Health Posts

When my husband’s Grandmother was in a car accident several years ago it left her unable to drive herself anymore. Because of this she was isolated from the world. She was no longer able to come and go as she pleased and she had to rely on others to take her places or run her errands.  The loss of a spouse can lead to isolation as well. Isolation for seniors can be debilitating. So, what can you do if you are an isolated senior citizen or if you have a loved one who is isolated? iGoHealthyseniors is a website created specifically for senior citizens. Here you can find some ideas to overcome isolation as well as information for living a happy and healthy life as a senior.  I’m happy to report that over the last year my husband’s Grandmother moved into a group home for retired seniors. Here she enjoys socializing with new friends and she doesn’t dwell on the things she can no longer do.

Please Don't eat those little chocolate coins!
                                                           
                                                                         
Sherwood's Milk Chocolate Pirate's Gold Coins from China contain
melamine. It is true, Read the full story at the following link from Snopes:        
                                                                         
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp    

The little chocolate coins are not safe for kids to eat this Halloween.
They are made in China and contain the Melamine that children's deaths were
related to recently.  !!!!!!!

With Halloween coming soon, pass this on to your family and friends.

 

Barack Obama’s plan is more aggressive providing coverage for everyone and because of this it is going to cost more than John McCain’s plan. Obama wants to create a new national health plan that all Americans can get whether they have pre-existing conditions or not.  People who do not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP will receive federal subsidies to help pay for the coverage. He wants to create a Health Insurance Exchange where existing insurance companies could offer benefits similar to the new health plan. This Health Insurance Exchange also makes it so insurance companies cannot charge higher premiums based on someone’s health status.

I heard McCain say that if Employers don’t provide health coverage would pay a fee. According to this article he is correct.  This is what it says, “Employers who do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of health insurance coverage for their employees would be required to contribute a percentage of their payroll toward the cost of the new national health plan.” However, it does not say how much the fee would be.

Some other key components of Obama’s plan are:

·         All children are required to have health insurance

·         A small business health tax credit of up to 50% of premiums paid by an employer on behalf of workers.

·         Expansion of the current programs CHIP and Medicaid.

·         Flexibility for states to continue in their efforts of health system reform.

McCain’s plan wants to put the power in the hands of the patients instead of the government. He wants to do this by attacking the current federal tax code for insurance companies. McCain’s plan wants to repeal tax exclusions that employers currently receive for providing coverage to their workers. He will then replace those exclusions with direct refundable tax credits of $2500 for individuals and $5000 for families to help offset the cost of getting their own insurance. Employer sponsored coverage is still available and this tax credit could be used to help pay for the employee expense of the coverage. Some argue that the removal of the tax break would force companies to no longer provide coverage for employees. While this may be true in some cases most large companies will want to continue providing coverage to be competitive in the job market.

Some other key components of McCain’s plan:

·         A nonprofit corporation will work through insurers to cover those who have been denied coverage in the past.

·         Reduce prescription drug costs through reimportation of drugs and faster introduction of generics. Today, companies cannot introduce generics until 7 years after the name brand has been out to ensure the lead company makes a chunk of money.

·         Expand health savings accounts

·         Emphasize prevention of chronic illnesses.

·         Promote coordination of care

·         Speed adoption of health information technology

·         Enact tort reforms to protect physicians who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols.

So, McCain plan prefers insurance based coverage while Obama’s plan relies on a government insurance plan as well as private insurance. There are some similarities between the two. They both want coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and chronic illness. They both seem to promote a national insurance market where people could purchase insurance across the state lines to ensure the best rate and coverage. A study by the University of Minnesota found that if there was and open market, at least 25% of the uninsured would be able to afford coverage.

Neither candidate has given great detail as to how they plan on carrying out their different plans. There are pros and cons to both plans.  One thing is for sure, healthcare in America has got to improve. So, this November, go out and vote for the candidate you believe will get this country back on the right path for its citizens.