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Unfortunately it is a fact that over 50% of all marriages end in divorce and the process is emotional for all parties involved. Each parent has their own objectives and desired outcome form the abrogation of the marital contract and neither have a desire to injure any of the children. However, in some cases there seems to have been unintended consequences which leave the children either left out of insurance coverage’s or with sub standard coverage provided by a state program.

Case in point the divorce decree calls for the Husband to carry the child/ children on his group health insurance policy and all seems ok until the Husband is laid off. The options are for the ex employee to take advantage of COBRA which is up to 102% of the cost of the insurance coverage. Unfortunately this may not be the best insurance solution.

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Another situation comes up when the Husband is paying for the child on his group policy but mom takes the child into another state. This situation can give rise to a myriad of problems. The group policy may not cover out of state or is the insurance program is a HMO , PPO or other form of Managed care there may not be doctors or facilities “in network” and the cost of care may increase.

The answer is in planning. Both parents must council with their respective attorneys and agree to make sure the child’s health care does not slip through the cracks. Perhaps the best solution is to provide for separate policies for the children with funding from a source other than an employer.

Many large California health insurers have set up programs to cover such contingencies which provide “child only” plans at very reasonable cost.

Divorcing couples should take a look at these programs and make sure the children have coverage until they are adults.

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Who’s Paying for the Care and Who’s Charging for Care?

Most of the articles I read about Universal Health Care are peppered with two phrases, “Health Care” and “Health Insurance”. The two are very different yet most articles combine the two as one item. So I’d like to clear up the difference between the two so that there is no further confusion.

Let’s start by defining the two phrases with Wikipedia.
• Health care*: healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions.

• Health Insurance*: The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses.

Now that we know the difference between the two I want to bring in a few quotes from the latetest Health care news I’ll find on Google.

Here’s one:
Mary Shesgreen from the Daily Herald says in her article titled “Support move to universal health care” that in the U.S 18,000 people die each year from lack of access to Health Care* (Please refer to the definition above on what health care* is). Mary goes on to say that the people who pay for our medical expenses (see Health Insurance* above) are enormous parasite on the U.S. Health Care* system. Okay, please refer back to the definitions at this point. The people paying the bills, are the so called parasites? Mary has just told us that the person paying our medical bills is bad and that the  Health Care* providers who are charging the enormous amounts for HEALTH CARE* not to blame. You now, when I read this type of thinking I’m reminded of that show on MTV called My Super Sweet 16. It’s the show with the spoiled brats who want everything handed to them on daddy’s bill. I always think to myself that the spoiled little brat should make her own money and pay for her own things if she’s so unhappy. So I’d like to say to Mary, if you’re so unhappy, fire your health insurance* company and pay for your own “Health Care*”. And you can walk into any Doctors office or hospital and you’ll be accepted because after all, you’re a paying customer. Go ahead nobody’s stopping you. You can do it.

Oh, but wait. Health Care* is expensive you say. Why do think that is? Who’s the one making it expensive? Now that you fired your health insurance* company and pay you own Health Care* bills you’d think the cost would have come down and 18,000 people would still be alive. But it’s not happening is it. Well sounds to me like the parasite is still there. It must be the Health Care* Providers who are the parasites (again, see definition of Health Care* above).

Here’s the deal everybody: Health Insurance* pays for our Health Care*. Health Care* costs are going up. So to keep up with the rising cost of Health Care*, Health Insurance* premiums will go up. To combat this and stop the out of pocket expenses for the consumer of Health Care*, we need the HEALTH CARE* PROVIDERS TO STOP CHARGING SO MUCH FOR HEALTH CARE*!

But just like the spoiled brat on the My Super Sweet MTV show who is afraid to make daddy too angry when he bought us the color Lexus, we too as Health Care* consumers are afraid to tell the doctor who is about to cut into us that we feel like we’re getting ripped off. Because if we do…well I don’t want to know what might happen if I did that.

I hope that helps future Universal Health Care* article writers clarify in their writings the difference between Health Care* and Health Insurance*. And a little bit about who the parasites really are.

High gas prices have inadvertently made some people, who wouldn’t have otherwise, walk or bike to work. Next time you’re out around 5:00 or quitting time, look around.  I see some people riding bikes who look like they haven’t been on a bike in years. I see more people walking around 5:00 who look like they are wearing work cloths and they have back packs on. And I think to myself “This is great!” Not only are they saving money on gas but if I’m not mistaking, their getting some exercise and it looks like their actually having a little fun.

Do higher gas prices equal a healthier America? I don’t know. But from what I see I think it may be helping by forcing some to get up and move around. Maybe it’s also keeping people from visiting the drive threw as often and forcing them to eat in. Home cooked meals are usually healthier anyway.

Now I know some people have been blessed with good health and others by no fault of their own misfortune of an illness. But many of us otherwise healthy people have just become lazy. If more of us get up, dust of that old bike in the garage and ride it to work or to the market a few times, we might just fight off that extra 10 pounds, and become healthier.

This is where we come full circle in regards to “price”. By biking or walking to work we’ll become healthier and this will help reduce our cost for health care. Some people may be able to reverse or minimize symptoms or illnesses such as diabetes or even prevent them in the first place by walking or biking to work. If we are healthier, we can also consider health insurance plans with lower premiums thus saving money. Healthier people don’t need to see the doctor except for maybe once a year. So why buy an expensive health plan? Buy a plan like an HSA health plan that has cheap rates and covers you very well on a big claim. I think it’s a smart choice for many people wanting to save on health insurance premiums.

I may be painting a rosy picture here but, when life gives you lemons… These high gas prices are forcing many people to revisit the old Schwinn. I say take advantage of it. Become healthier and reduce your health care cost.