Testosterone Pit – Paradigm Shift For The Healthcare Expense Monster

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After housing expenses—81% of those below the official poverty level and 62% of low-income working families spent over 33% of their income on housing—and after day-to-day essentials, such as food and energy, little if any money remains for medical expenses.But there is a parallel phenomenon: high-deductible health insurance plans linked to tax-advantaged IRA-like Health Savings Accounts. While deductibles range from $1,000 to $4,000 or more, the much lower premiums and tax savings can turn this into a bonanza for healthy people—if they keep their medical expenses down. The plans have taken off, much to the lament of healthcare providers. In 2006, only 10% of those with health insurance opted for a high-deductible plan; by 2012, their ranks had swollen to 34%!

via Testosterone Pit – Home – Paradigm Shift For The Healthcare Expense Monster.

You may agree or disagree with the opinion in this article but nonetheless, the perspective is fascinating.  Read it.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Addresses Misrepresentation Statute

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Leasa M. Stewart's avatarGableGotwals Insurance Law Update

On December 18, 2012, the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided Benson v. Leaders Life Insurance Co., 2012 OK 111, ___ P.3d ___.  The Benson case involved the interpretation of section 3609 of Title 36, which deals with when an insurer may rescind a policy due to misrepresentations, omissions, concealment of facts, or incorrect statements made in the application for the insurance policy.  As noted in the opinion, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has held on several occasions that the statute requires a finding of an “intent to deceive” the insurer before a policy may be avoided by reason of the insured’s false statement or omission in the application.  However, in discussing the insurer’s purported failure to use a medical release provided by the insured at the time of application (Id. at ¶ 9), the Benson opinion brings into question other Oklahoma Supreme Court and federal court pronouncements stating that…

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Is Running Bad for Your Heart? – NewsOK.com

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A study published in the December issue of the British medical journal Heart looked at 52,600 people over three decades, and it found that those who ran more than 20 to 25 miles per week lived no longer than those who didn’t exercise at all. Another recent study also found that people who ran faster than 7 minutes and 30 seconds per mile when they exercised enjoyed no mortality advantage over couch potatoes. But in both studies, people who ran regularly, but at shorter distances and slower paces, lived longest.

via Is running bad for your heart? | NewsOK.com.

Yet another study that adds to the conflicting data we already have.  For the record, I no longer run for exercise.  But my excuse is OA.

Binge Drinking Among Women and High School Girls — United States, 2011

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Results: Among adult women, the prevalence of binge drinking was 12.5%, and among those who binge drank, the frequency of binge drinking was 3.2 episodes per month and the intensity was 5.7 drinks on occasion. Binge drinking was most prevalent among women aged 18–24 years (24.2%) and 25–34 years (19.9%), and among those from households with annual incomes of ≥$75,000 (16.0%). Among those who binge drank, women aged 18–24 years had the highest frequency (3.6 episodes) and intensity (6.4 drinks) of binge drinking. Among high school girls, the prevalence of current alcohol use was 37.9%, the prevalence of binge drinking was 19.8%, and the prevalence of binge drinking among girls who reported current alcohol use was 54.6%.

Conclusions: Binge drinking is reported by one in eight U.S. adult women and one in five high school girls. Women who binge drink tend to do so frequently and with high intensity. Most high school girls who reported current alcohol use also reported binge drinking.

via Vital Signs: Binge Drinking Among Women and High School Girls — United States, 2011.