Comments for Healthsgateway

Comment on Should vegetarians be required to pay as much for health and life insurance? by helena.gardner

helena.gardner — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:57:44 +0000

What is the name of this company in England that offers a 25% discount?

Comment on Should vegetarians be required to pay as much for health and life insurance? by Heike P

Heike P — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:07:47 +0000

It would be nice if they would have lower premium health-care coverage for all people,that don`t have to visit a doctor very often,I am not a vegetarian.I like just a little bit of Meat with my dinner.I pay about $2808.00 a year for family health care to my insurance and if lucky we might go to the Doctor once or twice a year.My Co-Pay is $10.00 per visit.Plus for everything else i have to pay 10% of all until i reach my $1000.00 a year.That is a lot of money i could use on a good savings account and other things we need.The problem is that we have to many Hypochondriac`s in this country and we are the once to have to pick up their tab.The government aught to change their regulations for a lot of reasons,but since they also seem to profit from the insurance business ,they probably wouldn`t want to change anything.We just have to sit back and except it.I am glad that i can get health insurance.It does ease my mind.Just in case something serious does happen to us some day.A discount or Tax deduction for us would be a good nice.

Comment on Should vegetarians be required to pay as much for health and life insurance? by FM

FM — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:13:34 +0000

I don’t think it’s possible to figure out how to make this work if it were to be done anyway.

The real issue is to improve the overall health of the people. Health care costs continue to increase. Here are stats:
2004 death tables:
1)Heart disease: 654,092
2)Cancer: 550,270
3)Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,147

Cost of heart disease:
“In 2005, the cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States is projected to exceed $394 billion: $242 billion for health care expenditures and $152 billion for lost productivity from death and disability”

General Motors alone pays around $4 billion a year for the health care of retired employees (and families). This is part of the reason they have difficulties competing in the marketplace.

I saw a story about GM introducing plans for their workers to promote healthy lifestyles to help reduce their medical costs as a company and have healthier workers.

Thing that could be done concerning heart disease:
“Much of the burden of heart disease and stroke could be eliminated by reducing their major risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.”

And about cancer:
“The number of new cancer cases can be reduced substantially, and many cancer deaths can be prevented. Adopting healthier lifestyles—for example, avoiding tobacco use, increasing physical activity, achieving optimal weight, improving nutrition, and avoiding sun exposure—can significantly reduce a person’s risk for cancer.”

Comment on Should vegetarians be required to pay as much for health and life insurance? by Drew K

Drew K — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:18:15 +0000

The dietary intake of one person as compared to another does not necessarily guarantee a healthier life. Important factors such as exercise and activity levels need to be taken into account aside from something as simple as intakes. For the majority of things health related, being a vegetarian won’t matter much. Sure it can make an impact on cholesterol and heart disease, but the remaining issues that would not be addressed would be that which the health care would cover. As to why a company would be offering that incentive as such, it could be to inspire people to become vegetarians or eat healthier… it does bring into question on how such a company would enforce or monitor that policy however.

Why pay for health care of those who do eat meat? Why pay school taxes if you have no children in school. Why aid in advances in science that would have no benefit for at least another few generations. Because it aids life, and who has the right to deny quality treatment because of what one does, or can afford to eat.

Comment on Should vegetarians be required to pay as much for health and life insurance? by mike

mike — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:05:12 +0000

Absolutley Vegeterians should pay the same as other americans. Medical research is finding out that vegetarian diets are suspected in a variety of ailments. Low protein diets / high carb diets are postulated to create catabolic imbalances in the body that lead to degenerative disc disease (a disease you likley have and dont realise it, if you are over 18 years of age) and other diseases related to the body claiming protein from other organ sources in the absence of protein in diet. Vegetarian diets are simply less studied – as such they are presumed safer… an unproven and potentialy dangerous assumption. Prehistoric humans were opportunistic omnivores. Assuming humans in their completley natural states might shed light on the preffered human diet in the 21st century one must assume that the vegetarian diet is as abnormal as the totaly carnivorous diet. And, therefore as such, is not ideal. Presuming this diet, since it is claimed to be favorable to preventing heart disease (a common killer in the industrialized world) is somehow safer in general, and therefore cheaper for insurers is simply unproven and irresponsible. Especially given the fact that by the age of 30 yrs, 80 percent of the population experiences an episode of back pain requiring a doctors care and therefore an insurable expense that is disproportionatley costly. The common western diet is high carbohydrate and thus, contributory to Degenrative Disc Disease and back pain – this is consistent with vegetarian diets as well due to their high carb content.