HEALTH & SCIENCE

89% INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE APPLICANTS EITHER REJECTED OR FIND IT
TOO EXPENSIVE

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY - Of working-age U.S. residents who sought individual
health coverage in the last three years, 89% were rejected for medical
reasons or felt that the available plans were unaffordable, according to
a study released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, the Los Angeles
Times reports. . . According to the survey, 58% of respondents who
applied for individual coverage found the health plans unaffordable.
Twenty-one percent of those who sought individual coverage were
rejected, charged a higher premium or were offered a policy that
excluded coverage for a specific health condition they had. The study
also finds: Two in five people with individual coverage spend at least
5% of their incomes on premiums, compared with one in seven who have
employer-sponsored coverage. More than half of people with individual
coverage pay at least $3,000 annually in premiums, and about one-third
paid at least $6,000 annually. One-third of people with individual
coverage have to pay $1,000 out-of-pocket each year before coverage
takes effect;

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=51931

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NEXT: MP3 TESTS FOR ATHLETES?

JUDY SKATSSOON, ABC SCIENCE ONLINE, AUSTRALIA - Technology like the mp3
player is revolutionizing sports psychology, according to an expert who
says these devices are allowing athletes to harness the psychological
benefits of music as never before. Professor Peter Terry of the
University of Southern Queensland says technology like running shoes
that increase the beat of music in time with a runner's pace and even
implantable micro-mp3 players may one day give athletes the winning
edge. . . But he says the technology could create a whole new conundrum
for sports authorities by making them redefine whether the use of
performance enhancing music is cheating. . . "If you synchronize
whatever activity you're engaging in to the tempo of music there's a
very clearly energetic effect," he said. "In other words, if you play
music with a fast tempo, people work harder."


http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/09/19/musicathletes_tec.html?category=
technology&guid=20060919100000&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000&clik=news_main

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