Health Insurance for your Parents
Looking for a health insurance policy for your parents? The perfect one? Here are some pointers when you search for that perfect health insurance policy for your parents.
Today's globalized world means that people can, and in many cases, have to wander far from home for better opportunities. Young people leave home to pursue their career aspirations. The dream to be big and reach the greatest heights means, for many, going to a bigger place on the map than their own home towns. As vital this migration is for the well-being of the individual as well as the economy as a whole, there is a vital point to be kept in mind.
In this race for career growth, too often we leave behind our parents who are now well past their first youth and in all fairness, expect the ease, serenity, and comfort that come from having done the right thing by their family. They are now alone, elderly and without their offspring's presence and support. And although financially you will more than provide for them, what about their health? What happens if there is a sudden health emergency? After all, they are getting on in years, and the body becomes easily susceptible to ailments and disease.
It becomes critical that you take a well-thought out health insurance plan for them. It will ensure that even though you aren't there, their medical needs are met without any strain on them, financially, physically, or emotionally.
Here are some pointers when you search for that perfect health insurance policy for your parents:
Term limits on health insurance policy: As your parents grow older it becomes difficult to get health insurance. When you are shopping for their health insurance, check with the insurers for the maximum entry age. That is, the maximum age at which the insurer will issue a new policy. All insurers have an upper age limit for issuing new health insurance policies. Insurers also have a limit on the renewal age i.e., after a certain age, insurers will not renew existing health insurance policies. This knowledge will help you decide the level of coverage you need to give your parents. It will also help you decide on an insurer - the insurer that gives the highest maximum age for renewal would be the obvious choice. Just one tip, though - be thorough in checking the health cover offered by the insurer; your parents should be covered comprehensively.
Pre-existing diseases cover and how long after continuous policy coverage do they kick in: Until very recently, insurance companies refused to cover diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. A recent ruling has changed all that - now insurance companies cannot deny cover to customers afflicted by such diseases/disorders. Instead, they can charge the customer a higher premium than normal. They also put a clause, where they state that expenses toward any existing diseases will be covered only after a set period, ranging from 6 months to 2 years, sometimes even more.
So when you are shopping for health insurance for your parents, and they are already afflicted by a disease or disorder, you need to find out how soon the coverage for these diseases kick in, when they are under continuous cover.
Cashless facility: This facility means that you don't have to pay anything to the hospital at the time of admission or discharge. The hospital authority directly gets your bills paid by the insurance company. A couple of things to be kept in mind here are that firstly, the hospital or the nursing home should be a part of the network of the insurance company. The details are provided at the time you purchase the policy. And secondly, you should inform the hospital authorities at the time of admission that your parent's (or parents') cover includes the cashless facility.
Pre-mandatory medicals: Pre-mandatory medicals are the medical tests the insurer will insist upon for customers above a certain age, usually 45. They cover the customer only if the results satisfy their specific conditions list. Before opting for a particular insurance company, ask if they insist on these medicals and if yes then what these tests are.
Cost of pre-mandatory medicals: You also need to find out if the cost of these pre-mandatory medicals is borne by the insurance company or by you. Many insurance companies bear the cost of these tests. There are some that reimburse the cost of the tests. And then there are some that just don't pay the cost of the medicals. The choice here is clear.
Emergencies are bound to be emotionally exhausting for your parents; there is no need to add on the additional financial burden on them.
Imagine this:
You get a phone call from your dad, who starts off by saying that your mother is not keeping especially well. And just at the moment when you are thinking about the worst that can happen, daddy reassures you saying that their health insurance - that you provided for them - covers them adequately. And that everything is being taken care of without any glitches. Would it be fair to say that, along with a huge feeling of relief, you would feel genuinely proud of the fact that you have done your best in ensuring the best for your parents?
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Andre Agassi admits using crystal meth and failing a drug test in upcoming autobiography
Agassi admits using crystal meth in autobiography
NEW YORK — Andre Agassi’s upcoming autobiography contains an admission that he used crystal meth in 1997 and lied to tennis authorities when he failed a drug test — a result that was thrown out after he said he “unwittingly” took the substance.
According to an excerpt of the autobiography posted on The Times of London Web site Tuesday, the eight-time Grand Slam champion writes that he sent a letter to the ATP tour to explain the positive test, saying he accidentally drank from a soda spiked with meth by his assistant “Slim.”
“Then I come to the central lie of the letter,” Agassi writes. “I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim’s spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.
“I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it. The ATP reviewed the case — and threw it out.”
The ATP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Agassi retired in 2006. Excerpts from his autobiography, which comes out Nov. 9, are being published this week in the London newspaper, as well as Sports Illustrated and People magazines.
In a story posted on People magazine’s Web site Tuesday, Agassi says: “I can’t speak to addiction, but a lot of people would say that if you’re using anything as an escape, you have a problem.”
According to the Times of London Web site, Agassi writes in his book that “Slim” was the person who introduced him to crystal meth, dumping a small pile of powder on the coffee table.
“I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I’ve just crossed,” Agassi writes.
“There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful — and I’ve never felt such energy.”
“I’m seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds.”
Among the most successful — and, without a doubt, one of the most popular — tennis players in history, Agassi drew attention not just for his play, but also for his outfits, his hairstyles and his relationships with women, including a failed marriage to actress Brooke Shields.
Agassi’s first major championship came at Wimbledon in 1992, and he won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But by late 1997, he dropped to No. 141 in the rankings, and he was playing in tennis’ equivalent of the minor leagues.
He resuscitated his career in 1998, making the biggest one-year jump into the top 10 in the history of the ATP rankings. The next season, he won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, then added a second career U.S. Open title en route to finishing 1999 at No. 1.
In a posting on People’s Web site, Agassi says he “was worried for a moment, but not for long,” about how fans would react if they found out he used drugs.
“I wore my heart on my sleeve and my emotions were always written on my face. I was actually excited about telling the world the whole story,” Agassi says.
A writer from SI first revealed the crystal meth reference on a Twitter posting Tuesday.
According to the Times of London excerpt, Agassi was walking through New York’s LaGuardia airport when he got the call that he had failed a drug test.
“There is doom in his voice, as if he’s going to tell me I’m dying,” Agassi writes. “And that’s exactly what he tells me.”
“He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation,” Agassi writes. “Performance-enhancing drugs … would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs.” That would mean a three-month suspension.
“My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It’s filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.”
In 2007, Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine after a third-round exit at Wimbledon. She denied using the drug but was banned for two years. In July, Frenchman Richard Gasquet was cleared to resume playing after a 2½-month ban upon persuading the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.
NEW YORK — Andre Agassi’s upcoming autobiography contains an admission that he used crystal meth in 1997 and lied to tennis authorities when he failed a drug test — a result that was thrown out after he said he “unwittingly” took the substance.
According to an excerpt of the autobiography posted on The Times of London Web site Tuesday, the eight-time Grand Slam champion writes that he sent a letter to the ATP tour to explain the positive test, saying he accidentally drank from a soda spiked with meth by his assistant “Slim.”
“Then I come to the central lie of the letter,” Agassi writes. “I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim’s spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.
“I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it. The ATP reviewed the case — and threw it out.”
The ATP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Agassi retired in 2006. Excerpts from his autobiography, which comes out Nov. 9, are being published this week in the London newspaper, as well as Sports Illustrated and People magazines.
In a story posted on People magazine’s Web site Tuesday, Agassi says: “I can’t speak to addiction, but a lot of people would say that if you’re using anything as an escape, you have a problem.”
According to the Times of London Web site, Agassi writes in his book that “Slim” was the person who introduced him to crystal meth, dumping a small pile of powder on the coffee table.
“I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I’ve just crossed,” Agassi writes.
“There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful — and I’ve never felt such energy.”
“I’m seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds.”
Among the most successful — and, without a doubt, one of the most popular — tennis players in history, Agassi drew attention not just for his play, but also for his outfits, his hairstyles and his relationships with women, including a failed marriage to actress Brooke Shields.
Agassi’s first major championship came at Wimbledon in 1992, and he won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But by late 1997, he dropped to No. 141 in the rankings, and he was playing in tennis’ equivalent of the minor leagues.
He resuscitated his career in 1998, making the biggest one-year jump into the top 10 in the history of the ATP rankings. The next season, he won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, then added a second career U.S. Open title en route to finishing 1999 at No. 1.
In a posting on People’s Web site, Agassi says he “was worried for a moment, but not for long,” about how fans would react if they found out he used drugs.
“I wore my heart on my sleeve and my emotions were always written on my face. I was actually excited about telling the world the whole story,” Agassi says.
A writer from SI first revealed the crystal meth reference on a Twitter posting Tuesday.
According to the Times of London excerpt, Agassi was walking through New York’s LaGuardia airport when he got the call that he had failed a drug test.
“There is doom in his voice, as if he’s going to tell me I’m dying,” Agassi writes. “And that’s exactly what he tells me.”
“He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation,” Agassi writes. “Performance-enhancing drugs … would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs.” That would mean a three-month suspension.
“My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It’s filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.”
In 2007, Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine after a third-round exit at Wimbledon. She denied using the drug but was banned for two years. In July, Frenchman Richard Gasquet was cleared to resume playing after a 2½-month ban upon persuading the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.
Indian rupee to drop to new 3-wk lows; stocks watched
MUMBAI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee should drop to new three-week lows on Wednesday as lower regional stocks raise concerns of a drop in the domestic share market which could prompt foreign investors to withdraw some investments.
* The Morgan Stanley index of Asian stocks .MIAPJ0000PUS ex-Japan was down 1.5 percent while the Nifty India stock futures SINc1 traded in Singapore were 0.3 percent lower, both pointing to a lower opening to the local market.
* Most Asian currencies were lower compared to the dollar. For a snapshot see [EMRG/FRX]. Gains in the dollar versus major units was also expected to hurt the rupee.
* The dollar held gains against a basket of currencies on Wednesday while the yen rose as investors trimmed stretched pro-risk positions in higher yielding currencies as stocks fell on weaker than expected U.S. data.
* The partially convertible rupee INR=IN tracked domestic shares to end weaker at 46.88/90 per dollar on Tuesday from a previous close of 46.645/655.
* India's central bank laid the groundwork on Tuesday for a rise in interest rates by tightening credit to the commercial property sector, lifting its inflation forecast and warning of the threat of asset price bubbles. [ID:nDEL485971]
* The Morgan Stanley index of Asian stocks .MIAPJ0000PUS ex-Japan was down 1.5 percent while the Nifty India stock futures SINc1 traded in Singapore were 0.3 percent lower, both pointing to a lower opening to the local market.
* Most Asian currencies were lower compared to the dollar. For a snapshot see [EMRG/FRX]. Gains in the dollar versus major units was also expected to hurt the rupee.
* The dollar held gains against a basket of currencies on Wednesday while the yen rose as investors trimmed stretched pro-risk positions in higher yielding currencies as stocks fell on weaker than expected U.S. data.
* The partially convertible rupee INR=IN tracked domestic shares to end weaker at 46.88/90 per dollar on Tuesday from a previous close of 46.645/655.
* India's central bank laid the groundwork on Tuesday for a rise in interest rates by tightening credit to the commercial property sector, lifting its inflation forecast and warning of the threat of asset price bubbles. [ID:nDEL485971]
Monday, October 26, 2009
Google’s Android takes on Apple
The Apple iPhone, which has been setting the bar in touch-screen smartphones, could soon be overtaken by an army of Google-powered handsets.
Android-based phones – handsets that use the open source Google mobile operating system – are on the march as non-iPhone carriers look for a rival to Apple’s device.
Since its introduction a year ago on one device with one carrier, Android has come a long way. It is used on 12 handsets with 32 carriers in 26 countries.
They will be joined by HTC of Taiwan, Motorola and Samsung, which are rushing out models in the US before the end of the year as Sprint and Verizon Wireless join T-Mobile as Android supporters.
Verizon has launched an anti-iPhone advertising campaign, satirising the Apple handset and its exclusive carrier, AT&T, teasing viewers with the promise of its first Android phones in November.
“iDon’t have a real keyboard ... run simultaneous apps ... take 5-megapixel pictures ... allow open development ... have interchangeable batteries,” say the advertisements, ending with: “Everything iDon’t, Droid does.”
According to Eric Schmidt this month, “Android adoption is literally about to explode”.
The Google chief executive stepped down as an Apple director in August after Google’s phone and operating system ambitions became a competitive threat.
Android appeals as a viable alternative for mobile handset makers looking to break the dominance of Nokia, Research in Motion and Apple, which have two-thirds of the US market and an 80 per cent global share.
”If I’m a hardware manufacturer who needs to license a smartphone operating system, my choice is [open source] Linux, which doesn’t have much of a UI [user interface], Windows Mobile, which people don’t seem to like these days because the UI is kind of antiquated, or Android,” says Ken Dulaney, analyst with the Gartner research firm.
Gartner, the research group, sees Android eating into Nokia’s leading market share and featuring on 18 per cent of smartphones by 2012, up from 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2009. That would put it ahead of RIM on 13.9 per cent and Apple on 13.6 per cent.
Android will inevitably beat the iPhone, according to Ken Dulaney, a Gartner analyst, if only because it will feature on many more handset models. Apple has only the iPhone and does not license its operating system or technology.
Android handset makers are improving on the iPhone’s hardware, while a new version of the operating system and more than 10,000 applications developed for it are providing them with competitive software.
Smartphones account for only 14 per cent of the market today, but more than 500m are expected to be sold in 2012 when they are forecast to account for up to half the market for mobile phones.
Android-based phones – handsets that use the open source Google mobile operating system – are on the march as non-iPhone carriers look for a rival to Apple’s device.
Since its introduction a year ago on one device with one carrier, Android has come a long way. It is used on 12 handsets with 32 carriers in 26 countries.
They will be joined by HTC of Taiwan, Motorola and Samsung, which are rushing out models in the US before the end of the year as Sprint and Verizon Wireless join T-Mobile as Android supporters.
Verizon has launched an anti-iPhone advertising campaign, satirising the Apple handset and its exclusive carrier, AT&T, teasing viewers with the promise of its first Android phones in November.
“iDon’t have a real keyboard ... run simultaneous apps ... take 5-megapixel pictures ... allow open development ... have interchangeable batteries,” say the advertisements, ending with: “Everything iDon’t, Droid does.”
According to Eric Schmidt this month, “Android adoption is literally about to explode”.
The Google chief executive stepped down as an Apple director in August after Google’s phone and operating system ambitions became a competitive threat.
Android appeals as a viable alternative for mobile handset makers looking to break the dominance of Nokia, Research in Motion and Apple, which have two-thirds of the US market and an 80 per cent global share.
”If I’m a hardware manufacturer who needs to license a smartphone operating system, my choice is [open source] Linux, which doesn’t have much of a UI [user interface], Windows Mobile, which people don’t seem to like these days because the UI is kind of antiquated, or Android,” says Ken Dulaney, analyst with the Gartner research firm.
Gartner, the research group, sees Android eating into Nokia’s leading market share and featuring on 18 per cent of smartphones by 2012, up from 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2009. That would put it ahead of RIM on 13.9 per cent and Apple on 13.6 per cent.
Android will inevitably beat the iPhone, according to Ken Dulaney, a Gartner analyst, if only because it will feature on many more handset models. Apple has only the iPhone and does not license its operating system or technology.
Android handset makers are improving on the iPhone’s hardware, while a new version of the operating system and more than 10,000 applications developed for it are providing them with competitive software.
Smartphones account for only 14 per cent of the market today, but more than 500m are expected to be sold in 2012 when they are forecast to account for up to half the market for mobile phones.
Gold price 'set to double in four years'
Gold prices, which hit record highs last week, could nearly double again in the next four years, according to a report to be published tomorrow.
Analysts at Edison Investment Research have predicted that the price of gold price could hit $1,879 (£1,185) an ounce by 2013, driven by the aggressive monetary policy of central banks around the world and a chronic shortage of the precious metal.
Charles Gibson, a gold expert at Edison, argues in the report that the peak in the gold price has been delayed because the world was still facing deflationary forces. Previously Mr Gibson had expected gold to reach $1,567 an ounce "in the near term".
The report says: "We reiterate our belief that gold is in the second phase of its bull run and that it has the potential to spike higher." It adds: "We believe that it will take longer than anticipated for quantitative easing and loose monetary policy to express themselves in inflation statistics."
The gold price hit an all-time high on three consecutive days last week, but the rally lost steam on Friday as the dollar strengthened and as traders locked in gains.
The price of gold for immediate delivery closed up 90c at $1048.10 an ounce on Friday, after hitting a record high of $1,062.70.
Analysts at Edison Investment Research have predicted that the price of gold price could hit $1,879 (£1,185) an ounce by 2013, driven by the aggressive monetary policy of central banks around the world and a chronic shortage of the precious metal.
Charles Gibson, a gold expert at Edison, argues in the report that the peak in the gold price has been delayed because the world was still facing deflationary forces. Previously Mr Gibson had expected gold to reach $1,567 an ounce "in the near term".
The report says: "We reiterate our belief that gold is in the second phase of its bull run and that it has the potential to spike higher." It adds: "We believe that it will take longer than anticipated for quantitative easing and loose monetary policy to express themselves in inflation statistics."
The gold price hit an all-time high on three consecutive days last week, but the rally lost steam on Friday as the dollar strengthened and as traders locked in gains.
The price of gold for immediate delivery closed up 90c at $1048.10 an ounce on Friday, after hitting a record high of $1,062.70.
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