$4 to cover your glaucoma, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fungal infections and acne. Yay!

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding its national $4 generic prescription drug program by about 10%, adding drugs for some new conditions. The world’s largest retailer has added drugs covering glaucoma, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fungal infections and acne. Two prescription birth control drugs and one fertility drug were added at $9, reflecting a higher cost that the company said could not be brought down further.

Critics including the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents non-chain pharmacies that compete with Wal-Mart, have called the discounts a publicity stunt that covers only a fraction of the 8,700 generic prescription drugs approved by the Federal Drug Administration. Wal-Mart is not selling any of the $4 prescriptions at a loss. Yes, the generics are profitable. Wonder if they’re paying the Commies less money.

Common Slips We All Make

Insurance is the product you buy in case the unthinkable happens. Unfortunately, by the time you need it, it’s too late to make sure you have the right type and amount of coverage. Make sure you don’t make any of the following seven mistakes while buying financial protection against disaster.

1. Not Shopping Around   The most common mistake is that people don’t shop around for insurance. They wind up going to one agent and letting that person handle all of their insurance needs. If you would just read the insurance buyers guides offered by their state insurance departments and then call around to a few companies, it could make a huge difference in the price they pay for insurance.
2. Comparing Only Rate Prices   When you’re shopping around, it’s best to look not only at prices but at companies’ reputations for paying claims. You can check out insurance companies by looking at how they rank with third-party insurance rating companies, such as A.M. Best, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s. Examine a company’s complaint ratio. State insurance departments sometime publish this information, and the Web site of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners publishes these numbers.
3. Not Comparing Agents   Not all agents are created equal. First, make sure an agent is properly licensed. Check with your state department of insurance. Then make sure to get referrals and ask each agent some questions. Ask them to explain the policy. Ask what value they’re going to bring to the table. How will they help you?
4. Not Understanding Your Policy   A consumer’s biggest mistake is not knowing what’s in the fine print of a policy. Many people don’t know what their deductibles are and don’t realize what’s not covered until disaster strikes.
5. Not Buying Enough   Don’t skimp on health insurance no matter how robust you feel today.  It’s really important so you don’t just go into such medical debt that you never can dig your way out. People think they don’t have to deal with it until they’re 50. You’re uninsurable at that point. Consider getting life insurance if you have dependents. It can help pay the bills after a working parent dies unexpectedly. Buy it when you’re young and healthy because it’s much cheaper and easier to obtain when you don’t have a chronic disease.
6. Buying Unncessary Insurance   You don’t need life insurance on children, only on people who have dependents. In terms of specialized insurance, don’t buy insurance from somebody you went to buy something else from. If you’re worried about identity theft, don’t rush out to buy identity-theft insurance. Check your homeowners policy. It might already include some identity-theft protection. Credit cards also offer some protection against unauthorized charges.
7. Not Updating Coverage   Evaluate your coverage whenever you go through a life change, such as birth, adoption, marriage or divorce, but at least once annually. If your home has gone up in value, make sure you increase your policy limits. If the kids have left home, you can get more-affordable auto insurance coverage.

Turn That Sick Frown Into A Healthy Smile

With the long hours most of us put in at the office these days, spending more time at your desk means a greater chance of germ build-up–and illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cold season typically lasts anywhere from late December through March, but peaks in February. We’ve heard plenty of antibacterial products promising to keep our homes and offices cleaner. But do they really work? Just how effective are these products in preventing the spread of germs, and ultimately, illness?

Entrepreneur Magazine consulted with Dr. Charles P. Gerba from the University of Arizona at Tucson to get the truth about germs in the workplace. Gerba has learned that many factors go into creating a germy office–from office location to gender to occupation. From his studies, Gerba has discovered that in most work environments, offices and cubicles have higher bacteria levels than surfaces in common areas. What spot in your office space is friendliest to germs? Telephones topped the charts in most offices across the United States, followed by desks and computer keyboards.

Here’s the average number of bacteria per surface:

Phone: 25,127

Desk: 20,961

Keyboard:  3,295

Mouse:  1,676

Fax Machine:  301

Copy Machine:  69

Men’s Toilet Seat: 49

According to Gerba, East Coast offices win the germiest title, hands-down. “The dirtiest offices are on the East Coast since people are in larger buildings and tend to bring food to their desks more often,” Gerba says. “East Coasters also tend to spend more time indoors due to the bad weather.” Which Eastern city tops the charts as being the best environment for bacteria to grow? Gerba says that New York is Germ City, with Chicago coming in a close second. On the other hand, the cleanest offices can be found in San Francisco and Tucson, Arizona.

Interesting Facts:

• Women’s offices were nearly three times higher than in men’s offices. 
• Men’s wallets were the single germiest item in any office

 How To Keep Yourself From Catching Anything

• Wipe down your desk and surrounding items with a disinfecting wipe once a week.
• Keep a hand sanitizer at your desk and use it throughout the day.
• If you tend to eat at your desk on a regular basis, think again–this behavior is inviting bacteria to grow at your fingertips.
• Wash coffee mugs and glasses on a regular basis.
• If you’re sick, don’t go to work.

When Will This Mess End

Health insurance premiums paid by workers and their employers rose an average of 6.1% this year, outpacing inflation and pay increases and taking a bigger chunk out of families’ budgets, according to a new survey. That’s the lowest growth rate since 1999, when premiums rose 5.3% and cost an average of $2,196 for individuals and $5,791 for families. Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance for the average family topped $12,000 — with employees picking up about one-fourth of that cost.

Insurance costs probably will rise again next year, according to the survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care research organization that annually tracks the cost of health insurance. Many of the more than 3,000 companies surveyed said they planned to make significant changes to their health plans and benefits. Since 2001, the cost of premiums has gone up 78%, far outpacing a 19% increase in wages and 17% jump in inflation.

Why ? Why? Why? Health insurance companies continue to see higher profits, but premiums keep going up because costs rise each year. And much of that is because, through the years, the health care system produces more tests, procedures and products that can treat more people, and all of that costs more money. Don’t have insurance? Work for a large company. The larger a business, the greater the chance it offers health insurance. Though premiums may be similar for smaller and larger companies, smaller ones have higher deductibles and their administrative costs for plans may be higher because there are fewer employees over which to spread the costs.

They’ll Stop At Nothing

Phil Hughes is a homeless handy-man who’ll paint your house number on your curb for $5 and some turkey leftovers, says Mary Olsen, a homeowner who hires Hughes for occasional jobs. When Hughes got sick, Mary Olsen told him to put down her name as an emergency contact. “I didn’t want him to die and not know about it,” she said. Hughes spent 3 or 4 days in the hospital and the bill came to Mary Olsen’s house. It was for $42,000.

Here’s a homeless man who doesn’t have a penny to his name and he has this enormous hospital bill. How’s he going to pay it? A collection agency began hounding her with phone calls looking for Hughes, especially on early Saturday mornings. She told them Hughes did not live there, was homeless and could not afford to pay. Her pleas made no difference: The calls continued daily for a couple of weeks. Finally, Mary threated the debt collectors with media exposure to get the calls to stop. Perhaps he can pay in leftover turkey.

Who Knew The Butter in Microwave Popcorn Would Be More Than Fattening

We’ve all eaten microwaved popcorn from time to time. Some opt for butter and others for kettle. The saying goes: Too much of anything is no good for you. Too much microwave buttered popcorn may have led a 53-year-old Colorado man to develop a serious lung condition. The man had eaten microwave popcorn at least twice a day for more than 10 years. Doctors measured levels of diacetyl in the man’s home after he made popcorn and found levels of the chemical were similar to those in microwave popcorn plants. Six months later, the man has lost 50 pounds and his lung function has not only stopped deteriorating but has actually improved slightly. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said that the agency was considering the case as part of a review of the safety of diacetyl, which adds the buttery taste to many microwave popcorns, including Orville Redenbacher and Act II.Pop Weaver, another large microwave popcorn producer, has already taken diacetyl out of its popcorn bags “because of consumer concerns” but not because the company believes the chemical is unsafe for consumers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been criticized as doing little to protect workers in popcorn plants despite years of studying the issue. Exposure to synthetic butter in food production and flavoring plants has been linked to hundreds of cases of workers whose lungs have been damaged or destroyed.

Diacetyl is found naturally in milk, cheese, butter and other products. Heated diacetyl becomes a vapor and, when inhaled over a long period of time, seems to lead the small airways in the lungs to become swollen and scarred. Sufferers can breathe in deeply, but they have difficulty exhaling. The severe form of the disease is called bronchiolitis obliterans or “popcorn workers’ lung,” which can be fatal. On a lighter note, ConAgra Foods (America’s largest microwave popcorn maker) has said today it will change the recipe for its Orville Redenbacher and Act II brands over the next year to remove diacetyl.

Americans earned a smaller average income in 2005 than in 2000

It’s the fifth consecutive year Americans had to make ends meet with less money than at the peak of the last economic expansion, new government data show. The average income in 2005 was $55,238, nearly 1% less than the $55,714 in 2000, after adjusting for inflation, an analysis of new Internal Revenue Service statistical tables shows. The combined income of all Americans in 2005 was slightly larger than it was in 2000, but because more people were dividing up the national income pie, the average was smaller.

People with incomes of more than $1 million also got 62% of the savings from the reduced tax rates on long-term capital gains and dividends President Bush signed into law in 2003. The IRS data showed that the number of Americans making less than $25,000 a year shrank, down by 3.2 million, or 5.5%. The fact that average incomes remained lower in 2005 than five years earlier helps explain why so many Americans report feeling economic stress, despite overall growth in the economy. Many Americans are also paying a larger share of their healthcare costs and have had their retirement benefits reduced. Boo!

Junk Food Companies Soon To Take A Beating Without Their Child Attraction

You won’t be seeing Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and the Rugrats on anymore junk food. Nickelodeon, the children’s television network, said it would prohibit the use of its characters on junk food products, except on special occasions like Halloween. Those characters will be allowed to appear only on packaged food products that meet “better for you” criteria established by Nickelodeon’s marketing clients. The changes will become effective in 2009, when the current two-year licensing agreements expire.

The announcement was made just days after Discovery Kids made a similar announcement and nearly a month after 11 major food and beverage companies — including McDonald’s, Kellogg and Kraft Foods — agreed that they would stop advertising unhealthy products to children under 12. Those 11 companies represent two-thirds of the children’s advertising market. In October, Walt Disney announced that its characters would be allowed only on products that met certain nutritional standards. It’s about time! Let’s thank food companies and children’s networks for having contributed to the obesity epidemic among American children.

If You Gain Weight, I Gain Weight. If You Lose Weight, I Lose Weight, Buddy!

Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, researchers are reporting. When one person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too. Their study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, involved a detailed analysis of a large social network of 12,067 people who had been closely followed for 32 years, from 1971 to 2003. The investigators knew who was friends with whom as well as who was a spouse or sibling or neighbor, and they knew how much each person weighed at various times over three decades. That let them reconstruct what happened over the years as individuals became obese.

Did their friends also become obese? Did family members? Neighbors?The answer was that people were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. That increased a person’s chances of becoming obese by 57%. There was no effect when a neighbor gained or lost weight, however, and family members had less influence than friends.It did not even matter if the friend was hundreds of miles away, the influence remained. And the greatest influence of all was between close mutual friends. There, if one became obese, the other had a 171% increased chance of becoming obese, too. The same effect seemed to occur for weight loss, the investigators say. So does that mean the way to avoid becoming fat is to avoid having fat friends? Not at all. Solution: Make friends with thin person. Have thin person influence you and your obese friend.

There’s Plenty of Room For Improvement

Many Americans are under the delusion that we have “the best health care system in the world,” as President Bush sees it. That may be true at many top medical centers. But the disturbing truth is that this country lags well behind other advanced nations in delivering timely and effective care. Michael Moore struck a nerve in his new documentary, “Sicko,” when he extolled the virtues of the government-run health care systems in France, England, Canada and even Cuba while deploring the failures of the largely private insurance system in this country. But there is a growing body of evidence that, by an array of pertinent yardsticks, the United States is a laggard not a leader in providing good medical care.Seven years ago, the World Health Organization made the first major effort to rank the health systems of 191 nations. France and Italy took the top two spots; the United States was a dismal 37th. More recently, the highly regarded Commonwealth Fund has pioneered in comparing the United States with other advanced nations through surveys of patients and doctors and analysis of other data. Its latest report, issued in May, ranked the United States last or next-to-last compared with five other nations. Boo! Other comparative studies also put the United States in a relatively bad light.

• Insurance coverage. All other major industrialized nations provide universal health coverage, and most of them have comprehensive benefit packages with no cost-sharing by the patients. The United States, to its shame, has some 45 million people without health insurance. Although the president has blithely said that these people can always get treatment in an emergency room, many studies have shown that people without insurance postpone treatment until a minor illness becomes worse or wait till they’re old enough to qualify for Medicare.
• Fairness. The United States ranks dead last on almost all measures of equity because we have the greatest disparity in the quality of care given to richer and poorer citizens.
• Healthy lives. We have known for years that America has a high infant mortality rate, so it is no surprise that we rank last among 23 nations by that yardstick. We rank near the bottom in healthy life expectancy at age 60, and 15th among 19 countries in deaths from a wide range of illnesses that would not have been fatal if treated with timely and effective care. Not to mention Obesity.
• Quality. In a comparison with five other countries, the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States first in providing the “right care” for a given condition as defined by standard clinical guidelines and gave it especially high marks for preventive care, like Pap smears and mammograms to detect early-stage cancers, and blood tests and cholesterol checks for hypertensive patients. But we scored poorly in coordinating the care of chronically ill patients. American doctors and hospitals kill patients through surgical and medical mistakes more often than their counterparts in other industrialized nations.
• Life and death. In a comparison of five countries, the United States had the best survival rate for breast cancer, second best for cervical cancer and childhood leukemia, worst for kidney transplants, and almost-worst for liver transplants and colorectal cancer. The United States ranked last in years of potential life lost to circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes and had the second highest death rate from bronchitis, asthma and emphysema.
• Patient satisfaction. In recent Commonwealth Fund surveys of five countries, American attitudes stand out as the most negative, with a third of the adults surveyed calling for rebuilding the entire system. Duh! Americans face higher out-of-pocket costs than citizens elsewhere, are less apt to have a long-term doctor, less able to see a doctor on the same day when sick, and less apt to get their questions answered or receive clear instructions from a doctor.

The world’s most powerful economy should be able to provide a better health care system.

Three to Five Years Old: The Most Powerful Age To Manipulate Future Fast Food Junkies

A new study is reporting that very young children are highly susceptible to the daily onslaught of branded fast food advertising: “most 3- and 5-year-olds who taste-tested a variety of foods said they preferred the ones in the McDonald’s wrapper — even though the foods were exactly the same.” It didn’t matter whether the food was a chicken nugget from Mickey D’s or carrots and milk from the supermarket–when they were presented in branded McDonald’s packaging, the kids thought they tasted better.The study also mentions that more than half the children in the study have TVs in their bedrooms, more than three-quarters have McDonald’s toys at home, and one-third ate at McDonald’s more than once a week. Dr. Thomas Robinson, who led the study, says, “It’s really an unfair marketplace out there for young children. It’s very clear they cannot understand the persuasive nature of advertising.” Do your kids a favor. Don’t be lazy and feed your kids home-cooked meals.

“This is the first time in the country that people with PPO plans will be able to get data on how good their policy really is”

The California Department of Insurance today plans to announce a new “healthcare report card” program for six of the state’s largest preferred provider organizations, or PPOs. The reports will include information on quality of care and patient satisfaction so that consumers can compare plans. It’s our turn to pick and choose plans based on their scores.Insurance Department officials say the program, which is voluntary and will begin in early 2009, is the first of its kind in the country. Similar data already are available for health maintenance organizations, a result of demands by California and other states in response to widespread complaints from consumers who said they were being denied care. The report cards will assess how well doctors in each insurance network follow best-practices guidelines, such as providing childhood immunizations and giving at-risk patients regular cancer screenings, and how well they rate on patient satisfaction surveys.

The report cards may also include clinical outcomes, including patient blood pressure averages and sugar levels in diabetics — the kind of information that might ultimately show how well doctors are providing care. Participating providers are Aetna Inc., Blue Shield of California, Cigna Corp., Health Net Inc., WellPoint Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Dr. Criminal

Putnam General Hospital in West Virginia was guilty of “wantonness, recklessness and gross negligence” in not properly checking the background of John A. King, a surgeon who is now facing more malpractice lawsuits than any other doctor in the state’s history. What’s wrong with this guy? King, who changed his name to Christopher Wallace Martin last year after claiming people were trying to steal his identity, did not appear at the Putnam County Courthouse during the trial, which began July 16. A critical factor, the judge said, was Putnam General’s loss of all the original files about privileging and credentialing King.

“Putnam General had a definite duty to preserve it. But Putnam General failed to preserve the files,” Spaulding told the jurors. “Because the hospital lost the credentialing files, you may infer that if the hospital had saved the original privileging files, it would have contained information that was adverse to them … and favorable to the plaintiffs.”Before offering King a post, Putnam General administrators promised to pay him $35,000 a month, as well as a $45,000 signing bonus, $15,000 in moving fees and $5,000 in advertising costs.

 Arden Curry, a Charleston lawyer representing about 70 plaintiffs against King, pointed out King never completed any orthopedic residency, was never certified by a recognized medical specialty board, failed to reveal past medical malpractice lawsuits and failed to report disputes at previous hospitals where he worked. Yikes!

Using The Stick Instead of the Carrot. Some employers are starting to make overweight employees PAY if they don’t slim down

Some employers, citing growing medical costs tied to obesity, are offering fit workers lucrative incentives that shave thousands of dollars a year off healthcare premiums. In one of the boldest moves yet, an Indiana-based hospital chain last month said it decided on the stick rather than the carrot. Starting in 2009, Clarian Health Partners will charge employees as much as $30 every two weeks unless they meet weight, cholesterol and blood-pressure guidelines that the company deems healthy.

Employers are getting serious about penalizing workers because they’ve run out of other options. UnitedHealthcare, a nationwide insurer, introduced a plan this month that, for a typical family, includes a $5,000 yearly deductible that can be reduced to $1,000 if an employee isn’t obese and doesn’t smoke. A similar plan was offered to county workers in Benton County, Ark. The $2,500-a-year deductible can be reduced to $500 if a worker meets low height-to-weight ratios during yearly on-site physicals. (According to federal guidelines, a man who is 6 feet tall is considered obese if he weighs more than 221 pounds. A 5-foot-6 woman is obese if she weighs more than 185 pounds.) Take a look at the complete chart.

Thomas Dunlap, the county’s benefits administrator, said the plan had witnessed a nearly 30% drop in claims — and provoked changes in the workplace. Workers can take free weight-reduction classes and there are now regular competitions betweens departments to see who can lose the most weight. Awesome! The Biggest Loser Show now being applied at work. According to a 2005 Stanford University study, obese people with health coverage may already be punished on the job. Those surveyed were paid an average of $1.20 less per hour than non-obese workers, perhaps because employers intentionally adjust their wages to account for healthcare costs.As the number of obese Americans continues to soar — it’s now 1 in 3 — employer healthcare premiums are growing twice as fast as inflation to nearly double their cost at the beginning of the decade. Employers have been struggling with how to hold down costs without offending or pushing away workers. In recent years, companies have offered cash, merchandise and gift cards to those who lose weight or lower their blood pressure. A few have begun refusing to hire and in some cases have fired workers who smoke. It’s about time something is done about healthcare cost.

HSA: Get Used To That Term

Health savings accounts may be worth a closer look. Not only do they offer different features than flexible spending accounts (balances aren’t forfeited at year’s end, for instance), but the funds can grow tax-deferred and can be invested in a variety of stock investments. Here are three different explanations of HSA pros :

1: First, let’s look at the definition of a health savings account. It is an account used to save money for future medical expenses. There are certain advantages to putting money into these accounts, including favorable tax treatment. Contributions can be made by both you and your employer; however, total contributions are limited annually. One benefit of an HSA is that it provides funds in the event of an unplanned medical expense. These accounts provide for triple tax savings: tax deductions when you contribute to your account; tax-free earning through investment; and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. If you are 65 or older when you withdraw the funds for nonmedical reasons, you are still subject to income taxes, but not subject to the 10% penalty.

2: Funds distributed from an HSA are not taxed when used for qualified medical expenses, and unlike flexible spending accounts, they’re not forfeited if not used by the end of the year; unused funds remain available for use in retirement. Your HSA contributions won’t affect your IRA limits, so if you have a high-deductible health insurance policy, it’s another tax- deferred way to save for retirement. However, the real focus for these accounts is not retirement, but taking proactive steps to address our rising health-care crisis. By taking personal responsibility to save for future health-care expenses, adopting high-deductible health plans, and moving care away from third-party payment, we can take informed steps to help reduce these rising costs and increase the efficiency of the health-care system.

3: A health savings account can be described as a medical IRA. An HSA is paired with a high-deductible medical insurance plan and accepts tax-deductible contributions up to the medical plan’s annual deductible, not to exceed specified limits. The funds in the health savings account grow tax-deferred and can be invested in money market, bond or even stock investment vehicles. Because of the tax treatment and investment options available in many HSAs, theoretically they could be used as a vehicle to save for retirement. However, whether or not this is true for you will depend on your personal situation.