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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Migraines and Health Coverage: What Does your Insurance Cover?

By Josh Deither

Everyone is starting to find it harder to buy health insurance coverage for themselves. If you are looking for family coverage (which includes coverage for wife and children), the premiums are so high that you're usually looking at more than a week's worth of pay for their cost. As list of medical conditions that are "not covered/just barely covered" continues to increase, the other side of the list - which is what most of us consider needed health coverage - goes down. When you combine that reality with how many people are unable to pay the overpriced premiums each month, you begin to realize why many could end up being in danger of having a lot of medical conditions that could require treatment.


Migraine headaches are the most recent fatality to come from limitations set by the insurance companies. In the past these incapacitating headaches created a learning experience for the medical profession as treatment ranged from tranquilizers, muscle relaxers, and a variety of pain killers.

In the 1980's and 1990's, medicines requiring a physician's permission were created to specifically target migraine relief. These medications were prescribed by themselves or in conjunction with pain or other medicines. Now, in the current day and age, many prescriptions designed expressly for severe headaches have been created, and can be obtained by patients all over the United States and the world. N/A Unfortunately, these kinds of migraine prescriptions also tend to be extremely expensive, and are either only minimally paid for or completely excluded by many medical insurance plans.

Medications developed specifically for migraines, and meant to be taken with every migraine, are often doled out in amounts of 8 to 12 pills monthly. This leaves the patient with the task of determining which migraines they can medicate and which they must suffer through to conserve medication. Insurance will not pay for early refills and so the patient must pay the lion's share of the exorbitant cost. Even when a patient is up to date on their insurance premium payments, they often can not make use of that insurance to purchase the medications they really need. Migraine headaches can signal other health conditions. They have been linked to stroke. Are there other options for those who cannot afford the cost of medication?

Medicaid is one such possibility applied for by increasing numbers of people every month. But of course, as with all government sponsored programs, Medicaid is highly regulated, difficult to qualify for financially and mired in endless paperwork and bureaucracy. Income restrictions are strict and closely monitored. The government will also periodically review your case and all appointments must be met and phone calls returned promptly or your benefits could be canceled immediately without notice.

Ironically, at a time when there exist medications that can treat migraines, insurance businesses are basically withholding these remedies by imposing financial or other restrictions upon the patients. Migraine patients could simply be victims of the most recent condition restricted by insurance, but is a solution available to assist them in obtaining the remedy they require? The current presidential administration is taking this and other concerns under consideration. With any luck, some solutions will be forthcoming. - 23211

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Will Diesel Prices Ever Come Down?

By Wayne Truter

History has it that the gasoline prices have been higher than the diesel fuel prices. But then again, this does not always hold true. During some winters, the demand for distillate heating oil increases which also raises the price of diesel fuel?so much so that is becomes more expensive than gasoline.

In the United States since September 2004, the price of diesel fuel has been by and large higher than the price of gasoline all year round and this is due to numerous reasons. The worldwide steady increase of demand for diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils has put pressure on the tight global refining capacity?more so with the strong demand of such products in China, Europe, and the United States.The transition from low sulfur diesel (LSD) fuel to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel in the United States has affected the diesel fuel production and distribution costs. This is due to the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for diesel fuel sulfur content.

Another reason for this shift in the norm between gasoline and diesel fuel prices is that the federal excise tax on the latter is higher than the tax on gasoline.The Primary Factors Affecting The Price Of Diesel Cost and supply of crude oil ? The worldwide supply and demand of crude oil determines its price, and the rising demand has put great pressure on the supply. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has all of the spare production capacity and possesses a significant percentage of the world?s crude oil reserves. The prices spike as a response to the disorder in the international and domestic crude oil supply.

How does water fuel come about? Here's a quick look at the science behind this amazing piece of technology. Electrolysis is the process by which water is converted to usable hydrogen gas. The device that initiates the electrolysis gets its power from the car's battery -- the circuit is fired up and hydrogen gas is ready to go. The gas is then released into the engine's air intake system where it travels through the combustion chambers and mixes with a little bit of diesel. This economical mixture of hydrogen gas and diesel makes for a perfect combination that maximizes the car's mileage and saves you gas money which is essentially the whole point of using alternative fuels.

Seasonality in the demand for diesel fuel and distillates ? The price of diesel fuel slowly rises during the fall, declines in the late winter, rises through the early spring, and then declines in the summer. The demand by farmers during the different seasons creates an upward pressure on the diesel prices.Transportation costs ? The distance between the retail location and distribution terminals and refineries has a direct relationship with the transportation cost?that is, an increase in one increases the other.Regional operating costs and local competition ? Depending on the location of the dealer, the cost of doing business varies which include wages and salaries, benefits, equipment, lease, insurance, overhead, and state and local fees. Even if retail stations are in close proximity to one another, they still have differing costs. Another factor that affects diesel fuel prices is the number and location of the local competitors.And will this fuel prices ever effect our car insurance estimates, if fuel goes up our insurances must come down. - 23211

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Four Ways to Low Cost Auto Insurance

By Bill Brankar

Saving on auto insurance isn't a sure thing as some advertisers might have you believe but even so it's almost a sure thing if you just look long enough. That's because there are so many different insurance companies and types of insurance policies.

If you're ready to go price shopping, be sure to get price quotes from more that one company. You need to understand that each company not only has different prices but also different ways of calculating those prices and many different coverage options. Make sure that you are comparing similar coverage from company to company.

Here are four tips for getting the most for your money when it comes to auto insurance.

1. Combine Policies - Often you can get the best deal from the same company that insures you in other areas. Check with your homeowner insurer, for example, or your life insurer (assuming they also offer car insurance). They may have preferred rates for current customers. They may also give you a lower rate because you are a long term customer.

2. Group Policies - Just like group health insurance, you can usually get better rates if you are part of a group automotive plan. That's because insurers are able to average and spread the risk over a group of people who have lower accident rates than the general public. Groups include professional organizations, companies, alumni groups and hobbyists like motor cycle clubs, antique car clubs, etc. Some groups like AAA save millions of dollars a year for their members.

3. Behavioral Discounts - Many insurance companies offer special rates for "good behavior." This might include factors such as a good driving records, and/or low accident rates. Further afield it might also include students with good grades and people that have taken drivers training courses. Every insurance company has a different idea of what constitutes "good behavior" and how that might affect their insurance rates. Be sure to ask what good behavior discounts your company offers.

4. Smaller Insurance Companies - Its not uncommon for smaller insurance companies to give special rates to drivers when compared to the larger companies. This can occur in areas where these companies may be aggressively expanding their customer base, or it may be part of a general plan to insure only certain categories of lower risk drivers.

Comparing your current insurance rates with what other companies have to offer often pays big dividends. It may even be a good idea to do a price comparison every year or two since companies, markets, and economic conditions change rapidly from year to year.

Because the insurance industry is so competitive, it is usually not too hard to find a company that's willing to give you a better deal than the one you have. - 23211

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Profiting with Safe Investment Properties

By Cody Scholberg

The layperson, or a non-businessman, has his or her best chance at money money through the field of real estate. This is because real estate is the easiest field in which you can acquire other people's money, and it is the field in which a total loss of value is least likely.

Speculation versus Investment.

Investment and speculation are quite different from each other. One relies on hard facts, and the other relies on chance and good guessing. Most so-called investors are actually speculators, even though they think they are investors. These people often spend a huge amount of time "researching." Research to them is reading market conditions and the opinions of experts and then trying to predict the future prices of their investments. A real investor's only concern about the future, on the other hand, is the price dropping; he or she wants to guard against this. So, a real investor looks for two things: safety and profit. If either of these things are not present and are not assured beyond a reasonable doubt, then he or she will not consider it an investment, but a speculative operation.

Safety

Property has two values assigned to it: the intrinsic value and the price. The intrinsic value is what the property should be priced, while the price is what the property is actually priced. Investors are more concerned with the intrinsic value than the price. They watch the price until it drops significantly below the intrinsic value, and then they buy the property. Afterwards, the price no longer concerns them. If a market is so inflated that there are no prices below the intrinsic values, you should move to a different area, as speculation is the only strategy available in those areas.

The price that the property is bought at must be significantly below the intrinsic value, otherwise the investment is no good. Remember that the intrinsic value is not a fixed value, but a general ball park. If one buys something in a ball park substantially below the intrinsic value ball park, then one is sure of getting a good deal.

Eighty percent or below the intrinsic value: this is the criteria we use when looking at price to determine if we should buy the investment property or not. This will give us a margin of safety. If the price of the home should drop in the future, we have a twenty percent buffer before we feel any impact. Sure, the price may be lower than when we bought it, but remember that we are concerned with value. If the price does drop more than twenty percent, the impact is lessened by our safety barrier.

We must not rely on appreciation, for this is speculation. Predicting the future is impossible, as nobody is a fortune teller. Instead, we should use a strategy that assures us of a profit.

Find a home with a solid, firm foundation, but be sure it is in need of surface level repairs. Subtract the price paid for the home per square foot minus the new construction cost of comparable homes per square foot. This difference should be at least double the repair expense estimate. When we do this, we can buy and repair the property. For every dollar we put into it, we get two or more back when we sell. This assures us of a profit, and our margin of safety assures us of safety. If we follow these strategies, we are true investors. - 23211

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How We Can Find Cheap Van Insurance for Business!

By Rob Mcleary

1. In the current financial recession the price of vans to buy new or second hand have came down in price. Getting you a great saving, you could add to this by buying your van insurance online!

2. A great reason for buying your insurance online is that it is much more convenient than calling round all the insurers separately. If you have a busy life style the last thing you want to be doing is spending days looking for a van insurance. Some online van insurance sites also offer van accessories which could also save you time.

3. If you are buying a second hand van, most people would prefer to go to a showroom or auction where you can test drive the vehicle before you hand over your well earned cash. When you buy your van online from a website that offers van insurance as well you have to take the sellers word for the condition of the van. Lets be honest you should never send cash before seeing what you are buying!

4. Looking for your van insurance online means that you can check many quote rates at the one time giving you an advantage over using the phone. You can also clearly see their terms and conditions before you buy your policy. So instead of dealing with on provider at a time you can have them up to 15 quotes available at the one time.

5. The other reason for buying cheap van insurance online is that you can do some great homework before picking the perfect policy for you. There are hundred of websites offering information on van insurance and you can find it easy to know what you are looking for. It can help when you come to buying a policy, knowing how to get through the jargon can mean you save money on the right type of van insurance policy.

6. One of the great things about looking for online van insurance is that you can find blogs written by people in the same situation. They can give you their point of view and some times show you some faults in van insurance policies that you might have over looked. These blogs are great resources of information, and can help you make a more informed decision on the best insurance provider for you.

7. If you vehicle is old or new you still need to have van insurance before you can drive it legally. Getting the information you need to know before hand could save you money in the long run. You should always know what you are looking for that way you can't be missed soled a policy that doesn't cover your needs. - 23211

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