summer in the north.

As an Oklahoma native growing up in a region of the country known as ‘tornado alley,’ I will never take the power of tornadoes for granted.

In fact, having lived through more tornado sightings than I can count on both hands, I can personally testify to the fear and panic that sets in when you hear that ‘train’ pass overhead—or see it tear a path through the middle of a neighborhood, taking inanimate objects, homes, pets and people right along with it.

Those are nightmares best left to your dreams…unless, of course, you’re a weather watcher!

Because of tornadoes’ destructive nature and the possibility of injury and harm they carry, we recommend you keep your eyes on the skies this summer. Meanwhile, check out Jeb’s article, “5 Fascinating Facts about Tornadoes.” Should you ever face a life-threatening tornado in the future, you might just learn something from the past that will help you survive.

And please; if tornadoes threaten your home or safety, don’t try to ride out the storm. Take those dark skies and high winds seriously, and take cover!

More Tornado Resources:

Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes

Tornado Trivia Quiz

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know how popular marijuana, or cannibus, is with young Americans.

Often the drug of choice at teen parties, get-togethers and celebrations, “weed,” or “pot,” as young people call it, enjoys a popular following, especially amongst the younger crowd.

But now, with times tough and more and more Americans dropping or failing to renew their insurance policies due to lack of finances, marijuana’s popularity is increasing amongst people of all ages.

Though illegal in all but 13 states, many Americans are now self medicating with cannibus in an effort to avoid paying the high cost of care and traditional prescription drugs.

Classified a “controlled substance,” marijuana use breaks federal law. But with many people struggling to purchase pain medication, the government practicing leniency where pot is concerned, and marijuana so easily attainable in most states, orders for medical marijuana are way up in 2009—and the debate about cannibus use rages on.

For more information on the cannibus debate, see Jeb’s article: Yes We Cannibus. Then feel free to let us know where you stand on the subject. Should medical marijuana use be legal?

Remember when you were young and your parents told you to stop whining? Well, next time you’re tired and grumpy, try a different kind of ‘wine.’

Or this weekend, while you’re grabbing a beer with your buds or enjoying a martini at home, consider drinking wine instead.

New research shows that men who consume about half a glass of wine a day can expect to live almost five years longer than those who don’t—and 2.5 years longer than their friends who drink only beer or other liquor.

That’s enough to make a wino out of anyone! But remember: moderation is key.

While scientists have known for some time that phytochemicals—naturally occurring plant compounds found in wine—reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, a recent Dutch study revealed the true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: sipping wine can help you live longer.

The study followed more than 1,100 middle-aged men over a 40-year period, examining diet, habits, overall health and the impact of drinking beer, liquor and wine.

Researchers investigated how much alcohol the men drank, the form in which it was consumed and for what period of time, and whether the men smoked or had any serious illnesses.

As it turns out, the wine drinkers in the group died at an average age of 77, as opposed to the normal average of 72.

Even when researchers factored in socioeconomic status, dietary factors and other lifestyle habits, the link between wine and longer life remained, a recent report in Reuters revealed.

Though researchers aren’t sure yet if these benefits extend to women, due to a difference in the way male and female bodies metabolize alcohol, here’s one female willing to take a chance! What have I got to lose?

For more information on ‘wining’ and dining for longer life, check out our article, “‘Wine’ a Little, Live Longer.” And while you’re out enjoying yourself this weekend, order a teaser of red wine at dinner. You’ll feel better and live longer.

Hat Tip to Reuters News & WebMD:

A Little Wine May Make for a Longer Life
Drinking a Little Wine Linked to Men’s Longer Life
Half a Glass of Wine for Longer Life?

Many of us grew up in households where snacking was taboo.

We were told that eating between meals would ruin our appetites; and usually the only time our parents let us snack was when we came home from school and dinner was still hours away.

Experts know differently now—and it’s obvious that snacking has gotten a bad rap it doesn’t deserve.

As long as we monitor portion sizes and calorie counts, snacking can be part of a healthy, balanced diet for kids and adults alike, say the American Association for Retired People (AARP) and the American Dietetic Association (ADA), both recognized authorities on the subject of nutrition.

In fact, snacking carries a number of health benefits our parents and adults of earlier generations never recognized.

For instance, pairing healthy snacks—like protein-rich nuts, low-fat cheeses, low-fat yogurt and peanut butter—with fresh fruits and vegetables helps maintain energy levels throughout the day, curb hunger and prevent overeating at meals.

It also helps maintain constant insulin and blood cholesterol levels, possibly reducing the likelihood of diabetes and obesity in the process—and promoting healthier lives and lower health insurance rates for our children and future generations.

No matter what your age, snacking can be good for you, if done correctly and planned ahead of time. So find out how to snack healthily, avoid the vending machine when you hit that mid-afternoon slump—and feel better all day long.

For the sake of your health, keep your cool in traffic!

Enduring traffic can be more than a little stressful.

From rude drivers, to constant stop and go, to accidents that inevitably tie up major thoroughfares, it’s all some of us can do to keep our tempers from flaring and taking our frustrations out on everyone around us—like that guy who just cut us off or the driver who squeezed in at the front of the line where the road narrowed.

But no matter how badly you’re tempted, don’t do it. In fact, don’t do anything but try to relax while sitting in heavy traffic. Not only could you risk your health if you do otherwise; you could also risk drastically raising your health and auto insurance rates.

How? According to a new German study, traffic can be heartbreaking. The pollution and exhaust we breathe while backed up on the freeway seems to exact a heavy toll on our health.

Combine that with increased stress levels, concentrated emissions and amplified noise, and research now shows our risk of heart attack soars to more than three times the norm for up to an hour after sitting in heavy traffic.

How do we know? Researchers at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich, Germany, interviewed 1,454 people who waded through traffic and then suffered a heart attack within 60 minutes.

The study tracked what participants did the day of the heart attack, where they went, their means of transportation and the amount of time they spent in traffic.

Analysis and follow-up showed their risk of heart attack multiplied 3.2 times normal rates.

Of course, those in poor health, the elderly and children topped the list of those at greatest risk. But even more puzzling: traffic proved five times more dangerous to women than men. It will take some work to find out why.

Drivers weren’t the only ones affected, either. Bus and bicycle riders suffered just as much, leading researchers to suspect a strong pollution/heart attack connection.

Annette Peters, PhD, who led the study, says, “One potential factor could be the exhaust and air pollution coming from other cars. But we can’t exclude the synergy between stress and air pollution that could tip the balance.”

Efforts are now underway to try and determine the effect various elements have on humans sitting in traffic. Meanwhile, until results are more conclusive, you might want to try taking “the road less traveled,” to borrow a phrase—and avoid heavy traffic whenever possible.

Does a lack of sleep leave you like this every day?

Do you struggle to get enough sleep, like about half the adult population in our country?

If so, you probably feel sluggish during that “low point” in your day, when you just can’t seem to hold your eyes open without a double mocha latte or a shot of cappuccino.

Well, you may be able to glide through your week on five or six hours of sleep a night for a while; but eventually, a lack of sleep will catch up with you—in more ways than one.

Unfortunately, struggling to stay awake during the day may be the least of your worries, scientists say. A recent article in the New York Times revealed the true effects of sleep deprivation: health problems such as high blood pressure, cancer, obesity, depression, diabetes and heart disease.

And issues like that can also affect your insurance rates, as many who buy private health insurance later find out.

The amount of sleep each person needs varies, with some breezing through their days on just a few hours’ slumber and others barely functioning without nine or 10 hours. But new research shows that most people need between seven and nine hours to stay both alert and healthy.

“Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body,” says Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago.

It’s this disruption in the body’s basic processes that can cause things to go awry, leading to all kinds of health problems we may never encounter otherwise.

But that’s not all. Recent studies also indicate that the amount of time a person spends sleeping affects his or her chances of living a long life.

“There’s recent evidence showing—in both men and women in several countries—that chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of early death,” Carl Hunt, MD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health, told WebMD recently.

Several large sleep studies cite other problems connected with sleep deprivation too: problems like poor work performance, driving accidents, relationship problems and issues with mood and anger.

If you struggle with insomnia, or don’t get to bed early enough to get a full eight hours, you could be affected more than you know. Find out how deadly a lack of sleep can be—and do what you can to stay healthy, get enough sleep and live long.

More Resources on the Sleep/Health Connection:

At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep

Scientists Finding out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body

Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think

Have you ever awoken one morning to discover red, itchy bumps on your skin—or a rash you couldn’t explain?

You know they weren’t there the night before; yet red welts now cover your skin, some may even blister, and you have no idea how they got there.

Well, guess what? You may be a victim of bed bugs, those nasty little creatures that sometimes infest our homes, apartments, hotel rooms, hospitals and college dormitories; hiding in mattresses, bedding, under baseboards or loose wallpaper and coming out at night to feast on our flesh and blood.

Nasty, huh?

It sounds worse than it really is. Though transmission of more than 40 human diseases has been attributed to bed bugs, there is little evidence that they transport any communicable disease, says Jerome Goddard, Ph.D., of Mississippi State University, and Richard deShazo, M.D., of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, both of whom recently examined the medical effects of bed bugs on health.

Though in extreme cases, bed bug bites may cause severe skin reactions in some, the body’s usual response is those small red bumps you may have already discovered, which tend to heal on their own without incident.

However, once infestation occurs, eradicating those little nuisances from your home may be harder than you think.

If you suspect you may have bed bugs, don’t let embarrassment get the best of you—and don’t just put up with the little critters. Read our article titled, “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite,” take steps to protect yourself and your family, and get rid of those nasty things now.

Remember the sense of freedom you experienced when you were a teenager and just learning to drive? Remember how the wheel felt in your hands…and the exhilarating feeling of power when your foot hit the gas?

Then there was that pole you backed into while doing your best to parallel park—and the emotional explanation that followed when your parents saw the car’s crumpled fender.

And the rear-ender you had when you got preoccupied trying to change the channel on the car radio—and the insurance rates that soared as a result.

Raising a responsible, mature driver isn’t easy. Now, as an adult with teens of your own, you wish you could skip the white knuckles and fast-forward to the day when your teenager drives like a normal, sane human being.

But before they set out on their own in the family car, teens need lots of practice to learn how to drive safely. In many states, graduated driver licensing, in which teens gain experience driving under specified conditions and restrictions for a particular period of time, help ensure they learn as they go, reducing the likelihood of accident.

But that’s not enough.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the risk of being involved in a car crash per mile driven is four times that for 16- to 19-year-olds than for veteran drivers.

Why? Because along with lack of experience comes immaturity and unwise decision making—and both can kill when teens are learning to drive.

To help overcome these statistics, experts say parental coaching is the key to training teen drivers adequately—which helps keep them, and everyone around them, safer.

That means spending an abundance of time one-on-one, talking, observing and setting a good example of mature driving behavior, such as buckling up, yielding the right-of-way when appropriate, and driving within the speed limit.

No matter how crazy they act sometimes, our teens look to us for advice and coaching. So learn how to coach your teenager effectively, encourage him to drive safely, and keep insurance rates down in the process.

Some day, he’ll fill your shoes by teaching his own teen to drive—and pass along the wisdom you shared with your grandchild!

More Resources for Parents:

Keeping Young Drivers Safe

Novice Driver Road Map

Raising Safe Drivers

Look, I’m not a fan of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It’s terrible for your health, and the industrial cultivation of government-subsidized corn pollutes our environment and corrupts our political system.

But real sugar is not a panacea. More to the point, it does not make soda any healthier. Period. I don’t care if it’s free-trade, organic, straight-from-the-cane sugar that has been blessed by the Dalai Lama. Soda, whether it’s flavored by sugar or HFCS (both of which contain similarly high levels of fructose, believe it or not), will continue to grow waistlines, rot teeth and hasten death by heart disease and diabetes, in the process clogging emergency rooms, and raising health care costs and insurance premiums. (Heart disease and diabetes are the country’s number one and seven killers, and they are also some of the most expensive medical conditions to treat.)

By all means, enjoy your real-sugar-sweetened Pepsi Throwback. Some say it tastes better. Just don’t let savvy marketers convince you that what you’re drinking is healthy. It isn’t! (You’re better off taking your chances with a mug of unsweetened hot tea.)

Or, for those who speak Yoda: Real sugar does not a healthy drink make.

Waiting for your stimulus check to arrive in the mail is a little like watching paint dry: Slow, painful and seemingly never-ending.

But once it finally comes, most people are thrilled, and use the bonus cash to pay their insurance premiums, buy groceries, put gas in their car or cover other bills they’ve been neglecting due to a lack of resources.

But something strange is going on with the Feds. If you haven’t received a stimulus payment made out to your dead Aunt Margie or your beloved mother who passed three decades ago (but whom you still miss like it was yesterday), count yourself lucky.

A glitch at the Social Security Administration is sending payouts to the great beyond—and leaving families dumbfounded.

That’s right: Our government is sending checks to dead people!

Just ask Antoniette Santopadre. She received a stimulus check made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, an Italian-American who lived in the U.S. for a short time and passed away out-of-country decades ago.

Ms. Santopadre doesn’t understand why the check was issued in her dead father’s name—and the explanations provided by the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service don’t ring true, she says.

Like Antoniette, James Hagner received a check in the name of his mother, Rose, who also passed away many years ago.

Similarly, Richard Hicks, who was the personal representative for a good friend, recently received a stimulus check in his friend’s name following the man’s passing.

So what’s going on? Why is the government issuing stimulus checks to dead people when we’ve got an $11 trillion budget deficit (and counting)?

Social Security says it wasn’t at fault because all stimulus checks had to be cut by June—and the ‘deadly’ payouts were simply oversight that occurred during the rush to get them out.

The IRS says it had no way of knowing those people had died, so it can’t be held responsible either.

So who is responsible? And why are they sending checks to dead people?

While you’re waiting for your stimulus check to arrive (hopefully in your own name!), pass the time by reading our article, “Stimulus Checks Issued to the Living—and Dead.” Then weigh in: Was this snafu unforgiveable—or mere oversight?

When your doctor prescribes a medication, does he or she write out a hard copy—illegible

Does your doctor prescribe medications online?

signature and all—and hand it to you as you exit the office?

Unless you enjoy that long line at the drug store as you wait for your prescription to get filled, or like waiting for days on end for that three-month supply to arrive by mail order, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

These days, lawmakers and many health insurance companies are urging doctors to stop wasting their time doing things the old-fashioned way—and start making things easier for themselves and their patients.

Instead of writing prescriptions out longhand, they’re asking all but the 70,000 physicians who’ve already converted to go modern and begin prescribing online. They say doing so will help reduce the cost of drug delivery—to the tune of twenty-something billion dollars (with a ‘b’), and eliminate the 1.5 million adverse drug reactions that occur annually.

Here’s how it works. Using e-prescriptions, when a doctor is ready to prescribe a drug, he simply logs in to a centralized service, accesses the patient’s medical records and insurance information, and enters the prescription stats.

Since all patient health records are stored together in one place, the doctor has a more complete view of medical histories and can prescribe the medication that fits each patient best. If there’s even the remote possibility of two drugs interacting poorly—or the patient is allergic to the drug prescribed—the system alerts the doctor immediately so he can choose a different drug.

As more health providers jump on the bandwagon, patients may not have to worry about mistakes like getting the wrong drug or suffering an allergic reaction due to human error much longer. Prescribing medications online removes most of the human element from the equation, leaving the system to make logical deductions based on fact.

In an effort to incentivize doctors to switch to a paperless system, Medicare and some private health insurance companies are now offering payment bonuses, free software and online training to physicians interested in trashing their prescription pads and going electronic instead.

Those insurance companies will benefit too, as the number of health claims filed due to medical mistakes decreases.

Though it will likely take some time, it will be interesting to see whether there’s enough motivation to convince doctors to support e-prescribing.

Old habits sometimes die hard. But at their patients’ and insurers’ urging, e-prescribing is definitely catching on.

Steaming hot tea can be hazardous to your health!

No, I’m not talking about calorie burn. I’m talking about that steaming hot cup of tea some of us enjoy every day.

I recently read some discouraging news: A new study shows that, if drank too soon after brewing, hot tea can be hazardous to your health—and lead to deadly throat cancer!

As a dedicated tea drinker, this news took the steam right out of my sails (pun intended). I don’t know about you, but for me, tea’s slightly odiferous flavor and moist steam, inhaled as I drink, heighten the appeal of its caffeinated goodness.

Without the steam, it just isn’t the same. After all, who likes lukewarm tea?

According to the study, recently published in the British Medical Journal, letting tea steep for four to 10 minutes—and cool a measly nine degrees—before drinking can cut the risk of cancer by half.

That seems significant. Not only does drinking too-hot tea put our health at risk; it puts insurance rates at risk too.

Maybe I’d better rethink my tea-drinking strategy!

For more information on these recent findings, read our article on tea drinking here. Then decide for yourself, and let us know your thoughts: is the trade-off in temperature worth it?

When I wrote this article on Swine Flu (and other deadly things) last Friday, it seemed the Aporkalypse was at hand.

Today, a mere three days later, the H1N1 virus already seems like old news. Even Mexico City residents are starting to take off their masks. Phew. [Knocking on wood]

Of course, some experts worry that the Swine Flu could reemerge in six months as an even deadlier virus. Let’s hope not. Still, I’ll take an Aporkalypse Later over an Aporkalypse Now any day of the week.

In the meantime, click here to read about all of the other things you should be scared of—things that make the Swine Flu look as cute and cuddly as Babe. In fact, you’ll learn that your standard, run-of-the-mill flu is far deadlier (statistically) than H1N1.

Going on a trip can be so much fun. While planning, packing and making arrangements for someone to watch the house or take care of the pets, the excitement builds.

Before you know it, you’re in the car or on the plane traveling to your destination.

Man's best friend may land him in the emergency room!

But if you’re a pet owner, there’s one kind of trip you never want to take: a tumble over your dog or cat!

Not exactly a vacation—but a very real problem many pet owners don’t take seriously enough.

Most people have experienced near-misses with their pets…nearly stepping on the dog glued to their feet as they cook over the stove, or almost tripping on the dog as he runs down the stairs just ahead.

But if you’re one of the more than 86,000 people who land in emergency room every year because you’ve tripped over your pet, you realize just how dangerous pets really are underfoot.

And the home isn’t the only place pet-related falls occur. They can also happen outside the home. For instance, if your dog becomes too excited while out for his daily walk, you could trip over his leash—or the curb—as he surges to chase another animal.

Bad weather only accentuates the problem, especially for the elderly, who lack balance and peripheral vision, says Idaho-based veterinarian Marty Becker. If they start to trip, Becker says, seniors can’t catch themselves.

This is “the same group who trips on throw rugs,” he adds.

According to Dr. Richard O’Brien of the American College of Emergency Physicians, fractures of the ankle or wrist are the most common injuries doctors see in emergency rooms. But a senior who falls may break a hip, leading to a myriad of other health issues.

Then there’s the matter of cost. Though your health insurance company may recognize the fact that your beloved dog or cat provides unconditional love and helps keep your blood pressure and stress levels at bay, it may raise your rates if you trip over your pet and land yourself in the hospital one time too many.

So watch out for your beloved tabby, do what you can to help avoid injury, and keep yourself and your family safe from the hazard of pet-tripping.

A stay in the hospital is no one’s idea of a vacation!

The prospect of being forced to buy liability insurance is causing an uproar among gun owners.

Earlier this year, a state lawmaker from Chicago proposed amending Illinois’ State Firearm Owners Identification Card Act to require gun owners to buy $1,000,000 in liability coverage. The policy would cover “any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person.”

Under Rep. Kenneth Dunkin’s bill, which he introduced in February but has since tabled, failure to obtain insurance would render a gun owner in violation of the law. What’s more, the potential law would hold gun owners responsible for any injuries resulting from the use of the gun—even if it was stolen and not discharged by the owner himself.

Opponents see the bill as a sly way to curb gun ownership by imposing an additional financial burden. They affirm that users of illegal guns, who are responsible for the majority of gun violence, are unlikely to purchase insurance on a black-market weapon. Thus, they say, the bill simply puts penalizes law-abiding gun owners.

Nonetheless, proponents of similar legislation—Dunkin isn’t the first to float the idea—point to the high societal cost of gun-related deaths and injuries. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, guns are the second-highest cause of fatal injury among ages 15-24 and 55-64. Further, gun violence is more prevalent in urban areas like Duncan’s Chicago district.

Read more

As a former Texan, it always saddens me to read the statistics and hear the stories about drunk driving and its effect on the people of the Lone Star State.

With nearly 14,000 people dying every year due to driving under the influence, Texas certainly carries more than its share of the blame where those numbers are concerned.

In fact, though the state still contains quite a few “dry” counties, where the sale of liquor is strictly prohibited, Texas has more alcohol-related accidents than any other state, with a history of traffic fatalities due to drunk driving second only to California.

That’s not exactly something to be proud of.

But things are about to change in Texas—so those who tend to drink and drive better pay attention.

Though current state law requires drivers to submit to breathalyzers or blood tests without a court order only if they cause an accident that results in injury or death, new proposals before Texas lawmakers would make those tests compulsory for anyone who:

• drives drunk with a child in the car
• causes an accident that leads to hospitalization
• has a prior intoxication felony or two DWI convictions

Also under discussion are random sobriety checkpoints in common areas of violation, which police would set up in an effort to deter drivers from operating motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol.

As the penalties for drunk driving tighten nationwide, Texas may just lead the way toward a more sober, safer roadway.  Here’s one former Texan who would love to see that happen!

Bonus links:

Texas Senate Approves Anti-DWI Bills

State DUI Prevention Activities May Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving

CDC Impaired Driving Factsheet

Could the private health insurance market unravel with the passage of President Obama’s health care plan? That’s what the Wall Street Journal’s editorial team thinks will happen. Indeed, they say the plan is “the beginning of the end of private health insurance.” Here’s why they worry:

Obama hopes to introduce a public insurance option—a government-issued insurance policy that would essentially be Medicare for the middle class. Journal editorialists see an ulterior motive.

This public option will supposedly ‘compete’ with private alternatives. As President Obama likes to put it, those who are happy with the insurance they have now can keep it — and if they happen to prefer the government offering, well, gee whiz, that’s the free market at work. The reality is far different. Not only will the new program become the default coverage for the uninsured, but Democrats intend to game the system to precipitate — or if need be, coerce — an exodus to government from private insurance. Soon enough, that will be the only ‘option’ left.

The Wall Street Journal believes that the existence of a cheap, comprehensive public plan will make private insurance increasingly unattractive—to the point where insurers are left with no customers and we wake up one morning with a de facto single-payer system, like Canada’s.

Not surprisingly, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the lobby that represents insurers, has gone on record opposing the idea of introducing a public insurance option.

AHIP supports the idea of a ‘universal mandate,’ a law requiring Americans to obtain health insurance. Under a universal mandate, insurers would be required to accept all applicants, regardless of age or pre-existing conditions. Massachusetts currently has such a mandate.

So far, President Obama has come short of endorsing a universal mandate, preferring to make insurance cheap enough and accessible enough that people will opt to buy it on their own.

Insurers needn’t get too nervous about an Obama health care plan: if the past is any indication, we’ll have our current system for the foreseeable future. Health care reform has a distinguished record of failure; from President Truman to President Clinton, plans have come and gone.

Bonus: Dr. Mario supports universal health care:

A basic human need like health care should not be monetized. Even our pack dinosaurs and humanoid mushrooms deserve coverage—a healthy workforce generates more points and 1-ups, increasing the chances of long-term gameplay for everyone.

Link

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 66 percent of adults age 20 and over are either overweight or obese. That means that close to three out of four people have a body mass index—a measure of overall body fat—of 25 or more.

That may not sound too bad on the surface, but it really is, considering a healthy BMI ranges anywhere from 18 to 25.

All that extra fat and weight we’re carrying around costs us billions of dollars in health care dollars every year. Why? Because the heavier America gets, the more preventive, diagnostic and treatment services we need to overcome the medical issues obesity causes.

Anyone who has “dieted” at some point in their life (and who hasn’t?) knows how hard it is to lose that extra weight and keep it off. For some, weight loss and gain becomes a self-defeating cycle, causing discouragement and even more weight gain.

Whether caused by a lack of self control—as some critics believe—a negative hereditary scorecard, food addiction, lifestyle or one of many other factors, the end result is the same: living life overweight results in numerous health problems, a lack of quality of life and, often, early death.

For those overweight enough to carry a BMI of 40 or greater—basically 100 extra pounds—gastric bypass surgery may be an option. During the surgery, the stomach pouch is made much smaller than normal, reducing the amount of food a person’s stomach can hold.

This enables overweight and obese adults to lose large amounts of weight quickly—and gives them a chance to:

• reestablish healthy eating and exercise habits
• reduce or eliminate health issues like hypertension, diabetes and other dangerous diseases
• start life anew thinner and healthier
• live longer

Though definitely not a cure-all and subject to human error (like overeating, which can stretch the stomach back out), studies have shown that, when used as a long-term tool, gastric bypass drastically reduces the number of health insurance claims filed due to obesity.

Because of this, more and more health insurance companies are covering the surgery in an effort to get and keep America healthy, and save money in the long run.

If you’re severely overweight and aren’t sure if gastric bypass is a covered option under your current health insurance plan, try reading the fine print—or call your health insurance company to find out for sure.

Then talk to your doctor, get educated, and weigh the pros and cons. With all the facts at your disposal, the final choice is up to you—and your insurer.

It’s not easy living in Florida. Sure, the weather’s great, but with insurance rates poised to increase further and another hurricane season approaching, many people are probably wondering if the sunny skies and warm temperatures are worth it.

Floridians already pay more for property insurance than almost everyone else. Only Texans pay more, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). This makes sense: Florida has a lot of pricey real estate lining its hurricane-prone coasts. And the state’s insurance woes are likely to grow if past trends continue: between 1980 and 2003, Florida’s coastal population grew by 75 percent.

Oddly, Florida residents are victims of low insurance rates, not high ones. Let me explain. If, throughout the years, insurance premiums had accurately matched the risk, they would’ve been considerably higher, and many homeowners simply would not be living in Florida today. Maybe they’d be shivering through winter with the rest of us, but they wouldn’t be worrying about skyrocketing property insurance rates.

Instead, Florida’s artificially low insurance rates, which, to date, have reflected politics more than risk models, effectively gave people a green light to build in hurricane alley. Now Florida officials are realizing that rates need to increase in order to ensure there’s enough cash on hand when the next big storm arrives. Citizens, the state-run insurer, has $450 billion in exposure yet only $3 billion in surplus.

“Any kind of significant storm event would, or could, wipe that out in a few short hours,” James Malone, chairman of Citizens, said in February 2009.

State Farm, one of Florida’s largest insurers, decided to leave the state after officials said they couldn’t raise rates by 45 percent. Now many of their policyholders are looking to insure their homes with Citizens, adding to frailty of that insurer.

It seems that both consumers and government officials are going to have to get used to paying more for insurance—to catch up for lost time. Or there’s always Idaho, which has plenty of sunshine and the lowest property insurance rates in the country …