The new Administration is taking over facing an unprecedented economic crisis. The country is already deep in debt and proposes to spend billions more to help prevent a long-lasting recession. Looking overseas, the war in Iraq still has eighteen months to run and there is no end to the war in Afghanistan in sight. So some would argue this is not a good time to start proposing major changes to the health care system. The last time this was tried under the Clinton Administration, the economy was doing well and the momentum for change was lost. Trying it again now is inviting a battle over the legislation when the country would be better served if its leader was focussed on the economic problems. Well, the nay-sayers would be wrong. This is the right time to talk about it again. Continue reading →

If only worlds were ideal. Everyone would have the money to hand and no pre-existing medical conditions. They would buy into any insurance policy, get great value with everything covered and then, ironically, never fall ill. Life would be perfect. Unfortunately, insurance premiums have been rocketing upwards and disposable incomes have been sinking fast so insurance companies have reacted in the only way a for-profit company can – they reduced the scope of the coverage on offer. This puts pressure on everyone to search the market to find those companies representing the best value-for-money. So just how bad is it? Well, as a healthy private citizen under the age of forty years, if you shop around, you can get coverage for less than $200 a month. This will not be a gold-plated policy but it will give you a reasonable level of protection. The idea is to save you from bankruptcy if you have a serious accident or are unlucky enough to catch some serious disease. Being practical is the name of the game. Continue reading →