Would You Rather Walk 5,000 Steps a Day or Pay More for Insurance?

That may sound like a hypothetical question, but one health insurer put this question to the test -- and a new study finds that the controversial question -- and resulting action taken -- actually worked to keep costs down and customers healthier.

It all started when the Michigan-based Blue Care Network began requiring obese patients on certain insurance plans to enroll in physical fitness programs in order or have to pay higher rates. One option was a pedometer-based program, which required participants to walk 450,000 steps every three months (an average of 5,000 steps, or 2.5 miles, a day) and to upload their activity to a tracking website. Those who didn't meet the quarterly goals would be 20 percent more for their insurance. 

University of Michigan and Stanford University researchers tracked the more than 6,000 people who chose the pedometer option, about a third of whom strongly disagreed with the "coercive" nature of the program and were extremely reluctant to participate. The researchers' findings, however, published today in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, tell a different story: After one year, 97 percent of participants had met their daily activity goals! 

However, there is still not nearly enough research to determine whether participation in these programs translates to meaningful changes in health and costs of health care.

What do you think about cash incentives for staying active? Smart or sleazy? Tweet us at @amandaemac and @SELFmagazine.

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Insurance Loss Hampers Young People With Asthma

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- The loss of health insurance is the main reason asthma care for young people deteriorates after age 18, according to a new study.

Certain social factors -- such as leaving school and no longer having adult supervision -- also contribute to the decline in care, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

"This study suggests that expanding insurance coverage will help many young adults with asthma receive the care they need," study leader Kao-Ping Chua, a staff physician in the division of emergency medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, said in a Harvard news release. "But it also points to the importance of addressing other socially mediated factors in this population."

"Aside from the lack of financial protection, uninsurance poses fewer health risks to young adults than for older adults because they are generally healthy," study senior author J. Michael McWilliams, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in the news release.

"But for young people with asthma -- or other conditions amenable to medical care -- it's important to understand and address the barriers to care," he added.

The researchers looked at data from nearly 2,500 asthma patients, aged 14 to 25, in order to determine if they had a regular care provider, if they visited that provider at least once a year, if they used asthma medications and if they made emergency-room visits.

Patients under age 18 were more likely to use primary care and asthma medications, while those over 18 were more likely to make emergency-room visits and have problems getting care and medications due to cost.

The loss of health insurance explained 32 percent of the decline in the use of primary care by patients over age 18 and between 47 percent and 61 percent of the increase in their cost-related problems getting care and medications, according to the study, which was published recently in the journal Pediatrics.

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, young adults whose parents have private insurance will be eligible to continue receiving coverage on their parents' policies until they are 26. But, the researchers said, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states do not have to extend similar coverage to people on Medicaid, low-income young adults will be left out.

Health insurance, however, is not the only problem, they added.

"Young people with asthma need to work with their care providers to create transition plans from pediatric to adult care that take into account their medical and social history," Chua said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Harvard Medical School, news release, April 22, 2013

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Insurance Loss Hampers Young People With Asthma

Harvard researchers report on impact of health insurance in youths' disease management

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- The loss of health insurance is the main reason asthma care for young people deteriorates after age 18, according to a new study.

Certain social factors -- such as leaving school and no longer having adult supervision -- also contribute to the decline in care, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

"This study suggests that expanding insurance coverage will help many young adults with asthma receive the care they need," study leader Kao-Ping Chua, a staff physician in the division of emergency medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, said in a Harvard news release. "But it also points to the importance of addressing other socially mediated factors in this population."

"Aside from the lack of financial protection, uninsurance poses fewer health risks to young adults than for older adults because they are generally healthy," study senior author J. Michael McWilliams, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in the news release.

"But for young people with asthma -- or other conditions amenable to medical care -- it's important to understand and address the barriers to care," he added.

The researchers looked at data from nearly 2,500 asthma patients, aged 14 to 25, in order to determine if they had a regular care provider, if they visited that provider at least once a year, if they used asthma medications and if they made emergency-room visits.

Patients under age 18 were more likely to use primary care and asthma medications, while those over 18 were more likely to make emergency-room visits and have problems getting care and medications due to cost.

The loss of health insurance explained 32 percent of the decline in the use of primary care by patients over age 18 and between 47 percent and 61 percent of the increase in their cost-related problems getting care and medications, according to the study, which was published recently in the journal Pediatrics.

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, young adults whose parents have private insurance will be eligible to continue receiving coverage on their parents' policies until they are 26. But, the researchers said, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states do not have to extend similar coverage to people on Medicaid, low-income young adults will be left out.

Health insurance, however, is not the only problem, they added.

"Young people with asthma need to work with their care providers to create transition plans from pediatric to adult care that take into account their medical and social history," Chua said.

View the original article here

Get to Know About Health Insurance, Make Better Choices

We all live in an uncertain world where anything can happen at any time. With uncertainty, various kinds of fears are associated. People are not sure about anything these days. As pollution is rising in various parts of the world and people are living a hectic life; they have become more prone to various kinds of health problems. In order to cover the risk associated with non availability of funds when someone needs treatment for some disease, people try to get low cost health insurance. These days it has become very easy to find health insurance for individuals.

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Any individual who wants to make sure that in case he suffers from any kind of disease in future, he should get the medical expenses paid by the health insurance provider; needs to get health insurance. There are a large number of companies which are offering their health insurance plans at present. There are a lot of people who believe that it is very important to get health insurance. It is a wise decision to get health insurance as soon as possible for any individual.

When it comes to getting health insurance then people should know various things. People should know that the premium which they need to pay for getting health insurance cover depends on their age and their present health status. Suppose there is an individual who is very young. This individual will get health insurance from any health insurance company at a lower price in case he is completely healthy at the time he is taking the health insurance. On the other hand, if there is a person who is old and wants to take health insurance then he will have to pay a lot more price for getting the same kind of health insurance cover.

As there are a large number of options for getting health insurance these days, people get confused sometimes. They find it difficult to decide which company they should choose and which health insurance plan they should take. While choosing a health insurance company, people should check the history of that company. The health insurance provider should be reliable. It should have a large number of customers. Also, there should be transparency in the workings of the health insurance provider. In order to decide the kind of health insurance plan which one should take, people should consult health insurance agents of different companies.

People can save their money by choosing that health insurance provider for getting health insurance; which charges lesser premium for giving health insurance cover. However, people need to know how to bargain with health insurance companies. People who do not suffer from any kind of disease find it very easy to get health insurance at a lesser price. Health insurance providers also provide health insurance in a fast manner to those people who are unlikely to get ill in near future. When the probability of a person to get ill or suffer from any health problem is high in near future then health insurance companies either do not give insurance cover or they charge more premiums from such person.

These days it has become very costly to get various types of health problems treated. If unfortunately, someone falls ill or suffer from any kind of serious disease then he is not able to do his work. At such a time, people need financial support which is provided by health insurance companies to some extent. By paying the medical expenses of an individual, health insurance companies help people in saving them from the discomfort of paying from their own pocket. With time, more and more people are realizing the importance of health insurance.

Various health insurance companies are coming up with different kinds of health insurance plans. Every health insurance provider is trying to lure people. For this, health insurance companies make various kinds of efforts. There are some health insurance agents which sell health insurance of different companies while some health insurance agents sell insurance plans only of those companies for which they work. It is also very important to find such health insurance agents who can give detailed information to people about various kinds of health insurance plans.

Anyone who is searching for low cost health insurance can also take the help of internet. There are various websites over the internet where people can get health insurance for individuals. There are various websites where people just need to mention their details and they will be able to get various health insurance quotes. According to the preference of an individual, he should choose a health insurance provider. People who live with their families can take family health insurance plans. Organizations can get health insurance for their employees at discounted prices. No matter which health insurance provider is chosen by people; they should get health insurance cover for themselves.

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