How Health Reform Will Help Stabilize Health Insurance Exposure for Americans

Health insurance companies often use age, gender, health status, and the presence of medical conditions to charge higher premiums or deny coverage. Health insurance reform will prevent any insurance company from denying coverage based on underlying health status, and it will prohibit insurance companies from charging more if someone is sick, older, or a woman.

Consumer protections in health insurance reform will also ensure that Americans have portable health insurance options. Reform will guarantee that families will always have choices of quality, affordable health insurance if a family member loses a job, switches jobs, retires, moves, or gets sick. Families will no longer have to make life decisions – like whether to retire, work fewer hours, or switch jobs – based on the lack of affordable and meaningful coverage outside of their current employer-sponsored plan. Health insurance reform will create a health insurance exchange so Americans can compare prices and health plans and decide which quality affordable option is right for them.

Make health care affordable and accessible for everyone:

Americans are frequently forced to make decisions based on their finances and not on what is best for their health. Even with employer-sponsored insurance, Americans pay growing premiums and out-of-pocket costs each year. And for young adults who are just starting their careers, employer-based insurance is often not an option. By expanding health insurance to all Americans, providing premium assistance to make it affordable, and creating caps on the health care expenses that people pay out of pocket, health insurance reform will make health care affordable for everyone. And health insurance reform will allow young adults to stay on their parents’ employer-based insurance until the age of 26, providing an essential option for coverage.

Strengthen employer-based insurance:

Nearly three-quarters of small businesses that do not offer benefits cite high premiums as the reason. Premiums are high, in part, because of a “hidden insurance tax” of more than $1,000 for the unpaid costs of care of the uninsured. Health insurance reform will address this burden by reforming the system and offering affordable insurance options for all Americans. It will also provide small businesses with tax credits to help them provide health insurance for their employees. This will make health care more affordable for small businesses and their workers, solidifying and strengthening employer-based coverage for years to come.

The Outstanding Benefits of Health Insurance Reforms for Young Adults

Health insurance reform will fill the holes in the current health insurance system that leave too many young adults without high-quality, affordable coverage and saddled with medical debt.

Insurance Security. Young adults are just starting jobs and careers and often do not have access to reliable job-based coverage. Health insurance reform will allow all young adults to remain on their families’ health insurance policies as dependents until the age of 26. But for those who do not remain as dependents, reform will create a health insurance exchange that will offer a choice of plans to those without job-based coverage so young adults can decide how much coverage they want. The exchange will ensure that young adults always have access to affordable, quality coverage, whether they change jobs, move, or hold part-time or temporary jobs.

Preventive Care for Better Health. Simple prevention as a young adult can prevent a small health problem from getting worse. Health insurance reform offers free prevention to all insured people and invests in public health to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it is too late and costs more.

Strengthen Employer-Based Coverage. Young adults are more likely to work for small businesses, for whom skyrocketing health care costs have made health insurance unaffordable. Health insurance reform will provide a tax credit to small businesses to provide premium relief, so that small businesses can provide needed coverage to their employees.

Relief from Large Medical Bills. Right now, too many young adults are starting off their adult life burdened with medical debt. Health insurance reform will expand insurance options for young adults and provide premium subsidies to ensure coverage is affordable. It will also put a cap on what insurance companies can force young adults to pay in out-of-pocket expenses, co-pays, and deductibles. Finally, reform will require premium rate reviews to ensure that young adults are not subject to arbitrary increases in their premiums and will crack down on excessive insurance overhead by applying standards on how much insurance companies can spend on administrative costs.

Renovating and Modernizing America’s Health Care System

The Budget sets aside a reserve fund of more than $630 billion over 10 years that will be dedicated towards financing reforms to our health care system. The President Barack Obama recognizes that while a very large amount of money and a major commitment, $630 billion is not sufficient to fully fund comprehensive reform. But this is a first crucial step in that effort, and he is committed to working with the Congress to find additional resources to allocate to health care reform. The Administration will explore all serious ideas that, in a fiscally responsible manner, achieve the common goals of constraining costs, expanding access, and improving quality.

To achieve these goals and finance reform, the President looks forward to working with the Congress over the coming year, and as he does, the President will adhere to the following set of eight principles:

• Guarantee Choice. The plan should provide Americans a choice of health plans and physicians. People will be allowed to keep their own doctor and their employer-based health plan.

• Make Health Coverage Affordable. The plan must reduce waste and fraud, high administrative costs, unnecessary tests and services, and other inefficiencies that drive up costs with no added health benefits.

• Protect Families’ Financial Health. The plan must reduce the growing premiums and other costs American citizens and businesses pay for health care. People must be protected from bankruptcy due to catastrophic illness.

• Invest in Prevention and Wellness. The plan must invest in public health measures proven to reduce cost drivers in our system—such as obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and smoking—as well as guarantee access to proven preventive treatments.

• Provide Portability of Coverage. People should not be locked into their job just to secure health coverage, and no American should be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions.

• Aim for Universality. The plan must put the United States on a clear path to cover all Americans.

• Improve Patient Safety and Quality Care. The plan must ensure the implementation of proven patient safety measures and provide incentives for changes in the delivery system to reduce unnecessary variability in patient care. It must support the widespread use of health information technology with exact privacy protections and the development of data on the effectiveness of medical interventions to improve the quality of care delivered.

• Maintain Long-Term Fiscal Sustainability. The plan must pay for itself by reducing the level of cost growth, improving productivity, and dedicating additional sources of revenue.

Symptoms and Preventive Tips for Skin Cancer

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

The most familiar warning sign of skin cancer is a change on the skin, normally a new mole or skin injury or a change in an existing mole.

• Basal cell carcinoma may emerge as a small, soft, pearly or waxy smack on the face ears and neck; or as a horizontal, pink/red- or brown-colored wound on the case or arms and legs.
• Squamous cell carcinoma can appear as a solid, red bump, or as a rough, peeling flat lesion that may cause itch, bleed and become hard. Both the basal cell and squamous cell cancers mostly occur on areas of the skin regularly exposed to the sun, but can occur anywhere.
• Melanoma usually emerges as a pigmented area or bump. It may look like a normal mole, but usually has a more unbalanced appearance.

When appearing for melanoma, think of the ABCD rules that tells you the signs to observe for:

• Asymmetry—the form of one half doesn't match the other
• Border—edges are torn or blurred
• Color—irregular shades of brown, black, tan, red, white or blue
• Diameter—a considerable change in size (greater than 6mm).

Prevention of Skin Cancer

Nothing can absolutely undo sun damage, even though the skin can sometimes repair by itself. Hence, it's never too late to start protecting yourself from the sun. Your skin does change with age—for example, you sweat less and your skin can take longer to cure, but you can holdup these changes by residing out of the sun. Following these tips to helps prevent skin cancer

• Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or better 30 minutes before sun exposure and then every few hours subsequently.
• Select best cosmetic products and contact lenses that proffer UV protection.
• Wear sunglasses with overall UV protection.
• Avoid direct sun exposure in so far as possible during crest UV radiation hours between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Perform skin self-exams frequently to become well-known with existing growths and to observe any changes or new growths.
• 80% of a person's lifetime sun exposure is obtained before age 18. As a parent, be a superior role model and promote skin cancer prevention habits in your child.

Nine ways to exercise daily...when you don't have the time

We all know exercise can help to improve our health and lose weight. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, 25 percent of adults don't exercise at all. Hectic schedule is one of the main cause. To relieve from your daily stress and risk, you need to spend just few minutes a day to getting health benefits.

Tips for fitness & strength:

• Wake up a slight earlier. Start by set your alarm clock just 5 minutes before. Do stretches and jumping jacks before getting in the bathe, or follow a short exercise DVD.

• Find a workout companion. Exercising with a friend is more fun than working out alone and a good motivator. Ask a colleague to go for a walk during lunch or see if a neighbor wants to fire hoops.

• Change into exercise clothes before leaving work. You'll be prepared for a short walk, in a little while you get home.

• Schedule your fitness actions. If you put exercise on your calendar like other activities, you're more likely to do it.

• Recognize your successes. Keep a register of all the times you make a healthy choice to move more, such as by taking the flight of steps instead of an elevator. After the first week, prize yourself with a new pair of sneakers or a cool new water bottle.

• Create a home (or desk) gym. If you always have equipment at the ready, it will be easy to take five minutes to use it. A jump rope, a stability ball, exercise bands and dumbbells don't cost much or take up much room.

• Move while you watch TV. Don't sit indolently - or worse, get a snack - during commercials. Do sit-ups or jog in place instead.

• Play games with your kids. Men, don't just look at while your kids play outside - join in their fun. If your kids love video games, think about transaction their comfort for the Nintendo. The whole family will break an agitation using special controllers to compete at boxing, tennis, golf and bowling.

• Exercise while you work. Increase your activity level and efficiency with neck rolls or arm raises (push hands out to the side and then up toward the ceiling). Or do a few customized push-ups on the edge of your desk.