Medicare Fee-for-Service Plan Enrollment Increases; Some Raise ...

Medicare fee-for-service plans are growing in popularity, with enrollment in the plans increasing tenfold to 820,000 during the last two years, the New York Times reports. The increase comes after the federal government raised subsidies for the plans to an average of 11% per beneficiary, according to the Times. Some insurance industry executives said that figure is an exaggeration, the Times reports. The 2003 Medicare law boosted insurers' subsidies by $14 billion over 10 years in response to some lobbyists' claims that expanding private Medicare plans would reduce federal government spending, according to the Times. Similar to traditional Medicare, FFS members can choose their own doctors and hospitals, and they pay an average $88.50 monthly premium. Physicians and hospitals treating FFS members receive the same rates as they do through traditional Medicare.

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Tamil writers to get free medical insurance

Chennai, Aug. 25 (PTI): The Tamil Nadu Government today introduced a new medical insurance scheme for the welfare of indigent Tamil writers, who had contributed their mite to the development of the Tamil language. Announcing this in the State Assembly while replying to the demand for grants pertaining to the Tamil Development-Culture and Religious Endowments Department, State Finance Minister K Anbazhagan said 100 Tamil writers would be selected every year as beneficiaries of this scheme and provided a medical insurance of Rs 1 lakh each. "It is the responsibility of the government to protect the interests of these scholars who strove for the development of Tamil language and culture," Anbazhagan said, The government has also planned to produce a documentary on such Tamil writers and scholars, at an expense of Rs.10 lakhs, he said.

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HEALTH INSURANCE HARD TO COME BY

Over 90 percent of individuals who seek to purchase their own medical insurance are unable to, according to a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund which was reported on by Reuters.

If individuals arent given access to healthcare insurance through their employer, the odds are they arent able to get it. Individuals applying for medical insurance are usually denied because of a previously existing medical condition. Even in the case that individuals are accepted, they are usually unable to pay the insurance premiums. Nearly 43 percent of the individuals who can afford to buy their own insurance spend more than 5 percent of their income on the premiums. As a result about 16 percent of all Americans, more than 46 million, are currently uninsured and the situation is getting worse.

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Queues for surgery are far from rare elsewhere Record numbers of immigrants are coming to Britain according to figures released last month, but less prominence is given to the record number of departure. Some 208,000 British nationals moved abroad in 2004. Inevitably, many will have moved to countries with sub-standard medical services. Other will be in disadvantaged by language barriers or, in the event of illness, the desire to be treated at home, near friends and family. While common sense suggests that Westerners in countries with poor medical standards would be mad not to buy cover, how important is insurance elsewhere? .

Merck Insurance Carriers Jump Ship Over Vioxx Disaster According to Merck's August 7, 2006, SEC filing, "At this time, the Company believes that its insurance coverage with respect to the Vioxx Lawsuits will not be adequate to cover its defense costs and any losses." In addition, Merck says it has not established any reserves for potential liability relating to the Vioxx lawsuits or investigations, including for those cases in which a verdict has been entered against the company, and are now in post-verdict proceedings or on appeal. According to the filing, Merck has product liability insurance for claims brought in the Vioxx Product Liability Lawsuits with upper limits of about $630 million after deductibles and co-insurance. This insurance provides coverage for legal defense costs and potential damage amounts that have been or will be incurred in connection with the Vioxx Product Liability Lawsuits.

Why our family felt it necessary to leave Vt. Maureen Burdett, MD used to practice general surgery at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans. She was the only female surgeon in Franklin County until, that is, July 2006 - when she, along with our entire family, moved away from St. Albans. My name is Chris Summers, and I am Maureens husband. I write this letter because, just like moving away, it was not something we liked doing; It was something we felt needed to be done. In a way, its therapeutic to simply get these thoughts off my chest. While Maureen shares many of my same views, she is not the type of person to write to newspapers. She has never cared to draw attention to herself and shes just too busy, I guess. Like most of Vermont, St. Albans is beautiful. And, we were indeed blessed to have met many wonderful folks, neighbors, and make great, lifelong friends in our five years in Vermont.

Despite insurance, study finds heavy medical debt among farmers

WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas farm families are carrying heavy loads of medical debt, even though most of them are covered by some health insurance, a new study shows.

In findings that surprised even its authors, a survey of Kansas farmers by the Boston-based Access Project found that an overwhelming majority of farmers, about 95 percent, bought medical insurance. But so many had purchased just minimal or catastrophic health policies that left them vulnerable to most illnesses or accidents.

"Isn't it good to have something? I am not sure. That something needs to cover the things you have to have covered, otherwise all those monthly payments are meaningless - you just threw your money away," said Bill Lottero, an analyst with The Access Project.

While their research found that one in six Kansas farmers had medical debt, there was a big discrepancy between the medical debt levels of older farmers and non-elderly farmers.

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