To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate. H1N1 in California
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under FAQ, Medicine
More Americans died from the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 than were killed in WWI, the Vietnam War, or in any hurricane in American history. There’s no cure for H1N1 Virus-Swine Flu-and the normal, seasonal flu vaccine doesn’t offer protection against infection from the new virus. One human sneeze can eject billions of viruses. (more…)
Are Doctors Responsible for Rising Health Care Costs?
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Health Insurance
Health care costs are high and solving the problem is complex, but one person who controls a lot of what’s spent is your doctor. Doctors get paid per tests, operations and procedures. There’s a built-in incentive to do more of those and not necessarily always provide better health care service to you.
Imagine if your auto mechanic worked in the same fashion? You’d go in for a simple repair, and they’d want to run a few tests “just in case.” This leads to a simple, “Whatever you say, doc” mentality when your doctors order additional services.” If doctors followed their mechanics’ lead and handed out estimates, people might respond differently to requests to perform additional services. (more…)
How to Identify and Relieve Back Pain
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under Back Pain, FAQ
At one time or another, everyone suffers from some form of back pain. It’s the #1 cause of missed work, and one of every five Americans is suffering from back right now!! According to Timothy Carey, M.D. director of the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at University of North Carolina obesity and stress are the leading cause.
It’s often hard to pin down the exact cause of a person’s back pain-unless you have pain accompanied by a red-flag symptom such as numbness or weakness of the legs or feet, changes in bladder control, fever, or night sweats, or you have a history of cancer. In such cases, health care professionals agree, you should see a doctor ASAP!! (more…)
Generic vs. Brand Name Prescription Drugs
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under FAQ, Medicine
With the rising costs of medications, Generic Prescriptions are becoming more popular than ever. Some 65% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. are now Generic, yet they account for only 20% of dollars spent on Rx. That shows the enormous savings between Generic and Brand Name prescription drugs.
By law, Generics must have the same active ingredient and the same action as the Brand version, which allows Generics to piggyback on the original safety and efficacy trials of Brand, hence the much lower price. (more…)
Are You About To Turn 65?
Posted by Todd Fries | Filed under FAQ, Health Insurance
If so, you will soon be eligible to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B and therefore want to start looking into a Supplemental Medicare or “Medigap” insurance policy ASAP! A Medigap policy is private Health Insurance that’s designed to supplement Medicare. It’s typically sold through the same carriers that sell standard health insurance like Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and Health Net just to name a few. It helps pay some or all of the health care costs (”gaps”) that Medicare doesn’t cover such as co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles.
Every Medicare policy must follow Federal and State Laws designed to protect you regardless of which carrier you purchase the policy through. Medigap Insurance can only be sold as a “standardized” policy identified by letters A through K. (more…)
