The market for insurance in the US is somewhat unusual. In most every other line of business, companies are allowed to compete with each other across state lines. This helps to keep pricing and the quality of the product to higher levels and protect the consumer. But, the insurance industry is licensed and regulated state-by-state. There’s no such thing as a federal insurance policy. You have to buy a policy written by a company licensed in the state where you live. This is frustrating because, if you live near the border, your friends and colleagues at work probably tell you how little they pay or complain you have the better deals. Either way, it’s not very fair. Worse, the companies often decide not to set up in all fifty states, but pick and choose where they will operate. The result is that many states only have a small number of licensed insurance companies. Because there is no real competition, their premium rates tend to be high. This produces a big political divide. In Republican states, this is the free market at work and no intervention is necessary. If you do not like this, move to another state which has lower rates. In Democratic states, there is more interest in protecting consumer interests. Some states have intervened in their local markets to introduce “managed competition”. Needless to say, this has outraged the insurance industry and the insurance agents who survive on the commission earned from the insurers. There have been heated debates between the lawmakers. Where the local Department or Office of Insurance has produced new rules, they have been referred to the local courts. Who would have thought helping millions of average people to save money on their premium rates would produce so much heat. Read more
It’s not a comforting thought but a lot of the food we put on our plates to eat is not safe. Of course, the marketing firms that sell us food would never want to talk about the problems in public. Their job is to highlight the good side, not the dark side, of food. But the national statistics tell a different story. The reality comes under two rather different headings. The first is all about food poisoning. Every now and again, you will see muted stories in the media reporting the recall of produce suspected of being the source of an E.Coli. Campylobacter or Salmonella outbreak. Most of the time, we ignore it. So, some bacteria was in the water used to irrigate the fields and the tomatoes made a few people sick. Except this is not something affecting a few people. According to the National Institutes of health, there are about 76 million cases of food poisoning every year. Put another way, you stand about a 1 in 3 chance of a bacterial infection every time you eat. Read more
60% of men over 40 are familiar with erectile dysfunction. That means more than half of them are not satisfied in bed. It may be shameful and embarrassing but really, it is not that bad. There is a medication for almost anything you can possible think of. Erectile dysfunction problem is not an exception. The worst thing men can do is try to avoid the subject making it a taboo topic. This, in its turn, distances them from the solution and salvation of the issue. Some say it is better to leave it as it is than confess having sexual malfunctioning being young. It is not true. Doctors are there to help and we much never make them our enemies. They are the people that are supposed to choose a correct path for us and guide us through the period of illness. Erectile dysfunction medication should not be complex; it can be as difficult as you want it to be. If you allow yourself to take long with it, the recovery may last forever – if you know how much time you have to get it over with – act now. Read more
