Health Care Spending Needs to be Lowered

A report was released today by President Obama's economic team stating that the growth in health care spending needs to be decreased from 6% to 4.5% to show huge benefits for the economy. Some of these benefits would include creating up to 500,000 new jobs and increasing the average family income by $2600 over the next 10 years. Cutting these health insurance costs and covering the 46 million people who are currently not insured would increase economic stability by about $100 billion per year.

This goal is incredibly aggressive and barely seems possible. Obama's economic advisers realize that decreasing spending by 1.5% will be very challenging, but if the goal can be attained it could mean a huge benefit for companies, families and the US economy, which is definitely needed. Health care spending right now accounts for 18% of gross domestic product and could be up to 34% by 2040 if reform does not take place. Obama also met with industry leaders recently who are pledging to find $2 trillion in health savings over 10 years. It is definitely a priority on Obama's agenda and he thinks reform is a must.

Oxford Health Insurance Quick Reference Guide for Swine Flu

With the US recently declaring a public health emergency in response to swine flu, Oxford Health Insurance, owned by UnitedHealthcare, put out a quick reference guide to better understand how to safeguard yourself and people around you.

This has come at a valuable time since many are confused about how to protect themselves from swine flu, and also do not understand the ramifications of the disease spreading. View the quick reference guide and if you have any other questions contact Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.

Donegal Insurance Released Its 2009 First Quarter Earnings

On April 24, 2009 Donegal Insurance stated their 2009 first quarter earnings. The first quarter net income was $169,804 (.01 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis). The Company was expecting a lower net income for the First Quarter citing severe winter weather as well as an unusually high number of fire loss claims. Both of these factors adversely affected their net income 1st quarter, 2009.

Donegal Insurance is an insurance company with subsidiaries that provide personal & commercial property and casualty lines of insurance in 18 states in the US.

Keeping Teen Drivers Safe

Car crashes are the #1 killer of our nation's teens. Through education teens can learn how to be safer and prevent devastating accidents.

It's crucial to talk about road safety with your teen as well as establish rules and consequences you can agree on. Discuss when, where, how and with whom your teen is allowed to drive. Limit the number of passengers in the car and enforce a curfew. Insist that all passengers wear seat belts and encourage your teen to call for a ride home if any alcohol or drugs are involved.

Ensure your teen understands the enormous responsibility that comes with having their license. With the proper information and rules, lives may be saved. When it has been determined that your teen is a safe driver and you have to add them to your auto insurance policy, be sure to shop around for the best price.

Auto Insurance Company's Study Finds Under 30s Using iPods While Driving, Increasing Risk

A press release from the Australian auto insurance company NRMA Insurance about a recent research study finds that nearly half of all drivers under 30 use mp3 players, such as iPods, while driving.

The insurer claims that searching for songs or adjusting playlists can make the devices more distracting than a CD player or radio. NRMA recommends creating playlists beforehand, so you're focused on the road instead of on choosing tracks. 

Worst of all, 17% actually wear headphones when they're driving! Doing so makes it extremely likely that they won't hear traffic signals or even emergency sirens. Being distracted for as little as one second can result in a car accident causing bodily injury, death, and/or skyrocketing auto insurance premiums.

Although the research was done in Australia, I would expect these statistics to be similar in the United States and other similar cultures, given the general risk-taking of many young drivers worldwide.

Affordable Health Care Resources for Uninsured

The Orlando Sentinel recently highlighted community health care clinics, which provide health care services to the uninsured. Otherwise, many of these individuals would either go to the emergency room for minor ailments or go without treatment entirely.

Most clinics either treat all comers for free, or charge fees on a sliding scale depending on the patient's income. The clinics are run either by private groups or by state or county governments. They tend to serve a role similar to a family doctor, handling minor illnesses or primary care. Care that requires a specialist (e.g. mental health treatment, vision and dental care) , however, is far harder to come by for the uninsured. And people with chronic, life-threatening conditions such as cancer are in an even worse state, because there is only so much the clinic can do.

Clinics often serve a limited number of patients per day and have long waiting lists for care. If at all possible, finding basic coverage with low health insurance rates is ideal. However, free health clinics are a good resource in the mean time.

MassMutual Offers Free Life Insurance in Vermont

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has expanded its free LifeBridge program to Vermont residents. It offers $50,000 in life insurance that would be paid into a fund for the education of a person's children if the covered individual passes away.

Eligibility requirements:

• Must be a parent or legal guardian
• Earn under $40,000 per year
• Between the ages of 19 to 42

The life insurance money can be used for a variety of educational expenses, including college tuition, tutoring, pre-school fees, or other related expenses. Signups took place at local YMCA locations.

A total of 10,000 LifeBridge policies have been written throughout the country over the past seven years, and just six have been paid out. Therefore, it doesn't cost MassMutual a lot of money but gives them good press.