All posts in Health Care

Healthcare Expenses Increasing Faster than Personal Revenue

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According to the Commonwealth Fund, health insurance costs are rising faster than personal income in all 50 states. Deductibles and other out of pocket expenses continue to go up, while incomes are going down. The Commonwealth Fund’s study discovered several reasons for the rise in health care costs over recent years. Among the findings, it was discovered that employers are charging their employees higher costs to participate in health care plans. In addition, deductibles have risen 98 percent since 2003. This means that most people will have to pay for their own healthcare costs out of pocket for a greater length of time before their coverage kicks in. in addition, total premiums that employees pay annually average $3,721.

This news hits close to home for many Americans who are dealing with other economic problems already. With employment rates mostly stagnating, foreclosures going up, student loan debt reaching one trillion dollars, and incomes going down, it’s not getting any easier for most Americans to stay financially solvent in these trying times. For many Americans, the rise in health care costs is beginning to make the very idea of survival economically prohibitive. .

Many Americans, on the other hand, are being forced to discover creative new ways to pay for their health care costs. For example, some individuals whose incomes are preventing them from getting covered may take out short term loans in order to meet rising medical costs. Many short term loans are available, each coming with its distinct set of pros and cons. Payday loans, for instance, are one of the most popular types of short term loan. However, for most Americans they’re not a feasible option for paying medical costs since they are usually only for a small amount and come with a short repayment period. This may influence some to turn instead to collateral loans, which offer a more robust amount in exchange for some piece of the borrower’s property. One type of collateral loan that’s becoming increasingly popular is called a car title loan. Motorists may find these to be a better option than other short term loans since they typically charge lower interest and come with longer repayment periods. Consumers who are interested in more information about car title loans can access sites such as and

While there may be more than one way to skin the cat of health care costs, one thing is certain. Americans are going to need to take all the financial help they can get as health care costs continue to make themselves out of reach. It’s simply irresponsible to live without health insurance, even if you find that it takes a chunk out of your discretionary income. To pay for ever rising health care costs, Americans will just have to budget more wisely.

Healthcare Reform Rising Costs of Benefits Puts Onus on Employees

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Up to 159 million Americans (52 percent) are covered by employer-sponsored plans. The Affordable Care Act is changing the group health insurance scenario. Employers are concerned about the rising cost of per-employee benefit costs and are expecting their employees to contribute more out of their pay checks to the benefits package. This is borne out by the results of several studies, including ERCs recently published 2011/2012 Policies & Benefits Survey covering Northeast Ohio employers.

Recent Deloitte and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS) research1 indicates that 85% of employers expect new health insurance law to raise per-employee benefit costs. Employees are expected to help employers face this challenge by paying more out of their pay checks to their benefits package. In fact, the focus on controlling healthcare costs is evident: 73% of the employers surveyed said that health care reform will push them to reevaluate their benefits packages over the next 12 months in light of health reform changes. Sixty-two per cent of employers have already made cost-sharing a part of their benefits packages.

Two-thirds of the Deloitte employer respondents are making no immediate changes to their benefit programs and adopting a “wait and see” approach for final healthcare reform provisions that may reduce plan design flexibility.

More controversial was the recent McKinsey & Company survey2 of 1,300 employers in early 2011 which found that 30% said they would “definitely or probably” stop offering employer coverage after 2014. Nearly half of the employers said they would consider alternatives to their current plans, including an insurance option that would only offer coverage only to certain employees.

A survey conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the Urban Institute3 last year showed that in 2010, employees with coverage contributed a greater share of the total premium, a significant change from the steady share they paid on average over the last decade. In 2010, covered employees on average contributed 19% of the total premium for single coverage (up from 17% in 2009) and 30% for family coverage (up from 27% in 2009).

According to ERCs 2011 survey, Northeast Ohio employers report that the average health insurance deductible paid by employees has risen significantly since 2009. As organizations strive to cope with the increase in costs, they are resorting to greater cost-sharing with employees. The survey indicates that employees’ co-pay amounts and contribution to group health insurance premiums also increased in the last two years.

Competing objectives are complicating matters. Deloitte/ISCEBS rates employers top five total reward priorities as:

Cost of healthcare benefits Employees willingness to share more of the benefit Ability of the benefits program to attract, motivate and retain talent Ability to comply with and adjust to PPACA’s mandate Clear alignment of total reward strategy with business strategy and brand

A Course That Adds Strength To Healthcare Delivery

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Healthcare management education through its programme delivers a high-quality education that is intellectually attentive and up-to-date, as well as pertinent to the requirements of existing and upcoming clinicians, executives and managers in the healthcare sector. The programme has a business management tendency as it draws the attention towards a widened base of management theory. It is drafted to provide participants with techniques, models, ideas and examples, which would help its students to upgrade the presentation of care to patients in their future. It is based on specially integrated modules that give students a detailed grounding in the basic management scenarios which are followed by specialist modules in specific facet of healthcare management education. This module provides detailed awareness into the concepts of developing and managing people by delivery best healthcare services. These concepts are expressed to define the management challenges involved in running a successful health service.

Healthcare Education courses grooms personal development skills that are required for managing change and revolution. Under healthcare education course various modules are discussed and made to understand such as resource, stock or financial management. And this provides the foundation for grasping, analysing and expounding information. It permits the candidate to apply analytical principles and financial promptness and decision making skill across operations. Health care quality management explores the nature of health care quality. Effective healthcare education enables the students to understand the system of service delivery and allows them to bear a approach towards continuous quality advancement. It aims on management as a reason to grab improvised standards and patient contentment. Healthcare system, function and its structure deals with the composite management and administrative needs of a modern health system.

Its main role in the programme is to emphasize the general management principles in context to health care. It also trains the students on Organisational behaviour and this is a study of forms, processes and structures of organisations with the human characteristics of psychology at work. The module downloads an insight into the principles on which organisations are built and supports the analytical processes for grasping behaviour at work and managerial processes. Students are also made familiar with professionals in Health care which narrates an issue in all health care systems while working and managing professionals. It explores and trains students an extensive gamut of issues related with professionalization and organisational learning. Health economics explores understanding to health economics and explore the impression of paucity, which is as applicable in the health sector as it is in others. It enables the students to understand how resources are used in the best possible ways.

Healthcare Management education through its programme prepare budding managers in attaining the utmost knowledge base and skill sets for a career growth not only in the Healthcare Industry but also in areas such as government offices, NGOs, hospitals, corporate houses, insurance companies, medical tourism industry etc.Careers in healthcare management provides ample of opportunities for individuals who have a calibre for efficient and effective management.

Effective Pitching Practices for Healthcare Public Relations

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Healthcare public relations efforts are fueled by effective pitching and landing coverage. Through developing relationships with targeted reporters and news outlets, healthcare companies and organizations can better inform the public of their mission, policies and practices. Here is some advice on effectively pitching to health and healthcare reporters.

Find the most relevant person at the most relevant outlet. Targeting specific media outlets and specific journalists for each pitch increases the likelihood of landing coverage. Honing in this way allows for you to take a step back and really consider your audience. Who is this pitch intended to reach? What media outlets do these people pay attention to? What journalists have recently covered this topic? These are all good questions for healthcare public relations practitioners to ask themselves before pitching.

Check editorial calendars. Editorial calendars inform healthcare public relations practitioners when and what publications will be writing about. This should always be checked before pitching because they will be beneficial in coming up with the best pitching angles. To illustrate, perhaps a top healthcare trade publication is doing a special feature on heart disease. As the healthcare public relations representative for a company that specializes in treatment options for heart disease, this is the perfect opportunity to have a spokesperson provide commentary.

Break through the noise. Journalists receive numerous email and phone pitches daily. In order to stand out, your pitch needs to be creative, different and memorable. Entice journalists by playing to their interests. The reader should be instantly engaged in your pitch and want to read on. Any pitch that seems too much like an ad will likely be disregarded by journalists. To avoid having a pitch that is too self-promoting, it is important to stretch beyond and tie to a larger issue or event.

Simplicity is key. When pitching to the media, keep pitches short and to the point. The point of utilizing pitching for your healthcare public relations efforts is to get the media hooked and make them want more information from you. Therefore, there is no need to include every detail in your pitch. This also sets the stage for you to develop two-way communication and relationships with these journalists.

Through using the above tips, healthcare companies and organizations should be able to pitch more effectively and see an increase in landing placements. This will not only increase media coverage, but position health care companies and organizations ahead of the competition.

Kevin Waddel is a free lance writer. To get more information about Public relations, Public Relations New York, New York city public relations, Healthcare Public Relations, PR, NYC Public Relations Firms, Financial Services Relations in New York visit

Tej Kohli Foundation Works To Provide Healthcare To India’s Poorest People

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A recent review of public healthcare spending indicates that India ranks 171 out of 175 countries in the amount of money spent. India spends less than 5.2 percent of the GDP – 4.3 percent is contributed by the private sector leaving the government to spend only 0.9 percent on public healthcare.

While India has made great economic strides over the past decade, it is still the poorest country in the world with 51 percent of its population or 844 million people living in oppressive poverty. While the economic development of the country is proceeding at a sound pace, the health of the population is dropping. The urgent need to provide basic healthcare to India’s most impoverished people is a concern of many different humanitarian and religious relief groups.

The Tej Kohli Foundation, a privately funded non-profit humanitarian relief organization based in Guragaon, India, is one of the many charities offering aid and assistance to thousands of India’s poorest children. Compelled by an awareness of the need and by a heartfelt desire to help make the world a healthier, happier place, India born entrepreneur Tej Kohli established the foundation in 2005. Entirely financially funded by Mr. Kohli, the Tej Kohli Foundation attempts to lift the burden of poverty by providing food, educational opportunities, clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and medical services to India’s poorest people.

Tej Kohli, visionary philanthropist, international businessman and chief donor to the Tej Kohli Foundation notes, “Children determine the future. If a country nurtures these children’s talents from a young age, it will be capable of raising its living standards. The Tej Kohli Foundation cannot cater to each and every child in India but we hope our work will encourage our country to unite and make life better for Indian children”.

Staffed by a compassionate group of dedicated volunteers, the Tej Kohli Foundation strives to reduce poverty and illiteracy, launching education and health programs in both India and Costa Rica. The Tej Kohli Foundation operates on the premise that -the desire to help others is a primary human drive that, if harnessed correctly, inestimably benefits those who receive it.- Holding a diverse portfolio of commercial and charitable operations in India, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe, Tej Kohli is an international businessman and compassionate philanthropist; a shining example of -compassion in action.-

“I’m just happy to help spread a little bit of happiness into their lives,” says Tej. “And as we grow we’ll help a lot more people have a chance at a lasting, brighter future.”