Premium Costs

The Averageve Health Insurance Premium Cost 84% of the Average Unempyloment Benefits ( www.healthpopuli.com January 12, 2009)

SUMMARY: The cost of trying to be insured while unemployed is higher than the benefit of having the insurance for many. The payment of the whole premium that has to be made to the company, in order to keep the insurance that was once held, is soaring up at ridiculous rates. With more and more people becoming unemployed this ‘alternative’ health care solution is becoming just another problem.

TOPIC: Should the government arrange for hospitals to network to help standardize the cost of health care?

CATEGORY: Citizen

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: Blogger.com; a free ‘push-button’ publishing blogging site owned by Google.

AUTHOR: Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, a health economist and management consultant looking into the connection of health care and technology. Jane holds a MA in Economics and MHSA in Public Health Policy, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Journalism, all from the University of Michigan.

LOCATION: http://www.healthpopuli.com/2009

ACCESSED: February 13, 2009

SUPPORT: COBRA, free service that guides you through insurance options; HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, offers insurance to those who worked for at least 18 months; Families USA, the voice of health care consumers, promoting high quality affordable health care;  Medicaid, health program for low income families; Ron Pollack, the Founding Executive Director of Families USA; Kasier Family Foundation, non-profit organization focused on the health care issues of today

AUDIENCE & AGENDA: Able to view for anyone that searches on Blogger.com or Google the site is putting information out for the general public about the health care issues that are relevant.

USEFULNESS: This blog shows the cost of trying to be insured while unemployed. An alternative type of health care is becoming available to those who have been ‘let go’ from their employment. Still with the soaring cost of premiums and deductibles there are even people who are employed that are going uninsured. In order to keep the benefits that were once held with a company the payment of the whole premium that has to be made to the company. With rates soaring up at ridiculous rates this health care solution is becoming just another problem.

WORK CITED: http://www.kff.org/about/index2.cfm, http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/newsroom/bios-ron-pollack.html, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidGenInfo/, http://www.think-health.net/, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaaGenInfo/, http://www.familiesusa.org/, http://beta.cobrainsurance.com/?roi=COBRA_HP, http://www.healthpopuli.com/2009/01/average-health-insurance-premium-costs.html, Google