A Health, Fitness, and Nutrition Directory

What is Group Health Insurance

Group health insurance is a type of health insurance usually offered to groups of people that work together. Usually offered in a corporate setting, sometimes small business. Groups consist of a certain number of people determined by the company offering the health insurance. Because the people in the group are being insured together the cost savings is greater for the insurer and the insured.

What Kind of Coverage is Available?

Group health insurance provides many options. PPO and HMO options will offer the individuals in the group coverage such things as copays, low deductibles and lists of available approves doctors that can be used. Copays are pre-decided portions of your doctor bills that you pay. They remain stable and you always know what you have to pay based on your lists of coverage.

A deductible will usually apply to such things as emergency room visits or hospital pays. Usually this will include a yearly maximum out of pocket, which means you only pay so much per year. Other group health insurances may offer significant discounts, but still require you to pay up front each time you visit the doctor’s office. These companies will usually reimburse you a portion of the cost, after you have met your deductible.

Why Group Health Insurance is Important

Group health insurance is important because it is like pooling your money with your co-workers. If everyone puts their money together, everyone is taken care of during situations where medical care is needed. Not only does a group health plan usually offer good coverage, but it also offers significant cost savings over individual health plans.

Who is Eligible for Group Health Insurance

Group health insurance is available to many people. You do not have to work for a company to be eligible for group health insurance. You can find groups through community or church organizations as well as some volunteer organizations. Just about anyone is eligible; you just need to do a little research if you are not employed by a company that offers group health insurance.

How to Apply for Group Health Insurance

If you are employed by a company and they do not offer group health insurance, talk to the human resources manager, the board of the company or the owner. If you are doing this, be prepared with documentation, facts and information about how this can help the company improve their profit margin in some way.

Doing research online is another option, as most companies that offer group health insurance are more than willing to provide you with all of the information you need to sign up in a group health insurance plan.

All About Aetna Health Insurance?

In today’s health care industry, Aetna is one of the leading insurance companies and continues to impact the delivery of health care in the U.S. However, Aetna’s history dates back to more than half a century earlier when it started out as a life insurance company.

The History of Aetna Insurance Company

In 1850, Aetna Insurance Company organized an Annuity Fund to sell life insurance. Judge Eliphalet A. Bulkeley, who was a general counsel to the company became its president and prior to was the president of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, which was, when founded in 1846, the first life insurance company in Connecticut. The Annuity department separates from Aetna insurance and is incorporated as Aetna Insurance Company.

Aetna adopted its name from a well-known volcano, which at the time was approximately 11,000 feet and very active. Located in Sicily, Mount Etna was popular and represented great strength.

Aetna continued to build a great reputation in the life insurance and stock markets by providing dividends for its policyholders. In 1899, Aetna enters the health insurance business. It becomes one of the first stock insurance companies to enter the health insurance business.

In 1973, Aetna creates its first Health Maintenance Organization subsidiary. The HMO is a network of physicians that Aetna pays to treat and diagnose patients. Aetna is an American diversified health care benefits company, providing a range of traditional and consumer-related insurance products and including medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans.

Aetna Insurance Today

In today’s health market, the medical services are generally divided into the Aetna’s HMO, POS AND PPO plans. The products are group plans, purchased by employers, that allows the employees to access both in-network and out-of network providers. These plans may or may not require special authorization to undergo treatment if the providers are out-of-network.

Aetna provides benefits to small, mid and large employers in all 50 states. Aetna has been named one of the “most admired” companies in healthcare. Aetna also offers insurance for those not employed.

Aetna Health Insurance for Students

Today, Aetna Student Health is the market leader in providing coverage for more than 450,000 undergraduate and graduate students at institutions nationwide. Their clients include large and small, private and public institutions. Some have extensive student health services available on campus, while others offer minimal or no health services. Aetna is the national leader in creating affordable alternatives in student health care and group insurance. They continue to define a new standard for medical marketplace.

The Food and Drug Administration said the fat-blocking weight-loss pill orlistat, which has been available by prescription, can be sold in a reduced-strength version over the counter. This has been in effect since February 2007. While most unapproved weight loss supplements claim to help you lose fat, orlistat was the first to have the FDA actually back those claims by approving it.

The over the counter (OTC) drug is sold under the name ‘alli’ and the prescription version is called Xenical.

When taken with meals, orlistat blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat — about 150 to 200 calories worth — is passed out of the body in stools, which can be loose as a result.

The good news is that in trials, for every five pounds people lost through diet and exercise, those using orlistat lost an additional two to three pounds.

Who Should Use Orlistat?

The drug is intended for people 18 and older to use along with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise. Experts stress that the drug is intended for use along with diet and exercise programs, and that using the drug alone is unlikely to be beneficial.

Who Should Not Use Orlistat?

The FDA said people who have had organ transplants should not take orlistat because of possible drug interactions. In addition, anyone taking blood-thinning medicines or being treated for diabetes or thyroid disease should consult a physician before using orlistat, the agency said.

Anyone who is not willing to exercise and eat a lower calorie, lower fat diet, should not bother using the OTC version of orlistat, as they may see little to no results.

Side Effects

About half of patients in trials experienced gastrointestinal side effects, and most experienced lose stools. In fact, the most common side effect of the product is a change in bowel habits including loose stool and some oily spotting. Eating a low-fat diet will reduce the likelihood of this side effect.

On the downside, at least one expert has said that studies have associated the prescription version of orlistat with precancerous lesions of the colon. There are no studies linking the non-prescription version with precancerous lesions or any other disastrous side effects at this time.

Anthem Can Help You Get Health Insurance

Anthem Health Care offers a comprehensive set of benefit plans that can fit any employer’s needs for coverage. From group, individual, and prescription, to vision, dental, and even behavioral health coverage, Anthem health care seems to have an answer. Their coverage plans are comprehensive, and can be priced according to the size of your organization. They offer a wide range of solutions for care and coverage, and their website is very helpful in quoting the right plan to fit your need and your budget.

In addition to the quoting mechanism on their website (a very helpful planning and research tool) they also offer a complete set of tools for researching medical conditions and problems you or your family members or friends may be experiencing. Anthem health care offers a section of their site titled “MyHealth”. For a younger generation of people, their first and sometimes only research tool is the Internet. Anthem health care’s “MyHealth” could and would be a first stop in researching medical conditions.

Powered by WebMD, “MyHealth” offers a wide range of topics, news articles, and even quizzes to help you evaluate your current picture of health. “MyHealth” begins to separate Anthem health care from other similar providers. Clearly, their focus is on prevention and complete care of the individual.

Their website plans and pricing, as well as research tools, and alerts sets them apart from the rest. The even offer a complete line of tools and calculators to help you reach specific health goals you may have. From the simple BMI calculator, to the dessert wizard, nutrition quiz, and even rate your energy quiz, Anthem health care has your best interest at heart. They have put together the ‘real deal’ when it comes to health care.

If you are shopping around for new insurance for your company, be sure to look in to what Anthem health care can do for your business. For one employee or a group, they have the tools to give you the care you need and deserve.

Update: Anthem in the News

In the news recently, Anthem Health Insurance company was duly noted for donating a large sum of money to victims of the flooding in Wisconsin. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue shield is clearly trying to do the right thing by being a part of the solution in flood ravaged Wisconsin, and has donated $25,000 to the local Red Cross.

This kind of philanthropy will get you news coverage, but how can your company continue to strengthen its branding position in the market, certainly not by giving away money. A better decision here would be to provide quality health care to individuals, corporations, and groups. Still, they are trying.

All About COBRA Health Insurance

COBRA is an abbreviation for The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. This act was passed by congress in 1986 which allows the continuation of group health coverage benefits to employees and their families which might have been terminated otherwise due to loss of job, reduced work hours, transition between jobs or death and other life events.

However if they opt for COBRA they can extend their group health coverage for a time period of 18-36 months. COBRA provides continuation of group health coverage benefits for employees and their families, the employees are required pay the entire premium for the coverage themselves however this is usually less than individual health plan.

Why COBRA is a Good Choice

Since COBRA offers group health plan benefits at comparatively cheaper rates than individual health plans it might be a good option to go for. If you recently had health problems or you are suffering from health problems, for which you need to pay for costly medicines, it is only possible with a group health plan. If the new employer does not provide health plan or an individual is not eligible for private insurance, in these cases also, an individual can opt for COBRA until he gets an alternative and secures his future.

Who is Eligible for COBRA?

To be eligible for COBRA a company must have at least 20 employees, an employee must be enrolled with company’s health plan and the health plan must be active; i.e., if the health plan is discontinued by the company of employment COBRA automatically discontinues to provide health coverage. An employee who has been covered by group health plan before a situation where he looses the benefits of plan, is eligible. COBRA also covers employee’s spouse and dependent children. In certain cases it is also applicable for retired employees spouse and dependent children. If in case of divorce the spouse of a covered employee may also opt for COBRA coverage.

How to Apply for COBRA Health Insurance

Whenever an employees faces a situation where he looses the benefits of group health plan, he must notify the HR department of his company and ask for COBRA, a notification will be sent to plan administrator .The plan administrator sends an election notice within 14 days by first class mail on receipt of the notification for loss of group health coverage. The election notice describes the plan benefits and charges. Now the employee or beneficiary has to individually accept or decline the offer, within 60 days of loss of group health plan.

COBRA continuation coverage laws are administered by agencies like Departments of Labor and Treasury, Department of Health and Human Services which play important role in control and jurisdiction of COBRA plans.

What is Cigna Health Insurance?

Cigna Health Insurance is a broad spectrum healthcare coverage provider, and a leader in its industry. Currently, Cigna Health Insurance covers approximately nine million people in the United States, and is ranked as a Fortune 500 Company. In July of 2006, Cigna Health Insurance acquired Star HRG, which was an operating division of HealthMarkets, Inc. The company offers voluntary, limited benefit, and low-cost health coverage and employee benefits for hourly and part-time workers and their families.

Types of Coverage Provided by Cigna

Cigna Health Insurance provides medical benefits, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, prescription drug coverage. Recently, they have expanded their voluntary product portfolio to help cover the distance from limited benefit plans and traditional major medical plans. This allows employers to offer Fundamental Care, which is a more all-encompassing limited-benefit plan. This allows employees who are ineligible for or don’t have access to traditional healthcare plans to obtain more medical coverage. The Fundamental Care plan is designed to be available to companies with 51 or more eligible employees, and is generally 25% to 40% less expensive than traditional health care plans.

Who Could Best Utilize Cigna Health Care?

Cigna Health Insurance is an innovator in its field, knowing the needs of the public, and opening a door to families who thought previously they would never have decent medical coverage. It is a great plan for people on lower incomes, for students who work part-time, or retirees who aren’t quite ready for Medicare or Medicaid, but want to extend their coverage. I think it is wonderful that Cigna Health Insurance has introduced a product that people can really use, and it gives hope to people who need medical coverage but weren’t offered good enough benefits, or for those who work in an industry that doesn’t typically offer medical benefits.

Why You Might Want a Cigna Health Plan

Cigna Health Insurance offers consumer-driven health plans. This means individuals who are covered by Cigna Health Insurance have a greater opportunity to take charge of their own medical care. They offer a wide variety of programs and services so people can get the most for their money. If a family is in more need of prescription and medical coverage than they are of behavioral health, they have the option of customizing their plan so it is more geared towards their individual health-related goals.

Cigna Health Insurance also offers a customers a choice of seeing a doctor they want, or to choose the HMO option, where there is a network of Cigna-approved doctors and hospitals. Their Open Access, while it may cost a little more, is more flexible as far as seeing the patient’s doctor of choice for particular conditions and illnesses.

Cigna Health Insurance is a consumer-driven company who is giving the public what they need - coverage where they previously did not have it. It is an innovative company, and is now reaching many state and local governments, offering their benefits and services to state and local employees.

All About Humana Health Insurance

Humana Heath Insurance is an affordable option for all of your health insurance needs. Humana provides health insurance for individuals, as well as families. With Humana Health Insurance, members can get peace of mind, reducing their healthcare costs by taking advantage of an extensive provider network.

Types of Coverage Offered

Humana offers an Individual Health Plan as well as an HSA-qualified High Deductible Health Plan. There are a wide variety of annual deductible levels to fit the individual’s budget.

The Individual Health Plan offers coverage for preventive care, hospitalization, and emergency services. There are many benefit options for members to choose from. The zero-deductible prescription option allows immediate pharmacy benefits without a separate prescription drug deductible. The office visit co-payment options allows for up to four in-network office visits per year, and are paid at 100% after co-payment. Additionally, the maternity benefit covers pregnancy and newborn well-visits.

Reasons You Might Want Humana Health Care

The HAS-qualified High Deductible Health Plan is a perfect fit for those wanting coverage in case of serious illness or injury. Members of this plan may combine there HDHP with a Health Savings Account (HAS), allowing them to save money for any health expenses the might incur. This a great option, because contributions are tax free and earn interest.

Humana Health Insurance also offers a dental plan as an optional benefit. Dental preventive care is covered at 100% with no deductible. This plan also allows the individual to choose from over 80,000 dentist locations. The Humana Health Insurance dental plan also provides coverage for basic and major services, including fillings, extractions, endodontics, and periodontics. There is also a 20% discount on orthodontic services.

Who is Eligible for Humana Health Insurance?

Individuals and families in need of an affordable health plan are encouraged to apply with Humana Health Insurance. There are many different plans available to fit everyone’s needs, so you can customize a plan that is right for you. You are sure find a plan that is right for you by researching online. You can also sign up to be notified when Humana Health Insurance is available in your state.

What is HMO Health Insurance?

Health care in America is changing rapidly. Two decades ago, most people in the United States had indemnity insurance coverage. Indemnity insurance allows one to go to any doctor, hospital, or other provider (which would bill for each service given), and the insurance and the patient would each pay a portion of the bill.

An HMO is a health care organization that was created to lower health care costs for patients or others such as employers or the government. If you join an HMO, you get to use their services at a very low cost, much less than if you went to the doctor and paid for them.

Types of Health Insurance Coverage

Today, more than half of all Americans who have health insurance are enrolled in some kind of managed care plan - an organized way of both providing services and paying for them. The main types of managed care plans work include health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and point-of-service (POS) plans.

Why HMO Health Care is Good

HMOs are also appealing to those who pay for services because HMOs are usually large organizations that can buy services for thousands of people and, at the same time, decide what type of care they will receive. Both of these allow HMOs to lower the cost of health care and give companies cheaper health care rates for their employees.

The most obvious advantage to belonging to an HMO is cost. First, the premiums of managed care are usually lower than traditional health insurance. Secondly, HMOs and most other types of managed care plans only require that you co-payments for your medical care up front. Lastly, many HMOs require only a small co-payment for a visit to the doctor, a hospital stay, or a prescription. This is far less expensive than the usual 80 percent reimbursement of traditional health care insurance.

Disadvantages of HMO Health Insurance

Aside from the benefits, there are disadvantages as well. What most people dislike is the requirement that you use only doctors and hospitals that are part of the HMO plan. All HMO plans require you to use doctors and hospitals that are “in-network” or in their contracts. Your HMO will provide you with a list of doctors. Also, HMOs usually require you to choose a primary care physician who will be in charge of your health care. If you need other types of care, such as seeing a specialist or going to the hospital, you are first required to get approval from your primary care provider.

Also, HMOs operate on the concept of capitation - they receive a flat fee each month for each person they cover. While this creates a good mechanism for cost control, it can also lead to restrictive practices such as difficulty in assessing specialists or special drugs. If you do need specialists care, an HMO require approval from the primary care physician, which can be time-consuming and difficult for those with serious illnesses.

What is an exercise bike?

An exercise bike, or stationary bike, is piece of exercise equipment that looks and works like a bicycle, but remains in one place. Modern exercise bikes not only have pedals and handles, but some have computer screens to track time, speed, and more.

Many of these bikes also track calories burned, or have programmable resistance routines. These routines allow a person to specifically target weight loss or muscle growth. Some bikes also come with movable handles that allow the user to work out his or her upper body along with the lower

Some people enjoy using exercise bikes in lieu of treadmills or elliptical machines because the bikes are easier on knees and lower backs. Exercise bikes are considered low impact aerobic activity equipment. This means that less stress is put on leg and back joints while exercising. This is especially important for exercisers for whom traditional running is painful or difficult.

Furthermore, exercise bikes strengthen the core muscles of a person, including their back and stomach, which helps with posture and overall strength. Aerobic activity is very important for cardiovascular health, and has been shown to help prevent heart disease.

How can I choose a quality exercise bike?

One good recommendation is to visit with a salesperson in an athletic store. These employees are knowledgeable about exercise bikes, and can help you comparison shop. Before you go, however, consider what you want in a bike.

If you are looking for an upper body workout along with the lower, a bike with moving handles will work well for you. If you want programmable workouts, then a bike with a computer should be what you are looking for. It is also a good idea to look up product reviews on the internet. These reviews will give you an idea of what brands to steer away from, and which brands are of high quality.

Once you have narrowed your choices down, choosing a bike becomes a matter of comfort. Try out the floor models at the store. How do you fit on them? Are the pedals or seat adjustable? How comfortable are you with the computer screen? Is the seat comfortable? These questions are important because an ill-fitted or uncomfortable bike will not encourage you to exercise!

How can I use an exercise bike with my workout routine?

An exercise bike can replace the cardiovascular section of any workout routine. Many people use bikes instead of jogging on rainy, cold, or very hot days. Others choose to use them almost exclusively. Exercisers can also enhance a lower-body specific toning routine by doing high-resistance biking with a programmable bike. This will help build muscle while burning fat. Overall, these bikes are quite flexible and can fit into almost any exercise routine.

What is a Stair Stepper?

Stair Stepper, as the name suggests is an exercising product built to simulate natural stair climbing. It is also known as Stair Climber. It is used for doing aerobic exercise similar to natural walking or running up and down the stairs minus the stress that hard surface can put on your legs and knees.

Stair stepper is an excellent workout tool for working on your lower body parts - legs, butts, thighs and calves with the facility of adjustable resistance to make your workout soft or hard. It is a proven way to build your cardiovascular fitness too.

It’s important to research the various Stair steppers available in the market before purchasing one. The price ranges from few hundred dollars to around $ 2000. The advanced stair climbers have more features built in their electronic console and also offers pre-programmed workouts for different heart rate and intensities.

There are basically two types of Stair Steppers - Dependent and Independent. In Dependent Stair Stepper, when one stepper is pressed down then the other one comes up. In Independent Stair Stepper, the two steps are independent of each other and thus using it gives you more natural feeling.

How to Choose a Stair Stepper

Electronic display of statistics - Buy a Stair stepper that displays the basic information such as time elapsed, calories burnt, number of steps and heart rate.

Safety and Sturdiness - The Stair stepper must be strong and balanced enough with non slippery foot rest and base so it won’t topple over.

Smooth Stepping Motion and Long Life - Choose hydraulic Stair Stepper as it provides better quality silent movement and is strong enough to last longer as there is less wear and tear.

Space - If you are short of space for your Stair stepper then you should definitely consider Mini Stair Stepper. These steppers don’t have the rails for hand support and there is only the leg pedal portion. They are portable and can be easily stored in a very less space.

Price - Strike the right balance between the price and the features. A typical basic Stair Stepper for your home usage should cost you few hundred dollars. Don’t buy a Stair Stepper which has too many features that you probably would never use.

Before using a Stair stepper, you must consult your physician if you have some heart and orthopedic related problems.

Using a Stair Stepper is easy enough to be included in your overall fitness schedule.

How to Use a Stair Stepper

Warm up and stretching exercises for 5-10 minutes are needed before using Stair Stepper. Use comfortable cotton and workout designed special fabric clothing to make you feel cool. Use of well cushioned athletic shoes is also recommended to make your workout with the Stair Stepper more comfortable.

After the initial warm up, you should use the Stair Stepper at a lower step frequency and increase the intensity slowly keeping your back straight without leaning too much forward.

Use your heels and not the toes alternately on the step to press the step down enough to keep the distances between your steps short. Don’t press the step to the bottom or allow it to come up to the extreme top position, in order to maintain a comfortable stair stepping rhythm.

Increase the resistance to make your step action a little harder and try other program settings on your electronic console.

In the first few sessions with the Stair Stepper, use it for 10-15 minutes maximum. Increase it slowly to half an hour after a few sessions.

Perform cool down to make your heart rate drop to normal.