Uninsured % Lowest in New England States

The New England states have the highest rate of health insurance coverage in the United States, while the Southwestern part of the country has the lowest rate of coverage, according to a recent study.

Only 11% of adults and 4% of children in New England are uninsured, compared with 30% of adults and 18% of children in the Southwest.

Nationally, about 17 % of Americans under age 65 were uninsured when the survey of 106,000 families was conducted from 2004- 2006.

Health Insurance Mandates Unhealthy

Health insurance costs are rising faster than Massachusetts businesses can afford and still, MA policymakers are considering measures that would push them even higher.

The House will consider a bill that would mandate unlimited coverage of mental health services, even though Massachusetts’ current mandate is among the most generous of any state in the nation.

Already, Massachusetts ranks among the states with the most mandated health benefits. While a case can be made for any one mandate, together they add significantly to the cost of health care.

When health insurance costs go up, employers bear the bulk of the increase, which leaves less money for companies to grow their businesses and create new jobs. This is particularly true for small businesses.

With health-care costs continuing to rise at double-digit rates, solutions need to focus on controlling those costs, not piling up more costs on employers.

Auto Insurance Fraud

From KPSP Local 2 News

California's Insurance Commissioner is warning drivers to be on alert for scam artists who stage auto collisions. It's a costly and potentially form of auto insurance fraud. One such scam, nicknamed the swoop and squat happens when two or three vehicles work as a team, to set up an "accident." The lead car cuts the victim off, and another car pulls up alongside the victim, so he/she has no choice but to rear-end the scam artist.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner says even if no one gets hurt, insurance fraud hurts the consumer, in the form of higher auto insurance rates. He says, "Insurance fraud is like a $500 tax on every man, woman and child in California." Poizner says auto insurance fraud is a major part of the problem. The California Department of Insurance investigated 14,565 suspected automobile insurance fraud cases in 2006 and 2007.

Homeowners Insurance Rates in Texas

Texas has the highest home insurance rates in the nation, but rates can vary widely for different carriers. Comparing policies for a $100,000 home found that homeowners insurance premiums ranged from $500 to $1,200.

Despite the fact that Texas has had good weather since Hurricane Rita hit its coast three years ago, the state has not been able to draw enough companies to make the market more competitive.

State Farm, Allstate and Farmers Insurance control about 60% of the market, and if USAA and Travelers are added to the list, that's about 71 percent of the market share.

Insurance costs have either gone down or remained the same since the Legislature approved an insurance reform bill in 2003.

Individual Health Insurance in California

Individual health insurance rates for some California residents are going up 10 or 11 percent next year.

Jeff Aran has bought his own HMO policy from Kaiser Permanente since the mid-1980s. The last few years he's noticed his premiums are consistently 2 percent or 3 percent above the health insurance rates that the California Public Employees' Retirement System gets from the same Oakland-based health maintenance organization (Kaiser Permanente).

Aran and the 2.5 million Californians like him who buy individual health insurance may one day look back on 10% rate hikes as the good old days.

Individual & family policyholders have enjoyed slower premium increases from recent trends that have tamed medical costs a bit.

Baby boomers are generally healthier than previous generations and lower-cost generic drugs have flooded the market. The wave of health insurance company mergers that swept the industry a few years ago has abated. Negative press has also put some pressure on health insurers to hold down premiums.

Individual health plan policy owners will be hardest hit. Health care insurers don't make much money on individual plans, which cost more to administer, he said. As a result, the insurers are more likely to significantly raise those premiums when times get tight.

New York Auto Insurance Rates

If you live in New York, your auto insurance rates could be following gas prices north.

Auto insurance companies in New York, which already charge the second-highest auto insurance rates in the nation, would be able to hike monthly premiums by as much as 5% a year without the state's okay under a bill quietly introduced last week.

A law allowing auto insurance companies to hike or cut rates by 10% lapsed years ago, and the Insurance Department has had to sign off on all rate changes since then.

Consumer advocates fear the new bill, which sponsors are pushing to pass before the legislative session ends this week, will ultimately drive up costs at a faster rate.

For years, under a different insurance committee chairman, the Assembly refused the attempts by Senate Republicans to go back to a flex rating system.

The New York Insurance Superintendent has indicated in the past he supports allowing New York Auto insurers to raise or lower rates without permission up to a certain point.

John McCain Health Care Reform

A "Call to Action"
John McCain believes we can and must provide access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision for achieving that. For too long, our nation's leaders have talked about reforming health care. Now is the time to act.

Americans Are Worried About Health Care Costs. The problems with health care are well known: it is too expensive and 47 million people living in the United States lack health insurance.

John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and AffordableJohn McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients John McCain's Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable. John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.

John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP - that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives. John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.

A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care CostsJohn McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on America's families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt small businesses from their employer mandate plans.

CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices. John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.

CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease. Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation's annual health care bill. By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing chronic disease.

COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated care - with providers collaborating to produce the best health care - offers better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients' needs.

GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To Reduce Costs. We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs. We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.

SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking cessation programs.

STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers.

TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.

TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs. We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records, and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.Confronting the Long-Term Challenge John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities.Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing ConditionsMYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain's Plan, Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions. FACT: Nothing In John McCain's Plan Changes The Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.

FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.Combating Autism in America John McCain is very concerned about the rising incidence of autism among America's children and has continually supported research into its causes and treatment.