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ONE NATION, UNINSURED: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance. (04 Jun 2006)
Reviews the book "One Nation, Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance," by Jill Quadagno.Full Text Word Count:363D

Health insurance and wellness. (04 Jun 2006)
Reasons why policy holders are opting out of health insurance. Arguments against health insurance; Findings of a study published in the `Health Affairs' journal about workers getting out of health insurance; Reason of the workers for opting out; Recommendation of seeking higher wages and benefits other than standard health insurance.Full Text Word Count:297Database: Academic Search Premier

Children's health insurance plans pass the 50-mark. (04 Jun 2006)
States that American Samoa has become the latest United States territory to gain approval for its plan to provide health insurance benefits to thousands of currently uninsured children. Number of uninsured children expected to be covered by the plans; Role of the Children's Health Insurance Program; Plans of expanding Medicaid program to children under the age of 19.Full Text Word Count:244Database: Academic Search Premier

Expanding Health Insurance Coverage. (04 Jun 2006)
Reports on the proposal of the health insurance industry for tax incentives, vouchers and expanded government coverage for low-income people in the United States (US). Purpose of the proposal; Net cost to be provided by InsureUSA program of the Health Insurance Association of America that would provide health coverage to US people; Sponsors of the legislation that would provide tax incentives for people purchasing private health insurance and private long-term care insurance.Full Text Word Count:114D

Does the Health Insurance3 Industry Care About the Uninsured? (04 Jun 2006)
Features the Insure USA health insurance program of the Health Insurance Association of America.Full Text Word Count:375D

Bill Cleared to Extend Protections For Mental Health Insurance. (04 Jun 2006)
Reports on the clearing of the bill (S 1929) by the U.S. House of Representatives extending the protections for mental health insurance as of December 2003. Requirements of the mental health insurance law; Opposition of the bill (S 486) to provide full parity between mental and medical health insurance; Reason why backers of the bill (S 486) want to pass it.Full Text Word Count:225D

Bill Creating Health Insurance System Clears Calif.Assembly. (04 Jun 2006)
Long-dormant legislation to create a state-run health insurance system that would cover all California residents was approved recently by a committee of the California state Assembly Health Committee. And while the author of the bill conceded it would not reach the desk of Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this year, Democratic state Senator Sheila Kuehl said the vote was important--because it signaled that health committees in both houses of the California Legislature support the idea of a universal, state-run health insurance system.Full Text Word Count:157D

Health insurance premiums climb five times faster than workers' pay and inflation. (04 Jun 2006)
Presents the results of the 2004 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust in the U.S. in September 2004. Decrease in the percentage of workers receiving health coverage from their employers; Factors that contributed to the decrease in the estimated number of jobs providing health insurance; Increase in the average insurance premium in 2004.Full Text Word Count:484D

The New Health Insurance Solution: How To Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan. (04 Jun 2006)
Reviews the book "The New Health Insurance Solution: How To Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan," by Paul Zane Pilzer.Full Text Word Count:224D

Private health insurance poor value. (04 Jun 2006)
Focuses on a report issued by the Australian Consumer Association on the decline in the value of money from private health insurance in Australia. Factors that influenced insurance benefits; Problems associated with the decline in private health insurance; Ways to improve private health insurance.Full Text Word Count:352D

HEALTH INSURANCE: SMALL BIZ IS IN A BIND. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses why hundreds of thousands of small companies in the U.S. are scaling back the coverage they offer to employees, boosting co-pays, or ending employee insurance altogether. The decade-long debate over the worrisome trend; Question of whether the federal government should help ease the burden on small businesses and their workers; Impact of rising health-care costs on Americans; Concerns of health-care experts; Solution offered by President George W. Bush and the National Federation of Business; View of many experts that association health plans (AHPs) offer false hope; Cost of health reforms proposed by Senator John Kerry; Outlook.Full Text Word Count:1100

HEALTH INSURANCE? TURN LEFT AT AISLE 6. (04 Jun 2006)
Looks at how big box retailers are beginning to offer health insurance plans to consumers. Review of how Sam's Club has offered a free brokerage service to consumers in forty-eight states who are shopping for a health insurance plan; Reports on how Costco Wholesale Corp. is entering the market with a pilot program to sell medical coverage directly to consumers; Partnership between Costco and PacifiCare Health Systems Inc.; Comments on the new program from Costco's vice president of member services Patrick Callans.Full Text Word Count:312Database: Academic Search Premier

Shopping for Health Insurance on the Web. (04 Jun 2006)
This article talks about using the Internet to select the right health insurance plan in the U.S., as of January 2004. Selecting the right health insurance plan has become more complicated as insurers offer more prices and employers allow workers to customize their benefits. According to the California HealthCare Foundation, nearly 10 million people shopped for health insurance on the Web in 2002. Navigating the Health Care Maze on HealthCareCoach.com, a project of the nonprofit National Health Law Program, features a pop-up glossary and offers clear explanations of managed care, tiered health plans and other concepts. Major insurers are well-represented by extensive Web sites. Insure.com offers renters, dental, travel, automobile, life and home insurance and features a database of more than 3,000 advice articles. eHealthInsurance claims its online application process is 50 percent faster than others because many of its carriers accept electronic signatures. In addition, it claims to offer carrier-direct rates with the lowest possible premiums. An approach to exploring health insurance is to work backwards, starting with an evaluation of hospitals and/or physicians. The Internet has become an integral part of health coverage itself. Leading-edge insurers are beginning to cover such online services as e-mail consultations with doctors and information prescriptions in which physicians assign online health reading to patients.Full Text Word Count:1603

UP, UP AND AWAY: HEALTH-INSURANCE COSTS SOAR. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses the increase of health-insurance costs in the United States in 2004. Consideration of a double-digit increase in family premiums for the fourth year in a row; Reference to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust; Increase in the share of costs imposed on companies and employees by 9.8 percent; Likelihood that at least 53 percent of large firms will pass along more increases in health costs to employees; Expectation for workers at smaller firms to lose all insurance coverage.Full Text Word Count:197D

Health insurance costs rising as fewer jobs offer coverage. (04 Jun 2006)
This article reports on the increase in employer-based health insurance premiums in the U.S. in 2004. The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report in September that found that premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage rose 11.2 percent in 2004, which was less than the 2003 13.9 percent increase but still the fourth consecutive year of double-digit price hikes. The 2004 Annual Health Benefit Survey also found the percentage of workers covered by employer-based insurance is at 61 percent, down from the recent peak of 65 percent in 2001. The numbers mean at least 5 million fewer jobs are providing health insurance. A report released Sept. 28 by Families USA found that in 35 states, workers' share of their insurance premiums rose three times faster than their earnings even as benefits were cut. Nationally, workers' premium costs rose 35.9 percent from 2000 to 2004, according to the report, while average earnings rose only 12.4 percent during the same period. In yet more disturbing news, 100 million U.S. citizens found their health insurance benefits cut or costlier in 2004, according to a report from Results For America, a project of the non-profit Civil Society Institute. The survey of about 1,000 adults found that 67 percent support guaranteed, government-sponsored health care.Full Text Word Count:605Database: Academic Search Premier

Oregon shuns universal care, US voters shun Democrats. (04 Jun 2006)
When voters in Oregon crushed a proposition that would have established a Canadian-style, tax-financed, universal health care plan for all residents, they clearly signalled their unwillingness to pay higher taxes or to trust a government bureaucracy to run the system. Some residents were worried about how much such a system would cost and others rejected it because they were worried that ill people from across the U.S. would move to Oregon to get free care. Meanwhile, U.S. voters were just as clearly shifting their trust concerning two major health care issues -- prescription drug coverage and health insurance for 41 million uninsured Americans -- from the Democrats to the Republicans. With the Republicans in control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, a bill that will subsidize private insurers who provide drug benefits to Medicare beneficiaries at low monthly premiums will likely be brought forward. To extend insurance coverage beyond people enrolled in employee plans, U.S. President George W. Bush is also expected to ask Congress to authorize tax credits for health insurance bought by people who don't have access to employer insurance or are not eligible for public programs. Republicans have also vowed to push for legislation limiting damage awards in medical malpractice cases.Full Text Word Count:288Database: Academic Search Premier

Employer plans. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses health insurance in the United States. Rise in the cost to employers and employees; Outlook for another large premium increase in 2004; How the consumer-driven health plans, which have high deductible managed care plans and are matched with health-care reimbursement accounts, work; Theory that knowing the true cost of care encourages consumers to make better spending decisions; Pros and cons of the CDHP; How the tiered co-payment plans for prescription drugs work; Mention of tiered hospital coverage; Pros and cons of the tiered plan. INSET: STICKS AND CARROTS.Full Text Word Count:773D

GET USED TO THE PAIN. (04 Jun 2006)
Reports that health insurance costs for employers are expected to rise by 16% this year, marking the fifth straight year of double-digit increases, leading many companies to share the burden with their employees. Rise in family coverage, deductibles and copayments; Increase in numbers of uninsured Americans; Prediction that a new battle over reforming the health-care system is ahead; Reasons for rising costs, including an aging population, increased use of prescription drugs and greater demand for tests and specialists; Increase in prices by insurers; Decrease in the number of small businesses offering health insurance to employees.Full Text Word Count:1309

Is There an HSA in Your Future? (04 Jun 2006)
The article discusses how the brand-new health savings accounts, or HSAs, may trim heath-care costs for people under 65. Many experts expect these accounts to revolutionize health care. HSAs resemble IRAs.You buy a qualified health insurance policy with a minimum deductible, which enables you to open a health savings account, into which you can deposit pretax dollars up to the level of your deductible each year. Once the money is in the account, it is yours to spend--tax-free--on health care. If you do not use it, your money can remain in the account and grow tax deferred. If you withdraw money before you reach 65 for things other than IRS-approved health-care expenditures, it will be taxed as income, and you will pay a penalty. Some employers are planning to add HSAs to their menu of insurance options at open-enrollment time.You should consider an HSA if you have been paying more for health insurance premiums than you have been using in care. Shop around, paying particular attention to how easy it is to access your money. The other deciding factor: your investment options.Full Text Word Count:702D

Individual coverage. (04 Jun 2006)
Focuses on individual health insurance plans. How to shop for a policy; The problem of underwriting adding to the expense of a policy; Suggestion to check rates for union members, if qualified; Caveat about fraudulent plans; Recommendation to check with the state insurance board; Mention of a high-risk pool for health coverage; Resources for more information. INSET: Checklist.Full Text Word Count:401D

BRIEFLY. (04 Jun 2006)
Presents updates on issues and events related to the U.S. health insurance industry as of August 2004. Decision by United Healthcare Insurance Co. and Travelers Insurance Co. to settle a civil whistleblower case filed against them for allegedly falsifying expense reports to obtain higher reimbursement and performance incentives; Increase in the cost of group health insurance for an individual coverage in the country; Information on the financial performance of Cigna Corp. for the second quarter of 2004.Full Text Word Count:308D

New health insurance trends reported. (04 Jun 2006)
This article focuses on a research study which revealed that employees in the U.S. will continue to shoulder an increasing share of health insurance costs. A survey commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found a 6 percent increase in the share of premiums employees are paying. Business owners surveyed said they will ask their employees to pay an average of 21 percent of health care cost increases in the next year, according to the study released in September 2005. Also, researchers with the Commonwealth Fund found that when it comes to employer-based insurance, the ability to choose health care providers matters more than having a selection of health plans to choose from, and that two out of three working adults prefer employer-sponsored health plans to health savings accounts.Full Text Word Count:143D

The COBRA bridge. (04 Jun 2006)
Focuses on COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. When a company must offer COBRA to a former employee; Indication that the employee is not required to pay any of the premiums; Benefits of COBRA; Eligibility for HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, passed in 1996; How COBRA is associated with HIPAA; When to look for a health insurance cheaper plan; Consequences of not paying for COBRA the full 18 months.Full Text Word Count:476D

Ready for the next tsunami? (04 Jun 2006)
Despite the rising cost of events such as earthquakes in Japan, the country's non-life insurers do not seem to be setting aside enough reserves to cover future disasters. Should a couple of huge catastrophes occur within several years of each other, there are concerns that some might have to dip into, and perhaps exhaust, their capital to cover the shortfall. The Financial Services Agency (FSA), the insurers' regulator, is worried. It wants to tighten rules on how to set aside reserves for natural disasters by April 2004, and is currently studying a report by an industry committee on what to do. About half the industry's premiums come from car insurance, for which policies are renewed annually. Yet in the past year or so, non-life insurers have been selling a growing number of long-term fire-insurance policies (which in Japan cover more general damage to property) that may commit them to huge pay-outs for natural disasters. So far the industry is not resisting the FSA's plans, though that might change if new rules requiring extra provisions pushed some firms into the red.Full Text Word Count:610Database: Academic Search Premier

Can Progressive Stay in Gear? (04 Jun 2006)
Highlights Progressive Corp., the car insurance company which "Business Week" has named one of the 50 best performing companies in the United States. New services being tested by the company to keep and increase clients; How the #3 auto insurer has posted soaring growth in the past few years through increased premiums; Efforts by the company to excel at customer service which gives it some leeway in tough times; Examples of innovative customer policies; How the number of accident claims in the U.S. has been declining, allowing many companies to reduce premiums.Full Text Word Count:965D

Agent of change. (04 Jun 2006)
The article focuses on the reorganization of Allianz, Germany's biggest insurer. Michael Diekmann has a clear idea of how his company should be structured. Although it is global, he sees its home market as Europe. And instead of the current five product lines, he wants only three: insurance, asset management and banking. His plan, though, is causing grief in Germany. The agents have been best at selling property and casualty (P&C) cover but increasingly they have been urged to sell life policies and health insurance too. Until now, P&C, life and health sales have been run by different arms of Allianz. Last month Mr Diekmann said that one subsidiary would do the lot. Replacing three client databases with one will save Allianz lots of back-office costs. The heavily unionised workforce, however, sees the idea as a potential job-destroyer. The agents too, although they live on commission, fear that the drive to cut costs will erode their business. Last month Allianz began to offer car insurance online at prices well below those it quotes to agents and independent brokers. This week Mr Diekmann explained his thinking to agents at a get-together in Athens. Online motor-insurance, he argued, is aimed at young buyers in big cities, whom Allianz agents hardly touch (they do best in rural areas). Allianz said it would adopt the legal form of a Societas Europaea (SE), a European creature, instead of a German Aktiengesellschaft, in order to effect a full merger with RAS, an Italian insurer of which it already owns 55%. Outside Germany, the merger with RAS will give Allianz a better hold over its businesses in Italy, Austria, Spain and Portugal, which will report directly to Munich rather than via Milan.Full Text Word Count:774Database: Academic Search Premier

The spiraling cost of car insurance. (04 Jun 2006)
Explains why the American insurance industry is breeding a race of claims cheaters. Cost of car coverage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; American standards of ethical behavior; Comparison of profit statistics for the insurance industry last year;Additional observations.Full Text Word Count:780D

The drive for car insurance equality. (04 Jun 2006)
Reveals that the Alberta Human Rights Commission will appeal the November 1993 decision by a three-judge panel of the Alberta Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. AHRC Chief Commissioner Jack O'Neill said that acceptance of discriminatory treatment (in auto insurance rates of males versus females) has unacceptable consequences inside and outside the auto insurance industry. Background of the case; Insurance industry position on differing rates; The test case; Details.Full Text Word Count:616Database: Academic Search Premier

Revolutionizing Car Insurance. (04 Jun 2006)
Focuses on some of the innovative policies used by Progressive Corp., an auto insurance company based in Cleveland, Ohio. The claims program known as Immediate Response, which aims to reduce the trauma of car accidents; How claims adjusters are available 24-hours-per-day and try to appear at the scene of the accident, or at the policyholder's home soon after; How the company is also running a 1-800 telephone number for consumers to compare insurance rates.Full Text Word Count:768Database: Academic Search Premier

Auto-da-fe. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses the filing of a lawsuit against seven of America's largest car insurance firms by New York City Mayor Rudolph Guliani in 1997. The consistent rise in insurance premiums despite the decrease in car-thefts; The lawsuit as an attempt to force insurers to cut their comprehensive rates by as much as half; Details of a class-action suit filed at the same time on behalf of motorists who hold comprehensive policies; Other cities that have had similar insurance problems.Full Text Word Count:756Database: Academic Search Premier

This antitheft device may cut your car insurance bill by up to 25%. (04 Jun 2006)
Points out the benefits of a factory-installed cutoff switch to prevent car theft. The decline in thefts on Ford Mustangs with the installation of the switch; Ford's installation of the SecuriLock antitheft device as standard equipment on its 1998 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models; The importance of buying an automobile with a good safety record; The relation between high insurance rates and high driver death rate in accidents.Full Text Word Count:555Database: Academic Search Premier

Cheaper car insurance ahead. (04 Jun 2006)
Reports on how automobile insurance rates in the United States were in a state of decline during the late 1990s. Reasons why automobile insurers are lowering their rates.Full Text Word Count:321D

Protection When You Drive Abroad. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses rental car insurance coverage provided by credit cards. Typical cost of a collision damage waiver (CDW); Cards that ban insurance for Irish rentals; Cards that pay for collision insurance on Irish rentals; Other countries where policies differ; Tips for travelers planning to rent a car abroad; Information on childrens' view of taxes.Full Text Word Count:733Database: Academic Search Premier

CAR INSURANCE. (04 Jun 2006)
Provides an answer to a question about car insurance. Tips on choosing an insurance carrier; Factors to consider in getting an insurance.Full Text Word Count:256D

How to make sense of rental-car insurance. (04 Jun 2006)
Discusses rental-car insurance. Sources of insurance when renting a car; Restrictions on coverage; Credit cards' collision-damage-waiver coverage.Full Text Word Count:264Database: Academic Search Premier

Rental car insurance: Do you need it? (04 Jun 2006)
Offers information on whether you should buy insurance when renting a car. How to determine if you are already covered by personal insurance; What are the limits to your existing coverage; Are there exceptions within the rental car coverage.Full Text Word Count:421D

Car talk. (04 Jun 2006)
Reports on the issues of car insurance in the United States. Average amount spent by Americans car insurance; Findings of a study conducted by the congressional Joint Economic Committee; Losses of car accident victims compared to the amount they receive as compensation for damages.Full Text Word Count:394D

DON'T WAIVER. (04 Jun 2006)
Offers advice on collision damage waivers (CDW) or rental-car insurance. Exclusions in some automobile insurance policies; Protection offered by some credit cards; Instances when CDW is needed.Full Text Word Count:656D

Insuring. (cover story) (04 Jun 2006)
Gives advice on cutting costs when insuring your car without cutting your core coverage. Rise in the cost of car insurance over the past ten years; Stellar driving record your ticket to the best coverage for the lowest cost; Picking a car with a low insurance-cost rating; Determining coverage before comparing company prices; Updating liability coverage; Raising limits; Ways to cut costs; Comprehensive coverage; Medical payment coverage; Discounts.Full Text Word Count:900D

Cut your car insurance premiums by as much as 20%. (04 Jun 2006)
Offers advice for trimming the cost of car insurance. Getting price quotes from insurers; Commission-free insurers; Discounts and group member discounts; Buying only what your actually need.Full Text Word Count:379D

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