Issue Date: October 15, 2006
Health insurance dilemmas?
The annual open enrollment period is upon us, and some of us will find a new option on the health insurance menu this year. More than a quarter of the nation's employers will offer consumer-driven health care plans (CDHC), says Hewitt Associates, a benefits consultant. Although most of these plans let you choose your doctors, they shift more of the rising costs of health care from the company to you.
How CDHCs work: Plans usually are based on a high upfront deductible (as much as $4,000 for a family)in exchange for lower monthly premiums. Insurance may pay for 80% to 90% of your health costs after the deductible, and some employers may deposit a fixed amount for each employee into a tax-advantaged health savings account (HSA) to help pay for out-of-pocket costs. (You also can contribute your own pretax dollars to the HSA.) Before signing on for any option, follow these tips, says Hewitt's Sara Taylor:
Use the tools. Ask whether your company has an online calculator to help you compare all of your choices side by side. If not, check with the insurance companies that sponsor the various health care choices or financial institutions that sponsor HSAs.
Compare HIGH deductible vs. LOW premiums. Look at what you spent last year as a guide (subtracting the costs of any one-time medical event). This may help you decide whether a CDHC is for you. Healthy, single workers, for example, may find the savings on premiums combined with the tax benefit of the HSA make a CDHC the better deal. Anyone with a chronic illness, however, usually is better off with traditional health insurance.
Walecia Konrad is an award-winning consumer writer.
Go to top
Peppers and insulin
Cayenne spice also may help cutatherosclerosis risk.
|
A new Australian study says eating hot chili peppers may help fight diabetes by reducing the insulin needed to control blood sugar spikes, especially in overweight people.
Insulin production dropped, and the liver cleared 30% more insulin from the blood when obese subjects ate a diet spiked with chili vs. a bland diet. Researchers are not sure how hot peppers help regulate insulin, but they say eating them regularly may help cut diabetes risk.
Scientific Sources
Kiran, DK. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:63-9
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/1/63
Go to top
Cervical cancer vaccine for preteens
With the American Academy of Pediatrics expected to recommend the new so-called HPV vaccine next month, here's what parents need to know.
Recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the vaccine will protect against 70% of all cervical cancers. The main target will be girls ages 11 and 12, with a secondary recommendation for young women 13 to 26. "Older girls not sexually active get its full benefit," says Joseph A. Bocchini, chair of the AAP's Committee on Infectious Diseases and an HPV expert. Sexually active girls "can expect some benefit."
Although the vaccine's series of three shots cost about $120 each, most insurance plans that don't cover it may start soon.
Bocchini says the vaccine's immediate side effects in clinical trials have been minor, with pain at the injection site and some fever.
Go to top
Bidding for vacations
Bidding online for vacations can be a gamble.
|
Auction websites offering deals on vacations can be a bargain hunter's dream, but they come with a "buyer beware" label. Take Luxury Link, which offers up to 40% off expensive vacation packages. Typical trips include four nights with golf at Amelia Island Plantation in Florida and five nights at Sundance Resort in Utah. The offerings are legit, but be wary of blackout dates or packages that restrict you to low season.
At eBay, you can bid on vacation packages, airline tickets, hotel rooms and condos. On any given day, you'll find two-bedroom condos in Orlando and Vermont bed-and-breakfast stays. But as with all else on eBay, you are buying from individual sellers, not eBay itself.
So, what if your "ocean-view" condo is a mile from the beach? You must negotiate with the seller and, if necessary, file a fraud complaint with eBay. But smart buyers use PayPal, a popular online payment system that offers up to $1,000 worth of buyer protection. And always use a credit card for your purchases, which lets you stop payment until a dispute is settled.
|
