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Entry bubble Health Care Reform

By: Joanne | June 16, 2009 | Category: Health

Two doctors standing together, holding a clip board

The topic of health care reform is everywhere. It’s on the TV, the radio and the conversation is even happening in your living room. We’re in for some big changes…maybe.

Personally, I think it’s a good idea to look for ways to improve the system. This weekend I was talking about health care reform with an older man that I know. Before he was old enough for Medicare coverage, he didn’t have any health insurance. Because he had no health insurance, he lived in terrible pain every day because he needed knee replacement surgery, but couldn’t afford the price tag: $30,000 per knee. When he turned 65 he had the surgery and now he’s a new man – mobile, productive, pain free. So he’s one person, but don’t we all know someone who has suffered either physically or financially?

I’m lucky because my employer helps with heath insurance costs. I still pay a lot for health insurance each month, but I’ve got it good compared to so many people in this country.

Here’s my biggest concern about health care reform – I’m afraid that the voices of the people won’t be heard - so speak up. If you think we need health care reform in our country, let the President know. Share your story and ideas for improving our health care system with the Department of Health and Human Services and also contact your representatives in congress and tell them how they can reform the health care system to better serve you.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [8] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: care   health   illness   injury   insurance   joanne   medicare   reform  

 

Entry bubble Health Insurance and Travel

By: Editor | May 18, 2009 | Category: Travel

Heather Holland has been working for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) since 2004. She's traveled around the world and, except for a regrettable coral reef incident in Belize, has managed to stay healthy most of the way.

As the days get longer, gazes turn wistfully toward the office windows. Let’s admit it: we’re planning our vacations. For some this means a family trip to the beach; others lucky enough to snag a travel deal might be headed to Europe. In the current economy, your trip might be to your own backyard. Whatever your destination, one thing’s certain—you don’t want to get sick.

woman laying on couch blowing her noseIf getting sick at home is awful, becoming ill or injured away from home is infinitely worse. You’re in unfamiliar surroundings, you don’t have your own pillow, you don’t know which pharmacy is open past midnight. Uncertainty over whether your insurance will cover your care only compounds the misery.

Since deciphering your insurance policy is the last thing on your mind when hunched in a hotel bathroom with food poisoning, checking your health care policy should be an automatic part of your pre-trip planning. Depending on where you’re going, you may want to buy additional short-term travel coverage. Getting rescued by helicopter from a fall in the Shawangunks mountains doesn’t come cheap, so the peace of mind may be well worth the cost of a policy.

It’s also helpful to familiarize yourself with any local conditions that might affect your health. Will temperatures or altitude be a problem? Are there any scary diseases you should know about? Do you need to pack extra insect repellant? The Centers for Disease Control is a wonderful resource for the critical travel information that can make or break a vacation. You can also stay abreast of any official travel advisories and warnings.

By the way, know that if you or your family members have Medicare, you can probably get care from almost any doctor or hospital in the country. Visit www.medicare.gov/Physician/Home.asp to find a local doctor that accepts Medicare. You might also want to sign up for “Ask Medicare,” the new e-newsletter for caregivers (or anyone who knows someone with Medicare). The summer issue promises lots of tips on healthy senior travel.

Bon voyage!

| Post a Comment | View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: editor   health   health_insurance   medicare   travel  

 

Entry bubble Empowered, healthy women

By: Jess | May 14, 2009 | Category: Health

The term "women's health" can mean different things to different people. Some think reproductive health, some think diet and exercise, and some think doctor visits. That's part of the reason National Women's Health Awareness Week exists to teach women about all the different facets of their health and encourage them to make their well-being a priority in their lives

To celebrate the week, many different events have been taking place.

Monday was National Women's Check-up Day, a day to encourage women to visit their doctors for health and wellness screenings. It's not too late to schedule your next visit.

Sunday was the first day of the eight-week Woman Challenge, a program to encourage women to get more active. Whether it's walking around the block or taking an aerobics class at the gym, there are so many ways women can be active. If you need a little motivation, join the challenge.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers this list of tips for healthy women:
Get at least 2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week.
Eat a nutritious diet.
Visit a health care professional for regular checkups and preventive screenings.
Avoid risky behaviors, like smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.
Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

If you're a woman, what's one thing you will do to be more healthy this month? If you're a man, what's one health tip you will share with the women you love?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: health   healthy_women   jess   national_women's_health_awareness_week   women's_health  

 

Entry bubble Traffic jams and your heart

By: Jess | March 19, 2009 | Category: Health

traffic jamGetting stuck in traffic is stressful, especially if you're running late for an appointment or to pick your child up from school or for an important work meeting. Unfortunately, a new study shows that our risk for a heart attack triples in the hour after we've been stuck in traffic.

For a healthy person, that might not mean much, but for someone already at an increased risk, this study could be troubling.

The study didn't say specifically what about being stuck in traffic prompted such an increase in risk, but being in a backlog seems to affect driver and passenger in the same way, and if you have angina, are elderly or are a woman, your chances increase even more.

For tips on staying mellow, no matter how long you're stuck, you can check out these resources on managing stress and keeping your heart healthy.

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Healthy Heart Handbook for Women
Exercise and Your Heart
Managing Stress
Win Control Over Stress in Your Life

If those don't work, you could always crank the radio and have yourself a karaoke session until traffic starts moving again.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: health   heart_attack   heart_disease   jess   stress   stress_managment   traffic   traffic_jam  

 

Entry bubble An Unhealthy Need to be Skinny

By: Jess | February 26, 2009 | Category: Health

Scale in trash

(Writer's note: What follows is a short excerpt from an article I wrote for my college paper about a young woman who suffered from an eating disorder. I'm posting part of it here in honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. If you're interested in reading the entire story, you can find it here.)

As the petite young woman knelt on the bathroom floor for more than three hours, holding her shoulder-length blond hair away from the toilet bowl and retching up the remains of a night at Cornerstone Grill and Loft, she had only one thought in her mind: "At least I'm getting my dinner up."

For the sophomore business major, who shared her story on the condition of anonymity, this was as low as it got. Sitting there in a drunken haze, she reached for her cell phone and, without thinking, speed-dialed her boyfriend. She told him everything - how she lamented every calorie, how she could go for days on end without eating and how she hid it from everyone.

While that night may have been an all-time low, it proved to be a turning point by bringing her anorexia, a disease suffered in secret, out into the open.

The young woman I interviewed was brave enough to share some of the thoughts that swirled around in the mind of a person suffering from a terrible eating disorder. She felt comfortable telling me how there were days she ate nothing, but how on days when she ate only a single cracker and a diet soda, she felt fat and ugly. Unlike this young woman, many people who suffer from similar disordered eating patterns will never share their thoughts with anyone and may never reach out for help.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which runs February 22 to 28, exists to encourage people to embrace their body no matter what its shape or size. It exists to raise awareness of eating disorders and bring light to resources available both for those who suffer and for their friends and family.

It never hurts to familiarize yourself with the warning signs of an eating disorder. The National Eating Disorders Awareness organization provides additional information for teachers and coaches as well as information on counseling and other help options.

It's been a few years since I wrote that story, but in the time that's passed, I'm happy to say the young woman found a counselor, put on much of the weight she had lost and seems to be more comfortable in her own skin. She's also happily engaged. She was one of the lucky ones, who had supportive friends urging her to get help and was brave enough to admit she needed it.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: anorexia   bulemia   eating_disorders   food   health   jess   national_eating_disorders_awareness_week   risks  

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