Up Close on Health Insurance Facts

By: Jon Caldwell

Doctors are expected to vote on the issue whether a National Health Care system would be better than a state based one for them to be able to compete with private providers. Preliminary information shows that 59% of all physicians prefer a National Health Care system opposed to state based care which has been plagued by many problems in recent times. With health care removed form the hands of state governments, they would have less matters to worry about and would allow them to focus on more pressing issues. Health care varies from state to state and nationalizing it would standardize benefits thus would improve the current state of health care in the country. Candidates propose different options, for Senator Clinton proposes making health insurance mandatory but with government subsidies. Obama, wants affordable federal insurance for all but has not released more details of his plans. The elections has more people thinking of insurance

Underinsured Americans are projected to be at 1.1 million for every point of the unemployment scale which might be too high and dangerous for all. This as very alarming indeed, for as much as the public health care system goes; it might be too much for their already over-stretched budgets. Current trends and forecasts see this as a very big problem waiting to blow up for as States need to trim down their budgets due to insufficient funds, public health care may get some more out of their funding too. This leaves Americans with no health care coverage when they need it most leading to more problems for the Federal Government. The Federal Reserve has issued warnings that they are not going to issue another round of cuts for the ones that went before have proven to do little if not anything at all and that even they could not stem the problems that are facing the country.

In the US, there are an estimated 6 million individuals in the state of Washington which also makes them eligible to get health savings accounts. This reflects a change of as much as double the rates last year but critics of these health savings accounts were not deterred by the said statistics. The government accountability office shows that the wealthy people are merely using the said accounts as tax shelters (preventing them from having to pay more taxes) rather than a measure to make health care more affordable for the common American. These people who are enrolled in health savings account also deposit more than they take out of them which bolsters their significance in the finance arena. Incentives for opening their own health savings accounts have employees saving money tax-free as a measure that was introduced by the Bush administration as their way of slowing the rise of health care costs.

There's nothing new about rich people who suddenly decide to buy up companies in addition to their already sizeable financial empire, Branson of Virgin would be a very good example in this with investments in a broad spectrum of industries. What's so alarming about this California Cardiologist then? He's buying hospitals that now number enough to challenge major hospital chains and he's cancelling contracts with health insurance companies in the process. This could be a healthcare crisis in the making for California where in the past year alone he has already purchased six and could leave most Californian's without anywhere to go for health issues with insurance coverage. We would continue to watch the issue as it develops and hopefully he has a plan for his growing empire of hospitals that is for the benefit of the public.

Health Insurance
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