This is a commercial web site. That means that we generally make something, often just a few cents, when you click on one of the Google ads, and sometimes a little more if you actually make a purchase at the site you visit.

You probably realize that this is the same model as most web sites on the internet and none of the banners or links should in any way be interpreted as guarantees or endorsements of the products or services offered. You should do your own research before you make any purchases.

We take this very seriously, because H1N1 is a very serious problem. We are not medical professionals, but we have tried to take the best information available from the CDC and other government sources and put it into easy to understand language. However, nothing on this site should be interpreted as medical advice.

If you believe that you or someone you care about might be suffering from H1N1, please seek IMMEDIATE medical attention.

H1N1 and Health Insurance

The health insurance angle to the swine flu pandemic in the United States is amazing.

Very few average people are considering their health insurance, because it is not as interesting or exciting as the issues around the symptoms and treatment of the illness.

However, medical insurance is an issue that many public health officials and journalists are concerned about. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is encouraging consumers to review their health care plans as they relate to the so-called Swine Flu.

Many state health agencies are urging people to check their insurance, and, in fact, the information on this page is largely drawn from health insurance checklists drawn up by the states of Ohio and Michigan.

Kathy Kristoff of CBS Moneywatch notes that, “Those who do have insurance are finding that their coverage varies widely, with some companies covering the treatment in full and others demanding large co-payments.”

According to another recent report California insurance companies deny an average of 21% of all claims, so you need to know your coverage.

Understand Your Health Insurance coverage

It’s always important to understand just what you health insurance policy covers, but with the potential for an increased demand for health care services, you need to be even more aware of your specific plan details. Read your policy carefully and consider the following questions:

• Do you have a cost-sharing responsibility for flu vaccinations? Many health insurance policies have co-payments for seasonal flu vaccinations.
• Ask your insurance company if you will have a co-pay for the seasonal flu vaccine and what the cost will be.
• Is the vaccination covered by your insurance? The seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine are normally administered separately. The U.S. government is covering the cost of the H1N1 vaccine, but you may be charged its administration. Check with your insurance company to see if your coverage includes the seasonal flu vaccine and extends to the administration of the H1N1 vaccine.
• What is your co-payment for the most common H1N1 treatments? The two drugs doctors can prescribe to treat H1N1 flu are Tamiflu and Relenza.
• In addition, you should know of any limitations on the number of doses covered by your policy – per prescription or per year.
• Is your coverage accepted at walk-in care facilities? If your area is heavily affected by the spread of the H1N1 flu outbreak, your regular physician might not be able to see you in a timely manner.
• What is your out-of-network co-payment? If you must go to an out-of-network provider, be aware you will likely pay a higher co-payment for your office visit and any tests run during the visit.
• Check with your insurance company to determine if you have coverage for vaccines received at drug stores, employers’ offices and schools. Some health plans, including Medicare Advantage plans, only provide coverage for vaccines received from designated providers.

Be prepared in case you or a family member do become infected:

• Have your health insurance ID card readily available.
• Review your health insurance policy provisions. Know which doctors and hospitals are in your network.
• Make note of your co-payments. Know how much a doctor’s office visit will cost.
• Keep handy a list of pharmacies and medications covered under your policy.
• If you have plans to travel, make sure you check to see if there are any doctors or medical facilities in-network where you will be visiting.
• Ask your employer or insurance company for any and all applicable health insurance information that might be available to you in a simple-to-reference format.
• Post this information where it can easily be accessed by everyone.

Best Bets For H1N1 Coverage

However, some insurance companies are taking action positive action. Tim Bireley, VP, Guardian Group Medical, the health insurance division of the Gaurdian Group Life Insurance Company of America said, “Guardian decided to cover the costs associated with administering the vaccine…” That’s a very good sign if you are covered by the Guardian, but you are still only covered for actual treatments if you become ill with Swine Flu under the specific provisions of your individual plan.”

Aetna, United Health Care, and several other companies have also made similar decisions, but you should definitely review your policy.

Here’s a report from the state of Texas on what H1N1 related expenses insurance companies in that state are covering: Texas Health Insurance Companies

Remember, the coverage might be different in your state, so check your companies web site.  Generally, the companies that are covering H1N1 expenses are announcing the  fact prominently on the front page of their company’s web site.

Short Term Insurance

You might also consider a short term plan if you are uninsured or short term additional coverage if you are already insured, particularly from one of the companies that have said the y will cover H1N1 expenses.

Remember, H1N1 is not a pre-existing condition and if you are otherwise healthy you could probably easily buy a short term additional coverage. Then when the threat has lessened you simply let the coverage lapse.

Costs vary depending on your age, smoking habits, and where you live. In a recent test for short term rates on eHealthInsurance a company that compares rates online, a single thirty-year-old non-smoking male living in the greater Los Angeles area were as cheap as $68.00 a month and only $41.00 a month if that person lived in rural Missouri.

eHealthInsurance can give you a free quote.  All you have to do is simply fill out a short application.  It’s definitely worth taking a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire.  You don’t have to buy anything, but you will get  a much better idea of how good your insurance coverage really is and what it would cost for additional coverage.

Even if you already have medical insurance you might check and see about getting better coverage at the same price you are already paying or provide you with low cost additional coverage.

However, remember there is more to health insurance than the cost, so be sure to check on deductibles, coverage, co-pays, and the other details.

Keeping track of H1N1

Up-to-date News from around the Web.

H1n1 In The News

• Key Peptides Identified That Could Lead To A Universal Vaccine For Influenza - Researchers at the University of Southampton, University of Oxford and Retroscreeen Virology Ltd have discovered a series of peptides, found on the internal structures of influenza viruses that could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for influenza, one that gives people immunity against all strains of the disease, including seasonal, avian, and swine flu. Influenza, an acute viral infection, affects hundreds of thousands of people a year and puts an enormous strain on healthcare providers globally... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

  MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

• Researchers identify key peptides that could lead to a universal vaccine for influenza - (University of Southampton) Researchers at the University of Southampton, University of Oxford and Retroscreen Virology Ltd have discovered a series of peptides, found on the internal structures of influenza viruses that could lead to the development of a universal vaccine for influenza, one that gives people immunity against all strains of the disease, including seasonal, avian, and swine flu. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
• A case of novel swine influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia complicated with virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome - Abstract  Influenza related to complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis have sporadically been reported. However, influenza A (H1N1)-virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS) has rarely been reported. A 39-year old woman complained of high fever and was referred to us. Chest infiltrations in both lungs and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) in bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimen was confirmed and she was diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia. Pancytopenia was found, and hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) was diagnosed by bone marrow aspiration. Following intravenous administration of antiflu drug and combination therapy of steroid pulse and erythromycin IV, the patient’s respiratory dysfunction a...
• Older adults may be vulnerable to new swine flu virus - There may be a lot more vulnerability in the population to a new swine influenza virus than was first thought, new Canadian research suggests. (Source: CTV Health)
• Cross-reactive antibody to swine influenza A(H3N2) subtype virus in children and adults before and after immunisation with 2010/11 trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in Canada, August to November 2010 - (Source: Eurosurveillance latest news)

US Government Feed

• WHO Landmark Global Agreement on Flu Virus Sharing Improves Global Preparedness for Influenza Pandemics - After a week of negotiations continued through Friday night and into Saturday morning, an open-ended working-group meeting of Member States successfully agreed upon a framework to ensure that in a pandemic, influenza virus samples will be shared with partners who need the information to take steps to protect public health.
• U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)Funds Advanced Development of New Influenza Antiviral - A contract has been awarded to develop a long-acting single-dose antiviral drug for use in the United States, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced today.
• New Consumer-Focused Immunization Website, www.vaccines.gov - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled an innovative new website to help parents and other consumers learn about the most effective way to protect themselves and their children from infectious diseases and learn about immunization.
• Guidance for the Prevention and Control of Influenza in the Peri- and Postpartum Settings - Guidance for the Prevention and Control of Influenza in the Peri- and Postpartum Settings
• Research Shows Single Change in H1N1 Virus Makes the Virus Bind More Easily to Human Cells and Transmits the Virus More Efficiently in Ferrets - The 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus continues to circulate among the human population as the predominant H1N1 subtype.

UN Feed

• Influenza update - 03 June 2011
• Influenza update - 20 May 2011
• Influenza update - 06 May 2011
• Influenza update - 21 April 2011
• Influenza update - 08 April 2011

Medical News

Vaccines and Treatments For H1N1

Sadly, we recently decided to add a page on H1N1 and health insurance, because, some insurance companies are paying for H1N1 related expenses!

Do you know what your company’s policy is?  We have a great report from the Texas Department of Insurance on what expenses insurance companies are paying, a check list on the questions you should consider about your coverage, and some strategies about buying short term coverage if you are uninsured or under insured. Check it out at: Health Insurance and H1N1

A Brief History of Vaccines:

A Few Things To Consider Before Deciding Not To Get Your Swine Flu Vaccine

First, despite all of the hype, vaccines have repeatedly proven to be the single best method of avoiding coming down with the flu.  Those are the facts.

In 1890, one out of every five American children died before their first birthday. Another one out of five children died before their fifth birthday and not only poor children. Everyone knew children who had died of measles, mumps, rubella, polio, or whooping cough.

If you don’t believe this stop in an old cemetery sometime and read the headstones.  You will see that far more children died young than today, little headstones with lambs and angels that we almost never see today.

Today, largely because of vaccination, those diseases barely exist, and many of the internet posters and anti-virus agitators do not remember these epidemics that once carried off hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children each year.

The same results were repeated in country after country around the world during the twentieth century as vaccines became more widely available.  Anyone,

Furthermore, the risks of vaccination have been vastly overblown.  This article provides an excellent scientific review of the safety and effectiveness of vaccination: Vaccine Concerns

H1N1 Vaccine

The following is an effort to put the best official sources of information about the Swine Flu vaccine from the Centers For Disease Control and World Health Organization into simple easy to understand language.  For the full information refer to those sites.

Two kinds of H1N1 vaccines being produced:

• A 2009 H1N1 “flu shot” — an inactivated vaccine (containing dead virus) is given with a needle, usually in the arm.

The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including healthy people, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women.

• The 2009 H1N1 nasal spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made with live, weakened viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine”).

Nasal vaccine is approved for use in “healthy” people 2 years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection will develop in the body.

However, the 2009 H1N1 vaccine will not protect against seasonal influenza viruses, so to get the best possible protection you will need two flu shots.

Initial Target Groups Are:
When Swine Flu vaccine is first available, the CDC recommends that providers administer vaccine to people in the following five target groups (order of target groups does not indicate priority):

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months (e.g., parents, siblings, and day care providers),
• Health care and emergency medical services personnel,
• People 6 months through 24 years of age, and,
• People 25 years through 64 years of age who have certain illnesses.

People Who Should Not Be Vaccinated
Despite all of this there are people who should NOT be vaccinated.  Anyone in the following groups should not get any flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
• Children younger than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group)
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.)

Vaccine Effectiveness
The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity or “match” between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation.

Vaccine Side Effects (What to Expect)
The same side effects typically associated with the seasonal flu shot and the seasonal nasal spray vaccine are expected with the 2009 H1N1 flu shot and 2009 H1N1 nasal spray vaccine.

These are:

The flu shot: The viruses in the Swine Flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that could occur are:

• Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
• Fever (low grade)
• Aches

If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot, are usually mild, and usually last 1 to 2 days. Almost all people who receive influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it. However, on rare occasions, flu vaccination can cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions.

The nasal spray: The viruses in the nasal-spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness. (In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely.)
In children, side effects from LAIV can include:

• runny nose
• wheezing
• headache
• vomiting
• muscle aches
• fever

In adults, side effects from LAIV can include

• runny nose
• headache
• sore throat
• cough

If you want more information check out the CDC’s H1N1 website

For the latest news on the Swine Flu pandemic

For good information about Children and Swine Flu