WORLD TOP 5 MEDICAL INSURANCE COMPANIES

Aetna, Inc.

history

Today’s Aetna, Inc. is the descendant of the Aetna Life Insurance Company, which was incorporated in 1853. In 1931, their corporate headquarters building was constructed on Farmington Avenue in Hartford. Designed by James Gamble Rogers, it is a Colonial Revival building far more monumental than any actually built during the colonial period. In a sense it is like the Old State Housesteroids, and shares some stylistic similarities with that historic structure. on

Introduction

Aetna is one of the most active health insurance companies in the US. The company operates in three segments. Its Health Care division offers HMOs, PPOs, point-of-service (POS) plans, health savings accounts, and traditional indemnity coverage, along with dental, vision, behavioral health, and Medicare plans. Aetna covers more than 15 million individuals under its health plans, some 13 million dental plan members, and 10 million pharmacy members. Its Group Insurance segment sells life, disability, and long-term care insurance, covering about 15 million people. The Large Case Pensions segment offers pensions, annuities, and other retirement savings products.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

The rise of managed health care has had some of its members singing the blues, but the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association still has major market power. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association coordinates about 40 chapters that provide health care coverage to over 90 million Americans through indemnity insurance, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), point-of-service (POS) plans, and fee-for-service plans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association chapters also administer Medicare plans for the federal government.

CIGNA Corporation

CIGNA Corporation

One of the top US health insurers, CIGNA covers more than 9 million people with its various medical plans, which include PPO, HMO, point-of-service (POS), indemnity, and consumer-directed products. CIGNA also offers other health coverage in the form of dental, vision, pharmacy, and behavioral health plans; and it sells group accident, life, and disability insurance. Its customers include employers, government entities, unions, Medicare recipients, and other individuals in the US and Canada. Internationally, the company sells life, accident, and supplemental health insurance in parts of Asia, the European Union, and Chile and provides health coverage to expatriate employees of multi-national companies.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

The second largest health insurer in the US (behind WellPoint), it operates through four business segments and offers a variety of health care plans and services. Its Health Care Services segment manages HMO, PPO, and POS (point-of-service) plans, as well as various Medicare and Medicaid options. Members of AARP are served via the firm's Ovations unit. Uniprise handles health plans for large companies, and Specialized Care Services offers just that -- vision and dental care and other products and services. Ingenix provides health information consulting and publishing, as well as clinical research and drug marketing services.

WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint, Inc.

The nation's largest health insurer, WellPoint is finding out what B. B. King already knows: Getting the blues ain't easy. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides health coverage, primarily under the Blue Cross and Blue Shield name, to more than 34 million medical members. It is a Blue Cross or BCBS licensee in 14 states and provides plans under the Unicare name in other parts of the country. WellPoint offers a broad range of managed care plans (including PPO, HMO, indemnity, and hybrid plans) to employers, individuals, and recipients of Medicare and Medicaid. It also provides administrative services (claims processing and underwriting) to self-insured groups and specialty insurance products.

Women’s Health: Your Top 5 Medical Tests

Women’s Health: Your Top 5 Medical Tests

Women these days lead very busy lives, and somehow squuezing in that extra time to make appointments and visit doctors is not high on the priority list unless we get sick.

But here are five tests that you should not forget about and which can actually save your life.

1. Cholesterol Test
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women these days, yet somehow we focus our attention on other diseases and threats. Six times more women die from heart disease than breast cancer each year, and most of these cases were due to the fact that the women avoided getting the right tests.

One easy way to gauge the health of your heart is to get a cholesterol test. Remember that there is both good and bad cholesterol, but by getting a simple test your doctor will be able to inform you if your cholesterol levels are at a dangerous level. They will also test your blood pressure because high blood pressure or hypertension as it is medically known is a condition which can be very harmful, even potentially deadly.

Cholesterol tests are recommended at least once every 5 years starting at the age of 20.

2. The Mammogram
Many younger women think that mammograms are only for their mothers, women who are older aged, but this is not true. In fact, breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world, and in many cases it develops in younger women, even those in their early twenties.

Women should get a mammogram at least once every couple of years, and always check for lumps in your breasts. The best idea is to check in circular motions around the area of both your breasts every time that you are in the shower. Not only does the warm water help you to relax but as well it helps you to remember to examine yourself. Breast cancer has an incredibly high cure rate as long as it is caught early, so keep on top of the situation on your own time.

Mammograms are recommended once a year for women over the age of 40.

3. Pap Smear
Many women mistakenly think that the Pap smear is just to check for sexually transmitted diseases but its main purpose is to check for cervical cancer, a major killer around the world. Cervical cancer is so dangerous because it tends to be caught late. The Pap smear is the best test to catch it early.

One of the leading causes is the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV as it is more commonly known. This is one of the leading STDs in the world, and most women do not even realize that they have the disease for years.

This test looks for any abnormalities that could lead to cervical cancer, as well as various other health conditions. In fact, the American Cancer Society recommends that the Pap test be taken by all women at least once annually until the age of thirty, and if no problems arise until that point then they can begin taking the test only once every two or three years.

4. Dermatology Test - CheckYour Skin
Every woman should visit her dermatologist from the age of eighteen, and having a skin exam every 3 years (once a year for women over 40). They will typically do an all over examination of your skin, checking for any abnormal pigmentations, red or brown spots, in particular moles that are larger than normal or irregularly shaped.

Skin cancer is something that very few women think about, even though it is one of the leading causes of death among women around the world. Even if you stay out of the sun and take proper care of your skin you can still develop skin cancer, so it is important that you stay on top of this and make sure that you do not have a problem.

5. The Katie Couric Test
So many people think colon cancer is a guy thing, but we women get it too. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 75,000 women alone will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer this year, so do not take this lightly. Colon cancer is totally preventable and treatable if found early, and the main test for this is the colonoscopy, which Katie Couric has now made famous.

The colonoscopy allows a doctor to closely inspect the patient’s rectum and lower colon, during which they will check for any signs of cancer, polyps, or even small growths that may continue to grow and eventually become cancerous. The test is quite simple, and the patient will first be given a medication that allows them to relax and not tense up, as this can make the examination of the rectum much more difficult. The scope is then inserted slowly into the rectum, and on this scope is a tiny video camera, the pictures from this which are sent to a television monitor in the room that the doctor can use to examine the rectum better.

Robot to Help Neurosurgery

Surgery can take a huge step towards the future due to a new surgical robot system, developed at University of Calgary. Surgeons' mistakes will no longer take place because the NeuroArm is going to upgrade the level of neurosurgery as well as other branches of operative medicine.It it the first MRI-compatible robot in the world and its creator is Dr. Garnette Sutherland. For six years he has worked together with a leading team of Canadian Scientists. Dr. Garnette has cooperated with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. The cooperation lead to the design of a unique machine that doctors say is “a milestone in medical technology.”A surgeon, through a computer workstation controls the robot. The NeuroArm works with real-time MR imaging. It helps surgeons see and works on a microscopic scale.The testing of the NeuroArm is currently under way and the first patient is anticipated this summer.The robot represents one of the most advanced robotic systems that people ever developed and it was created with the help of MDA, which is known for developing Canadarm and Canadarm2.The whole project of creating the NeuroArm started in 2001 when Doc, B.J. and Don Seaman invested $2 million to start the project. The two oilpatch pioneers and brothers are the namesakes of the Seaman Family MR Research Centre. They started supporting the research centre when it began the development of the first intraoperative MRI scanner in the world.The NeuroArm required an international collaboration of professionals from different fields, including physics, software, optics and mechanics.Dr. Sutherland outlined that the team is not only looking forward to create a robot, their creation is going to build a medical robotics program. "We want the neuroArm technology to be translated into the global community, i.e. hospitals around the world," he said.