Easy way to track health care reform

It’s no easy task trying to keep up on the dueling proposals for health care reform.

I like to go to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s “side-by-side” comparison tool of health care reform proposals.

The tool lets one select a specific topic for comparison, such as individual mandate, insurance pooling or employer requirements.

The health insurance landscape will be altered considerably in coming months. This tool can help you keep a handle on the ramifications for you and your family.

Will new mammogram guidelines change health insurance coverage?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has decided that mammograms aren’t all that preventive, especially for women under 50. » read on…

New York database will reveal secret health insurance charges

Change is in the air for health insurance at the national level, but one state is not letting debate slow reform. In a monumental move, New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced in late October the formation of a new not-for-profit company, FAIR Health, Inc., to provide independent data to guide “usual, customary, and reasonable” (UCR) rates for out-of-network health charges. » read on…

Squeeze the most from your health insurance

Many people don’t fully understand their health insurance benefits, according to a new survey from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). And this lack of understanding often leads people to pay more out of pocket for health care than they have to. » read on…

Attention germophobes!

My former publisher is an unabashed mysophobe. This is someone who has a pathological fear of being contaminated by germs. He would come into work and immediately break out the Lysol wipes and clean everything on his desk and in his cubicle — every single day. » read on…

Yuck! When freaky medical conditions attack

My sons’ swimming teacher recently told me that her husband has a big hole on the top of his foot, where the skin is disappearing for no apparent reason. And there’s another skin hole starting near his ankle. He went to the emergency room and the doctors gave him an antibiotic and sent him home. » read on…

H1N1 flu will go “back to school”

The H1N1 flu (formerly called swine flu) has not been on summer vacation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that influenza activity is higher than normal for this time of year, and 98 percent of positive influenza A tests reported to the CDC last week were H1N1. » read on…