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Archive for the ‘Health Living’ Category

If you are wondering who regulates the health insurance rates in America, the answer may surprise you. First, it all depends on whether you are buying for yourself, or your employer is providing this option for you and also what state you live in. We will break this down into state rate regulations and federal rate regulations. States do have a hand in making sure the claims filed by the people enrolled can be paid for, but the state puts more emphasis on plans charged to small employers (less than 50 workers) and to people who buy their health coverage individually. There is a reason for this: In most cases, a large employer (more than 50 employees) will be able to negotiate better rates for their employees, since there is a more varied range of health and unhealthy individuals. So, the government pretty much feels like the large companies can fight for themselves.

Now for the smaller companies employing forty-nine people and less, and individuals who buy it on their own, they need more protecting. They have less leverage to bargain with. If an individual or smaller company has more expensive healthcare costs, the insurer’s desire to sell to this group has decreased. As a result, the insurer may quote health insurance rates at unreasonable prices. For this reason, most states have rate restrictions on premiums for this demographic, just so this doesn’t happen.

As far as federal regulation goes, there is no direct law or regulation that controls how much a company pays for its premium. But there are federal laws that protect individuals from being discriminated against, concerning their health conditions. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that employees and their dependents in similar situations with people (for instance, same job title, full time/part time, tenure at the company) in that same group cannot have different health insurance rates. Meaning you cannot be charged exorbitant rates as opposed to the person sitting in the office next to you – no matter what your health status is.

Another regulation is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This law is simple: it states that employers must act in the best interest of the participants and their dependents and must provide benefits responsibly. This also regulates protects health insurance rates because it prevents companies, large and small from acting selfishly by keeping its employees needs in mind.

In closing, rest assured that there are state and federal regulations in place that protect you from being singled out – whether you are buying health insurance yourself or your employer is responsible for it, you are protected.

Healthy eating in an unhealthy culture is almost impossible unless we accept the facts we face daily. In our often busy world there is a silent killer all around us on corners and in the malls – with those attractive fast food joints. We all have to get to our jobs, schools, or important task rapidly and they offer tasty treats at rapid speed.

Why do we intake such good tasting, yet bad for us food? The smell, of that delicious looking greasy steak and cheese sandwich with the onions and pepper sauteed in that grease, you can even see the grease dripping from the sandwich as it is getting made. The double burger with the extra toppings on it, not just the good toppings like tomatoes I am talking about the heavy mayo and ketchup. Or when you are driving down the street in your car and smell that juicy beef, or pasta, or bread smell flowing through your car your mouth get just a little bit watery. We are victims of our fast food culture with no time to prepare a healthy meal, so how do we eat healthy in spite of our self inflicted limitations?

The way we can do this is by eating with awareness, nearly everyone eat their food when it is a down time. We love snacking during times when we are just sitting around the house doing nothing but watching TV, or even when you are sitting in front of the computer and you get this urge to eat something. While it can drive you crazy the thought that you have until you get something you are craving, since the food that you will consume is something you could have done without. While it is challenging to eat to live in this fast food world the following tips will help you accomplish this feat with ease:

o Drinking more water throughout the day and drinking less or none during your meal time.
o Taking time out of your hectic moments to mediate and or do active breathing.
o Eat smaller portions when you do eat your meals.
o Eat more frequently during the day instead of 3 times per day eat 5 to 6 smaller meals.
o Most places even fast food places have healthier meals, even if you do not like it as much take a break from fried foods and ask for grilled foods.
o Replace your soda with a nice health tea or glass of cold ice water.

By following a few of these tips or even adding one a week, we will eventually notice a dramatic effect on our overall health and become accustomed to our new healthy life style.

If you live in Massachusetts, health insurance is now mandatory. If you are without health insurance and are not covered by a group plan or state assisted plan you are required to purchase your own individual health insurance. As a consumer, it is important to understand the difference in Masshealth plans to know which is best for you.

So what does guarantee issue mean? Massachusetts Insurance companies are guarantee issue, insurance companies can not deny coverage to any individual or charge higher premiums on the basis of their current health. They also do not have the right to raise insurance premiums based on an individuals age or if their health has declined. An insurance company can not cancel a policy on this basis.

First, Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law was written so health insurance companies could not deny your Masshealth coverage due to your health or illness For you, this has provided a safeguard that people in other parts of the country do not have. Providers for Masshealth insurance plans include: Some of the most popular plans include: Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee (The Alliance For Affordable Services), Mega Life Insurance Compant (the National Association for the Self Employed, Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Fallon Health.

When deciding on an individual MassHealth Individual Insurance plan, please be aware that most masshealth plans do not include dental insurance coverage. Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the more complete plans offering a high percentage of your vision coverage is included in the health care plan.

For a woman, purchasing individual health insurance, coverage for pregnancy may be very critical if you are of child bearing age. Generally Masshealth programs treat gynecological examinations similar to their vision examination coverages, where a woman can receive a limited number of examinations over a certain time period. Maternity care is treated with very specific rules and increased rates for coverage. When considering coverage for your family and especially your children you will find there are Masshealth plans to fit most any need. When selecting a good masshealth program for you and your family be aware that the coverages increase and decrease in relation to the cost of the coverage and variations in amount of the deductibles.

Mass Health Regulations for Penalty for Uninsured Residents is due to increase in 2008. The Reform Law has had recent regulation changes, which will have an increased penalty for those residents of Massachusetts who are uninsured. Increased penalties of up to $912.00 per person can be charged for those who fail to purchase health insurance coverage on time. The state of Massachusettes is increasing this penalty to try to enforce more residents to purchase the new mandated masshealth coverage plans.

Consumers would be advised to secure expert assistance in selecting their medical coverage plans. As experts in the MassHealth State Law, we can help you sort through the plans and find the best policy fit for you. We, at Business Health Insurance experts have already done the research for you. We can easily assist you in finding the right customized insurance quote. We listen to your needs and work within your budget. Securing you a quote that is affordable and fills your specific needs is our priority.

When you are researching your online Masshealth insurance options you will find there are a many plans available in a wide range of prices and coverage options. You may find that you would like to have expert assistance in explaining the many options and plans in an easy to understand manner.

Over a billion people live in India, a country that has many successes to celebrate and many challenges to tackle. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is an issue that not many people are aware of maternal and child health care. India accounts for more than a quarter of all newborn deaths in the world. 78,000 mothers and a million babies die each year, often from largely preventable causes. Yet, in a country where the majority of the population is fighting for the basics of survival, this important issue often takes a backseat.

The Indian government is certainly doing its bit to tackle this dire situation. Schemes such as the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the soon-to-be launched National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) aim to improve the availability of and access to quality health care for those on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder. Government-sanctioned and community-based Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are trained to bring communities and health services closer, and Village Health and Sanitation Committees (VHSCs) liaise with district authorities to ensure that health care needs are being met.

Where the government’s efforts fall short, various international and local organizations are doing their best to lend a hand and ensure the effective implementation of these schemes.

In India, there is no dearth of inspiring initiatives that are working toward improving conditions for mothers and their children. However, apart from a few government reports, none of the data and knowledge from these initiatives is being collected in any systematic or accessible fashion. As a result, any new project being implemented in the country has to start from scratch, as there is often no precedent or reliable wisdom to consult and use as a foundation to build upon.

A project called Sure Start-a five-year initiative based at PATH, an international not-for-profit organization supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-recognizes this gap and has created a unique Management Information System (MIS) that allows organizations to collect data on various maternal and child health care indicators and services. The MIS is a long-lasting pool of collated knowledge that can be accessed by relevant personnel.

It has certainly helped the 95 local and national partners in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra that the project works with. For instance, in Maharashtra, the system tracks approximately 22,000 pregnant women across seven cities. It stores data on indicators such as number of home visits, number of expectant mothers contacted for behavior change communication, percentage of expectant mothers who have received the tetanus toxoid vaccine, and percentage of births that take place in institutions. Systems such as the MIS are invaluable for collecting much needed data on the issue of maternal and child health care-especially because a bank of accurate and precise data can inform effective policy making, which in turn can effect tangible change.

Ever wonder what the average life span ought to be in humans? My dad who was a seriously injured war vet, passed away at 87 and in perfect mental and physical health, and he kept telling me he felt he could live for ever. I have seen studies which have extrapolated results that show humans can live happy and productive lives until at least 125. The latter qualification, i.e., “happy and productive” is very important, because living a long time in misery is not what we should be aiming for. But first, what is the cause of human aging and premature death?

It used to be the case, a couple of decades ago, that if you tried to answer the above question by trying to explain the “free radical” contribution to premature aging, and hence death, you’d get a look of suspicion and a remark about your hypothesis being too theoretical and hence of little value.

However, the last few years, many studies have shown that molecules foreign to our body known as free radicals, are the main culprits that reduce human life expectancy. Free radicals are environmental pollutants, such as automobile exhaust, second hand cigarette smoke, pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, inputs to our foods, household cleaners, paint, microwaves from cell phone transmissions, ultra-violet light from the sun–the list is endless. Chemically speaking, free radicals are molecules that lack one or more paired electrons which make them highly unstable and reactive. To satisfy their electrical imbalance they steal electrons from healthy molecules that make up the structure of cells, causing what is known as oxidation. With their structure now out of balance, these cells fail to function correctly, changing their capacity to carry out the normal biochemical cell processes. Out of balance, this system malfunctions, ultimately affecting the immune system causing diseases, such as various forms of cancer, premature aging and ultimately death.

Evidence shows that our bodies are attacked by free radicals about 100,000 times every day. If the attack is on neurons it may be Multiple Sclerosis. If it happens in the joints it might be arthritis; in the capillaries, they may begin to leak-causing easy bruising and loss of blood internally. If it happens in the pancreas we have diabetes, and so on.

The last several decades have contributed to the suppression of the body’s natural ability to fight free radicals; for one thing, our foods are exposed to chemicals and our environment to more and more pollutants. Therefore, one of the defense mechanisms should be our effort to consume environmentally safe food, water and air. In addition, the human body can use some antioxidant supplementation; hence the natural question is: of all the zillions of antioxidant supplements out there, which ones are the best to use? In the next blog, I will attempt to present an evidence-based, non-biased opinion regarding antioxidants, and do it by focusing into specific therapeutic areas for specific disease prevention.

Live superfoods have probably been around since the dawn of man. However, though once a fundamental component in everyone’s diet they lost their popularity after the birth of the Industrial Age which introduced processed food. Today, live superfoods are making a comeback. We are once again understanding their importance in everyday eating. Moreover, the health benefits of superfoods are second to none. Not even conventional medicine can match superfoods in effectiveness.

What are live superfoods? Live superfoods are those unprocessed foods high in phytonutrient content. These foods are antidioxidant rich, provide the human body with longevity, high energy, and low risk of illness and disease. You can consume live superfoods in a variety of ways. For instance, superfood powders may be added to smoothies, yogurt or juice and absorbed as a liquid. You may also consume live superfoods as a dried fruit or berry for a convenient, nutrient-rich snack. There are many types of live superfoods ranging from berries to seaweeds. Among them are:

Spirulina- a member of the algae family, spirulina is the highest protein food in the world. It’s an anti-aging food as well as an antidioxidant and an immune enhancer.

Cacao bean- also known as raw chocolate, the cacao bean is a major source of magnesium. It’s also good for weight loss, asthma and mood enhancement for persons suffering from anxiety and depression.

Maca powder- best known for it’s amazing health benefits. Maca powder is used as a natural viagra, minus the side effects. It is additionally useful as an energy and strength enhancer and to raise low pressure and lower high blood pressure.

Goji berries- is an excellent source of Vitamin C and fiber. It’s also a powerful anti-bacterial food.

Wheatgrass- is a natural raw detoxer. It is made of 70% chlorophyll, which builds the blood and also contains protein, about 30 enzymes, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc.

Kelp- is a sea vegetable. It is helpful for iodine deficiency and has over 70 minerals and trace elements, growth hormones, vitamin enzymes and proteins.

Acai berry- is one of the favorites and it best known for it’s heart health benefits and weight loss.

Goldenseal- is popularly known as the herbal antibiotic and immune system enhancer. In the U.S. goldenseal is one of the highest revenue-producing superfoods.

Echinacea- is most often associated with its ability to relieve common cold symptoms.

Nettle- commonly referred to as “the stinging nettle” because of the tiny stinging hairs and bristles on the leaves and stems has been used to treat allergy symptoms, arthritis, eczema, and more.