Best answer:

Answer by Sandra
You don’t say what country you are in, your age, or anything much else.

It doesn’t matter what these are called. You have to compare:

What doctors you can see (any doctor? one in their network?)
What kind of doctor you can see (do you have to go to a primary care physician first, before you can see a specialist?)
Whether hospitalization is covered
What is the deductible (the amount out of pocket before they pay anything each year)
What is the co-pay (the amount you pay each time you use the insurance)
How likely are you to use the benefits?

Then make up a situation – you fall off a bike and break your arm, or you catch something serious. Figure out how you will benefit from each plan.

Give your answer to this question below!

(PRWEB) December 2, 2010

A recent article in Compensation and Working Conditions Online, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, examines consumer-driven health plans. With the rising costs to employers of providing health insurance to their employees, consumer-driven health plans are being considered by some employers. Because they generally have lower premiums, consumer-driven health plans might also be a popular choice for some employees. However, both employers and employees will need to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of consumer-driven health plans as compared with more traditional health insurance plans before deciding which type of plan to use.

Consumer-driven health plans combine a pretax payment account with a high-deductible health plan. They are often referred to as three-tier payment systems, which consists of a savings account, out-of-pocket payments, and an insurance plan. The article also includes sections on high-deductible health plans, health savings accounts, and then compares Archer medical savings accounts with health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements with health savings accounts, and flexible spending accounts with health reimbursement arrangements. Finally, an exhibit provides a comparison of various pretax savings accounts and their relationship to high-deductible health plans.

Interest in consumer-driven health plans has increased because the employers’ cost of providing health care to employees in private industry has nearly doubled in the decade from March 1999 to March 2009. In March 1999, the average cost of health care to employers was $ 1.03 per hour worked. Ten years later, in March 2009, health care costs had risen to $ 2.00 per hour worked. Not only did health care costs rise during this time, but they rose faster than the average costs of the other components of compensation. In March 1999, health care costs represented 5.4 percent of total compensation costs. In March 2009, they represented 7.3 percent of total compensation.

Increases in health care costs are not limited to employers. Employees have also seen increases in their health care costs. In particular, the average medical plan monthly flat-rate premium paid by private industry workers has risen. For single coverage, the costs went from $ 67.57 per month in 2004 to $ 92.43 per month in 2009. For family coverage the costs went from $ 264.59 per month in 2004 to $ 349.36 in 2009.

The article, written by Song G. Yi, an economist in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Office of Compensation and Working Conditions, is entitled: Consumer-Driven Health Care: What Is It, and What Does It Mean for Employees and Employers?

This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: http://www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

(PRWEB) February 16, 2005

In todayÂ?s age of health and fitness, people are continuously looking for the best resources for information. Often, men and women find themselves bouncing from one site to another and performing search after search in order to locate the news and information they desire. ApplesforHealth.com (www.applesforhealth.com) was founded with these people in mind. The goal at Applesforhealth.com is to be the premier global provider of information to the readership regarding breaking medical technology news and disease research that is important to men, women, and children of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

ApplesforHealth.com has grown into a player in the online health industry by staying on top of current health events. The ApplesforHealth.com e-zine is published each week with over 60 fresh articles and links for healthy living and nutritious recipes. These articles are scattered throughout 20 channels of health information. For instance, readers can visit the Global Health Channel to find the latest on health issues affecting the world as well as global health breakthroughs. Recently, ApplesforHealth.com published articles regarding a breakthrough in the treatment of Hepatitis C as well as the effects of Hyperbaric treatments on coma patients. Readers can also access the ApplesforHealth.com search engine, which contains well over 25,000 articles, recipes and resources. ApplesforHealth.com has even made the site accessible for people of different nationalities by adding a translator service that enables readers to view the site in 8 different languages, thus enhancing the goal to be a global provider of health information.

However, the bread and butter for AppleforHealth.com is the extensive database of recipes. Readers visiting the Healthy Recipes channel will find a plethora of recipes like Family Favorites, Low Calorie Recipes, and Vegetarian Recipes just to name a few. Recipe hunters will also find many helpful links to other recipe and diet websites, which is what makes ApplesforHealth.com so useful. All of this recipe information has enabled the company to climb its way up the Google rankings for healthy recipe related keywords.

ApplesforHealth.com was started in 1999 with a small budget and a 1-person workforce, which is what makes its story so unique. With virtually no advertising or promotion, ApplesforHealth.com has grown organically by constant addition of useful content and a careful selection of links. Today, the website sees approximately 230,000 visitors a month and growing and is ranked in the top 8% of all websites on the Internet.

For more information visit www.applesforhealth.com

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Saint Paul, MN (Vocus) November 9, 2010

Marketplace Money, from American Public Media, is traveling to Philadelphia to explore real stories of consumer health care costs – how pregnant women experience the health care system; how employers are working to facilitate a healthier work force; how doctors schedule appointments – and discuss what you need to know to protect your well-being as well as your pocketbook. Philadelphia is the birthplace of the health care industry in this country, and is home to the first general, teaching and behavioral health hospitals in the U.S. Reporting will focus on the cost impacts of health care reform efforts, and a corresponding broadcast will air on local public radio stations across the nation. The visit will culminate in a community discussion moderated by Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland and hosted by WHYY featuring locally-based national experts.

WHAT:    

The Prepared Patient – A community discussion around health care costs and ongoing reform efforts

WHO:    

Dr. Kevin Volpp – Director, Center for Health Incentives, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School

Dr. David Nash – Dean, Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health

Gregory Warner – Health Reporter, Marketplace

Taunya English – Health Reporter, WHYY

Tess Vigeland – Host, Marketplace Money

WHEN:     

Friday, November 19

Reception at 6:00 pm / Program at 7:00 pm

WHERE:     

WHYY – The Dorrance H. Hamilton Public Media Commons

150 N. Sixth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

TICKETS:     

WHYY.org or (215) 351-1200

$ 10 for WHYY members / $ 15 for non-members

An interactive historical health care timeline along with additional health care “how to” information will be available at Marketplace.org. Marketplace Money is public radio’s program on personal finance, produced and distributed by American Public Media. It is broadcast locally on WHYY-FM, Saturdays at 3:00pm.

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©Copyright 1997-2010, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Health Literacy Innovations, creator of the Health Literacy Advisor, the nation’s first interactive health literacy software tool, today announces the winners of the 2010 National Health Literacy Innovators Award contest.

The contest, a public competition to reward innovators in health literacy and in celebration of October, National Health Literacy Month, was stood by a prestigious list of health literacy experts and funded by an unidentified health literacy donor. The winners of the 2010 National Health Literacy innovators Award, to invite a cash award, certificate, and recognition are:

    ReadsEasy” Publication Award: Florida Literacy Coalition, Orlando, FL Womens Health: A Special Addition to Staying Healthy     Champion Award: Dr. Ariella Herman, Ph.D., Los Angeles, Calif., UCLA/ J & J Health Care Institute     Clear Focus Multi-Media Award: Neighborhood Health Plan, Boston, Mass. Neighborhood Health Plan Usability Website ”We taken more than 50 superior applications to the first annual Health Literacy Innovator award,” says Aracely Rosales, Health Literacy Innovations Chief Content Expert and Multilingual Director. “These organizations indicate state-of-the-art health literacy innovators in publications, initiatives and leaders, and quested our judges on accessing the top choices in each category. We impart the judges for their time and effort to assist us taste exemplary examples of excellence in direct language and health literacy principles, and glint forward to next year’s competition,” says Rosales.

The list of prestigious 2010 Health Literacy Innovator Award Judges are:

    Carolyn Cocotas, Senior Vice President, Quality and Corporate Compliance, F.E.G.S., Health and Human Services System & IOM Health Literacy Task Force Member, New York     George Flouty, MD, Medical Director, Pfizer N.Y., Founding member of Pfizer’s Health Literacy Initiative (left office)     Julie Gazmararian, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University Atlanta     Linda Johnston Lloyd, MEd Health Literacy Consultant and Retired U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Health, Literacy Coordinator     Marycelis Keiser, MPH, CHES, Director, Pfizer Inc., Primary Care Business Unit     Julie McKinney, LINCS Health Literacy List Moderator, World Education, Inc.     Guadalupe Pacheco, Jr., M.S.W, Special Assistant to the Director, Office of Minority Health, Office of Public Health and Science U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC About Health Literacy Innovations
Knowing that “literacy” is the single most important indicator of a health outcome, Health Literacy Innovations, (HLI) was founded to create tools to help eliminate medical mistakes and confusion due to low health literacy. HLI’s flagship product, the Health Literacy Advisor (HLA), the nation’s first interactive health literacy software tool, is revolutionizing the health literacy review process. By usurping inefficiency with technology and knowledge, the HLA applies nine well-known readability indices and an interactive searchandoust function to oust hard-to-read terms and phrases and medical jargon with austere language alternatives. The combination of these two functions, a document “grade” with a readability score/grade level, and the ReadsEasyTM mould (a reward for bully work) sets the HLA software apart from programs or readability indices alone. For more information, endear visit http://www.HealthLiteracyInnovations.com or call off 301-230-4966.

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©Copyright 1997-2010, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or indicated trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC

Orion Health today announces their proven experience in boffo design and implementation of health data integration systems is interpreting into best practices for customers and altering revenue for the company. Revenue for the first half of the 2010- 2011 fiscal year is a 80 percent increase on the same period last year. Orion Health currently has the largest number of foreign Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Record sites with 22 projects in 12 countries

Ian McCrae, Orion Health CEO explains, “The successful design and implementation of projects around the world places Orion Health in a strong leadership position. Our success in this first half has been driven by a number of premier wins in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Singapore. As we gain knowledge from each incomparable health information exchange, we polish our solutions and processes into best practices that render healthcare organizations a scalable, easygoing to use and innovative solution that will better serve their physician and patient communities.”

Mr. McCrae points to success in Europe that emphasizes the benefits of Orion Health’s innovative technology. “The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde clinical portal has seen phenomenal physician adoption increasing the number of documents accessed per week from 1,500 in 2009, to 180,000 per week in 2010 with 6,800 healthcare workers actively using the portal. This success is applicable for NHS health boards and for any organization caring to render proximate benefits to physicians without the costs and workflow changes tied in with supplanting electronic health record or administration systems.”

In the North American market, where competitive demands and pressure to scale and innovate are important considerations for buyers, Orion Health’s strong track record and hard won experience mean HIE organizations are able to leverage our best practices with the aim of quickly achieving more efficient, sustainable HIE programs. Orion Health was recently picked out as the first-string technology provider for Maine’s HealthInfoNet. HealthInfoNet Executive Director Dev Culver says Orion Health proved its ability to hand over consistently during the pilot phase and cites the company’s history of success in ample health information exchanges in other countries as key criteria for their selection to lead the afloat deployment.

Mr. McCrae says Orion Health is perpetrated to conserving its independence and maturing the expertise and knowledge base that has come from circular perspective. The company has matured its staff by 20 percent in the 2010-2011 fiscal year and plans approximately another 20 percent growth in the coming months as it opens fresh offices

About Orion Health Ltd.
Orion Health’s easy-to-use solutions and applications improve patient care and clinical decision-making by providing integrated health data in a single, unified view. By enhancing existing healthcare information systems, the Orion Health™ Rhapsody™ Integration Engine, and nonsubjective workflow solutions, provide healthcare workers with easy access to patient data and trends, and reduce errors and omissions by streamlining information transfer

Worldwide, Orion Health is implementing health information communities involving over 35 million patients with hundreds of thousands of active users

Orion Health’s partners include leading health system integrators and IT vendors. Orion Health has more than 1,000 clients around the world including the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Auckland District Health Board, HealthAlliance, ACT Health and Hunter New England Area Health Service (Australia), Health Infoway (Canada) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More information can be happened at http://www.orionhealth.com

Orion Health, and Rhapsody are registered trademarks of Orion Health Inc, its parent/or its affiliates. Other names utilized may be trademarks of their individual owners

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©Copyright 1997-2010, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC

Related Health Press Releases

In Washington D.C. today, Orion Health joins a range of experts and healthcare leaders concentrated on partaking best practices for Health Information Exchanges (HIEs). Participants from the United States and New Zealand healthcare industries will discourse lessons larned in evolving functioning health information exchanges which render safer and more patient-centered care

Paul Viskovich, Orion Health President North America and EMEA, says “This discussion is part of the circular knowledge-exchange incumbent to strategically advance the electronic exchange of health information. By partaking our experience partnering with healthcare organizations around the world, we hope to demo how barriers can be get the better of and compliance can easily be pulled off.”

The session will get down with Dr. Shane Reti, International Program Director, Clinical Informatics, Harvard University demoing his perspective as both a health administrator and a physician on how the New Zealand first-string care system enforced a world-leading model for comprehensive health IT

Also taking part is Dr. David Hunt, Chief Medical Officer and acting director for the Office of Health IT adoption for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Hunt will discourse EMR and Health IT; State of Play at HHS

Mr. Dev Culver, Executive Director of Maine-based HealthInfoNet will attendant their case study with comment on the cultural change process, evolving confiding relationships with consumers and the role of opened technology from Orion Health as part of the key infrastructure of the HIE

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise sponsors this roundtable discussion called “Breaking Down Barriers: Best Practices for Health Information Exchanges.” The event is hosted by New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, Roy Ferguson. The panel discussion will be moderated by Neal Neuberger, Executive Director, Institute for E-Health

The event will be taking place on Monday, December 7 from 5:00-8:30 p.m. at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington, D.C.

About Orion Health Inc.
Orion Health™ is a leading circular provider of nonsubjective workflow and integration technology for the healthcare sector. Orion Health’s easy-to-use solutions and applications better patient care and clinical decision making by rendering incorporated health data in a single, merged view. By heightening being healthcare information systems, the Orion Health Rhapsody® Integration Engine, Concerto® Physician Portal, and workflow solutions render healthcare workers with easygoing access to patient data and trends, and reduce errors and omissions by streamlining information transfer.

Worldwide, Orion Health technologies are utilized in health information communities involving over 35 million patients with tens of thousands of about users including Maine’s HealthInfoNet, Canada Health Infoway, Alberta Health Services and Spain’s IB Salut. Orion Health’s partners admit leading health system integrators and IT vendors much as Accenture, Allscripts, IBM, Oracle, Phillips and others. Orion Health has more than 1,000 clients around the world, including Lahey Clinic, UCLA Medical Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several of the U.K.’’s NHS Tru’st Ho’spital’s. More information can be happened at http://www.orionhealth.com

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©Copyright 1997-2010, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC

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iSirona®, a provider of simplified solutions for medical device connectivity, today announced it has signed a contract with San Antonio, Texas-based University Health System. Under the agreement, University Health System will use iSirona’s technology to automate the delivery of patient medical device data to the hospital’s electronic medical record.

iSirona provides a software-based solution that enables hospitals to integrate patient data from virtually any medical device into the electronic medical record. University Health System will use this technology within its low-set acuity environment, getting in touch wireless essential sign monitors to its EMR. This bran-new technology will forecast clinicians to condition their productivity from within an interface they are already modified to assigning

University Health System began integrating its electronic medical record system in 2006, and the use of paper orders and records has been dramatically reduced each year since. In 2007, University Health System won a cleared Stage 6 seeding in the HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model, a recognition program that tracks EMR progress at hospitals and health systems. The model scores hospitals on their progress in fulfilling the eight stages to moving a paperless patient record environment

“This contract marks an important milestone for iSirona and is another affirmation of the strength of our solution,” says iSirona CEO Dave Dyell. “We’re very gratified that University Health System will be soldering hospitals across the country that are smoldering the benefits of our technology.”

About iSirona

Panama City, Florida-based iSirona (http://www.isirona.com) helps clinicians ground more instructed decisions about patients by ramping an easy-to-use approach to medical device integration. Using iSirona’s software solution, hospitals can link up virtually any medical device to their CIS, providing clinicians with faster access to more surgical patient information.

About San Antonio

University Health System is South Texas’’ first and only Magnet® healthcare organization; only about six percent of U.S. hospitals have realized this prestigious designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in Washington D.C. Located in San Antonio, Texas’, University Health System is evaluated as one of the top 12 health systems in the U.S. for reaching a towering level of health information technology integration, and it was packed one of the nation’s Most Wired Hospitals & Health Systems in 2008. In 2009 and 2010, it was named one of the Top 25 Most Connected Healthcare Facilities by HealthImaging & IT magazine and in 2010 allocated Most Wired and Most Wireless.

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©Copyright 1997-2010, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. Vocus, PRWeb and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC

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