Your Health Matters

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We all know the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a good state of both physical and mental health is essential to live a normal, healthy life. Good health and well being can be achieved in different ways, it is not just a matter of treating illnesses but being pro-active in living a healthy lifestyle and making informed choices to try and prevent becoming ill in the first place. Of course, having some form of health insurance as a back up plan is always a good idea too.

So, how can we try to prevent contracting illnesses? Education plays a large part with classes being held to help smoking cessation, immunisation, and even educational material that raises public awareness on how making some simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference to our health. Even the Government has suggested that there needs to be much more emphasis put on promoting good health in order to make significant changes.

The UK Department of Health has even produced a consultation paper on health in which the British Medical Association made several suggestions on how best to prevent illness.

Regular Exercise

Regular physical activity is already part of school curriculums but needs to be maintained outside school hours too. Half an hours exercise three times a week can play a vital role in reducing illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. On top of this, exercise can help prevent other illnesses such as osteoporosis and even depression. Improving health while at the same time reducing stress, keeps the heart and lungs b. As a result of this, energy levels are increased and quality of life can be improved.

Nutrition

Risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes are all increased greatly by being overweight. Both the Government and the food industry need to work together to ensure that nutritional values of packaged food is clearly stated and that the general public are educated in what the facts and figures actually mean. This should be started at school to ensure that this information is learned as soon as possible.

Smoking

It is a fact that smoking is responsible for one out of every three diagnosed cancers and a whopping 90% of all lung cancer. It has even been stated that smoking kills over 500,000 people in Europe every year. For this reason, smoking prevention are high priorities to increase public awareness. The Government in the UK has already taken action to help protect non-smokers by banning smoking in enclosed public spaces.

Regular Health Checks

Getting a regular check up is important to maintain good health. Health screening can help highlight any potential issues or ailments that may normally go unnoticed.

Alcohol and Drugs

The negative effects of alcohol and dugs should be highlighted to children at an early age to increase awareness about the dangers and complications that can arise as a result of misuse and abuse. There are many problems associated with drink and drugs including medical and personal issues.

Of course, as well as undertaking these preventative measures it is important to safeguard your health in the unfortunate event of falling ill. It is of course still possible to contract an illness or disease even after undertaking every precaution we can. In such cases, why not have a form of private medical insurance to offer speedy treatment and support if such an event was to take place.

Health insurance after all, gives us the opportunity to be seen quickly, often in a hospital of our choice. Staying healthy is very important and any good health insurance company should encourage and promote methods of keeping their customers fit and healthy.

The Importance of Having Health Insurance

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In many people’s opinions, health insurance is a waste of money. However, you never realize how much you need it until it’s too late sometimes. For instance, if you were to suddenly take ill tomorrow but had no health insurance coverage, who do you expect would pay the FULL cost of that bill up front? That’s right; you would be responsible. Now, granted, there are those of us who never get sick and have no apparent use for health insurance.

We go through our days feeling fine and growing angrier and angrier at the fact that each month we are paying X amount of dollars for health insurance plans that we never really see the benefits of. Where is all of this money going? Can you get it back at the end of the year if you don’t use your health insurance? No. Some people aren’t even that lucky. There are a lot of people who either choose to or simply have to file for individual health insurance because their employers do not offer it or because they are self employed.

I recently spoke to a former health insurance agent of mine (I have since switched health insurance companies) and was shocked to find out that for a 26 year-old female who is in excellent health, health insurance would cost me $192 per month as of January 2009. This would be a significant jump from the $152 per month that I had been paying before. It wasn’t even that great of a deal because I still had to pay additional money out of pocket for any dental and/or routine medical checkups. It made me wonder, “Where is all of this money going?” You would think that if you’re already paying $152 per month for health insurance and barely using it that when you did go to the dentist you wouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Not so. When I asked why it was so expensive to have health insurance as well as why the cost would be going up, I was told by the health insurance representative that it didn’t matter how great of health I was in. Rather, the numbers were based off of statistics- statistics which showed that women are far more likely to utilize health insurance because of pregnancy, etc. than men. Therefore, because women utilize health insurance services more, we have to pay more. This still didn’t make sense.

My thinking was that if women are using health insurance more, it means that they are actually keeping up-to-date with all of the latest shots, immunizations as well as routine checkups- thereby lowering their risk of contracting any life-threatening diseases. On the other hand, men don’t utilize it, which means that they would only go to the doctor if something was seriously wrong. What happened to the notion of “prevention being better than cure”? It seems that these high premiums make you NOT want to use the doctor at all.

Health insurance losing its popularity

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Analysis presented by different market experts says that life and health insurance industry cannot see a lower side as these are very much needed between 100 crore population where expenses for medication and hospitalization are touching peak.

However, according to the recent study health insurance industry is actually going down in the country as a result of global economic slowdown. At the time of recession when not many are interested in investing money any where, the health insurance products are also not seeing many takers.

Besides, general insurance companies in government sector like New India Assurance, many companies in health insurance segment are facing trouble from past some. So, the analysis says that Indians are brave enough to take risk on their lives rather than investing a sufficient amount to secure their lives. Therefore, the well named companies like ICICI Lombard, Reliance General Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance are witnessing loss. Some of these companies are ready to take IPO route to arrange cash for them.

According to entire study, private sector insurers are not going through a happy phase with customers not trusting these companies and some are not ready put their money on insurance.

Today health insurers in private sector are in a mess and one reason for this mess is that people are questioning the stability of these companies. One can easily trust a public sector insurer as that comes under the government umbrella but a private sector insurance company which has still not completed its first 10 years in the industry face tough tasks in a way to make good impression on one’s mind.

There are insurers like ICICI Lombard and Reliance General Insurance which are operating in market under a big brand for a long time now, but what about a company like Apollo DKV Health Insurance which is still to make a big mark for itself and is still not eligible to get listed in capital market with its initial public offerings.

Speaking of reasons for lower subscription of health insurance policies, second in line could be the type of policies a company offers to an individual.

Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance offers its customers with a range of policies like Health Guard, Critical Illness, Hospital Cash, Silver Health, Health Ensure, Personal Guard, Insta Insure and Family Floater HG. With so many plans to offer, privately held insurance company is not getting good feedback and the reason being some costlier policies, all in one is not present or expensive or some policies are not available for the people who are about or above the age of 60.

There are many other things which makes a health insurance policy unattractive for customers like a health check up based on which the total cost of that policy is decided.

Besides all these reasons for downfall of health insurance industry, one reason is still to come. Many major general insurance companies in India are looking to select the hospitals where they want to provide claims to their customers and if a person gets treated in a hospital out of that network, the company would not be paying full claim.

With customers losing interest in health insurance and companies going through a lower growth period, it seems like insurance regulator would soon be getting ready with some new norms.

Health Diagnostic Patient Services Are Now Available Online

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Online health diagnostic patient services are now being offered by Web-based health sites, which are a great alternative to face-to-face doctor’s visits. Web-based health sites can be categorized under efforts to boost efficiency in health care through the adoption of health information technology tools. Through such services, patients can have their diagnostic testing and laboratory examinations conveniently done near their workplace or around their neighborhood. This means less legwork for the patients and less paperwork for doctors.

Similarly, online diagnostic services can effectively encourage patients to actively participate in their health care and improve clinical outcomes. As more patients take an active role in the management of their health using web-based applications and as more health care providers focus on disease prevention, patient diagnostic tests provide the most complete picture of a patient’s health status which can identify problems before chronic medical conditions develop. Health diagnostics are also crucial to help clinicians identify methods of treatment for their patients and to help these patients achieve optimal health.

Health diagnostic patient services may include various laboratory examinations such as basic metabolic, comprehensive metabolic, arterial blood gases, venous blood gases, lipid, thyroid, hematology, and leukocyte differential laboratory tests as well as other chemistry tests.

To better manage health, patients and loved ones should ask their health care provider about specific lab tests that the patients need to take, including x-rays, home test kits, reagents, or other diagnostic tests. They may also inquire about how the tests are conducted and what their results mean. This way, informed decisions can be made concerning health.

Health Insurance – An Essential Requisite

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The concept of health insurance came into existence in the late 16th century. Health insurance like any other form of insurance is against the unforeseen condition of the recipient’s health. Health insurance with the passage of time became an important requisite. The term insurance in a broader sense is a form of money that has been secured for certain unforeseen circumstances.

With the progress in life man has paid great deal of attention to his health. Since the progress of any and every individual is dependent on physical and mental well being. Hence, to ensure the maximum efficiency and a sense of security health insurance plays a crucial role. The health insurance might be undertaken by an individual himself or undertaken by a group of people as in case of a corporate firm. At the time of the exchange, due emphasis is paid by insurance company on the minimum level of requisites for purchase the policy. Also, the policies for the claim of the fund are declared well in advance.

The Premium refers to the amount policy holder or his sponsor pays to the health plan annually or monthly. The amount might be claimed at the time of requirement or at the period of maturity depending on whichever is earlier. Historically, certain organizations tended to use the term health plan”, while commercial insurance companies used the term “health insurance”. Certain organizations came up with a concept of collecting money from individuals who are entitled to claim the funds at the time of any medical expenses.

The concept of health insurance with the passage of time has become a very crucial one. In the modern era of globalization and liberalization the world economy is seen as one global market. In this scenario where employees hold the back bone of every firm, it is the responsibility of the firm to look after its employees. It is said “Health is Wealth” hence Health Insurance is an important requisite. In broader sense, it is not just the corporate organizations many people have undertaken the policy of health insurance. Today, the world has advanced and developed. But the increased level of pollution and stress on people in everyday life has lead to weaker immunity system. Hence, it is not just to provide essential funds to bear medical expenses of personnel but also in a broader sense to provide a sense of security to the person undertaking the policy.

Health Insurance – An Essential Requisite

Posted on by
Reply

The concept of health insurance came into existence in the late 16th century. Health insurance like any other form of insurance is against the unforeseen condition of the recipient’s health. Health insurance with the passage of time became an important requisite. The term insurance in a broader sense is a form of money that has been secured for certain unforeseen circumstances.

With the progress in life man has paid great deal of attention to his health. Since the progress of any and every individual is dependent on physical and mental well being. Hence, to ensure the maximum efficiency and a sense of security health insurance plays a crucial role. The health insurance might be undertaken by an individual himself or undertaken by a group of people as in case of a corporate firm. At the time of the exchange, due emphasis is paid by insurance company on the minimum level of requisites for purchase the policy. Also, the policies for the claim of the fund are declared well in advance.

The Premium refers to the amount policy holder or his sponsor pays to the health plan annually or monthly. The amount might be claimed at the time of requirement or at the period of maturity depending on whichever is earlier. Historically, certain organizations tended to use the term health plan”, while commercial insurance companies used the term “health insurance”. Certain organizations came up with a concept of collecting money from individuals who are entitled to claim the funds at the time of any medical expenses.

The concept of health insurance with the passage of time has become a very crucial one. In the modern era of globalization and liberalization the world economy is seen as one global market. In this scenario where employees hold the back bone of every firm, it is the responsibility of the firm to look after its employees. It is said “Health is Wealth” hence Health Insurance is an important requisite. In broader sense, it is not just the corporate organizations many people have undertaken the policy of health insurance. Today, the world has advanced and developed. But the increased level of pollution and stress on people in everyday life has lead to weaker immunity system. Hence, it is not just to provide essential funds to bear medical expenses of personnel but also in a broader sense to provide a sense of security to the person undertaking the policy.

Essential Vitamins That Are Must Have For Balanced Health Regimen

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Consumers are aware of the benefits of the ingredients found in various health supplements. Growing health consciousness has led more consumers prioritize on their health. Health supplements are therefore becoming a popular choice. The top health categories for supplements are cardiovascular support, weight loss, digestion, arthritis or joint pain relief, seasonal allergy relief, vision and eye health, and diabetes. Consumers who wish to lose weight often turn to a dietary supplement in their battle against obesity. However, the most commonly used dietary supplements are multivitamins and minerals. Consumers by and large believe that health supplements can support their bodies to fight disease or improve health.

Nutritional supplements are an integral part of a balanced health regimen. They provide the requisite dose of essential minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that a normal diet often lacks in. It is the physicians and the nurses who recommend dietary supplements to the patients. This has led to greater consumer interest in health supplements. There are more than 20,000 products available in the market. Majority use dietary supplements to combat the problem of arthritis, memory improvement, and prevention of osteoporosis, and colds/influenza or for better immunity. The nutritional supplements that are mostly consumed by consumers are: multivitamins, vitamin C, calcium, fish oil, antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin B/B complex and omega 3s.

For instance there is strong evidence from epidemiologic and clinical trials that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acid is beneficial to people who are at risk of coronary heart disease. This fact is further reinforced by the American Heart Association as they stated that the Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of – or who have – cardiovascular disease. Milk thistle available in Capsules of standardized dried herb, liquid extract, or tincture form is used for treating hepatitis C and cancer. Used for 2,000 years milk thistle is an herbal remedy for various ailments, especially liver and gall bladder problems. Essential fatty acids omega 3 supplements have eye protective effects. It reduces the triglyceride level, increases HDL cholesterol and act as an anticoagulant and prevents blood from clotting. Available in different health food stores and many drug stores Glucosamine is a nutritional supplement that produces glycosaminogly, a molecule used in building and repair of cartilage and other body tissues. Since glucosamine production in body slows with age Glucosamine supplements are widely used for osteoarthritis, especially for knee osteoarthritis.

Consumer value brands that offer manufacturing credibility and prefer products formulated under doctor supervision. Due to absence of regulation, health supplements do not guarantee the safety of their products. As a result many unscrupulous marketers sell nutritional supplements that are devoid of any health benefits and are harmful to health. Reliable health supplement manufacturers follow manufacturing policies diligently combined with a professional team of researchers who develop products based on scientific research. The role of nutrition supplements against disease is gaining surer footing. The health supplement industry is ready to meet the challenges of the future health industry.