MIT experts on the future of health-care reform: Congress should still think big

From MIT News – web.mit.edu/newsoffice

The Future of medical insurance in the US.

Just over a week ago, passage of a landmark federal health-care bill seemed a dead certainty. But the flip of a single U.S. Senate seat has changed all that, leaving the Democratic Party highly uncertain about how – or whether – to proceed. Given the current flux in Washington, a panel of MIT health-care experts assembled yesterday to assess the situation, often hammering home the idea that political half-measures will yield little in tangible health-care results.

“You can’t break this bill apart and have it work,” said MIT economist Jonathan Gruber. “It’s all or nothing at this point. The Democrats, and essentially the president, have to decide if they’re willing to go for it all, or are willing to live with nothing.”

First, though, Gruber, a central architect of the Massachusetts health-care system that has served as the model for the congressional legislation, acknowledged his extreme chagrin over the political reversal that accompanied Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown’s victory last week in the special election to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. “My kids are like, ‘Why are you so sad, daddy?’” said Gruber, speaking at The Stata Center. “I explained, ‘Imagine you worked on a term paper for a year, and you were about to hand it in, when someone turned off your computer and you lost all your work.’”

Brown’s victory has caused multiple fractures among Capitol Hill Democrats. Some legislators want to drop the health-care effort entirely; others say Congress should only pass popular portions of it, such as making it illegal to deny insurance based on pre-existing conditions; and still others want to reconcile the existing, separate health-care bills already passed by the House and Senate.

Gruber made it clear he favors the last position, telling the audience the healthcare plan is like “a three-legged stool,” and “doesn’t work unless you have all three legs.” Those three pieces are reform of insurance markets (including banning those denials of coverage based on pre-existing conditions), the existence of an individual mandate requiring everyone to have insurance, and subsidies to make insurance affordable for low-income people.

For instance, simply allowing people with pre-existing conditions to sign up for insurance, Gruber argued, would be ineffective by itself. In that scenario, more people with pre-existing conditions would have coverage, rates would rise and lead healthy people to drop out of the insurance markets, and to compensate for those healthy people dropping out, insurance companies rates would raise rates further.

A hidden benefit of health insurance: Innovation

Yet even if a large-scale health-care bill passes, cutting health-care costs remains the “$2 trillion question,” said panelist Joseph Doyle, an economist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Many observers have noted in the last year that regional disparities in health-care expenditures around the U.S. have nonetheless yielded similar patient-care results. But Doyle’s own research in Florida suggests otherwise. The city of Fort Lauderdale spends 30 percent more on heart patients than West Palm Beach, he stated, but has a mortality rate that is 30 percent lower. Instead, Doyle said, we would perhaps be better served by, among other things, incentives for hospitals to avoid care problems like re-hospitalization for the same illnesses: “Nobody likes to go back to the hospital.”

Still, as MIT economist Amy Finkelstein pointed out in her remarks, the value of universal health-care coverage goes beyond the medical services rendered. The introduction of Medicare in 1965, a subject she has studied in detail, produced “a dramatic decline in the share of the elderly with large out-of-the-pocket payments,” Finkelstein said, meaning that it left more senior citizens in better financial shape than they would have been without Medicare.

Moreover, Finkelstein argued, Medicare went hand-in-hand with an increase in technological innovation in the health-care sector (from procedures to devices to drugs), a scenario that could be repeated if a serious bill is passed by this Congress. “If you have insurance, the idea that whatever happens to people who are uninsured isn’t going to affect you is a very misleading notion,” Finkelstein explained. “When you increase the share of the population with insurance, you increase the market size for these technologies, and you almost surely increase the pace of development of these technologies in the future.”

But will any bill at all emerge from Congress? Political scientist Andrea Louise Campbell sounded a skeptical note. “The American political system is very status-quo-oriented,” she said, with a lot of “veto points,” such as the current Senate convention that the Democrats need 60 votes to pass the legislation.

Those 60 votes would not be necessary if Congress elected to use the reconciliation process, which would essentially mean that the House would pass the Senate bill, then have both branches of Congress modify it, which would require just 51 Senate votes in the end. Yet as Campbell noted, that would still be difficult: 47 Democratic House members represent districts that the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, carried in the 2008 presidential election, and may be unwilling to back any health-care bill at this point.

Alternately, Campbell suggested, those representatives might prefer to pass popular-sounding segments of the health-care bill, like lifting the pre-existing conditions blockage, even if the policy results seem dubious. “What might be feasible politically, might be disastrous economically,” Campbell said. “They might pick out certain features without the counterbalancing features that make the whole package work. That might end up accelerating the unraveling of the system.”

All Natural Cure for Hemroids

Hemorrhoids are dilated veins, or varicose veins, located inside of the anal canal (internal hemorrhoids), or at the anal opening (external hemorrhoids). Luckily there are viable treatments for hemorrhoids and in most cases they can be prevented. Since the condition of hemorrhoids almost always tends to get worse over time, gentle, safe and recommended treatments for hemorrhoids are recommended as soon as they show up.

At some time in their lives, as many as 89% of American have problems with hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids caused Napoleon to sit side-saddle, sent President Jimmy Carter to the operating room, and benched baseball star George Brett during the 1980 World Series. Medical statistics show that over 67% of adults going for physical examinations have hemorrhoids.

It is important to start treating hemorrhoids and their causes when they first appear. Somewhere out there there is a natural remedy for hemorrhoids that will get great results for you (try clicking on the link in this sentence!)

You can easily find over-the-counter preparations that can give you some temporary relief. However, your goals should be to first find out what caused your hemorrhoids and remove these causitive factors, then find your effective hemorrhoid home remedy that will help you get rid of your hemorrhoids forever

You can see more about one natural hemorrhoid treatment that has worked for thousands, if you Click Here

Alternatively, you may elect to just ignore your hemorrhoid problems until they get worse. Many go this route, but it is not recommended. Treating hemorrhoids in the early stages is a fairly simple matter.

Neglected and left alone, the problem can grow to where it is beyond simple, easy solutions. If they get bad enough, expensive (and painful) surgery may be your only workable alternative…

DISCLAIMER: I hope this helps, but please note that I (the author here) am not a doctor or other licensed medical specialist. You should consult with your physician before taking any medical advice from the Internet.

Contributed by Jonathan J. Jones

How to avoid rip off for searching the simplest accessible insurance qutoes

One of the most effective budgeting lessons I ever learned wasn’t to easily renew my existing service contracts and policies while not looking around first. It could be a competitive market and there are various smart deals and promotions on health insurance quote ca you simply have to look for it. Most individuals keep with the identical providers as a result of of the convenience, however doing thus will finish up costing you money in some cases. By being vigilant about these varieties of things, you’ll save big.

When scammers like these steal from the govt. they usually think that they’re stealing from a massive faceless entity; they figure that when Medicare falls short of cash, the government will simply hand it more. They finish up feeling that they are not such unhealthy individuals, since they’re not very taking anything from the poor. But they are after all taking money from lots of struggling households that are paying taxes. I would say it’s a smart best internet marketing. Therefore what was it that tipped the police off during this case?

It is very important to consider your work or employer. More than likely there is health and dental insurance coverage provided through your workplace. You must ask your supervisor about what options you’ve got at your disposal, if you do not already know. When you get insurance coverage this manner, a little of your paycheck is taken out. Even for your Child for adoption, correct insurance set up ought to be in place. You just permit your company to accommodate it. However, you do not have to induce health coverage this way. You’ll be able to refuse their arrange and get coverage on your own. The thing is, most major firms get you a lower rate through your workplace.

It used to be the Medicare health insurance fraud was one thing that attracted the educated categories for a little simple money. However this is quickly turning into something that basically will need the president’s personal attention because it does now. Doctors, homeless individuals, elderly patients and FBI agents are being threatened for compliance and silence, there are dead bodies turning up everywhere, of folks executed mafia-style. The sort of cash accessible for easy pickings within the Medicare scheme makes alternative arduous-core crimes seem like needless exertion. If you were a arduous-core criminal trying to run medicine past the border, risking getting shot or captured for life behind bars, would not a mere 5-year prison sentence for bilking the Medicare scheme seem abundant a lot of tempting? Of course it might, particularly if it’d internet one $50,000 in pure profit every day. They’re going apply for a Medicare provider license, and just get into business.

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3 American Performance Cars

Bear with me as I step back in time to formulate what I believe are three terrific American built performance cars: the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger, and the Chevrolet Camaro. Currently, only the Mustang is in production with the Challenger coming back by 2009. GM hasn’t committed to building the Camaro just yet, but the company is likely to make a decision in favor of the car and its sibling, the Pontiac Firebird, by this summer. So, what is it about American performance cars that set them apart from the rest? In one word: muscle. Read on as I compare and contrast these three vehicles and share with you my feeble attempts to explain the culture behind the cars.

So, you think I forgot the Chevy Corvette and Dodge Viper when talking about performance cars? No, I did not. Both models are performance cars as well as race cars. On the other hand the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro are mass produced performance cars with muscle. There is a difference in the way a typical race car handles, rides, and performs vs. a muscle car.

Typically, a muscle car was a coupe version of some of the larger cars that were pervasive on U.S. highways in the 1960s and 1970s. The Mustang and Camaro, however, were designed separately [although they both heavily borrowed parts from other models] and these “pony” cars were a category all to themselves. For comparison’s sake, they join the Dodge Challenger, a performance version of Mopar cars of its time. All three were compared by critics of that time and all three will once again be compared in a few years when production has been ramped up.

Ford Mustang – Step back in time with me to April 1964 to an era when America was heavily involved in the space race, Lyndon Johnson was president, and General Motors ruled autodom. Ford, for its part, had been nipping at GM’s heels for years, but the failed Edsels of the late 1950s had cost the company dearly. Still, it was the time of the New York World’s Fair and Ford used the fair and television technology to promote its newest offering, the Mustang. A 2+2 coupe borrowing parts from the Fairlane and Falcon, the 1964 ½ model was the first one sold and is widely credited with being the best introduction of a new vehicle ever. With a V6 engine standard and V8 optional, the all new Mustang quickly broke sales records and has been a hot seller ever since. Indeed, with the introduction of the “retro” look Mustang in 2005, the car once again has spawned interest in the muscle car segment as both DaimlerChrysler and General Motors craft competing models of their own.

Dodge Challenger – After the success of earlier muscle cars including the Dodge Charger and Plymouth ‘Cuda, the Dodge Challenger was launched as a 1970 model. The car borrowed heavily from the ‘Cuda although the sheet metal was somewhat different and the wheelbase was stretched by a couple of inches. Because the muscle car era was in decline at the time of its introduction, the Challenger lasted only five model years before it was cancelled. The concept Challenger currently on display at many auto shows is based on the 1970 design and is the talk of message boards and blogs across the nation. Look for Hemi powered engines as being favored by many owners; the car is likely to share some technology with the current Magnum wagon and Charger sedan.

Chevrolet Camaro – GM was asleep at the wheel when the Mustang came out. It took nearly three years before the company could respond and when it did the Camaro and Pontiac Firebird were the result. Although both cars sold well over the years, neither one could match the Mustang’s sales levels and by the time the last cars were sold in 2002, production dropped to a trickle. Still, the end of the Camaro after 35 years has stirred renewed interest in the name and thanks to the retro Mustang, the entire muscle car category is growing once again. Look for a 2010 Camaro to be the first Camaro since 2002; a ragtop version is also being considered.

So, just who can be expected to purchase a muscle car these days? People just like me: middle aged men who grew up with the original models. In addition, a whole new generation of younger drivers tired of the “me too” look of so many of the compact cars out there. Muscle cars of today are so much different from earlier era cars as they incorporate the look of the originals while harnessing today’s technology. Thus, fuel savings will be decent without sacrificing performance: a true win-win situation.

No, I cannot wait to see a Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro lined up at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green. A new muscle car era is upon us and for that I am very excited.

Article By: Tony Alves

Tony Alves has been online since 2002. He owns and manages several websites. Some of his websites are: Performance Auto Parts and Home Business. He also owns a Blog Car Pictures where he posts regularly.

Using a Press Release to Effectively Market Your Business

So you are ready to announce your fall line or announce a new president in your company. The question you need to ask yourself is how do I get the message out to the general public? To this question I offer this advice use a press release to get your message across. Unlike an article a free press release focuses on a single topic. An article gives the reader information and most times offers a reader an opinion. This is very important to remember when you are in the process of writing a press release.

Many people underestimate the power that a press release can have on a persons business Often times these people are shocked to realize that they have a powerful marketing tool right under their nose and never realize it. They fail to see that a press release is one of the more powerful tools that they can use. When they sit down and start to research the power of a press release they tend to discover that they are in possession of a tool that will bring people to their business by the droves.

So what makes up an effective press release? First is the fact that you will need to decide on your topic. What is it that you want to announce to the entire world? This will be the main idea that you are wanting your audience to know about. The thing that you need to remember when it comes to press releases is that each release needs to be for a specific news event or product release. You will need to use a press release for each individual event, instead of lumping a bunch of news items in one press release. Now that you have a working idea as to the idea behind the press release you will now need to know the vital information that will make your free press release stand out from others.

So what are the items that get the most amount of attention when it comes to a press release? The kind of press release that will get the most people to your site is a launching of a new business. If you are looking to announce that there is a new business in town then you will have a large audience upon which to spread your message to. The next best thing that gets a press release noticed is the launching of a new website, this again will get plenty of exposure to the general public.

Now these two are followed closely by the naming of a new member of management, with the announcement of a new product being the last item on the top exposure list. Now that I have given you the basic information as to what all you need for a basic press release you can visit the site to learn more on how to have the best free press release on the internet today.

Why You Need Family Travel Insurance

While most vacations go as planned, something can always go wrong, whether it’s a child’s illness, an accident or a parent’s work-related emergency. It is important to ask yourself ‘what if,’ to consider the alternatives, and to protect your family and your wallet against any number of possible mishaps that can occur,” says Ed Walker, US Travel Insurance Association president. He adds that many companies offer family travel insurance that includes children at no additional cost. Before purchasing a plan, you should check with your existing health insurance carrier, travel booking site and credit card company to see what travel benefits are included in your current plan, if any. Then you’ll know where the gaps in your coverage lie.

Family travel insurance also covers medical emergencies away from home. Most health insurance policies only cover individuals within their network (or the continental United States), so families traveling abroad will be responsible for out-of-pocket medical expenses. However, with a travel insurance health policy, you’re covered up to $1 million in emergency medical coverage. Prescriptions, doctor visits, dental work, ambulatory transport, hospital stays and any other urgent medical care will be paid for by the insurance company.

Another safeguard family travel insurance provides you with is peace of mind over sudden adverse weather and natural disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, fires and tornadoes could put a stop to your holiday plans, so it is crucial that you have insurance to cover this if you are traveling to a place that has had some kind of natural disaster in the past. Of course, no place on earth is immune from occasional bouts of bad weather. Trip insurance with delay coverage can set you up in a hotel with meals for the duration of your wait, which can be a real lifesaver!

Do not leave family travel insurance planning until the last minute. It is best to buy a travel insurance policy when other reservations are being booked. The majority of claims are for cancellations due to family bereavements or changing circumstances, so the sooner you have that protection in place, the better. If you’re a frequent traveler, then you may want to look into annual travel insurance. To start looking at plans, try one of the online comparison sites like compare holiday prices.

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Visit the Salem Maritime Historic Site and Massachusetts Attractions

There exist a lot of attractions to see and do while in Massachusetts!  Now explore out the new and thrilling Massachusetts attractions when you travel in our vast state!  Whatever you enjoy – urban centers, vast lands, forests, or oceans, the State of Massachusetts offers exceptions diversity of tourism attractions and activities.  You can find the perfect chance to relax and getaway from the hectic pace of life.

Tour Idea #1:  Touring the Salem Maritime Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Maritime Historic Site was the first National Historic Site in the National Park System. Located on nine acres in Salem, Massachusetts, Salem Maritime consists of twelve historic structures situated along the waterfront. The site interprets the history of the colonies, the American Revolution, as well as all the trade that took place in the area during those periods.

As well as the traditional Massachusetts tourist attractions, there are a variety of other exciting things to experience and do.  Do you remember fishing when you were young?  You can camp and have an outdoor family vacation.  Situated within just a short drive, you can enjoy a variety of nature and natural wonders. Explore the natural beauty of the state and experience the outdoors.  Whether it is riding the historical trails or boating or camping, there are experiences for everyone. Here are simply a few of the attractions you will enjoy, for more ideas, check out this Massachusetts attractions video.

Tour Idea #2:  Lots to Enjoy at the Cape Cod National Seashore.  In August of 1961 then President John F. Kennedy designated a forty mile stretch of Massachusetts shoreline as the Cape Cod National Seashore. Containing over forty three thousand acres of sandy beaches, ponds, marshlands, and uplands as well as encompassing several lighthouses, walking paths and trails and even some cranberry bogs, the area is now a tremendously popular tourist destination. Today it is a National Park Service property, and as such, visitors are required to follow all posted regulations and requirements.

Balancing the unusual attractions with the more historical attractions will organize a memorable family vacation escape.  To make the best of your family vacation escape, you may want to consider one of the many vacation packages or tours.  Many vacation packages bundle transporation, hotels, and car rentals  or include a entertaining tour.  Some packages include sports or theatre passes, so you can choose packages appropriate for everyone.  If you are interested in antiques and heritage, there are various cultural and historical attractions, along with museums of all varieties of specialties.

You can save costs by visiting online tour guides. Most guides will summarize the tourist attractions.  Professional guides will share more information than simply a brief snippet or sentence. Take your adventure and explore excitement about your Massachusetts tourism.  Experience your vacation getaway and enjoy the opportunity to make family memories that will last a lifetime.

Sites and Fun in Washington DC

There is so much to see and do in our country’s capital, Washington, DC that it is kind of not possible to see them all in one visit. However, that did not stop my other half and kids from making an attempt to cover everything on our recent vacation. Here are only a few of the highlights we experienced on that vacation.

Our first challenge before we even left home was finding an affordable place to stay in the Washington, DC area. For the most part, hotels are pretty high priced in that area and make it difficult to locate a good place for a family of five to remain without totally blowing the old budget. We ended up selecting the American Hotel in Bethesda, MD and are very pleased with our choice. It is not the most glamorous hotel in the region but extraordinarily convenient, clean and affordable. So, we highly reccomend it when looking for Bethesda hotels.

Then, on to the traveller sites we enjoyed. Of course we started with the famous National Monuments and Memorials. These included the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial,the Washington Monument, and the Arlington Countrywide Graveyard . There were many more as Washington is a city of monuments and memorials. Many are found on the nation’s Mall but others are pretty spread out so that you will get a very good walk exercise if you intend to visit them all on foot as we did. (I admit I had to visit my Sacramento podiatrist when I got back home to deal with some foot pain from so much walking)

Next came our tour of the three different branches of official Executive buildings.When sightseeing in Washington, D.C, the regime, the Capitol and the high Court are key places to go to. Touring these galvanizing buildings will help you understand more about our government and its history. Plan ahead and learn about schedules and special events. The regime is the home and office of the President and is found at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To arrange a tour you must make a request through one of your members of Congress. Group tours are held Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a. m. through 11:30 a. m. and are lined up one month in advance.

At the east end of the National Mall stands the majestic U. S. Capitol Building. Due to heightened security, the Capitol is open to the public for steered tours only.

The one thing you will want to do for sure is take plenty of photographs as you have a tendency to remember everything as you are going to remember everything as you are so impressed at the time but believe me, your memories have a tendency to fade and it is always better to have some pictures to help bring those memories into sharp focus. I’m not a Commercial Photographer but wish I was to have better captured some of the beauty we saw on ths trip

Also, in addition to the typical tourist attractions discussed above, you may find the Washington, DC area has some of the best restaurants in the country. I suppose this may be due to all of the important politicians that live there as well as the many dignitaries that visit the area and need to go out to eat.

Well, that rather sums up our trip and I can only hope that you get the opportunity to visit the Washington, DC area.

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