| I Don't Have Health Insurance
I don't have health insurance. I have a job. I work 30 to 35 hours per week and I've had the job for almost two years now, but I don't get health insurance. I work at a hospital, as nursing aide, on the medical unit. My job is to look after patients who are disruptive and disoriented -- patients who are in the hospital for a stroke, or cancer, or pancreatitis or whatever, but they're having an especially hard time and they need extra attention -- that's what I do. I think it's a very hard job, certainly much harder than other jobs I've had. But I get no health insurance. You would think that a hospital would take an interest in the health problems of its staff. But if I get sick, well that's just my own problem. The hospital will just send me home without pay until I get better.
Tip: Consider health insurance for foreign travel
For those with health insurance policies limited to coverage in the United States, Matt Tassey, former chairman of the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, says your travel agent should be able to steer you to a company that offers short-term coverage. Among them is International Medical Group (imglobal .com), Tassey says. Many of these policies include coverage for common vacation problems such as trip cancellation or lost bags. For those on Medicare, several Medicare Supplement Plans will cover some medical costs incurred outside the United States. Medigap plans C-J, for example, will pay 80 percent of the costs of emergency care after a $250 deductible, according to AARP. But be aware, there is a $50,000 lifetime maximum. Seniors without Medigap coverage can get a short-term policy from a private insurer.
Affordable health insurance in Florida could help 1 in 5 residents
Wednesday, August 12 Affordable health insurance in Florida could improve access to medical services for the 3.75 million Floridians who are currently without coverage, the third worst rate in the nation, according to a Sun-Sentinel editorial.Although another 3 million rely on government options for insurance like Medicare, noted the newspaper, one report shows that more residents of Florida and other states are making the choice to research their options.comScore, an online marketing firm, recently released data showing that while Americans have been less likely to visit insurer websites, they have been looking for affordable health insurance in Florida, in fact nationwide.Insurers like Cigna and Aetna have had 10 percent less traffic, but online clearinghouses that help consumers compare different rates and plan options have seen more than 100 percent increases in visitors in some cases.
Billy Mays Health Insurance Commercials Pulled
Less than two months after pitchman Billy Mays was found dead in his home, the health insurance ads he had done for iCAN Benefit group have been pulled off the air. Although Mays' family gave permission for the ads to continue, the company decided to stop them. The iCAN Benefit group bills itself as a company that is “like a close friend who knows all about affordable health insurance," according to its website. Billy Mays was pitching for a company whose mission is to “improve the lives of those who cannot afford or qualify for medical coverage by providing access to affordable health insurance for everyone." This sounds like a noble cause, especially given the current volatile health insurance reform struggles, and Mays reportedly was proud to be promoting the cause of the iCAN Benefit group.
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