Summer 2010
Small Business Tax Credits
Part of the health care reform President Obama signed into law a few months ago includes tax credits for small businesses. The intent of the tax credit is to provide incentives for small companies to help pay for their employees' health insurance, rather than drop them into publicly subsidized pools. This tax credit is retroactive to January 1, 2010. This year, small businesses will receive tax credits to cover up to 35 percent of the premiums they pay for employee health insurance. In 2014, the rate will increase to 50 percent. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the tax credit will save small businesses $40 billion by 2019. Both small for-profit businesses and small not-for-profit organizations are eligible for the credit. Small businesses that initiate new coverage this year will get a tax cut as well.
To quality for the tax credit, a small business must:
- have less than the equivalent of 25 full-time workers
- pay average annual wages below $50,000
- must cover at least 50 percent of the cost of health care coverage for their workers.
Tax exempt nonprofit organizations are eligible for a 25-percent tax credit in 2010. In 2014, that rate will increase to 35 percent.
To avoid creating an incentive to choose a high-cost plan, an employer's eligible contribution is limited to the average cost of health insurance in that state.
Excerpts taken from the BizTimes.com.
Young Adults and Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents' health care plan until age 26. Before the President signed this Act into law, many health plans removed young adults from their policies because of their age or non-college status. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated the main reason this was a concern is because:
- Young adults have the highest rate of uninsured of any age group. About 30% of young adults are uninsured, representing more than one in five of the uninsured.
- Young adults have the lowest rate of access to employer-based insurance. As young adults transition into the job market, they often have entry-level jobs, part-time jobs, or jobs in small businesses, or other employment that typically comes without employer-sponsored health insurance.
- Young adults' health and finances are at risk. Contrary to the myth that young people don't need health insurance, one in six young adults has a chronic illness like cancer, diabetes or asthma. Nearly half of uninsured young adults report problems paying medical bills.
The implementation for this in all states is September 23, 2010.
The government estimates that expanding coverage for adult children will, on average, cost $3,380 for each dependent, thus increasing premiums for employer-sponsored health plans by 0.7% in 2011.
Did you know . . . .
. . . .that 41% of people receiving Long-Term care are between the ages of 18 and 64?
MEDICAL NEWS 
SKIN CANCER
GENERAL
With Summer ahead of us, it is wise to revisit some information on skin cancer - so we all might aim to all be skin cancer-free.
- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million cases in two million people are diagnosed annually.37
- Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.3
- One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.26
- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million BCCs are diagnosed annually in the US.38 BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring if allowed to grow.
- Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 700,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the US,39 resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths.2
- Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two major forms of non-melanoma skin cancer. Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either skin cancer at least once.7
- In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers was more than $1 billion.14
- About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.30
- Up to 90 percent of the visible changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun.16
- Contrary to popular belief, 80 percent of a person's lifetime sun exposure is not acquired before age 18; only about 23 percent of lifetime exposure occurs by age 18.8
SKIN CANCER PREVENTION GUIDELINES
Since its inception in 1979, The Skin Cancer Foundation has always recommended using a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher as one important part of a complete sun protection regimen. Sunscreen alone is not enough, however. Read our full list of skin cancer prevention tips.
- Seek the shade, especially between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
- Do not burn.
- Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
- Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours.
- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
- Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
- Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
- See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.
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This medical section of our newsletter is not intended to give medical advice. If you are experiencing physical symptoms, you need to consult with a physician
