Influenza Vaccines Produce No Benefit But Cause Serious Harm!

Massive Study Finds Influenza Vaccines Produce No Benefit But Cause Serious Harm!

A remarkable study published in the Cochrane Library found no evidence of benefit for influenza vaccinations.

They also pointed out that the industry-funded studies were more likely to be published in the most prestigious journals … and one more thing:

The Cochrane Collaboration, a widely respected research-analysis team, went over all the evidence, and entered its conclusion:

• In healthy adults, no flu vaccine delivers protection from the flu.

• It doesn't protect against transmission of flu viruses from person to person, either.

• It’s also damns the quality of flu vaccine studies by saying that the vast majority of trials were inadequate.  

• The authors stated that the only ones showing benefit were industry-funded. 

•  Vaccines administered  by injection or other means—reduced influenza-like symptoms by only 4%.

• They found cases of severe harm caused by the vaccines, in spite of inadequate reporting of adverse effects, (Guillain-Barr)!

•  Forget about the widely sold herd-immunity tale. How can the group be immune when vaccines are doing nothing to prevent the free movement of germs from person to person?

So all the promotion and all the pandering and all the scare tactics and all the "expert medical opinion" and all the media coverage...useless, worthless, and irrelevant.

Billions of dollars of financed lies about flu vaccines were just that: lies.

It gets worse, because the entire theory about how and why vaccines work is sitting on a razor's edge, ready to fall into the abyss of discarded fairy tales.

We've been told that vaccines stimulate the immune system with a "rehearsal" of what will happen when an actual disease comes down the pipeline. When the disease does show up, the immune system will be locked and loaded, ready to destroy the attacking germ.
Quotes from the study include:


“…industry funded studies were published in more prestigious journals and cited more than other studies…”

“…reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin…”

“…there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions…”

But since flu vaccines don't protect against flu or even stop the transmission of flu viruses from person to person, the so-called "rehearsing" of the immune system is merely somebody's fancy story. A legend. A myth.

As always, The Cochrane Collaboration did an exhaustive review of all previous studies on flu vaccines they could discover. They rejected the studies that were badly constructed. In some cases, to expand available data, they contacted individual researchers who had conducted studies.

Therefore, Cochrane's findings represent the best of the published literature on flu vaccines.

However, because the Cochrane team owes nothing to pharmaceutical companies, they analyzed the literature with sober eyes and minds.

Here is an interesting comment from the analysis: "The review showed that reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin but there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions..."

Now who in the world would benefit from such manipulating?

Oh yes. One other thing.

The Cochrane review, published by John Wiley and Sons, appeared online on July 7, 2010.

Over two years ago.

We must have missed the massive mainstream media coverage. Perhaps we were fishing that day, or buying tires for the car, or vacationing on our yachts in the Mediterranean.

What? There was no massive media coverage? Impossible. I mean, surely...

The question that must be asked is: How can influenza vaccinations be justified when there is virtually no benefit—not even the oft-cited dubious herd-immunity—and cases of severe harm are documented, in spite of disgustingly limited reporting of adverse effects?

It is long past time to end the travesty of jabbing adults and children without a shred of evidence showing benefit in spite of trying to find it, and with evidence of crippling harm, in spite of trying to mask it. 
  Cochran Study (Registration Required)
http://LifeChangingCareHouston.com
 Life-Changing Care on Facebook

http://NoNeuropathyHouston.com
http://FixMyFibro.com
http://FixMyThyroidNow.com
http://FixMyImmunesystem.com
http://SuppressMS.com
http://FixMyMigrainesNow.com
http://FixMyDizziness.com
http://FixMyDiabetesNow.com

Massive Study Finds Influenza Vaccines Produce No Benefit But Cause Serious Harm!

A remarkable study published in the Cochrane Library found no evidence of benefit for influenza vaccinations.

They also pointed out that the industry-funded studies were more likely to be published in the most prestigious journals … and one more thing:

The Cochrane Collaboration, a widely respected research-analysis team, went over all the evidence, and entered its conclusion:

• In healthy adults, no flu vaccine delivers protection from the flu.

• It doesn't protect against transmission of flu viruses from person to person, either.

• It’s also damns the quality of flu vaccine studies by saying that the vast majority of trials were inadequate.  

• The authors stated that the only ones showing benefit were industry-funded. 

•  Vaccines administered  by injection or other means—reduced influenza-like symptoms by only 4%.

• They found cases of severe harm caused by the vaccines, in spite of inadequate reporting of adverse effects, (Guillain-Barr)!

•  Forget about the widely sold herd-immunity tale. How can the group be immune when vaccines are doing nothing to prevent the free movement of germs from person to person?

So all the promotion and all the pandering and all the scare tactics and all the "expert medical opinion" and all the media coverage...useless, worthless, and irrelevant.

Billions of dollars of financed lies about flu vaccines were just that: lies.

It gets worse, because the entire theory about how and why vaccines work is sitting on a razor's edge, ready to fall into the abyss of discarded fairy tales.

We've been told that vaccines stimulate the immune system with a "rehearsal" of what will happen when an actual disease comes down the pipeline. When the disease does show up, the immune system will be locked and loaded, ready to destroy the attacking germ.
Quotes from the study include:


“…industry funded studies were published in more prestigious journals and cited more than other studies…”

“…reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin…”

“…there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions…”

But since flu vaccines don't protect against flu or even stop the transmission of flu viruses from person to person, the so-called "rehearsing" of the immune system is merely somebody's fancy story. A legend. A myth.

As always, The Cochrane Collaboration did an exhaustive review of all previous studies on flu vaccines they could discover. They rejected the studies that were badly constructed. In some cases, to expand available data, they contacted individual researchers who had conducted studies.

Therefore, Cochrane's findings represent the best of the published literature on flu vaccines.

However, because the Cochrane team owes nothing to pharmaceutical companies, they analyzed the literature with sober eyes and minds.

Here is an interesting comment from the analysis: "The review showed that reliable evidence on influenza vaccines is thin but there is evidence of widespread manipulation of conclusions..."

Now who in the world would benefit from such manipulating?

Oh yes. One other thing.

The Cochrane review, published by John Wiley and Sons, appeared online on July 7, 2010.

Over two years ago.

We must have missed the massive mainstream media coverage. Perhaps we were fishing that day, or buying tires for the car, or vacationing on our yachts in the Mediterranean.

What? There was no massive media coverage? Impossible. I mean, surely...

The question that must be asked is: How can influenza vaccinations be justified when there is virtually no benefit—not even the oft-cited dubious herd-immunity—and cases of severe harm are documented, in spite of disgustingly limited reporting of adverse effects?

It is long past time to end the travesty of jabbing adults and children without a shred of evidence showing benefit in spite of trying to find it, and with evidence of crippling harm, in spite of trying to mask it. 
  Cochran Study (Registration Required)
http://LifeChangingCareHouston.com
 Life-Changing Care on Facebook

http://NoNeuropathyHouston.com
http://FixMyFibro.com
http://FixMyThyroidNow.com
http://FixMyImmunesystem.com
http://SuppressMS.com
http://FixMyMigrainesNow.com
http://FixMyDizziness.com
http://FixMyDiabetesNow.com

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Patients With Low Thyroid and Diabetes Have Increased Risk Of Stroke

Increased Risk Of Stroke for Thyroid and Diabetes Patients!

Increased Risk Of Stroke for Thyroid and Diabetes Patients!

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State's hospitals see impressive growth spurt from nearly $1 billion in capital investment

Kentucky’s major hospital systems are going big, making high-profile, technology-forward capital investments across the commonwealth. Josh Shepherd of The Lane Report writes that every sector of the state is part of the hospital boom. The state's cumulative total of investment since 2010 is roughly a billion dollars, notes Shepherd, and has meant hundreds of construction and, soon, medical and other hospital-related jobs. Here's the list of the most notable construction projects now under way:

Owensboro Medical Health System,  $385 million, a new complex (pictured, above) that will allow expansion for the next 50 years, completion date: summer 2013.

Norton Healthcare System, Louisville, converting Suburban Hospital into Norton Women's Hospital and Kosair Children's Hospital, $120 million, completion date: 2013.

Pikeville Medical Center, new office building and parking facility, $130 million, completion soon.

Baptist Health, Lexington, expansion of Central Baptist Hospital medical services complex with parking structure, $200 million.

University of Kentucky Healthcare, Chandler Medical Center, $750 million, includes new plans for Shriners Hospital for Children.

Frankfort Regional Hospital,  $8 million expansion, emergency department.

Trigg County Hospital, $7 million, surgery and rehabilitation unit.

Lifepoint Hospitals-owned Clark Regional Medical Center, $60 million, 79-bed hospital. (Read more)

Kentucky’s major hospital systems are going big, making high-profile, technology-forward capital investments across the commonwealth. Josh Shepherd of The Lane Report writes that every sector of the state is part of the hospital boom. The state's cumulative total of investment since 2010 is roughly a billion dollars, notes Shepherd, and has meant hundreds of construction and, soon, medical and other hospital-related jobs. Here's the list of the most notable construction projects now under way:

Owensboro Medical Health System,  $385 million, a new complex (pictured, above) that will allow expansion for the next 50 years, completion date: summer 2013.

Norton Healthcare System, Louisville, converting Suburban Hospital into Norton Women's Hospital and Kosair Children's Hospital, $120 million, completion date: 2013.

Pikeville Medical Center, new office building and parking facility, $130 million, completion soon.

Baptist Health, Lexington, expansion of Central Baptist Hospital medical services complex with parking structure, $200 million.

University of Kentucky Healthcare, Chandler Medical Center, $750 million, includes new plans for Shriners Hospital for Children.

Frankfort Regional Hospital,  $8 million expansion, emergency department.

Trigg County Hospital, $7 million, surgery and rehabilitation unit.

Lifepoint Hospitals-owned Clark Regional Medical Center, $60 million, 79-bed hospital. (Read more)

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Statins Use Causes 50% Increased Risk Of Diabetes

Lower Your Cholesterol and Increase Your Diabetes Risk by Nearly 50%

Neurological damage is only one potential risk of statins. They are also being increasingly associated with increased risk of developing diabetes.

Most recently, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed statins increase the risk of diabetes for postmenopausal women by 48 percent!

Statins appear to provoke diabetes through a few different mechanisms, the primary one being by increasing your insulin levels, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Chronically elevated insulin levels cause inflammation in your body, which is the hallmark of most chronic disease. In fact, elevated insulin levels lead to heart disease, which, ironically, prevention of is the primary reason for taking a statin drug in the first place!

As written on GreenMedInfo regarding cholesterol drugs and neuropathy:

“The profound irony here is that most of the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes is due to cardiovascular complications. High blood sugar and its oxidation (glycation) contribute to damage to the blood vessels, particularly the arteries, resulting in endothelial dysfunction and associated neuropathies due to lack of blood flow to the nerves. Statin drugs, which are purported to reduce cardiovascular disease risk through lipid suppression, insofar as they contribute to insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar, and full-blown diabetes, are not only diabetogenic but cardiotoxic, as well.”

A separate meta-analysis has also confirmed that statin drugs are indeed associated with increased risk of developing diabetes. 

The researchers evaluated five different clinical trials that together examined more than 32,000 people. They found that the higher the dosage of statin drugs being taken, the greater the diabetes risk. The “number needed to harm” for intensive-dose statin therapy was 498 for new-onset diabetes — that’s the number of people who need to take the drug in order for one person to develop diabetes.

In even simpler terms, one out of every 498 people who are on a high-dose statin regimen will develop diabetes!
(The lower the “number needed to harm,” the greater the risk factor is. As a side note, the “number needed to treat” per year for intensive-dose statins was 155 for cardiovascular events. This means that 155 people have to take the drug in order to prevent one person from having a cardiovascular event.)

The following scientific reviews also reached the conclusion that statin use is associated with increased incidence of new-onset diabetes:

• A 2010 meta-analysis of 13 statin trials, consisting of 91,140 participants, found that statin therapy was associated with a 9 percent increased risk for incident diabetes. Here, the number needed to harm was 255 over four years, meaning for every 255 people on the drug, one developed diabetes as a result of the drug in that period of time.

• In a 2009 study, statin use was associated with a rise of fasting plasma glucose in patients with and without diabetes, independently of other factors such as age, and use of aspirin or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The study included data from more than 345,400 patients over a period of two years. On average, statins increased fasting plasma glucose in non-diabetic statin users by 7 mg/dL, and in diabetics, statins increased glucose levels by 39 mg/dL.

Until next time…-WKC

Lower Your Cholesterol and Increase Your Diabetes Risk by Nearly 50%

Neurological damage is only one potential risk of statins. They are also being increasingly associated with increased risk of developing diabetes.

Most recently, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine revealed statins increase the risk of diabetes for postmenopausal women by 48 percent!

Statins appear to provoke diabetes through a few different mechanisms, the primary one being by increasing your insulin levels, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Chronically elevated insulin levels cause inflammation in your body, which is the hallmark of most chronic disease. In fact, elevated insulin levels lead to heart disease, which, ironically, prevention of is the primary reason for taking a statin drug in the first place!

As written on GreenMedInfo regarding cholesterol drugs and neuropathy:

“The profound irony here is that most of the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes is due to cardiovascular complications. High blood sugar and its oxidation (glycation) contribute to damage to the blood vessels, particularly the arteries, resulting in endothelial dysfunction and associated neuropathies due to lack of blood flow to the nerves. Statin drugs, which are purported to reduce cardiovascular disease risk through lipid suppression, insofar as they contribute to insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar, and full-blown diabetes, are not only diabetogenic but cardiotoxic, as well.”

A separate meta-analysis has also confirmed that statin drugs are indeed associated with increased risk of developing diabetes. 

The researchers evaluated five different clinical trials that together examined more than 32,000 people. They found that the higher the dosage of statin drugs being taken, the greater the diabetes risk. The “number needed to harm” for intensive-dose statin therapy was 498 for new-onset diabetes — that’s the number of people who need to take the drug in order for one person to develop diabetes.

In even simpler terms, one out of every 498 people who are on a high-dose statin regimen will develop diabetes!
(The lower the “number needed to harm,” the greater the risk factor is. As a side note, the “number needed to treat” per year for intensive-dose statins was 155 for cardiovascular events. This means that 155 people have to take the drug in order to prevent one person from having a cardiovascular event.)

The following scientific reviews also reached the conclusion that statin use is associated with increased incidence of new-onset diabetes:

• A 2010 meta-analysis of 13 statin trials, consisting of 91,140 participants, found that statin therapy was associated with a 9 percent increased risk for incident diabetes. Here, the number needed to harm was 255 over four years, meaning for every 255 people on the drug, one developed diabetes as a result of the drug in that period of time.

• In a 2009 study, statin use was associated with a rise of fasting plasma glucose in patients with and without diabetes, independently of other factors such as age, and use of aspirin or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The study included data from more than 345,400 patients over a period of two years. On average, statins increased fasting plasma glucose in non-diabetic statin users by 7 mg/dL, and in diabetics, statins increased glucose levels by 39 mg/dL.

Until next time…-WKC

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Cholesterol Lowering Statins Cause Neuropathy and Diabetes!

Cholesterol Is Produced By Every Cell In The Human Body! 

You make way more cholesterol than you could ever consume in a day. Your body needs these fats for healthy Brain and Nerve formation, they are entirely made of cholesterol and water. Your cell membranes are dependent on cholesterol because the membranes are made up of a double layer of fatty acids bound by phosphates, the lipids are replaced continuously by the cells own production of cholesterol.

Why Are So Many People On Cholesterol Lowering Statins? 
 The answer lies in the motive…A motive of profit driven greed at any cost! More than 255 million prescriptions for cholesterol lowering drugs were dispensed in 2010, for a total spending of nearly $19 billion in America, making them the most commonly prescribed type of medication in the United States.

However, the number one cause of death in America is Heart Disease. 
The fact of the matter is that since 1935, Heart Disease and Cancer have been the #1 and #2 causes of death in America every year! There has been no change at all with the introduction of statins, but what has changed is the incidence of Peripheral Neuropathy and Diabetes since the introduction of these types of drugs.

 At GreenMedInfo.com you can see 88 studies on statin-induced neurotoxicity (nerve damage), with12 studies further statin drugs directly to neuropathy, including chronic peripheral neuropathy.

As explained by NINDS: "Peripheral neuropathy describes damage to the peripheral nervous system, the vast communications network that transmits information from the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to every other part of the body. Peripheral nerves also send sensory information back to the brain and spinal cord, such as a message that the feet are cold or a finger is burned. Damage to the peripheral nervous system interferes with these vital connections. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral neuropathy distorts and sometimes interrupts messages between the brain and the rest of the body." 

Because every peripheral nerve has a highly specialized function in a specific part of the body, a wide array of symptoms can occur when nerves are damaged. 

Statins stop the nerve insulation, that is cholesterol based, from forming correctly! 

Some people with neuropathy may experience temporary numbness, tingling, and pricking sensations (paresthesia), sensitivity to touch, or muscle weakness. Others may suffer more extreme symptoms, including burning pain (especially at night), muscle wasting, paralysis, or organ or gland dysfunction. People may become unable to digest food easily, maintain safe levels of blood pressure, sweat normally, or experience normal sexual function. In the most extreme cases, breathing may become difficult or organ failure may occur. Some forms of neuropathy involve damage to only one nerve and are called mononeuropathies. More often though, multiple nerves affecting all limbs are affected-called polyneuropathy.

One of the more disturbing implications of this finding is that since statins damage the peripheral nerves, it is also highly likely that they damage the central nervous system (which includes the brain), as well. One study published in the journal Pharmacology in 2009, found statin-induced cognitive impairment to be a common occurrence, with 90% reporting improvement after drug discontinuation. There are, in fact, at least 12 studies linking memory problems with statin drug use in the biomedical literature, indicating just how widespread and serious a side effect statin-induced neurological damage really is.
Peripheral Neuropathy Houston

via http://noneuropathyhouston.com/?p=930

Cholesterol Is Produced By Every Cell In The Human Body! 

You make way more cholesterol than you could ever consume in a day. Your body needs these fats for healthy Brain and Nerve formation, they are entirely made of cholesterol and water. Your cell membranes are dependent on cholesterol because the membranes are made up of a double layer of fatty acids bound by phosphates, the lipids are replaced continuously by the cells own production of cholesterol.

Why Are So Many People On Cholesterol Lowering Statins? 
 The answer lies in the motive…A motive of profit driven greed at any cost! More than 255 million prescriptions for cholesterol lowering drugs were dispensed in 2010, for a total spending of nearly $19 billion in America, making them the most commonly prescribed type of medication in the United States.

However, the number one cause of death in America is Heart Disease. 
The fact of the matter is that since 1935, Heart Disease and Cancer have been the #1 and #2 causes of death in America every year! There has been no change at all with the introduction of statins, but what has changed is the incidence of Peripheral Neuropathy and Diabetes since the introduction of these types of drugs.

 At GreenMedInfo.com you can see 88 studies on statin-induced neurotoxicity (nerve damage), with12 studies further statin drugs directly to neuropathy, including chronic peripheral neuropathy.

As explained by NINDS: "Peripheral neuropathy describes damage to the peripheral nervous system, the vast communications network that transmits information from the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to every other part of the body. Peripheral nerves also send sensory information back to the brain and spinal cord, such as a message that the feet are cold or a finger is burned. Damage to the peripheral nervous system interferes with these vital connections. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral neuropathy distorts and sometimes interrupts messages between the brain and the rest of the body." 

Because every peripheral nerve has a highly specialized function in a specific part of the body, a wide array of symptoms can occur when nerves are damaged. 

Statins stop the nerve insulation, that is cholesterol based, from forming correctly! 

Some people with neuropathy may experience temporary numbness, tingling, and pricking sensations (paresthesia), sensitivity to touch, or muscle weakness. Others may suffer more extreme symptoms, including burning pain (especially at night), muscle wasting, paralysis, or organ or gland dysfunction. People may become unable to digest food easily, maintain safe levels of blood pressure, sweat normally, or experience normal sexual function. In the most extreme cases, breathing may become difficult or organ failure may occur. Some forms of neuropathy involve damage to only one nerve and are called mononeuropathies. More often though, multiple nerves affecting all limbs are affected-called polyneuropathy.

One of the more disturbing implications of this finding is that since statins damage the peripheral nerves, it is also highly likely that they damage the central nervous system (which includes the brain), as well. One study published in the journal Pharmacology in 2009, found statin-induced cognitive impairment to be a common occurrence, with 90% reporting improvement after drug discontinuation. There are, in fact, at least 12 studies linking memory problems with statin drug use in the biomedical literature, indicating just how widespread and serious a side effect statin-induced neurological damage really is.
Peripheral Neuropathy Houston

via http://noneuropathyhouston.com/?p=930

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First lady speaks out on behalf of domestic-violence victims; Ky. is one of four states without protection for date-violence victims

First Lady Jane Beshear pointed out the accomplishments of the anti-domestic violence movement in Kentucky this week, and spoke the names of 26 women who had died at the hands of their abusers this year. With that, she then announced that October would again be Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kentucky.

“Nearly one-third of all American women report being abused at some point in their lives. Abuse affects more than just individuals -- families and communities suffer, too,” said Beshear. “Domestic Violence Awareness Month is the opportunity for all Kentuckians to learn how to recognize the signs of domestic abuse and to show support for victims as they work to regain control of their lives.”

Kentucky is one of only four states that do not provide protection for victims of dating violence. “In celebrating the successes of the Violence Against Women Act, we must acknowledge the work still left to do,” said KDVA President Anne Perkins, who also serves as executive director of Safe Harbor, a regional domestic violence program in Ashland.  She called on state legislators to pass a new dating violence bill during the next legislative session. Research shows that young women between the ages of 20 to 24 are at greatest risk of intimate partner violence.

First Lady Jane Beshear pointed out the accomplishments of the anti-domestic violence movement in Kentucky this week, and spoke the names of 26 women who had died at the hands of their abusers this year. With that, she then announced that October would again be Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kentucky.

“Nearly one-third of all American women report being abused at some point in their lives. Abuse affects more than just individuals -- families and communities suffer, too,” said Beshear. “Domestic Violence Awareness Month is the opportunity for all Kentuckians to learn how to recognize the signs of domestic abuse and to show support for victims as they work to regain control of their lives.”

Kentucky is one of only four states that do not provide protection for victims of dating violence. “In celebrating the successes of the Violence Against Women Act, we must acknowledge the work still left to do,” said KDVA President Anne Perkins, who also serves as executive director of Safe Harbor, a regional domestic violence program in Ashland.  She called on state legislators to pass a new dating violence bill during the next legislative session. Research shows that young women between the ages of 20 to 24 are at greatest risk of intimate partner violence.

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Annual report for Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky region shows employee health care costs there will go up about $400 next year

In an continuing effort to move health costs off the shoulders of employers and onto employees, workers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will likely pay an average $4,775 out of their own pockets for health care in 2013 -- about $400 more than this year. That's nearly $2,000 more than they paid in 2007. The payments include premiums through their employer, as well as office co-pays and deductibles, said Aon Hewitt, the consultant that produced its annual cost report. These payments are slightly less than the national average of $4,814.

The trend toward "more employee accountability" means that nearly all companies are adjusting the designs of their employee plans, adding wellness programs and moving more employees to high-deductible plans with health savings accounts, reports Cliff Peale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Penalties are now common for workers who smoke or who don’t take required health screenings.

The report notes that companies continue to bear most of the cost of their employees’ health insurance. It also predicts that, counting the portion paid by both companies and workers, the cost of a health care policy will increase 6.4 percent next year to $11,566. That should return the region to numbers more aligned with the national average. About half of all Americans still get benefits through their employers, and there are nearly 50 million without health insurance at all. (Read more)

In an continuing effort to move health costs off the shoulders of employers and onto employees, workers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will likely pay an average $4,775 out of their own pockets for health care in 2013 -- about $400 more than this year. That's nearly $2,000 more than they paid in 2007. The payments include premiums through their employer, as well as office co-pays and deductibles, said Aon Hewitt, the consultant that produced its annual cost report. These payments are slightly less than the national average of $4,814.

The trend toward "more employee accountability" means that nearly all companies are adjusting the designs of their employee plans, adding wellness programs and moving more employees to high-deductible plans with health savings accounts, reports Cliff Peale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Penalties are now common for workers who smoke or who don’t take required health screenings.

The report notes that companies continue to bear most of the cost of their employees’ health insurance. It also predicts that, counting the portion paid by both companies and workers, the cost of a health care policy will increase 6.4 percent next year to $11,566. That should return the region to numbers more aligned with the national average. About half of all Americans still get benefits through their employers, and there are nearly 50 million without health insurance at all. (Read more)

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