Note to American Friends About Canadian Health Care

From north of the border, we Canadians watch the American quest for health care reform with much interest.  However, after hearing the Canadian socialized system breezily dismissed from the debate for the umpteenth time, I feel compelled to put in a word.

Americans seem to believe socialized medicine means a five year wait for substandard care. This is utterly false and part, I suspect, of  misinformation pumped out to scare Americans away from such schemes.   When someone I know was found to have a brain tumor, she had major surgery in within two weeks.  Others diagnosed with cancer start treatment right away.  When I dragged myself to the emergency room, feeling bad, I was admitted to the hospital within a hour with pneumonia.  I spent nine days in a special respiratory unit receiving the best of care. 

All of this didn't cost a personal penny.  Nor do Canadians have to scrape up money for health premiums or stay at outworn jobs because of the insurance plan.  Business and industry aren't burdened with coverage for employees.  No one, no matter what their income, need fear they will be without health care.  No asset is seized to pay a medical bill.  No one can be ruined by medical debt.   Our children inherit our hard-earned wealth, not a medical corporation. 

Our system gives each of us indescribable peace of mind.

Another misconception is that Canadians have no choice.  This is also untrue.  Canadians may choose any doctor or medical facility they like.  Americans, I understand, can be quite limited in their options depending upon income and insurance plan.

Canadians have so much choice because we gladly pay through our taxes.   As a US justice famously stated, taxes are the price of civilization. If we get good schools, universal health care and a strong social safety net to prevent the worst ills of poverty and ignorance, it's worth every dollar. Decent health care becomes not a consumer good, but a basic human right, crucial to the well-being of the individual and the nation.

Goodness knows, our system is far from perfect.  There are cost pressures, service gaps,  inter-governmental wrangling,  inevitable blunders and a gigantic country to cover. Wait times can sometimes be long when everyone must be served, not just those who can pay, though a concerted effort is steadily resolving this issue.  For instance, you now get cataract surgery within 3 weeks and a joint replacement inside of 11 weeks.   Anyone needing immediate help, gets it immediately.   

Whenever for-profit medicine tries to establish itself, alarm races through the land. We have our own fright tactics.  We are warned about doctors growing obscenely rich off the sickness of others.  We are given the specter of lying deathly ill in a hospital regarding us as a source of profit and bent on earning as much from our misery as possible while our insurance company plots equally hard to provide as little coverage as they can; neither one much concerned about what is best for the patient.  We would emerge either denied treatment or thousands of dollars in debt, headed straight into bankruptcy.  We are grimly told half of all personal bankruptcies in the US involve medical debt.

This scare picture probably isn't true any more than our "five year" wait times. Our system is private, by the way, but it has a single payer -- the government.  A Canadian doctor spends about an hour a week on billing as opposed to the 20 hours a US doctor needs.  Without insurance companies in the middle, money goes directly to medical support. 

Our system was begun half a century ago by Tommy Douglas, premier of Saskatchewan.  Tommy, appalled by the dreadful suffering he had seen during the Depression in families unable to afford doctors, fought the for-profit medical establishment to a standstill, including their American reinforcements determined to stamp out the idea lest it spread south.  And guess what!  In a 2006  national poll to decide who is the greatest Canadian, this scrappy, long-dead politician won, hands-down, beating out founders, explorers, inventors, war heroes, sports giants and rock stars.  I love him too.

Yes, a modern health care system is expensive to run, but we bear the cost together, as a compassionate community, rather than abandoning individuals to pay with everything they have for life-saving treatment.

Canada manages to provide good universal health care for everyone at a cost of 9.1% of our GDP.  The US, at about 15% of its GDP, spends over 50% more per capita than Canada yet leaves 40 million people not covered. On top of that, our health care system gives Canadians a lower infant mortality rate than the US and a life expectancy that is longer by two years.

This is just one view from a distant vantage point outside the US.  For another opinion, please pick anyone from the Canadian phone book and give them a call. Americans will choose a health care system that best suits their temperament, infrastructure and values.  I can only say that Canadians would  revolt in the streets at any alteration of our universal health care plan.

Investigating Health Care Fraud

Investigations relating to health care fraud activity are reportedly at an all time high, and will continue to flourish with the advent of new working groups, task forces and other fraud-fighting activity that existence depends on the development and investigation of health care fraud cases. Simply put, the investigation of health care fraud consists of proving that the provider engaged in an intentional deception or misrepresentation (of material fact) that resulted, or could have resulted, in an unauthorized payment. Some key facts related to health care fraud investigations:

Complaint Driven: Private, local, state and/or federal agencies are actively involved in the identification and investigation of health care fraud and abuse, which, for the most part, are initiated by complaints received from patients, insurers and others on a health care provider or entity.

Complaint Evaluation: The investigative process starts by the investigator evaluating the information in the complaint to determine if it represents actual misconduct, and then to identify what specific laws, rules, and/or regulations may have been violated. Critical areas to be addressed may include:

oDOCUMENTATION-was the services documented as medically necessary, and completely and accurately documented in the patient's health care record?

oREGULATORY LAWS & RULES-were the services rendered consistent with the administrative law for the State, including scope of practice, training, supervision and delegation? Additionally, were the services, or the manner in which they were rendered, in violation of prohibited conduct?

oTHIRD PARTY PAYER RULES-were the services rendered consistent with the rules set by the involved third party payer, including those relevant to limitation of services rendered, and those limiting the service provider?

oCODING-were the proper ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes used to identify the condition (s) being treated and the services rendered when seeking reimbursement?

Investigative Plan: The investigator will identify potential witnesses to interview, other needed information, such as patient and insurance claim files that may possess evidence of the misconduct. The successful investigation will result in the collection identify and collect all relevant evidence that would indicate the laws, rules and/or regulations governing health care have been violated, and to identify storytellers who will be able to testify on matters relevant to the identified misconduct. The patient file is the crime scene when investigating health care fraud & abuse.

MAJOR TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE FRAUD

Problem (Multidiscipline Practices): Some multidiscipline practices of medical doctors, chiropractors, and other providers working together in one practice entity are formed by some chiropractors as a means to circumvent managed care and other third party payer limitations on reimbursement of chiropractic services. At times, when necessary, multiple corporations are created to allow the chiropractor to employ medical doctors and to maintain control over all revenues of the multidiscipline practice. The services rendered by the chiropractor in cases where there is little or no chiropractic coverage are billed to the third party payer under the license and name of the medical doctor, purportedly following "Incident-to" billing principles after the medical doctor evaluated the patient and referred them for care with the chiropractor. Is the chiropractor billing for their services rendered under the license of a medical doctor?

Problem (Mobile Labs): Some external companies, or mobile labs, market their electro-diagnostic testing services extensively to health care providers as a means to increase patient retention and increase revenues. The mobile lab provides on-site electro-diagnostic testing on the provider's patients with their equipment and by their technician. The provider pays the lab a rental fee for the equipment and technician, and agrees to provide a minimum number of patients for testing during one day. The lab bills the third party payer for only the reading of the tests, or the professional component, and the provider bills for administering the tests, or the technical component, because they rented the equipment/technician and supervised its administration. Further, the lab will provide the provider with the CPT codes and amounts that should be reported and billed for the technical portion of the test. The provider, claiming to have supervised the administration of the diagnostic test, may not have the requisite training and skill on the test. Often, the total amount billed (both professional and technical) for the tests will far exceed the RVU (Relative Value Unit) set for these tests. The client provider usually will have no actual knowledge on what the labs will bill to the third party payer. What service did the provider perform to bill for the technical portion?

Problem (Rehab): Some providers implement (active) rehabilitation care into their health care practices by having their unlicensed staff administer therapeutic procedures to patients that are defined as one-on-one with the patient by a licensed provider, and are reported in 15-minute increments. Documentation of medical necessity of therapeutic procedures may not be properly established in the patient's clinical record as part of a treatment plan. Documentation of procedures in file, even when directly provided by licensed provider, may not be properly documented to account for the time component of the service, i.e., Start & End time, which includes pre-intra-post service time. Is the provider's unlicensed staff rendering the rehab services to the patients of the practice? What does the patient's health care record show? Do they support the need and accuracy of the billings?

Problem (Billing): Various insurance companies have limitations on what health care conditions and services they will reimburse providers for. Some providers provide their patients with health care services that are not reimbursable by the involved managed care organization or third party payer, but report and bill for these services via use of ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes that are reimbursable. Some providers provide their patients with various health care services based solely on the premise that the involved managed care organization or third party payer will reimburse for those services.

Problem (Solicitation): A number of providers market "free" services, such as consults, exams and x-rays to attract new patients that may not be established as medically necessary, or will later be billed to a third party payer. A number of providers' market "free" services, such as therapeutic massage, as a means to attract new patients to the health care practice, which later may become a part of the patient's billed care. A number of providers inform marketed individuals when converting them to patients that they will not be responsible for what the insurance company does not pay. For the health care provider what is a consult? Isn't it a history? Was the promised free service, or a portion of it, later billed? Is it possible to give away a therapeutic massage without first examining the patient to establish need?

Universal Health Care - Why is Health Care So Expensive?

Health Care: The History

Health care costs have skyrocketed over the last few decades. While there are numerous reasons for this, the bulk of these medical cost increases have come with advancements in medical practices and technology. Advanced procedures such as kidney dialysis, neurosurgery, MRIs, chemotherapy etc, cost money to provide. Rather than absorb these costs and go out of business, health care providers pass these costs onto insurance companies, who (also to avoid absorbing these costs and going out of business) then pass these costs off to their plan members through increased deductibles and premiums. An unfortunate consequence is this also means that those who need these treatments the most (often times the more elderly) become more expensive to cover. Health insurance companies adjust to this by either raising premiums or deductibles, or denying coverage altogether if the potential members appears to be too costly to cover. In fact, underwriting (researching potential members and deciding how much to charge in premiums and deductibles or whether or not to even cover them if it appears to be a loss) costs resources and money in itself, which again, is passed onto consumers through their deductibles and premiums. What this means is that providing health insurance only works as a viable business model if those who are in the greatest need it are denied their needed coverage (or charged premiums or deductibles they may not be able to afford). Insurance companies profit provide potential treatment to those who are likely to need it the least. Like any other business model, revenue must be maximized while costs are reduced.

Why Medicare Costs Have Increased

This increased cost in health care doesn't stop with the private sector. Public health insurance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are affected to an even greater extent. Whereas private health insurance companies adjust to rising costs by passing them onto consumers or denying them coverage altogether, these public programs don't turn people away, or charge them higher premiums for preconditions. Add to this the fact that Medicare insures senior citizens; the most costly to demographic to insure (imagine private health insurance premiums for a 68 year old who is far more likely to need a kidney dialysis or cancer treatments than someone far younger). It's the same increased health care costs that are driving up private health insurance costs as well as Medicare/Medicaid costs. The burden this places on Medicare doesn't quite end here however. Beyond good publicity, private health insurance companies have little reason to proactivly offer real preventative treatments knowing that later-in-life illnesses will be covered by another insurer (most likely Medicare). So while private health insurers skip this cos, it's Medicare that picks up the bill for this lack of preventative later-in-life illness treatment. Furthermore, it's far more costly to provide these treatments than it is to prevent them.

Single Payer Health Care

A Single Payer system would effectively fix the bulk of these problems. As a non-profit organization, such a plan would have the benefit of reduced costs all around. Private health insurance companies spend a lot of money, time and resources underwriting (screening prospective members), and deciding whether or not to even cover them as well as going back and forth with providers (who shift their end of the costs back on the insurance who then shifts that cost to its members). Other costs include, advertising, paying dividends, well-paid CEOs and executives and lobbying politicians to discourage them from passing any health care bill which might reduce their market share or profit margins. They also pay for tactically misleading advertisements scare the public into believing horrific (though incorrect) things about proposed legislature. These costs are all passed onto customers by way of higher deductible and premiums. A public plan would forego these costs.

In addition to all of this, there would exist the advantage of having economy of scale. A Single Payer plan covering the entire country would be able to truly spread out costs per unit, to a far greater extent than any single private health insurance can (because of the number of customers it would have). And since the same plan would cover its members throughout their life, there would be real incentive to provide proactive treatments to later-in-life illnesses to avoid the cost of emergency treatments down the road. Other advanced countries have universal health coverage of this nature (or something closer to it, and less privatized than the United States) and are able to ensure their entire populations for less money per person, and health care consumes a far smaller share of their GDP. While many detractors will object, claiming that such a plan would be too costly, the US pays more in taxes for Medicare/Medicaid and government employee insurance as a percentage of GDP than other nations pay for their Single Payer Plan. People in these countries also have lower infant mortality rates and longer lifespans. Taiwan provides the perfect test case. Several years ago, Taiwan moved away from a privatized system to Single Payer (modeled after our Medicare system). The result was virtually universal health care coverage for a small percentage of their GDP. The United States already has the ideal plan in place: Medicare. It simply needs to be expanded to cover everyone.

Home Health Care Benefits

Recovering from an illness or injury can be a stressful time for both the patient and the patient's family. That stress is compounded when chronic illness or disability is involved. Research has consistently shown that, when at all possible, recovering at home is the best option for the patient's physical and mental health. Unfortunately, when the patient is elderly or too injured or ill to care for themselves, recovering at home is sometimes not an option.

Finding friends or family members to assist with daily tasks is not always feasible. Even when family members are in a position to assist, the burden placed on them often puts a strain on their other family relationships, as well as their career and personal life. The alternative to home recovery-having their loved one leave their home to life in a medical facility or nursing home-is often a last and regretful resort.

Luckily, there is another way for patients to remain in their beloved homes while receiving quality health care assistance: Home Health Care. Recent technological advance such as the internet and home infusion have made home health care available to many more patients than in the past. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are approximately 20,000 home health care providers today. While almost two-thirds of home care recipients are seniors over 65, home health care can assist anyone who requires some assistance while recovering from an illnesses or suffering a disability.

Here are some benefits of home health care:

o Seniors can continue living in their own familiar, comfortable environment
o Dignity and independence is maintained
o Patients receive one on one attention and care from the home health caregiver
o Home health care is often less expensive than care in nursing homes / assisted living facilities
o It relieves the burden placed on adult children to provide care for their aging parents

Most people prefer receiving care in a familiar setting where they are surrounded by love, patience and understanding people. Home health care providers help strengthen and increase the patient's ability to care for themselves in their homes. They can also have a positive impact on a patient's hopes and aspirations.

What You Have to Know About Pet Health Care Insurance

Before you buy a pet health care insurance policy for your pet, check the list of the firms approved veterinarians to watch if your veterinarian will accept the businesses check. Ask your local veterinarian what sort of pet health care plan would best suit your household pet. Ask your local veterinarian to read over the plan and be conscious of their advice. Speaking your local veterinarian will likewise help you establish if the insurance firm you are thinking about obtaining your pet healthcare policy from is reputable.

If you have bought a pet that's as of yet unaltered you'll wish to seek a pet health care plan that includes neutering and spaying.

Before you buy a pet health care insurance policy you have to carefully read how the policy deals prescription coverage. Most firms that sell pet healthcare insurance don't comprise prescription coverage in their basic medical health care insurance policy. If you are engaged about the price of any prescription your pet might need during the course of its life you should probably think about buying a prescription coverage rider to complement your pet health care insurance. Although this rider looks high priced and unnecessary probably you'll wish you had purchased it if your pet is ever presented with a prescription for anything. Just like the human opposite numbers prescriptions are very costly.

One of things you need to take into consideration when purchasing a pet healthcare insurance policy is the deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you lay out for-of-pocket for veterinarian services rendered that your pet health care policy does not cover. Different pet healthcare plans require different deductibles. The higher a the deductible you select the lower your repayments to the insurance firm but the higher deductible the more out-of-pocket extension had on every occasion you visit the veterinarian's workplace/clinic.

Most pet insurance firms have "cap" or restrict placed on each pet healthcare insurance policy. This cap varies from one procedure to the next a broken leg will have a dissimilar cap then cancer remedies will for your pet. Before you buy your pet health care policy talk to the firm representative about waiting periods. Find out exactly how long it'll dominate the policy to be capable and how long the general wait for claims to be reimbursed is. Most companies have a ten day period between the time they receive the vet bill and when the check gets placed in the mail. Also establish how the refund is processed. Does the pet health care insurer pay the veterinarian directly or do you need to pay the vet and the business mails the check to you when they receive the bill.

Why you have the firm representative on the phone task about any and all exclusions that might be included with your pet health care plan. Specifically ask around any and all prior conditions and hereditary defects that might come up later in your pet's life. Many pet owners especially, those that possess dogs, discover that hereditary defects come into their particular dogs aren't covered by their pet health care plan. Some businesses will permit you to cover these possible problems with an extra rider. In some situations your local veterinarian will be able to warn you about any exclusions.

If you are considering a comprehensive health care insurance policy ask if the plan covers teen veterinarian visits like; dental care, immunizations, and heart worm testing. Also ask if the pet health care insurance plan also covers the office environment call.

The Health Care Crises and Its Dramatic Affects on the Women in America

The State of health care affordability in the USA is dismal at best.  Nearly 50 million American have no insurance or are underinsured at the present time. Though this bleak situation affects men and woman alike, the brunt of the problem is that more woman find themselves uninsured or underinsured.  Though on the whole, both genders share common illnesses, they do not share common access to health insurance nor it its affordability.

The health insurance plans for men and women between the ages of 19 and 64 are similar in coverage requirements however; the pattern of which gender is insured differs. Over 110 million Americans are insured through the company that they work for, while 10 million individuals, women slightly more than men, buy personal insurance for themselves and family. The remaining approximately 8 million individuals are insured through Medicare or the military and other places.  More women are actually insured by Medicare than men.  The rest of the population not falling under any of these categories is not insured at all.

Women generally have lower incomes than men, 17 percent of women in the 19 - 64 age group live below the poverty level.  Women earn roughly a third less than their male counterparts.  In 2004, the average American woman, earned $22, 000 while the average man earned $32,000.

Some individuals are insured part of the year but not all year.  This occurs with part-time workers, however the stats indicate that approximately 13% of men are part-time workers, while 22% of women are part-time workers.  Furthermore, more women are likely to be without jobs the whole year as opposed to their male counterparts. This stat provided by Eriu (Economic Research Initiative of Insured, indicates that 14 percent of American women are not insured year-long.

Since women are more likely to be unemployed or working only part time, they have less access to employer-based insurance, which is more affordable than private based health insurance. Most women will depend upon their spouses for insurance coverage rather than their employer because they may not have one.  At a quick glance it does look like a valuable option but this type of insurance called dependent coverage has its shortfalls as well. This coverage is not very dependable; the women must remain married, and depend on her husband to stay in the job and also to want to cover her in the first place. Even more disturbing is the fact that employers have been cutting back on dependent coverage because the cost is beyond their financial budgets as well.

Age also plays an important role in dependent coverage; older workers between the ages of 50 - 64 are targeted in this equation. Older woman married to older men stand to loss their dependent coverage when their spouse becomes eligible for Medicare. If the woman is too young for Medicare and has no access to the more affordable coverage through her workplace, providing she is working, she would have no choice but to turn to the very expensive personal insurance.  The big problem here is that typically, women do not have the earning potential to afford these costly health insurance plans.

Many women and men consider individual insurance but only a few women actually purchase it. The women that are purchasing private insurance are the rare few that are in the 200 percent above poverty level group, and do not reflect the economic stats of the average woman in America today.

These women are relatively healthy, only about 10 percent report having an illness.  Women who are older and have pre-existing medical conditions have less of a chance of securing adequate health insurance even if they fall in the select few who can afford it.

Furthermore, women use health care services more often than men.  Pregnancy and pre-natal care is a big concern for American women.  Women also use more medication than men to on the average, they have more chronic conditions and they treated more often for anxiety and depression.

Due to these medical needs and drain on the health care system, even though women have lower incomes they also have more out of pocket payments to make.

Unfortunately women tend to avoid seeking medical attention because of the cost factor. On the other hand, because of the cost of health care, women tend to have more medical bills and health generated debt than men because of it.

The barriers to health care for women in at a crises point, lack of access and affordability will lead to long term medical issues and inevitably affect the nation's mortality rate somewhere down the road.

3 Basic Principles of Natural Health Care

Natural health can be maintained and retained if we follow some basic principles of natural health care. These basic principles of natural health care are not difficult or cumbersome to follow but they require a strong will power. These simple principles of natural health care must be adopted before our body looses its healthy status. If we can't follow these common principles of natural health care now, then it won't be possible in future especially when some serious illness strikes us.

Our modern lifestyle is today the biggest enemy of our health and wellness. Today we have developed a social structure which is unhealthy not only for the society but also for natural health of our body and mind. Three common well-known principles of natural health care are given below which are seldom followed in today's modern life. These 3 simple looking natural health care principles are actually very powerful and can be responsible for a number of health problems which we may not be aware of.

1. Making A Natural Sleeping Pattern for Health Care and Wellness: Sleeping as per the law of nature can have a number of positive effects on our health and wellness. Clock of our body system (or microprocessor) is naturally configured to nature's clock i.e. at night our body tends to rest or sleep and during the day after sunrise our body is automatically configured to work. Today our unhealthy lifestyle tends to artificially reconfigure this natural clock within the body. Our modern habits of un-natural sleeping patterns are responsible for disturbed sleeps or sleeping disorders to a great extent.

2. Avoid Un-natural and Unhealthy Eating Patterns for Health and Wellness: Our eating habits have also changed with time. I'll not be discussing poor nutrition and poor and unhealthy quality of food that we eat today, in this article. Today we eat food without a natural urge or appetite for eating, we eat because we want to eat or its time to eat or because we need to provide some nutrition/fuel to our body. Even if the quality of food that we eat is best and organically produced, requirement of our body today in modern lifestyle are not same as they used to be. Today eating more doesn't mean getting healthier but just opposite is true for health and wellness.

Today we fill our body engine (body system) with fuel(food/meal) at the time when it isn't asking for and the fuel that we provide our body system with isn't the right fuel for its health and wellness. Its like feeding a petrol engine with coal. Thanks God, that our body isn't an ordinary man made machine but a wonder machine by nature.

3. Unnatural Over-protection and Over-comfort Keeps Natural Health Care System at Bay : Today we protect ourself not only from natural but also from society and social activities un-naturally. We exceed our comfort levels from natural to un-natural, the level of comfort that we enjoy today is actually un-comfortable for our body system to work in. This healthy looking and good feeling over-protection has led to under-protection of our natural body system. We are forcing our body to work in dual mode sometimes naturally when we move outside our over-protection cover and un-naturally when we stay within our over-protected comfort zone. This may look lighter but it has a serious consequence on natural health care system within our body. Today our body begs to leave dependence on its natural resistance power and seek modern medical help which gives right treatment not only to our body but also to the soul actually responsible for this under-protected over-protection.

These were three basic principles of natural health care, that I've discussed here to show how we have ourself willingly compromised simple principles of natural health care to complex lifestyle of risked natural health and wellness.

How to Find the Best Long Term Health Care Insurance in South Florida

How does one find the best long term health care insurance in South Florida? People living in the state of Florida should be aware of the many long term health insurance options that they have. The reason for this is that long term care insurance is becoming very common through the state and in the entire United States, and for this reason it is important to know the various options given to you by an insurance company. You must also know the different types of care that you can receive after being diagnosed with a chronic illness or after you cannot perform two out of the many daily activities. In this article you will find out the long term care health plans in the "Sunshine State" and the many options you have.

Types Of South Florida Long Term Care Health Plans

It is very important to understand that the variety or the extent of what a plan covers varies by company and can also vary by state. For this reason it is very difficult to describe the many plans offered by every single long term care insurance company operating in the state of Florida. We can help you with the two different types of policies that a customer can get when it comes to long term care insurance. Before this however, it is important to mention that you can get long term care insurance at any age and that in the United States people between the ages of 18 and 64 are covered.

1. Non Tax Qualified: This type of long term care insurance is also called NTQ when abbreviated. It was once called "Traditional Long Term Care Insurance because it was the first form of long term care implemented. This type of policy has been in the industry for the past thirty years and it simply includes that for a person to get the benefits specified in the policy, they will need a "medical trigger". This trigger can only be stated by your own medical doctor or a doctor from the insurance company itself, and from that point on if the trigger is effective you will receive the benefits in the policy. It is important to highlight that the status of the benefits under this plan have not been determined by the United States Treasury Department, which means that you might be at risk for facing a large bill for what the insurance paid.

2. Tax Qualified: Also like the type of policy mentioned above, this policy is usually abbreviated at TQ. It does not need for the person to have a "medical trigger" which makes it much easier for a person to receive benefits. On the other hand the downsides of these plans are that the health plan will have a waiting period (ranging from 30 to 90 days) in which the insured will have to pay for their own medical care. In addition to that a doctor must provide a plan of care and the insured must be unable to perform two out of the many activities of daily living (include dressing, toileting, bathing, eating, transporting, etc). The benefits given to the person under this plan are not taxable!

It is important to highlight that if you work for a place that offers a long term care policy, you must make sure about the company and the language specified in the policy. The reason for this is that many insurance companies that take part in group policies are not regulated by the state and therefore charge more and can raise premiums whenever they feel like it.

Types Of Long Term Care Specified In South Florida Long Term Care Health Plans

As said before policies tend to change from company to company in the state of Florida, as well as in the entire country. It is important to read your policy fully before actually signing it, so that you know what is covered under it and what is not. Like in any other industry, the long term care insurance business offers the customer many different types of long term that can be best for them in the future. It is important to see that the policy covers the type that you want so that you don't just have to settle for what they give you. The types of long term care found in South FL health care plans will be specified below.

1. Home Care: This is perhaps the most common type of long term care insurance nowadays. This is simply because people don't want to go around visiting various nursing homes or hospitals and instead they would much rather stay at home enjoying of their own space. Under this category the insurance company usually covers nurses that come to your home and help you out with daily activities. It is important to highlight that some health care plans cover home health aids of personal workers that help you around your home. The average rate in the state of Florida for Home Care is estimated to be between $10 and $16 an hour.

2. Adult Care: This is a new type of long term care option that has emerged for individuals that want to get out of their home, but want to return to it in the same day. They provide senior citizens with programs of social interaction and they usually provide meals five days a week. Some may also have a means of transportation from the person's home to the care center.

3. Assisted Living: A person should consider this option if they are unable to live at home without help, but they want to remain as independent as possible. In these facilities senior citizens are only helped by staff to take medications on time, bathe, dress and provide any medical care that the person needs. They also have recreation time and provide a great environment for community interaction. In the state of Florida the cost of this type of care ranges from $2,000 to $5,000 a month.

4. Nursing Homes: Perhaps the most expensive of any long term care type, these establishments provide the person with 24 hour nursing care when the person is recovering from an illness of disease. They can also accept patients in the end of their lives and help them out with any medical care that they need. In the state of Florida the cost for a nursing home on average is $206 per day (with Jacksonville at $190 per day, Miami at $236 per day, Orlando at $201 per day, and Tampa at $212 per day).

Tips For Finding A Cheap South Florida Long Term Care Health Plan

There are many things you can do in order to lower your long term care policy quote. The thing that many people don't understand is that this industry, just like any other insurance business has its ups and downs and that it gives customers a possibility of lowering their coverage. Below you will find three tips that may help you save money on a South Florida long term care health plan:
1. Bundle Insurances: Perhaps this might not be the best option for you, but is can sure save a person a lot of money. Most people that have long term care insurance have some sort of health plan and most Americans have an automobile insurance policy. If you are with a company that offers all three of them do not hesitate to change and put all your insurance needs under a single company. If you do this the company usually rewards you for being a "preferred" customer and you can save up to 10%.

2. Shop Around: The more you shop around and do your homework the easier is going to be to save some money. If you are doing the shopping online, be sure to visit many insurance companies or maybe an insurance comparison website. If on the other hand you are shopping in person make sure you visit three of four companies and get quotes from each them. Shopping around leads to cheaper policies!

3. Look at your Waiting Period: Sometimes you can save a lot of money by expanding your waiting period; however you must only do this if you can afford it. By making your waiting period larger you are taking costs off the insurance company and placing them in your pocket. They will reward you with a good premium.

South Florida Long Term Care Health Plans Vary From Company to Company

As you can assume from the article that you just read, no plan is the same and you should definitely go to insurance companies personally and ask them for their services. If you shop around and are patient however, you can be assured that the best long term care plan for you will be in front of you at no time!

A National Health Care Plan Would Improve the Economy

Nothing irritates conservatives more than when Michael Moore refers to free healthcare. Obviously, it is not free, and the distraction only fuels the anti-liberal attacks that Moore takes on. Unfortunately, the political attacks don't allow us to get down to the costs and a comprehensive cost benefit analysis comparing today's health "system" and a proposed national health care plan.

Nothing represents more clearly our insistence on free market principles and competition than the way healthcare is delivered today. This is evident in every political debate for both parties. The Republicans bash "government run healthcare", even though their party passed the Medicare bill in 2003. The Democrats are proposing mixed models, trying to preserve the godlike free market and profiteering of the major players involved. While Medicare provides medical benefits for a dramatically growing population that is aging and living longer, the rest of the working folks pretty much need to rely on their employers for health coverage. But the number of people privately insured is not as big as you think. In fact, about 60% of healthcare is publicly funded.

It has been stated often that the barriers to changing our health delivery system are political, and many have advocated an "incremental" approach. But after about 20 years of social/economic experiments within the free market, it's hard to imagine that anything else can be tried. The upward trend of costs continues unabated. Health costs rose 7.2% in 2004 and another 6.9% in 2005. The 6.9% figure is being heralded as a success, since it was the smallest increase since 1999. The 2006 data is at an increase of 6.1 percent, a pace that was maintained in 2007. The health share of gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to hold steady in 2006-2007 before resuming its historical upward trend. Experts predict that healthcare spending will reach 19.6 percent of GDP by 2016. The nation spent almost $2 trillion dollars on medical care in 2005. This accounts for about 16% of all spending. Average cost per person varies by report, but is now close to a staggering figure of around $6,700. All of this with 45 plus million still uninsured.

These exponential growth figures come after years of "Managed Care". Managed Care was supposed to be the mechanism to control health costs. What is so remarkable is that there was never any solid evidence that it worked. Even as far back as 1989, the Institute of Medicine established a task force to investigate utilization management by third parties and found no evidence managed care reduced costs. But that didn't stop the market place from the irony of having the private sector regulate health care. Managed Care can now be evaluated as a social/economic or Social Psychology experiment gone awry. When healthcare experts say it works, it reminds me of that old joke. The operation was a complete success, but the patient died.

Health advocates have stated the obvious for years. The amount of waste in the U.S. in healthcare paperwork and bureaucracy costs more in dollars than it would take to provide health coverage for all of the 40 million plus who are uninsured. In other words, pure admin overload, if eliminated, could save enough money to solve the problem of the uninsured. Within the 60-40 public/private split of U.S. healthcare funding, what you hear most about is the misconception that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector. For years, the public Medicare system has had administrative costs of around 3%. More than 96 cents of each dollar is spent on direct care for Medicare recipients. Private sector admin estimates are around 15%. Most Americans would never accept the argument that the federal government is more efficient than the private sector in delivering healthcare. Medicare gets a bad rap, tainted by the global opinion that government run means inefficient and that the private sector and for profit mode is always best. You don't have to be a Nobel Prize economist to ask the obvious question. If health insurance premiums are dramatically increasing, and doctors and hospitals are being paid the same or even less, where is the money going?

Believe it or not, there is available research which provides a cost benefit analysis of health costs. In 2003, the state of California instituted The California Health Care Options Project. This was an integrated study of nine different models of health care reform proposed by health care policy experts. This included several organizations and professors from University of California campuses in Los Angeles, San Diego, Berkeley, and San Francisco. Each of the nine models proposed were then subjected to a microsimulation by the Lewin Group. These nine models, when viewed overall, broke down as follows. Six models and proposals were expansions of the current system and could then be described as incremental models-seeking reform in continued small steps. The other three models were comprehensive proposals of which two were single payer models, and the other was a health service model. The final simulation analysis by the Lewin Group, showed that it was these three models that would provide comprehensive coverage for everyone and that were projected to save California's citizens billions of dollars in healthcare costs. The other six incremental reform models fell short, leaving in place many of the policies that aren't working well. All of these models were projected to increase costs to Californians. One of the six models proposed was a combination plan of an employer mandate and a single public program for everyone else. While this combination plan came close to meeting the goals of comprehensive coverage, it turned out to be the most expensive proposal put forth. Any systematic and data based analysis is clear, a comprehensive model based on a single payer system would save billions and provide care to almost all citizens.

High health costs in an employer based system are killing our economy. In fact, employer sponsored healthcare is a huge federal tax break. If employees had to claim their employee healthcare "benefits" as income, it is estimated they would be paying about $126 billion dollars in federal income tax. In other words, private sector employer sponsored healthcare is really part of a government backed health system. A National Healthcare Plan, by spreading out the costs to everyone, would take the monkey off an employer's back. What will business do without this huge expense and increased profits? Might they create jobs? Expand their business? Lower prices? Of course, they will have to pay taxes on their increased profits, thus contributing to improving our unacceptable budget deficit. Herein lies the seismic conclusion: A National Healthcare Plan would stimulate and improve the economy. It would do this by creating jobs, promoting business expansion, lowering prices, reducing the budget deficit, and increasing our global competitiveness.

It is unlikely you will hear any of this mentioned by any accomplished reporter, or major media network during the health debate. After all, a National Healthcare Plan is just not politically viable.

Health Care in America

Almost fifty million American people are without health coverage (including almost nine million uninsured children), and the number rises every day. The rise in the numbers of the uninsured is due largely to the tendency of major employers to shift a lot of the cost of health insurance to their employees. It's tough for the average person- many have to choose between paying rent and paying for healthcare. Many people end up bankrupt or in foreclosure because they have medical bills that they cannot afford to pay. While our health care system is one of the best in the developed world, there are some serious problems that need to be addressed.

The working class is especially hard-hit, seeing higher out-of-pocket costs for office visits and astronomical prices for prescriptions. This can lead to people delaying getting the health care that they need, or even declining coverage because it costs too much. Healthcare costs are rising at a rate five times higher than that of inflation. Healthcare spending is growing by leaps and bounds, and as employers are looking to reduce operating costs they aren't really paying their fair share- meaning that millions more will lose their employer-based benefits. As we mentioned, employers are cutting costs by forcing their workers to pay more of their health care costs, in the form of higher copayments and deductibles.

Workers are also paying more for health care through rising costs for family plans, and decreased access to prescription drugs. HMO formularies are more strict now, and consumers are in need of more prescriptions and newer, more expensive medications. This has led to a huge increase in out-of-pocket spending on pharmaceuticals. Also, comprehensive coverage plans are prohibitively expensive for a lot of Americans. The COBRA act of 1985 induced employers to allow workers to keep their company-sponsored health benefits after their employment was over, but the costs associated with such plans make them far too costly for most people that are unemployed.

The absence of quality health care in this country stems in part from the lack of quality assurance measures. Our public insurance program, Medicare, is increasingly strained at a time when millions of people are in need of a medical safety net. A majority of those 65 and older (over forty million people) rely on Medicare for their health care needs. The Bush administration, instead of bolstering and revamping the current plan to include a comprehensive (and affordable) prescription drug benefit for all seniors, aimed to push Medicare toward privatization. Bush's medicare bill also resulted in:

  • The dropping of coverage for any out-of-pocket expense that fell between $2,250 and $5,100.
  • Almost thirty-three million disabled people and senior citizens being forced to pay much higher premiums and other Medicare fees.
  • The federal government being prohibited from negotiating to get lower drug costs. The Bush plan does absolutely nothing to keep drug prices under control.
  • Employer-led prescription drug benefits for millions of retirees being threatened.

This country's health care system is sorely lacking in safety protocols, which directly endangers hospital staff and patients. Staffing levels in most hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities are chronically under what they should be, which leads to a lot of medical errors that can result in death or permanent injury.

As the economy flounders, and unemployment continues to rise, there are millions of Americans who are at risk of losing the health coverage that comes with their jobs. Still others have health insurance, but coverage is being reduced and they have to pay much more out-of-pocket. For many people in this country, health care takes far too much out of their budget, and the need for true health care reform has never been greater. The economic security of millions of people depends on whether or not they have health insurance.

Vista Health Care Florida Health Insurance Company Review

Vista Health Care is a Florida insurance company and a subsidiary of Coventry Health Inc. Vista Health Care Company provides health benefits to its over 300,000 individual members and over 10,000 large and small business group plan members. The company employs over 950 employees, all of whom assist Vista in meeting its mission to provide health coverage that offers the best overall value for their customers.

The company which has its headquarters in Hollywood boasts annual revenue of one billion dollars. Vista Health Care also has offices in Miami, Tallahassee, Lake Worth, and Sunrise. Members of Vista Health Care are presented with a large range of independent health care providers to choose from- over 6000 in fact. You can rest assured that you will be able to get prompt customer service as this department is open ten hours a day, 5 days a week. Currently Vista only offers coverage in the South and North Florida areas.

Vista Florida Health Insurance Coverage Overview

Vista Health Care Company offers a wide variety of plans to its members. Plans offered include HMO, POS, PPO, Medicare, Medicaid, and Florida Healthy Kids. Vista is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which means that the company has undergone and passed various nationally set standards (i.e. how it communicates with members, grievance resolution, etc.) for quality and access to health care.

No matter your group or individual selection of insurance you will be pleased with the wide variety of services and coverage options these plans offer. Most plans offer a selection of over 6000 physicians and include dental and vision coverage. Your co-payments are fixed and customers have the almost unheard luxury of coverage of preventative health care such as yoga classes and massage therapy.

As an example of the innovation of this company, as part of almost all of their Florida health insurance plans, you are eligible to receive a discount at the 500 different health clubs throughout the state that participate in the discount program. Members also have access to an e-program that assist them with important health concerns such as quitting smoking, and wealth of online and personal wellness tools to ensure that you achieve the best health possible.

The Medicare plan offers benefit options that are not available under original Medicare. Participants will pay nothing for visits to the doctor or for generic prescriptions. There is also no limit to the amount of generic prescriptions that are available for purchase.

Vista's Florida Customer Service Record

Vista Health Care Company offers its individual and group members unparalleled insurance selection and customer service. Their commitment to your family's overall well being and health along with the health and well being of their surrounding community makes them a leading choice in Florida health insurance.

Health Care - What If We Play the Games Differently?

Twenty-plus years ago I worked for an attorney who said that whatever didn't require his law degree to do, could-and should-be done by someone else. He trained his staff as paralegals. I started my professional career learning to think strategically and ask different kinds of questions--about a lot of things. Today that includes health care, health insurance, and the increasing costs to both employers and consumers.

I'm a business and human resource professional, a consumer, educator, and wellness coach. I know that people behave and act based on motivators and rewards. In general, wherever the incentives are placed, and or monitoring is done, action will take place and the monitored results will be achieved. Parents know this; teachers know this. It's a basic principle of education.

The answers will not come out of one essay. The subject is complex and as individualized as its participants. And it's unrealistic to think one solution will fit all contingencies. My objective here is simply to tap the interests, experience, and expertise of the players, and get all of us thinking outside the "rules" a bit. Like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle, we all have important pieces of information and experience to contribute.

In childhood, we learned the value of playing outside the rules once in awhile to achieve the objectives we wanted. I did. Our family version of Monopoly included IOU sheets. Mom invented them so she and all of my siblings could stay in the game and play as long as we wanted (allowing her to keep us occupied and together where she could see us)-her desired objective at the time.

Asking questions is key. Different questions get you different answers. Knowledge is interesting and empowering. Here are some questions I'd start with:

Health Care

What requires a doctor's medical degree? What doesn't? What medical, health, or wellness practitioner has the expertise needed and is the most practical (and cost-effective?) resource to address your condition?

What is the best utilization of RNs, for example, and other health and wellness practitioners? Now? In the future?

What is our definition of Health Care? Is it too broad? Or too limited? What benefits can alternative, integrative, and or experimental approaches offer to the consumer? To the employer? Consider costs, including lost time away from work, effectiveness, and incentives for use-or non-use.

Health Insurance

What are the cost / pricing factors? How does health insurance compare with auto insurance, for example? Is your rate affected by your claims, or lack thereof? In other words, is there a monetary incentive for consumers to stay healthy and make healthy life-style choices? What are the cost drivers? What's covered by health insurance plans? What is excluded? Should health insurance be employer provided? Or is it time for portable consumer-owned programs/policies? Are there other options? Now? In the future? What exactly do we want health insurance to insure us against? Normal maintenance expenses? Or major events and expenses?

Laws - Tax incentives

Who benefits? Are there tax incentives to reduce consumer medical expenses? To invest in wellness and health? Or are there dis-incentives?

Section 125 - Flexible Spending Accounts, Medical Savings Accounts, Health Reimbursement Accounts. What are the allowable expenses? What expenses are excluded?

The Playing Field has Changed.

The health insurance-health care game and the playing field have changed. Why?

Because employers, small business owners, and solo entrepreneurs cannot afford to pay as much of the health insurance tab as they once did.

Because we are a much more mobile, connected, and better-educated workforce today.

And because the old rules don't fit today's business and lifestyle environments the way they did when the current systems were designed.

At present, health insurance is most commonly connected to ones employer. When you change jobs, your health insurance does not go with you. Yes, there are COBRA laws for continuation of your health insurance for a limited time at the full premium rate. That leaves one looking for another employer to provide health insurance benefits, get independent coverage elsewhere, or go without. In today's economy, many more are choosing the "going without" option. More people are unemployed. Some work one or more part-time or contract jobs-generally making them ineligible for employer-provided benefits.

The workforce and the "company loyalty" standard have changed as well. Baby Boomers and the generations after have been downsized, right-sized, and "early-retiremented" out of jobs and companies on a regular basis. The younger generations paid attention. Many professionals intentionally change jobs and companies more frequently to build their career experience and increase their salary. Relocation is often part of the recruitment package. Yes, insurance benefits are still an important deciding factor in selecting employment--not always the most important one for this group as it is (was?) for the Boomer generation. Salary, flexible work schedules, flexible benefits, and paid time off are prime desired-benefit competitors. The trend toward flexible staffing options, utilizing temporary and contracted workers instead of full-time direct employees, continues to grow to accommodate the fluctuating business marketplace. Both technical and blue-collar workers are frequently "placed" by staffing agencies. Temp-to-perm recruiting arrangements for some positions are common, and often the preferred option. Most temporary staffing agencies do not offer health insurance.

All of these factors, in addition to the surge of small business entrepreneurial endeavors, have led to a ready market for affordable health insurance through independent providers. Health insurance companies are now directly targeting consumers in their advertising. Online providers like eHealthInsurance.com and insure.com make it easy for consumers to do comparison-shopping and purchase health insurance directly through their site and offer live customer service reps to assist. Consumers now have more options and choices than anytime before this.

What if health insurance was more like auto insurance?

So what if your health insurance was more like your auto insurance, for example? You own the policy, and you work with an insurance agent or an online brokerage? And what if the provider networks were national--or international. When you switch jobs, you keep the same policy--even if you move across state lines. What if employers get out of the health insurance business and provide other related benefits instead? For example, what if employers could provide tax-free flat amount contributions to individual medical savings accounts of their employees? What if employers would provide an annual wellness allowance, and incentives for employees to actively engage in healthy lifestyle choices? What if there were significant monetary incentives from your insurance company for personal wellness habits and claim-free years, such as significant rebates on your premiums, for example?

What outcomes do you want? Where do you need to put the action incentives?

If we want to reduce consumer health care and hospital costs, maybe health maintenance and wellness activities need to be significantly monetarily rewarded somehow. We all know smoking and other addictions translate into expensive medical costs; that super-sizing our meals without increasing exercise levels adds to our waistlines and expensive medical costs; that irresponsible sexual choices and practices have expensive consequences; and that our stressed-out lifestyles have costly consequences. These are all areas of individual responsibility and opportunities for healthier lifestyle--and cost reducing--actions.

There are still the majority of consumers who would rather have "somebody else" take care of all the health insurance stuff for them. And who can blame them? The mountains of insurance forms, billing statements, coded charges, and terminology can be daunting to common consumers. Then again, here are some more questions:

Who or what is driving all the paperwork?

Is it REQUIRED to be coded and confusing? Or is simplicity an option?

One significant challenge to consumer education and consumer-drive health care is that consumers don't see a NEED to learn more. The incentives, motivators aren't in the right place--yet. Many workers are still in the "somebody else takes care of this for me" and "I really don't have much choice anyway" mindset. For some, that may be true. Then again, little actions--doing something differently, like spending our money in different places--can have a ripple effect of consequences. By knowing the cost drivers and our options, one can make informed choices and start the ripple effects in the direction we want them to go. If we do nothing, inaction also has consequences: the old game stays the way it is.

And there are some players with a vested interest in keeping it that way.

Getting Past the Fear Factors

First, let's get past the fear factors. Just because insurance and health care issues are complex and can be confusing, doesn't mean we can't learn to be smart shoppers. We have learned to become smart shoppers and savvy consumers in a lot of other important areas of our lives: buying a car or a home, finding a mate, running a household, raising children, or starting a business, to mention a few. Just as we tapped the experience and expertise of others in those areas, we can in this one too.

Who has the knowledge and information you need? Which of these are education- and consumer-focused?

The Internet is a phenomenal resource for consumer information, education, and participation. So are many knowledgeable health and wellness practitioners, and common everyday people, in our neighborhoods. Watch for consumer education classes and health and wellness events on topics of interest. Ask questions. You are the customer. You know you want to learn more, and you want it in plain terms you can understand, including pricing and background information on services and providers. Like your homework process in any other buying decision, make your list of what you want to know and prioritize what's important to you. Then use your brain and your voice, and keep your ears and eyes open to information sources. You've made good and informed decisions and choices before. You will here too.

Start where you are, your health and your family's health. Start becoming an educated consumer. Pay attention to the cost drivers. Ask for cost information from providers--in understandable terms. Seek out information you're interested in. Be open to learning.

Existing systems are not likely to change overnight. You can use new knowledge to start making healthier, and more strategic, choices though. And you can start playing the game differently as a result.

Maybe all of us together will find and create new solutions and consider approaches we never took seriously before. I invite you to add your knowledge and creativity and questions to mine. We're in this together. The objective--at least for me--is aligning consumer and employer behavior incentives with cost reduction, happier and healthier people, and better utilization of practitioners. So start asking different questions....and be open to new possibilities. It's your life, your body, your money, and your business.

Health Care Reform - Why it Won't Work

Several presidents have tried to push health care reform in the past, but none have been as successful as the country's current president, Barack Obama. However, President Obama and the Democrats have created two health care bills that would not benefit the country, as they believe. Instead, these two bills would severely damage the country's health care systems.

At this point, there is definitely a need for health care reform. Costs are skyrocketing, insurers are denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and insurers are charging different rates just because of someone's medical history. The provisions that eliminate those last two problems need to be included in any health care reform bill. When someone with a health condition tries to purchase insurance, the companies will deny them because of that condition, but the patient really needs health care because of whatever condition they have. Also, a person should not have to pay a much higher rate just because of their medical history, which they mostly cannot control.

However, there are also many provisions in the two bills that would damage or even destroy the nation's health care system. The most important of these is the government-run insurance option, also called the "public option." The Democrats included this plan because they want a cheaper health insurance option that could compete with private insurers and help lower costs. However, this public option would only be the first step toward a single-payer system, which is where the government is the sole health insurance provider. This would happen because the public option would be extremely less expensive than private insurance plans, which would entice people to leave their private insurance plan and buy a public plan. Also, private insurers would have to lower their costs to compete with this, and then they would be unable to operate because of the lower income. These two factors combined would cause private insurers to go out of business, creating a single-payer system.

Another damaging provision in the bills is the creation of many new taxes that would pay for the reform. The version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives includes a surtax on people with a yearly income of $500,000 or greater. This money, which would be forcibly taken from wealthier people, would just be given to poorer people to help them buy health insurance. This is called "spreading the wealth," which is a form of socialism (where everybody in a society is equal). Everyone is not equal, and awarding money to poorer people would just encourage people to quit their jobs and be lazy so they could qualify for financial assistance from the government.

The House version of the bill also requires illegal immigrants to buy coverage. This is perhaps one of the worst provisions in either health care reform bill. Because illegal immigrants are "undocumented," they do not pay taxes, and therefore legal American citizens would be the sole people paying for these illegal aliens' health insurance plans. The American people should not be required to pay for health insurance for people who moved to this country illegally and do not pay their fair share of taxes.

Also, the Constitution does not grant Congress, the president, or any other government bodies the power to require individuals to purchase health insurance or to require businesses to provide health insurance to their employees. The government must operate within the Constitution, which does not give them any power over controlling health care. The government would end up being the single payer for health insurance because of the public option, and the Constitution does not give them this power, either.

In the end, the health care reform bill will not help the United States' health care business, as the Democrats say it will. Instead, this plan will damage or possibly destroy the country's health care system, and could end up making the government a single payer. Barack Obama and Congress should not pass legislation that will hurt the country and its citizens.

How to Choose a Home Health Care Service

Whether you need help recovering from an accident, surgery, or need long term care for a chronic illness or disability, home health care is often a viable option that has been gaining popularity, for a reason. Studies have shown that recovering at home is better for a patient's physical and mental health. Today's home health care services can provide everything from help with errands and chores like cooking and cleaning, to skilled medical care from nurses and therapists. But with so many new home health care agencies popping up, how do you know which one to choose?

Luckily, if you follow these basic guidelines, you can be confidant when choosing your home health care provider :

o Check out the agency's credentials.
Make sure the home health care service you choose is licensed in your state, is certified by Medicare, and is accredited by a governing agency such as The Joint Commission's Home Care Accreditation Program.

o Check out the caregivers' credentials.
Besides looking for providers that are friendly and helpful, make sure you inquire about the caregivers' professional training. Are they bonded and insured? Does the home health care service have a supervisor oversee the quality of the service? Also, ask for references for the caregivers themselves, and find out if the home health care agency screens their employees.

o Clarify all billing issues.
The agency should be able to provide literature clearly explaining its fees and services. Make sure you know up front about co-pays, deductibles, and uncovered expenses. Ask if they offer any kind of financial assistance to those in need.

o Be clear on what services you are getting.
Inquire about receiving a written plan detailing the services you will be receiving, so that there is no confusion. Make sure you know the specific services your home health caregiver will be providing, including any chores or housework. Also, find out what hours the home health care service provider has on-call help, in case of an emergency. A 24 hour hotline with someone on call is desirable and helpful.

Finally, after your home health care plan is in place, monitor the services, making sure it is in line with what was actually discussed. By taking these steps you can assure that your home health care service will be beneficial to all.

Personal Health Organizer - How to Take Control of Your Health Care

The use of a personal health organizer is key to your ability to take control of your health care. Given all the changes in our health care system, you must remain fully engaged in all aspects of your care. A personal medical organizer will allow you to take charge of the process.

Improve Chance of Correct Diagnosis

According to the American Society of Internal Medicine, 70% of a correct diagnosis depends on what the patient tells the doctor. The use of a personal medical organizer will help you share vital information with your physician about your symptoms. Having more data available will help your physician make better decisions. With this information-rich data at hand you may be able to provide your treatment team with the one crucial item of information that helps secure a correct diagnosis.

Reduce Duplication of Services

An actively involved and informed health care consumer will keep up to date medical information in a personal medical organizer to prevent duplication of service. Repeating tests and procedures are not only costly but they can also expose you to potential medical errors. Recent surveys indicate that duplicate or triplicate tests are often ordered. Some estimates report that one out of five tests is ordered unnecessarily.

Keeping track of vaccinations, immunizations, test results and medication history will allow for safer and much better health care; especially if you are seeing more than one physician. Sharing this information with your physician will strengthen all of your communication efforts with your providers.

Increase Your Participation in Health Care Process

Research suggests that patients who take a more active role in visits with their physician may have a greater sense of control and better health outcomes. In addition, patients who have an active working relationship with a primary care physician receive more preventative services and spend fewer days in a hospital. Keeping a detailed and continuous record of your health, and then sharing this valuable information, will allow you to get the best from your interactions with your health care team.

Taking an active role in your own medical care may be one of the most important decisions of your life. A personal medical organizer can be an excellent health management tool. Start today and use it at your next medical visit.

Health Care Reform Or Not - You Pay the Same Health Care Costs Either Way

Health policy in the U.S. heavily relies on the strategy of denial. Health care costs eat up over 16% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The typical American works two months out of every year just to cover medical treatment! Or, to put it another way, in 2007 the U.S. spent an average $7,421 per resident for health care. That same year, total medical costs were rising at 6.1% annually - far higher than the rate of GDP growth. What could you do with an extra $7,421 each year for every member of your family?

If you are healthy, you may think this cost does not apply to you. While the cost is an average, think about all the places that health care costs are hiding.

Federal income taxes - to pay for Medicaid, Medicare, and other programs

State taxes - to pay for the state's share of Medicaid and other programs

Your health premiums - the amount you pay each month to your employer or an insurance company to cover just being insured (if you have insurance)

Your out-of-pocket costs - your part of the bill when you go to the doctor or emergency room, are admitted to the hospital, buy a prescription, or use any other health care service. If you have insurance, notice that every year you likely pay more to get less in coverage.

Part of every purchase - no matter what you buy, from an electronic gadget to clothes, school supplies, a car or bike, or food, health care costs are hidden in the purchase price. Why? For one thing, the seller has to pay taxes too, and part of its taxes goes for health care programs. Second, the seller is likely providing health care insurance to its employees, with a hefty tab skyrocketing year after year. The seller needs to cover those costs somehow, and you've been nominated.

Seventy five percent of the costs ($5,566 for you and each family member) go to treat people with chronic illness. In other words, those suffering from high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's, cancer, autoimmune disease, skin and eye diseases, sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and more. The painful list goes on and on. Money is only a minor part of the human cost.

Whether or not there is health care reform will make only a tiny difference in the long run. The soaring costs are not sustainable because other parts of the economy simply can't keep up. If costs keep mounting as they are, engulfing a bigger part of our national resources each year, it won't matter who pays or how. Because no one will have that much money and the system will slide downhill.

The only way to permanently construct a sane health care plan is to have people make meaningful changes in their lifestyle. This means reducing the risk of getting a chronic illness.

Eating a plant-based diet of whole foods is the single most critical action you can take to lower costs and stay well enough to survive the imploding system. This choice is for you to make, not Congress. Breathe easy that you can stay largely outside the polarizing health care debate and hospitals both if you make the best lifestyle choices. And that is not as hard as you might think.

If you are already ill and need treatment, this may be of little comfort. If we drastically reduced, as a nation, the total cost of health care through better diet and other great decisions (such as quitting smoking), there will be plenty to go around to take care of each and every sick person. We won't need to skimp on anyone.

Don't discount the healing power of a whole foods diet. You may feel a lot better even before we get to that long-awaited day when everyone gets the highest quality care.

Will the health care system be public, private, or a little bit of both once we get costs under control? We would have the luxury of debating options at that point because we could afford to! So let's get out of denial and start building a healthier nation now. It starts with you.