Archive for March, 2012
Benefits of opening Health Savings Account (HSA)
Health savings accounts are accounts you use to deposit your tax-free money. The money in health saving account can used to meet your future medical expenses. Earlier many people were careless about their future health expenses because their health expenses were paid by their employers. Today however, not many employers are willing to bear the medical expenses of their employees. When you deposit money in your medical or health saving account (HSA), you not only get tax benefits but also save money to pay for your medical expenses.
There are many advantages of opening an HSA. One of the biggest benefits of opening an HSA is the tax benefits you receive on the contributions made to account. The contributions that you make to HSA are tax deductible. Also, if you have opened your HSA through work, then your employer can also make contributions. People, who are 55 and older, can make catch-up contribution until they join Medicare. Also, the earnings that you receive from your HSA are tax-free. Another advantage of opening an HSA is that there is no time constraint as to when you can spend the money. If there is any balance in your account, you can carry it over to the next year to pay for your future medical expenses.
To participate in HSA, you must get a companion health insurance policy. The policy that you get must be high-deductible policy which means that your initial out-of-pocket cost will be higher. The deductibles will vary depending on the insurance company that you are dealing with. However, the government has put a limit minimum and the maximum deductible that insurance providers can charge for individual or family cover. You can open your HSA immediately after you get your insurance policy.
One of the reasons why people open an HSA is because they have to pay low premiums on their health insurance policy. The money they put in their HSA is tax deductible and they can use this money to pay for their deductible cost.
New protein can help you lose weight
There are many researchers who have explained the importance of brown fat in reducing weight. However, not many scientists have spoken about programming ordinary cells of the body to burn fat. This is likely to change as scientists at University of California have identified a protein cell that can convert fat cells into brown.
The scientists at the University were testing the effects of diabetes drugs on mice when they accidentally found a protein called PRDM16 that can help in converting ordinary fat cells into brown. This means that PRDM16 can covert calorie storing cells into cells that can burn fat.
According to Shingo Kajimura, the lead researcher, one of the ways of maintaining energy balance in the body is by finding out ways of increasing energy expenditure. Even though the affects of PRDM16 is yet to be ascertained, many health experts are of the view that this protein can be used by manufacturers of obesity drugs. However, if clinical research proves that PRDM16 does not have any side effects, it could be the next wonder compound in the health care industry. The drugs that use this protein can prove to be a boon for people who are looking for supplements that can help them lose weight.
