Health Blog
Posts from 2016
How to Prevent Drug Interactions and Adverse Reactions
Drug interactions and adverse reactions send nearly 700,000 people to emergency rooms and cause 100,000 people to be hospitalized each year, according to data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. The danger of drug interactions and adverse reactions increases a great deal as you age for several different reasons: Older people are more likely... Read More
Medication errors: 4 steps to protect your children
As cold and flu season ramps up, parents and caregivers will be measuring out a range of liquid medicines—from pain and fever relievers to antibiotics—to give to their young children. But how sure are you that the dose you’re giving your children is accurate? A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics highlights how often... Read More
Disability: 4 steps to lower your risk as you age
As you age, your risk of becoming disabled because of a chronic health problem or an injury like a fall can increase. But studies have found that there are four proactive steps you can take at any age that can help decrease your risk of disability and improve your overall health, wellbeing, and longevity. Step... Read More
Medical Privacy: How to Keep Your Medical Information Safer
Medical privacy made front page news several times in 2015 and 2016 as hackers gained access to more than 112 million medical records from health insurers, hospitals, state health departments, a medical software company, and more. But the issue of medical privacy goes beyond information compromised in hacks. Medical records have also been inappropriately accessed... Read More
How will the election affect my health insurance and healthcare?
If you’re in the process of choosing health insurance for the coming year, you probably have questions about how proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will impact your insurance choices and your access to healthcare. To help you better understand the situation, we’ve gathered the answers to some of the questions you may... Read More
More young people are having strokes: How to protect yourself
While most people don’t think the young suffer strokes, a recent study found that an increasing number of people between the ages of 25 and 44 are actually having strokes. The simple fact is the rate of people 25 to 44 hospitalized for an ischemic stroke, the most common type, increased by 44% but actually... Read More
Strategies that can improve how older patients fare after being in the hospital
Being hospitalized can have a significant, ongoing impact on the health of older patients. Even when the treatment of the illness or injury that brought them to the hospital is successful, many older patients leave the hospital physically weaker, with cognitive issues like confusion, or with psychological issues like depression and anxiety that can have... Read More
Choosing health insurance: What you should consider if you have a chronic health problem
As you think about which health insurance plan you’ll choose for next year, there are a number of different factors you should consider, including: monthly premium yearly deductible co-payments whether prescription drugs are covered whether you have coverage while traveling how the plan is rated for quality and customer service But if you’re living with... Read More
Family history of breast cancer? 5 proactive steps for managing your risk
If you have a family history of breast cancer, you may need a more proactive strategy to manage your risk. With October being breast cancer awareness month, much of the focus in the media has been around steps that all women should take to lower their risk of breast cancer and how often they should... Read More
Why parents may not have a say in medical decisions for their young adult children
When your young adult children reach the age of 18 or 19, you might be surprised to learn that you no longer have access to their medical information, even if they’re still on your health insurance plan or live with you. Once your child reaches legal adulthood (18 in most states, 19 in two states),... Read More