The Health Insurance Coach

We all know that the best affordable health insurance policies are able to keep their costs down because they only cover generic drugs. However, what are consumers to do if there aren't any generics available to them?

The FTC released news this week that in 2007 pharmaceutical companies brokered deals with generic drug companies to delay the release of 14 medications that were about to reach the end of their patent. As such, those drugs won't be offered to consumers at lower, generic prices for a longer period of time.

And what's the point of searching for more affordable health insurance if you still have to pay out of pocket for important medications?

According to Kaiser, these deals are called "pay-for-delay" settlements, because big drug makers pay generic companies not to release the medications, even though legally they could. And obviously, they hurt the consumer by forcing us to pay higher prices for medications.

Fortunately, in most cases those expensive medications aren't that much better than generics that are already out there. If you're one of those people waiting for your medications to go generic, and find that it's not going to happen, speak to your doctor about generic medications that are just as good, but maybe not as popular or widely prescribed.

This way consumers can get their important medications, and their affordable health insurance can really be affordable too.

As with all states in the nation today, Minnesota is struggling to balance their sinking state budget with programs designed to offer affordable health insurance to citizens who desperately need it.

Last week, a bill that could change their health care system - offering affordable health insurance to thousands of Minnesotans - cleared the House legislature 83-50.

However, according to the Star Tribune, Governor Tim Pawlenty feels that their state just can't afford it, and may veto the bill when it gets to his desk.

If it was approved, the bill would start with a statewide campaign designed to reduce smoking and obesity, and offer public information on the costs and quality of doctor and hospital services.

It would also expand eligibility for MinnesotaCare to another 40,000 people. MinnesotaCare is the state funded insurance program for the working poor that provides free or more affordable health insurance.

Pawlenty would prefer to use some of the funding that would have gone to the bill to balance the state budget. According to the article, Pawlenty complained at a news briefing that they were "having a hard time paying for the [budget items] we have, much less adding the new ones."

Hopefully upcoming elections will prove useful for those citizens searching for affordable health insurance all over the country.

California individual health insurance companies got some news today that's bad for them, but very good for consumers. Both Kaiser Permanente and Health Net have agreed to reinstate 1200 people whose medical insurance was canceled when they needed it most.

The LA Times reports that the individual health insurance market has been under a lot of scrutiny in recent months, ever since a Gardena woman won $9-million in her suit against Health Net for canceling her coverage while she was undergoing chemotherapy, and thereby halting her treatment.

Now, another 1200 people whose coverage was canceled when they got sick will be eligible once again for their individual health insurance coverage, regardless of cost. In each case the insurance agencies argue that there was information in their applications that wasn't true. Therefore, they'd received their coverage under fraudulent means.

But in many cases, innocent errors had occurred because, as we all know, those insurance forms are as long as they are confusing. Both insurance companies have suggested that they plan to make their forms easier to understand in the future.

Last week, in an effort to protect the poor and working poor, state legislators approved a plan that will make Florida health insurance more affordable and available to 4 million state citizens.

As it's reported at News-Press.com, Gov. Charlie Crist's "Cover Florida" plan calls for the state to negotiate health-care plans that individuals or small businesses will be able to buy for $100 to $150 a month, per person.

This new, low cost Florida health insurance will be required by the state to cover preventative services, emergency care and hospitalization, and to offer office visits at different rates. Furthermore, the Florida Health Choices Corp. will arrange the same Florida health insurance coverage for employers with fewer than 50 workers.

Opponents argue that the plan will be costly for the state, and lead to lower quality care for some people.

But with 4 million previously uninsured citizens now able to pay for some form of Florida health insurance, isn't a little care better than none?

Of key importance are the requirements that will be placed on health insurance companies; while they won't have to offer all coverage required by these regulations, they will still have to cover emergency treatment, hospitalization, and even some medications.

This piece of legislature is being called one of the most historic that Florida has ever seen, and for state citizens who've been struggling along without health care, we're sure they can only agree.

Prescription drug companies have been in the news this year, as Merck and Schering-Plough both suffer criticism for manipulating information about their medications, effectively cheating sick Americans out of money through unnecessary medications, and contributing to bloated prices for what would otherwise be more affordable health insurance.

In response, Kaiser reports that officials for Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Schering-Plough will testify at a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, as Democrats struggle to impose restrictions on prescription drug advertisements.

According to the article the subcommittee will examine whether Merck and Schering-Plough in ads for Vytorin overstated the benefits of the medication, which a study released in January found no more effective than a treatment available in generic form in the prevention of accumulation of plaque on artery walls.

The use of such drugs has been linked to high costs in what could otherwise be affordable health insurance, since many lower-priced insurance plans won't cover anything but generics. By tricking the public into relying on a newer and more expensive drug - which they did not need - these drug companies made millions of dollars.

This year it also came to light that prescription drug companies spend more money on advertising their drugs to the public and to doctors than they do on developing the medications themselves, raising disturbing questions about just what their priorities are.

One thing is for sure, affordable health insurance is definitely not one of those priorities, nor are the painfully high costs of health care for the millions of Americans who rely on lifesaving medications.

In Kansas, a lack of affordable health insurance is jeopardizing the lives of low-income women who may have breast or cervical cancer.

This is because the Kansas Early Detection Works program, which provides uninsured low-income women in the state with breast and cervical cancer screenings at no cost, has depleted its operating funds and will delay almost all cancer screenings until July 1. To many, a delay of only 3 months doesn't seem long - unless you have cancer.

According to Kaiser's Daily Health Policy Report, women who inquire about the program will be placed on a waiting list and will be screened when funding becomes available.

These screenings are often covered by medical insurance, and once again we find that without affordable health insurance for all Americans those who can't afford to pay are more likely to suffer the ill effects of poor health care. Just earlier this year the American Cancer Society found that the uninsured were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer in its later stages.

Only 5,800 of the at least 27,000 women in Kansas who qualify to receive no-cost screenings have done so since July 1, 2007, though the program still ran out of money too soon. Hopefully, more affordable health insurance policies will appear in 2009 to protect women from these cancers, both of which have excellent cure rates when found in early stages.