Predicting Your Medical Future | Newsweek Health for Life

A Guide to Predicting Your Medical Future

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Mammograms: Mammograms are often recommended for women every one or two years after 40; by 50, they're an even better idea. Women with family histories should get a mammogram every year. In early 2007 the American Cancer Society recommended annual MRIs for those at high risk, too. (Not all docs agree with this policy.) Finally, women with family histories of either breast or ovarian cancer should get their BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes checked for mutations linked to both diseases.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry: You won't need the DXA osteoporosis screen until 65, unless you have risk factors such as family history and low body weight. Women who don't use hormone therapy are also at higher risk. If you fit these descriptions, it's not a bad idea to get screened early.

MEN

PSA screening: The jury is out on whether all men over 50 should get this test for prostate cancer, which measures blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, a protein (see page 69). It's often used along with the digital rectal exam. Trials have been unable to find solid evidence for or against prostate-cancer screening. Part of the problem is that the disease isn't necessarily deadly. "It's often very slow-growing, and we're not sure how much benefit you gain from finding it early," says King. "A lot of men die of heart disease long before prostate cancer gets them." Widespread screening can result in false positives and unnecessary biopsies. Bottom line: consult your doctor and make up your own mind.

EVERYONE

Colonoscopy: It's rare for the USPSTF to give a grade-A recommendation to a screen aimed at the general population. But colon cancer gets one: the agency "strongly recommends" screening for those over 50. There are four good methods. Colonoscopy, which makes use of a long, thin tube with a camera attached, may be the best known. Have your first one at 50 and another at 60. If you have a history of certain kinds of polyps or a family history of colon cancer, your doc may recommend more-frequent testing.

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Did you know that if McCain is elected you will have to pay income tax on the value of the medical insurance that your employer gives you? Worse still, he is offering a tax break for people who pay their own insurance, BUT only $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

Let's say you have a family of four. Your insurance policy costs would be at least $1,500-2,500 per month under a self-pay plan, which cost more than employer group plans. So, you pay $18,000 -$30,000 per year for insurance, and you get to deduct only $5,000 of that. If you paid $25,000 for you insurance, you would be out of pocket $20,000 per year. This is FAR WORSE than the current system, where if you are self employed you can deduct 100% of you medical insurance costs.

So, if you're not self employed, you would stick with your Employer's plan. Employer plans for a family of four have a value of $900-$1,500 per month totaling 10,800-$18,000 per year. Surprise! On April 15th, you owe tax on all of that as INCOME to you. Say your bracket is 25%, and the value of your Employer medical plan is $14,000. You will OWE THE IRS an additional $3,500, and that's ON TOP of whatever monthly premium you already pay to your employer for your insurance.

Many analysts say that McCain's new rules would encourage employers to stop offering health benefits. If that happened, then far fewer Americans would be insured than are insured today, because what family of four can afford $18,000-$30,000 out of pocket per year for self-pay health insurance?

Furthermore, McCain's plan does not require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions of people who self-pay their insurance. People under employer group plans have all of their pre-existing conditions covered. This is a hugely unfair aspect of the current system. Insurance companies can afford to cover the pre-existing conditions of the much larger pool of people with group insurance, but they refuse to pay the pre-existing conditions on the smaller pool of self-pay customers. They have been allowed to price gouge the self-pay customers, which is a form of market manipulation that should be illegal.

So let's say one of your kids had diabetes and you have high blood pressure, then your employer stops offering insurance. You now have to buy your own, but you and your child are INELIGIBLE due to pre-existing conditions. Oh, yeah, they will let you buy the insurance, but you can't use it for any pre-existing condition until you have paid on time every month for two years. And you know what happens at one year and 11 months? You get a letter saying your policy has been cancelled. I have many patients this has happened to.

McCain's plan SUCKS.

It does nothing to help middle class working Americans afford or obtain medical insurance. In fact, it makes the current system WORSE.

Member Comments

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Posted By: edcmfood @ 08/03/2008 10:31:49 PM

Nins @- Where are you getting your information from? I'd like to read further
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Posted By: Nins @ 07/07/2008 12:03:57 AM

Did you know that if McCain is elected you will have to pay income tax on the value of the medical insurance that your employer gives you? Worse still, he is offering a tax break for people who pay their own insurance, BUT only $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

Let's say you have a family of four. Your insurance policy costs would be at least $1,500-2,500 per month under a self-pay plan, which cost more than employer group plans. So, you pay $18,000 -$30,000 per year for insurance, and you get to deduct only $5,000 of that. If you paid $25,000 for you insurance, you would be out of pocket $20,000 per year. This is FAR WORSE than the current system, where if you are self employed you can deduct 100% of you medical insurance costs.

So, if you're not self employed, you would stick with your Employer's plan. Employer plans for a family of four have a value of $900-$1,500 per month totaling 10,800-$18,000 per year. Surprise! On April 15th, you owe tax on all of that as INCOME to you. Say your bracket is 25%, and the value of your Employer medical plan is $14,000. You will OWE THE IRS an additional $3,500, and that's ON TOP of whatever monthly premium you already pay to your employer for your insurance.

Many analysts say that McCain's new rules would encourage employers to stop offering health benefits. If that happened, then far fewer Americans would be insured than are insured today, because what family of four can afford $18,000-$30,000 out of pocket per year for self-pay health insurance?

Furthermore, McCain's plan does not require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions of people who self-pay their insurance. People under employer group plans have all of their pre-existing conditions covered. This is a hugely unfair aspect of the current system. Insurance companies can afford to cover the pre-existing conditions of the much larger pool of people with group insurance, but they refuse to pay the pre-existing conditions on the smaller pool of self-pay customers. They have been allowed to price gouge the self-pay customers, which is a form of market manipulation that should be illegal.

So let's say one of your kids had diabetes and you have high blood pressure, then your employer stops offering insurance. You now have to buy your own, but you and your child are INELIGIBLE due to pre-existing conditions. Oh, yeah, they will let you buy the insurance, but you can't use it for any pre-existing condition until you have paid on time every month for two years. And you know what happens at one year and 11 months? You get a letter saying your policy has been cancelled. I have many patients this has happened to.

McCain's plan SUCKS.

It does nothing to help middle class working Americans afford or obtain medical insurance. In fact, it makes the current system WORSE.
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Posted By: hek293 @ 05/21/2008 4:47:00 AM

Nope - thank god for abortion!