The state of Washington is nearing the 1 million mark for uninsured residents. Approximately 1 in 5 Washington residents above the age of 19 are uninsured. The record of 876,000 people for this year jumped more than 150,000 since last year. According to Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, the jump is due to the 95,000 state residents who lost their jobs in 2009 and the 15,000 depends who lost coverage when those people lost their jobs.

“As staggering as 876,000 uninsured sounds, this number does not include people with jobs, but whose employer no longer offers employer based health insurance, or those who drop coverage because they can no longer afford their employer’s health plan. The rising number of uninsured has always been a moral issue, but today it’s clearly an economic issue,” said Kreidler.

The 150,000 jump amounts to a 21 percent increase from 2008. Kreidler also states that the number of uninsured will continue to increase even if the economy improves. The 876,000 uninsured includes 40,000 people who have been scheduled to be cut from the state’s Basic Health plan this year. The state doesn’t want to have to cut people from the plan so they will be raising rates instead. Monthly rates will increase by about $25. Deductibles will also increase from $150 to $250.

Beginning July 1, a new law in South Dakota will expand the South Dakota High Risk Pool to children with preexisting conditions that may not be able to get coverage any other way.

The law will help to cover approximately 455 children that are under the age of 19 who are considered medically uninsurable.  Governor Mike Rounds explains that “Every child in South Dakota should have health insurance, and now every child can. The South Dakota High Risk Pool will begin taking applications today for children who have been without health care coverage.”

The open enrollment period is from July 1 through August 29 and allows any child who has been without health insurance coverage for 12 months or longer can enroll without a pre-existing condition waiting period. Other requirements include:

Younger than 19
U.S. citizens
South Dakota residents

Monthly premiums range from $125 to $240 a month for children who qualify for the South Dakota Risk Pool. Deductibles range from $1,000 to $10,000 a year.

Though 455 children does not seem like a lot, especially compared to the 200,000 uninsured children in the state of South Dakota, but it’s a start and South Dakota is definitely making a positive stand for uninsured children.

Everyone nowadays is aware that the Gardasil vaccine administered widely to young girls can protect against four strains of the human papillomavirus, a sexually-transmitted disease which can lead to cervical cancer. But what about older women? A new study argues the vaccine is indeed effective in protecting women ages 24 to 45 from HPV.

About 3 out of 4 sexually active women get HPV at some point in their lives. Though there are more than 100 HPV strains , most are harmless and disappear on their own without treatment. Gardasil protects against four of the strains of the virus that, when untreated, do bear serious medical risks: two which cause genital warts (strains 6 and 11) and two which can lead to cervical cancer (strains 16 and 18). Gardasil is only approved for girls ages 9 to 24, but a rising population of older women (24 to 45) are at risk of HPV infection. This is because more and more women are reentering the dating scene in middle age after a period of monogamy, such as after a divorce.

The ongoing multicenter, parallel, randomized, controlled, double-blind study tested the immunogenicity, safety, and efficacy of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in 3819 Colombian women ages 24 to 45, none of whom had a history of genital warts or cervical disease. 1911 women received the vaccine, and the other 1908 were given a placebo. The researchers found that among the per protocol population (3222 women), the vaccine had a 90.5% efficacy rate against all strains of the virus. There were only 4 instances of infection in the vaccine group compared with 41 in the control group. The vaccine had an 83.1% efficacy rate against the two most common strains (HPV 16 and 18). Only four cases appeared in the vaccine group versus 23 in the control group. Researchers also looked at the intention-to-treat population, which included women who had not received all 3 installments of the vaccine or who did have a pre-existing HPV infection. When these subjects were included in the calculations, vaccine efficacy against all 4 types of HPV was 31%; against strains 16 and 18 was 24%. Because Gardasil will not protect women who were infected by HPV before they received the vaccine, the lower efficacy in the above mixed population suggests the “public health effect of vaccinating women ages 25 to 45 will be smaller than that recorded after vaccinating susceptible adolescents,” said researchers. Therefore, the maximum effect of vaccinating older women will be seen only in those who were susceptible to infection (engaging actively with new sex partners) and had not been previously exposed to HPV. However, most of the women in the study who were or had been HPV-positive were positive to only one strain of the virus. This means that the quadrivalent HPV vaccine could still be beneficial in protecting older women against the HPV strains they had NOT been infected with.

Though these findings are encouraging, some scientists are not as optimistic that the Gardasil vaccine will be effective in the older female population. They claim the new study is simply too small and that the vaccine’s true efficacy in the study group won’t be seen for several more years; the study has only followed the women for about 2.2 years.

Even if longer-term and larger-scale studies confirm the efficacy of the vaccine for older women, the problem for many women who believe they could be at risk of HPV infection is that the vaccine is currently only approved for girls 9 to 24. This means that right now insurers will not cover vaccination for older women until the shots are proven effective and approved for the older population. The fact that the vaccine’s three shots cost about $375 (not counting fees the doctor may charge for the visits) means that though these study results are encouraging, few older women will pursue vaccination until insurance companies begin covering it for them.

Regardless of whether women at any age receive the Gardasil vaccine, all women should still receive routine Pap smears, which check for cancerous or precancerous changes in cervix cells. Pap smears are almost always covered by private insurance as part of a woman’s routine gynecological exams.

New Jersey’s legislation that allows single, not married children without health coverage to stay on their parents’ coverage until the age of 30 is now being followed by Pennsylvania with a bill that would extend parents’ health coverage for children up until the age of 29. Current policies only allow parents to keep their children on their health insurance up until age 19 or until they graduate college. With about 400,000 uninsured residents of Pennsylvania being between the ages of 19 and 29, this bill can help insure many people.

The economy, though it is trying to get out of a rut, is in shambles right now. Many people are losing or have lost their jobs and recent graduates are having trouble finding a full time job with health coverage. The Pennsylvania bill, which is heading to the Senate for consideration, will require health insurers to give insured parents the option of extending their coverage to an uninsured child through age 29.

To be eligible to stay on a parents’ coverage, a child must be unmarried, have no dependents, be a resident of Pennsylvania or a full-time student, and have no coverage under another health insurance policy.

“We must find a way to provide affordable coverage to young adults, both to ensure their health and to protect the overall integrity of Pennsylvania’s health-care system,” said Rep. Mark Longietti.  “My legislation offers a cost-effective way to make sure these young adults have access to health care.”

To see the full article, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_627577.html

Dr. John Muney, president of AMG Medical Group in New York, started a flat rate health care program last September to help many of his patients who were losing their jobs and health coverage or could not afford their own or their employers’ health care plans.

Approximately 15% of his patients have registered for Muney’s $79 a month flat rate health plan, or 500 people. The $79 fee includes unlimited preventive visits, minor surgeries, on site medical services, lab work, and gynecological care.

“Our healthcare system lends itself to abuse, fraud and waste,” he said. “With this model, we’re bypassing all that.”

Muney has receive several complains from New York state insurance authorities stating that he must charge for over head costs and a per visit fee of $33. He knows this fee may deter people from signing up for the program.

In these economic times, along with the healthcare crisis and millions of uninsured, many are delaying or postponing medical care. According to a Daily News article, a recent survey suggests that more than 20% of Americans are putting off taking care of their health because of recent losses and the cost of healthcare nowadays.

The survey, by Thomson Reuters, found that approximately 21% of Americans will have trouble paying for their health insurance and health care services in the next few months. The last time the question was asked was in a 2006 survey. The number back then was 15.9%, more than 5% lower than it is today.

According to a press release last week, Governor David Patterson (NY) submitted a bill to ensure that New Yorkers laid off by small business can qualify for federal benefits that pay up to 65% of COBRA health insurance premiums. COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue coverage provided by their group health plan for a limited period of time.

“The need to pass this bill is urgent because we must ensure as many people as possible retain their health coverage. One of the greatest challenges facing the State as a result of the current economic crisis is how we help unemployed New Yorkers retain access to their health insurance. Given the record levels of unemployment announced just last week, we need to move quickly to amend State law to make this subsidy available to as many New Yorkers as possible,” states Governor Paterson.

Unfortunately, COBRA is very expensive. Workers may be charged up to 102% of the full insurance premium. The American Recovery and reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law in February, makes a subsidy of 65% available to help cover the cost of COBRA health insurance premiums. Income limitations apply and no subsidies are available to individuals making annual incomes greater than $125,000 and couples making more than $250,000 annually.

Senate and House bills were introduced yesterday that would ban insurance companies from keeping those with preexisting conditions from getting insurance. The bills will not allow insurance carriers to exclude patients based on preexisting conditions. It would also not allow disease-specific premiums or surcharges. The legislation is known as The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act.

The bills are sponsored by Senator Jay Rockefeller of W. Virginia and Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut. Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama want to guarantee access to insurance for United States citizens including patients with preexisting conditions. Insurance companies exclude patients with chronic health conditions or other serious illness as well as even pregnancy in order to avoid paying for expensive medical care.

“This is a situation where the market is not going to solve the problem by itself,” Rockefeller said. “The insurance companies have always gotten away with what they can get away with.”

There are 25 million people who are underinsured and being denied health care by health insurance companies for having preexisting conditions. Over 133 million Americans have a bare minimum health plan along with a chronic condition.

The Pre-existing Condition Patient Protection Act can help insure those with preexisting conditions and chronic illnesses. This legislation is part of the plan to insure all Americans.

Under the new economic stimulus plan, the federal government will subsidize 65% of the cost of health insurance under COBRA for workers who have lost or may lose their jobs between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The stimulus package was signed into law on February 17.

COBRA, or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, allows individuals who have been laid off to stay on employer-based health plans for up to 18 months after termination. Individuals who elect COBRA coverage must pay the share of the premium that they paid while working, as well as their employer’s share plus a 2% administrative charge. COBRA, for most, is too expensive and individuals usually elect to go without health insurance or buy an individual health insurance plan through a private health insurance carrier.

COBRA’s revision under the economic stimulus plan only allows individuals to stay on COBRA up to 9 months. So, what happens in 9 months when you no longer can benefit from COBRA coverage and your new job, if any, doesn’t provide employer based coverage? Individual health insurance plans from private health insurance brokers or carriers, such as Health Plan One, can help in providing affordable health insurance.

High deductible plans offer low premiums and work best for healthy people who don’t go to the doctor that often. Now why would you need insurance if you’re healthy? One reason, life is unpredictable. Sudden illnesses can occur as well as tragic accidents and there is no better way to prepare for what may or may not happen with a health insurance plan.

Health insurance isn’t something most college students think about because for most, they have been under their parents their whole life. But health insurance companies waste no time kicking you off your parents’ insurance the day you graduate college. Unless you are lucky enough to graduate college and have a job set up with benefits, chances are you will be scrambling around for health insurance.

When you graduate, there are definitely more important things on your mind than health insurance. For example, finding a job and/or finding a house. But have health insurance is vital and can help you in the long run. Of course, health insurance can be expensive and out of reach for many graduates who have a massive amount of student loans.

Here are a few options for coverage.

Short Term Health Insurance. Short term health plans cover you for about 12 months while you are looking for a job with benefits or another health insurance plan. They are available through private health insurance carriers and are designed to be flexible, allowing you to pay month to month and cancel at any time. This type of coverage normally does not cover preexisting conditions and most cannot be renewed.

High Deductible Health Insurance. Though an individual health plan may be out of financial reach for most college graduates, high deductible plans have lower premiums. Though they may not cover preventive services and prescription drugs, but if something were to happen to you it is smarter to have any plan than no health insurance at all. A little secret: the higher the deductible, the lower the premium.

COBRA. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act is a federal law that requires health insurance providers to continue coverage for up to 36 months for those who have been dropped from plans. This doesn’t only include employees, but also includes spouses and adult children. Under COBRA, the health insurance carrier continues to offer the same price that was offered to the employer. However, the employee usually pays for part of the fee. Under COBRA, the employer does not contribute therefore you or your parents have to pay for the full price of the premium.

Some states, though, make it easier for students to obtain health insurance. In New Jersey, insurers are required to allow adult children to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 30 if they have no dependents and are residents of the state.

No matter what you are forced to do to obtain health insurance, do it. Without student health insurance, you’re going to end up owing a lot more than just student loans.