Kaiser Foundation Health

Based on research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, American children watch, on average, 4 hours of television per day. If you think that this is not so bad- it could be worse – think again; for every child that watches 2 hours a day, another watches 6! The point is that children and adults as well, can see up to 35,000 commercials a year, each and everyone one of them promoting unrealistic expectations, primarily of body image.

We all have different body types; it’s not to say that it in any way ‘normal’ to be morbidly obese, but some of us are thin and others, naturally bigger. While television and other types of media bombard us with the message that we have to be thin (all the while selling us a million types of greasy, disgusting processed foods), other sources promote fad diets as the ultimate solution to all our weight-related issues.

What are fad diets? They are, simply speaking, diets that are nothing more than a flash in the pan. They seem to work, then the fad passes and we’re on to the next one. So what happens to yesterday’s fad diet? Didn’t it work? Funny enough, in most cases, fad diets do work, at least in the short term. They are normally based on not eating a whole macronutrient group, such as proteins, carbohydrates or fat, or perhaps eating a lot of a single type of food, or avoiding something in particular.

This type of nutrition certainly shocks your body, and in the short term, you will lose pounds like they’re going out of style. The problem is that as the spotlight moves elsewhere, and it ALWAYS does, those that followed those diets are left swinging in the wind. Inevitably, the consequences of avoiding a whole macronutrient become unbearable, and they start eating what they were avoiding again, however since the body is used to being starved, it takes this opportunity to make reserves; you gain fat, much more than you previously lost.

The only way to permanently lose weight does not reside in fad diets; the secret, and it’s hardly a mystery, is a healthy, balanced diet, containing all the food groups, and particularly rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. It is sometimes helpful to supplement your diet with protein bars, especially if you are trying to avoid meat or other animal proteins, and are unsure on how to guarantee a proper essential amino acid intake dealing only with vegetal and legume sources.

There are of course other forms that protein supplements can take, like powders and ready-to-drink (RTD) shakes, but protein bars offer convenience like nothing else; you can carry them anywhere you want, they require no preparation, and it’s not weird to eat them, in any setting. Imagine stepping out of an important meeting to mix a shake because you feel that a little protein would do you some good!

Always remember that you are, quite literally, what you eat. If you follow a fad diet and avoid a whole macronutrient group for the sake of losing weight faster, there will be, also literally, a part of you missing. You may not see it, but you’ll usually not have to wait to long to feel the consequences.

State health insurance exchanges are starting to be created as one of the most important component of healthcare reform for small businesses and individual households. Medical Health Insurance Exchanges will facilitate the purchasing of individual and small group insurance via State run websites. Customers will be able to go on line and be guided by efficient insurance exchanges permitting them to research, shop, compare and buy medical health insurance.

In 2014 Each State or Regional Exchange will perform important functions when the health reform law expands coverage to around 30 million Americans. Using the web site might be difficult for some people so there is going to be a Toll-free phone number and local offices to explain the alternatives. Once an individual has an understanding of their options and the details of each health plan, consumers can request help with an application for coverage,

The role of a personal insurance agent is very helpful for consumers to understand the complexity of medical health insurance. It looks like the role of independent insurance agents within the framework of the exchange model will still be helpful however it is not clear yet how they will be linked to the system.

These new Exchanges will become a gateway for State Medicaid programs as well as other public health programs. One of their mandates will be to decide one’s eligibility for a public plan if available and help with their enrollment. Individuals can still buy health on their own. Anyone that is eligible for premium subsidies has to use the exchange.

States have been laboratories for innovative government solutions. Right now states are researching exchange marketplaces. They will be able to set one up as an individual state, as a coalition with other states or use a federal design for their residents. A federal insurance plan will always be an option within any exchange as one of the choices.

Each State’s efforts to enact national health care reform have proceeded at different speeds. States are already working to establish Exchanges. Almost fifty States accepted grants to help in their research and planning stages of Exchanges. More than 50% of them are already working with their legislature to implement an exchange by the 2014 deadline. A few states have decided not to do anything at this time.

In a resource that has been set up by the Kaiser Family Foundation you are able to keep track of what states are doing in regards to creating health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Exchange Monitor always features new data and was described in our last Blog where you can access their information.

In our upcoming Blog I will include details of developments for Washington State Health insurance clients as well as policies provided by the LifeWise and Regence insurance companies to help individuals and bloggers who need more specific information. If you would like to provide helpful news please don’t hesitate to join in our forum.

Louis Hammer

Over 25 years experience in the Insurance industry.

Masters of Administration