Posts Tagged ‘healthcare’

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Health Care and Economy

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Individuals who are new to the institution of medical health insurance can find they are overwhelmed with the many choices of health insurance providers and the choice of plans. However, with even a small amount of effort it will soon become evident which health insurance plan is best for the individual at any given period of time.

Many grouped into the population of the young seem to have difficulty with the choices because they were used to being covered under their parent’s health insurance plan and never really gave it much thought other than they were covered under some plan. With time and patience even, the young can find out which plan is best for their needs and the only other question is to find the most low cost health insurance that is possible.

Be wary of some of the cheaper health insurance policies because many times you find out too late that the deductible is one that is very high and you are not covered for all the different things you were once covered when under a parent’s insurance plan.

When you have finished up with college and are out in search of your first full time employment, you may have the opportunity to buy into a temporary health insurance policy to cover your needs until you find gainful employment. This type of insurance is not exactly inexpensive, but it will see you through until you can pick up affordable health insurance with your new employer.

When you are young and healthy you are starting off on good footing. Though the health insurance quotes, you will receive by a variety of insurance carriers you will be amazed at how expensive medical health care coverage can be as you begin to age. Of course, much will depend on the type of insurance policy you are researching and the type of medical coverage you are expecting.

Understand that low cost health insurance as with almost any other aspect of the consumer driven market will sink or swim depending on how strong the consumer market remain. Similar to what is occurring today with almost every aspect of the consumer market spiraling downward. Just where all this downward activity will end, no one is really sure because we are all in new territory, including the health care territory.

In many ways, it is a sad legacy to find that our wealth and much of our health care industry is dependent upon a consumer state of mind. At one time, we were a nation of creative builders and growers and shipped through trading many goods across the seas and around the world. Can you figure out exactly what it is that we export today?

The country has lost its luster through floundering in self-indulgence.  We as a nation forgot how to stand tall to respect and honor all that came before. Those who laid the foundation for future generations to build are being tossed aside through arrogance and dependency in every faction of life.

This is true with the exploration of low cost health insurance as well because the public is making as many demands of what they want as the insurance providers are taking away. Whatever happened to independence and self-reliance?

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Pets and Allergies

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Pets and allergies for some reason seem to go together. How sad when you have a family and everyone agrees they all want very much to add a pet to the family and when you do the war of the allergies takes over. The allergies stem from the animal dander and not all the health insurance in the world is going to stop this from happening.

However, there are some allergies, like asthma, that are now considered a pre-condition. If your child or children are developing an allergy to the pet dander, do you then return the pet? Probably not, but this is becoming an issue for the health care industry to pay attention to. There are a few steps you can try to help alleviate this issue with the help of the health insurance community.

1.    Discuss the allergy symptoms with your medical health care physician

2.    Bathe your pet regularly to reduce the pet dander

3.    Refrain from allowing your pet to enter the bedroom for an allergy free night

4.    Thoroughly vacuum carpeting and flooring regularly

5.    Clean and dust regularly

6.    Consider using a vacuum with a HEPA filter to pick up pet dander

First, you must figure out how to relieve the symptoms of the allergy and this is a logical topic to discuss with your medical health care physician.

There are many over the counter medications that are mild that you could try to see if they eliminate the itchy eyes and runny nose after consulting your medical health care physician. However, if the one member of your home who is allergic to pet dander is a child, it is a wise idea to discuss this with your pediatrician. If your child is older then discuss this with your medical physician and even your affordable health insurance carrier.

Sometimes you will need a prescription medication for allergies, specific to pet dander and then you will need to talk with your health insurance provider to find out if they will cover the prescription. The reason why you need to find out is that if the prescription is an expensive one, you must continue to purchase a new supply each month.

Always take care though, do not mix medications when you are not sure if they are compatible. You can always consult your medical health care physician when you are not sure, especially when children are involved. You can also consult with your low cost health insurance provider to ask if they have a pamphlet for more advice to protect the children and reduce the susceptibility of pet dander allergen.

The health insurance providers usually have information they will be more than happy to pass along to you to help with the necessary adjustments of introducing a new pet into the home. Good, sound advice is what you really need most right now and they just might have what you are searching. Once you are able to grasp a new workable system you will soon find the allergy will begin to subside, but never allow yourself to let down your guard.

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Lower Insurance Premiums

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Shopping around for medical health care is so time consuming that many people who begin with good intentions end by walking away and giving up. However, if you prepare ahead of time and have a better understanding of what you are looking for the search becomes easier.  There are a few things you can list and then take them one by one until you locate the right health insurance plan that will suite your needs.

It is at this time that you will pick up the telephone and set up an in office appointment to discuss the details further and collect some information. A few of the ways to lower your medical health insurance premiums are:

1. Always do your best to remain healthy and refrain from unsavory habits

2. If you are a smoker now it a great time to stop

3. Consider a high deductible in order to lower the average monthly cost for health insurance

4. Change your co-insurance ratio when it is possible

5. Consider combining a Health Savings Account or HSA with a high deductible medical health insurance plan for better planning

6. Consider a major medical catastrophic plan to help defray cost

7. Consider eliminating anything that poses a significant risk

8. Consider a health insurance plan with an in network medical physician

9. When both spouses have group health insurance through their place of employment discuss which insurance plan covers more for less money

10.                   Go over your insurance plan annually to check for any changes to the policy

11.                   When you are dissatisfied with your employer sponsored group health insurance add a suggestion in the suggestion box

12.                   Try to be pre-emptive and think ahead for what your family needs will be

These are all suggestions to help you when you make that appointment with a health insurance provider in order for you to receive the type of insurance policy that will best serve you and your family. In turn, doing your homework also aids the insurance provider put together and offer you an insurance policy that is closest to what you are searching. One of the high sides is when you and your spouse are both employed.

When you both carry medical health insurance coverage, it does give you the opportunity to find the time and compare both medical health insurance policies to see which one really costs less and offers more beneficial coverage at the same time. This will afford you the opportunity to drop the health care plan that cost more while continuing with beneficial coverage for yourself, your spouse, and your children.

Try not to focus so hard on the cost because it is the coverage that will be more valuable as the years pass. When you have the responsibility of a family, children continue to grow, and there are always different issues regarding health insurance issues that must be addressed. When you only focus on the average monthly cost for health insurance, you may be hurting yourself and your family rather than helping them.

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Alzheimer’s Disease

Monday, March 29th, 2010

How many of you are trying to make a living, raise your family, pay bills best you can, participate with your children in after school activities, and taking care of your parents at the same time? Statistically, there are many and the stress levels are running high. You find yourself on the telephone with the health insurance provider on a regular basis to find out if your parents are medically protected under their health insurance plan from certain procedures and new medication.

You are finding yourself torn between trying to do what is in the best interest of your parents and your children, right. Do you find that along the line you are losing the sense of self? You have tried to read the low cost health insurance policy your parents are enrolled.  Yet, you still find it very unclear as to what is and what is not covered.

You are thinking about inquiring about the home health services to ease some of the burden you find yourself involved. You begin to wonder if this is how you will become when you become elderly and it scares you to begin researching the topic. Now with everything else you must do you want to learn exactly what Alzheimer’s is and how it evolves. You also are interested if there is any way to stop it.

The low cost health insurance provider has sent you a few booklets, pamphlets, and medical web sites you can refer to in order to learn. As you begin your homework, you learn that Alzheimer’s disease involves the neurotransmitters within the brain with low levels of chemical messengers.

Talking with your health insurance provider you explain how your mother had five older sisters and your father was the fourth child born out of nine children and never was there any hint of Alzheimer’s disease in the family until now. Unfortunately, the answers are few because the medical community themselves are not able to pinpoint the why.

The various health insurance providers do have a list of some of the more noticeable symptoms as does the medical community.

1.    The most noticeable symptom is memory loss and difficulty making decisions

2.    Confusion begins to set in as to what time of day it is

3.    Appear lost in familiar places and forget where items like a health care policy was placed last

4.    Learning and remembering new information becomes a difficult lesson in futility

5.    Speaking incomplete sentences and confusing or combining topics senselessly

6.    Performing daily activities become confusing

As a caregiver, you need to reach out to the health care community because this is a difficult time for your entire family. The health care community will help to guide you and offer assistance as to medication, group therapy, and suggest investigating the living centers in your area because Alzheimer’s disease never improves. The best anyone can hope for is to slow down the progression, but sometimes even that is impossible depending on the parent with the Alzheimer’s disease. This is such a difficult time for all who are involved and there is no easy path to travel.

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The Importance Of Health Care Coverage In America Today

Friday, November 20th, 2009

One of the most crucial issues facing American today is importance of health insurance for American citizens. Yet currently there are 47 million Americans who are under-insured or who do not have any health insurance coverage at all. The American public is aging, the baby boomers are reaching their senior years and according to actuarial insurance statistics most individuals begin to contract major illnesses or disabilities from the age of 50 onward. These individuals cannot afford to be without health insurance. As a matter of fact, Americans of any age, social status, or walk of life cannot afford to jeopardize their health care because they are without insurance.

Medical heath care coverage is protect Americans from the event that a medical illnesses or situation should occur and there is no money to pay for the cost of treatment. Older baby boomers understand full well how much the cost of medical coverage is in America. A major operation, and treatment can cost in the thousands of dollars sometimes reaching over 100,000 dollars. Unless the individual is fairly wealthy there is no way to be able to pay these rising health care costs.

Fortunately some working Americans do have medical health care coverage through their employers. Group insurance coverage is the most economical way of making sure your health care needs are met.

Unfortunately not all employers offer any group insurance coverage and this leaves many American families uninsured. With the rising costs of health care in America, no family can really afford to go with out insurance coverage. There are just too many things that can happen. A young couple planning a family will need medical health care coverage for prenatal care, hospital stays for once the babies are born, and then doctor visits for immunizations and regular routine checkups for their children afterward. Even if a couple is young and childless there is no guarantee in life that they will always remain healthy. Doctor visits for the most innocuous things such as getting a flu shot, or going to the doctor for allergy shots will become very pricey without proper medical healthcare coverage.

Self-employed individuals must maintain a self-employed health insurance plan to protect their business. Health insurance is just as important as any other business expense. If the self-employed person can no longer work due to a temporary disability, time away from work due to an operation, or even an car accident, then that self-employed person will lose the income from their business. Besides loss of income they may actually lose their entire business if they are incapable of working for a long period of time.

American ex patriots may find themselves in a country where they cannot readily get the health care that they need. The facilities may be inferior to American standards, or the services may not be available at all. Ex patriot medical health insurance can provide needed money to pay for the costs of health care in the foreign country or provide coverage if the ex patriot must return to America for treatment.

All Americans need proper coverage. When it is not provided through an employer private medical healthcare coverage as well as state run health insurance plans are available. Do not go without proper health care find an affordable health insurance plan that meets your individual needs and the needs of your family.

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Ingesting Drugs has Become the New American Diet

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

The crisis is consuming America and it is also consuming the rest of the world.  All you have to do is google “ a nation of pill poppers” and you will see the crisis is affecting the UK to Singapore.  More and more people around the world are turning to drugs as their solution for their physical and mental health care issues.  It makes the big pharmaceutical companies happy, but it does not necessarily make the individuals using these medications very happy.  There is no such thing as a “happy pill.”    Could it be that individuals especially with mental health issues are just trying to drown their sorrows with medication instead of the traditional alcohol? Furthermore what is the impact on the lives of people that are using medication and alcohol?

The media is a facilitator in this quest to medicate for mental and physical ailments.  At one time you went to the doctor with your complaints and he or she would prescribe medication if it were needed.  Now you go to the doctor and say, “I want this medication or that medication.  I saw it on TV and it explains my symptoms completely.”  Although it is a wonderful idea to take an interest in your symptoms and know exactly what it is you have and what are the treatment plans for it.  There are several things to look out for. Could the ailment be managed other than with chemicals? For example, Irritable Bowel Syndrome often responds to a change in diet and a reduction in stress.  Implementing these treatments and or prevention strategies will have a positive affect upon the general health care of the American people.

The question often left unanswered is, are these medications for everything and anything always safe?  Painkillers are so prominent in America; they can be purchased over the counter or by prescription. Yes, the advertisements warn of the side affects, but at what cost to our health care? It seems to take several years before you finally hear that certain drugs have been pulled from the market and this only because they wait to see what the affects on the public will be.

In October 2009, American Regent Voluntarily recalled Ketorolac Tromethamine Injection, USP 30/mg/ml; 1ml single dose vials. Ketorolac Tromethamine is a nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory used as a painkiller for mild, but not chronic pain. Sometimes it is used for severe pain, but only used for a few days. Ketorolac Tromethamine is sold under the brand name Torodol. The product was recalled because of the crystallization, which could obstruct the blood vessels and produce a heart attack or stroke.

In October of this year, the FDA recalled Heparin, which is an anticoagulant.  One of the concerns was the unit dosage.  The contaminated dosage has been associated with certain adverse affects including death of its users in the USA.  There you have it, two products recalled within the same month for different reasons and both products endangering the health care of some many Americans who rely on these drugs.

On Sept 16, the FDA issued a warning about the labeling for the product Promethazine Hydrochloride Injection, which is sold under the brand name Phenergan. This product is a sedative used for treating nausea and vomiting. Promethazine Hydrochloride is also used as an antihistamine for hey fever. When the injection form is not administered properly it will cause serious tissue damage.  There have been reports as far back as to 1969 – 2009 where cases of gangrene and amputation have been reported after using this drug.

The question remains, what is more beneficial to our over all health care, relieving nausea with this drug or risking its harmful affects when the health care professional makes a boo boo and boo boo’s our lives?

The list of products, which have been, recalled over the years go on and on. Sometimes as consumers we get to hear about them and sometimes we don’t. In the mean time we continue to pop pills, inject chemical drugs, but really do we feel good? Is the state of our health care better for it?

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America: A Nation on Antidepressants?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Rising taxes, home foreclosures, job losses, divorces, bankruptcy, and the list goes on and on.  These are only some of the myriad of environmental factors that affect Americans today.  These factors and many more contribute to a medical diagnosis called depression, which is running rampant throughout the American health care system.  There are currently more than 10 million Americans, men, women, and children who suffer from one of the many forms of depression and the situation is not getting any better.

People who are depressed flock to doctors offices for antidepressants such as Prozac, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Luvox, Celexa, Serzone, Effexor, Remeron, Paxil, and Zoloft. These medications are serotonin reuptake inhibitors.  What they do is regulate the chemical imbalance within the brain.  Serotonin as well as other neurotransmitters is responsible for mood balance.  These antidepressants are used to treat major depressive illness, which is a life crippling mental disorder.

Despite the food and drug administration’s warning that some antidepressants can produce thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts especially among teenagers, the use of antidepressants has doubled within the last 10 years.  Sadly, psychotherapy has dropped as a treatment for depression within the same period.  More and more Americans are looking for that magic pill, that quick fix.

Unfortunately, they are not attempting to battle the environment issues, which are key factors for major depression The only people who are happy about this state of health care and treatment in America are the big pharmaceutical companies who are making billions of dollars (over 9 billion) from the purchase of antidepressants. Yet, these antidepressants never seem to cure the disorder they just control it. Americans are becoming too reliant on pills and less confident in their own ability to overcome life’s challenges. The extra cost of medication is also having its effect on the health insurance industry.  By 2008, antidepressants were the most sought over drug in America, even surpassing blood pressure medication. When we talk about world standards, the antidepressants are the third best selling category of drugs, surpassed only by cholesterol and heartburn medication.

Though no one would disagree that certain people do have a chemical imbalance in the brain, doctors are over prescribing antidepressants as well, especially for patients who are suffering from mild to moderate depression. Some doctors are prescribing antidepressants without truly investigating if their patients really are clinically depressed.  Some doctors are simply doling out samples and telling their patients to “tell me how you do with on these.”  The other problem is that primary care physicians are handing out antidepressant subscriptions and most patients never get to see a psychiatrist for a proper evaluation.  Primary physicians particularly prescribe Prozac and Paxil because the big pharmaceutical companies have convinced them that these drugs are perfectly safe.  On the other hand some physicians are reluctant to prescribe antidepressants due to the potential suicide scare and this could be detrimental to the quality of health care Americans are receiving.

Major depression prevents people from living their lives to the fullest; depression is responsible for increased doctor visits, medical care, and the increased drug medication benefits doled out by the health insurance companies.

People with depression, lose interest in life, lose hope and lose faith in themselves and their abilities.    Depression can interfere with work, causing greater absenteeism among employees; it can lead to losing jobs and losing a happy family life through divorce.  Loss of income can further have dire consequences such as bankruptcy, and bad credit which would put a person further into depression.  Counseling and psychotherapy can help but they too are expensive and are limited on many health insurance policies; if covered at al all. This restriction and financial hardship has more and more Americans turning to antidepressants as their quick fix to a serious and far reaching mental illness.

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Other Medical Complications That Affect The Health Care of Diabetics

Monday, October 19th, 2009

High blood pressure

About 73% of diabetics suffer from high blood pressure.

Blindness

Up to 24,000 new cases of blindness is reported every year and this is due to a disease called diabetic retinopathy.  High blood sugars damage the nerves in the retina.

Kidney disease

The number one cause of kidney failure is diabetes.

Nervous system disease

Up to 70 percent of people suffering from diabetes also have some form of damage to the nervous system.  This damage could include slow digestive systems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lack of sensation in the legs and feet.

Amputations

People with diabetes have a 10 times greater chance of having their legs or feet amputated.  This is caused by excessively high blood glucose levels, which can cause infection in wounds or slow up the healing process allowing the opportunity for gangrene to set in.

Dental problems

Tooth decay and gum disease is common among diabetes victims. In addition, high levels of sugar in the saliva will create problems as well.

Sexual dysfunction

Impotence, and other sexual dysfunctions in both men and women are common

Many more complications can result from diabetes and improper health care.

In 2007 $27 billion dollars was spent on medical expenses for diabetics.  The costs are rising by 8 billion dollars each year.  Health insurance companies are overburdened, which in turn trickles down to the insured that must pay higher premiums.  Then there is more government expenditures including disease related unemployment disability, and in the private sector, we have employers who end up with higher absentee rates among their workers who have diabetes.

Diabetes does not only affects the individual suffering with it, it affects families, government, health insurance companies, employers and more.  The epidemic is overpowering our culture and needs to be curtailed.

For those people who need help, make sure you do see your doctor, if you are obese and have not been testing for diabetes get the test immediately before complications set in.  If you are overweight it is always good to get testing in case you are in the pre diabetic stage.  Eat a sensible low carbohydrate, low sugar and fat diet, exercise and stay on your meds. Your health care is important not only to you but to your family and friends and America as well.

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The Diabetes Crisis in America is on the Rise

Friday, October 16th, 2009

It has long been known that the obesity epidemic in America today will cause all kinds of medical complications and a drain on the medical system due to rising health care costs.  The expanding waistlines of Americans reaches far beyond aesthetics, it is a national health disaster.  Obesity is the known factor in type 2 diabetes, also called sugar diabetes or diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus or onset adult diabetes mellitus generally hits a person who is obese and over forty years of age.

Each year new cases of diabetes mellitus are reported in America.  More and more patients flock to their doctors and are put on medications to control their blood sugar levels.  Actually the crises is not isolated to America, as Canadian and UK medical experts report alarming increases in reported cases of type 2 diabetes as well. Almost 8 percent of the American population has diabetes and that translates to 23 million people. These cases are taxing the health insurance companies with various claims. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are still 5.7 million people who remain undiagnosed, and still another whooping 57 million people who are in the pre-diabetic stage.   Over 11 million women have diabetes and do not have any idea that they do.  Over 12 million men have diabetes.  Also, certain races are more prone to diabetes than others.  These groups include: Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Indians, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Islander women. Furthermore the health care of children is compromised. There are more cases of children and adolescents who are now getting type 2 diabetes, which, was once considered an adult onset disease.

There are several serious health care complications for diabetics. For example, there are 65 percent of deaths resulting from heart attack or stroke. Adult diabetics are at a two to for times higher risk to contract heart disease than the non-diabetic population.  Stroke is another common complication from diabetes and diabetics are also at a 2 to 4 percent higher chance of getting a stroke with nearly 3 percent higher chance of dying from it.

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New Drugs and Medical Technology Putting a Strain on the American Health Care System

Monday, July 13th, 2009

The great United States of America is the land of the rich, and free. However this great nation has many problems facing the leaders of the country and their constituents. One of these issues is the current health care crisis.  There are over 47 million Americans without health insurance at this present time.  There are many more that are under insured, or unable to get the coverage they need.  Yet the USA spends over 2 trillion dollars each year for health care.  How could it be that so much money is spent yet so many people are without coverage or without adequate coverage, it just does not seem sense.  America is spending lots of money on healthcare but is it spending it wisely?

Let’s put aside the fact that many people are unemployed and cannot afford health insurance, and let’s put aside the fact that others are employed only part time and cannot afford coverage, while still others do not have employee group insurance and cannot afford private coverage.  Let is look at what is happening with the insurance benefits that are being disbursed to Americans who do have coverage and see what is happening in terms of misuse or overspending at this time.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) much of the 2 trillion dollar payout is going into the adaptation of new drugs and new diagnostic tools or devices.  Well as a World leader keeping up and putting out state of the art health technology and rightfully so, America has not done their homework.  There are not enough studies to determine the effectiveness of all these new advancements as the come out and flood the market.  Logically speaking because something is new and advanced does not necessarily mean that it actually works. What is for certain however is that it costs a lot of money.  America must ascertain that her health care system is not only of the highest standard but that it is cost effective.  When these two elements work side by side then health care costs will stabilize or even drop and more people in the long run will be able to benefit from the system.

No one wants to deny the ill their rightful benefits, but the question arises, does every complain warrant the physician ordering expenses imagining tests such as the MRI scans?  Could a simply blood test give the same information?  Of course the answer is not in all cases and then it would be truly justified to order different tests if the situation warrants it.  However, some physicians are over diagnosing their patients sending them for test after test and each and every time the tests come back negative.  All these tests cost money and that money is putting a strain and on the health care system, inflating costs while health insurance premiums are skyrocketing.

Helen Darling, the president of the National Business Group on Health in Washington states that there is excessive use in almost everything available today.  In turn Doctor Redberg is inundated with requests from her patients at her cardiology clinic for Ct angiographies scans, which is a 3D imaging tool that detects the narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.  There is no proof at this time that this test improves the patient’s health.  It delivers information and has received much media hype but it does nothing at this point to ameliorate the heart patient’s condition. She goes on to say that this machine delivers as much radiation as hundreds of x-rays and that there is a danger that this device can lead to cancer. She must explain to her patients that the test is not necessary and that they can prevent a heart attack by making adequate lifestyle changes.

Other doctors who comply with their clients wishes, bill the health care system to the tune of $700 for each of these scans.  The Rand Corporation suggests that better use of medical technology could save about 77 billion dollars per annum.

The CBO warns that there should be studies to investigate the effectiveness of new drugs and procedures, compare them to existing medical intervention, study how these inventions will affect the prognosis given, as well as study the actual care given the patients, the doctor’s practices, the length of hospital stays, and how many doctors any given patient will see for any medical complaint. Studying the number of doctors each patient sees can counteract duplicate procedure and intervention costs. By studying and then making changes to the health care system these cost effective measures when implemented will make health care more efficient and affordable to more Americans in the long run.

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