Is there a cure for the common cold? (Tips on preventing the sniffles this winter)
It isn’t likely that you’ll be able to prevent yourself from catching a cold entirely, but there are plenty of ways to decrease your chances of getting sick, as well as ways to minimize the severity of your cold if you do happen to fall ill this winter.
Three Easy Ways to Prevent Common Colds:
1. Keep it Clean – Cold and Flu germs are spread through contact. Therefore, you want to ensure that the surfaces with which you interact with other people (i.e., telephone, door handle, counter top, your hands, etc.) are clean and not harboring germs. You also don’t want to pick anything up from another person who has come into contact with the same surface. Pick up some antibacterial cleaners and soaps for your home to nip colds in the bud.
2. Keep Your Airways Hydrated – It is easy to suffer from dry, scratchy throats and sinuses during winter. Central heating dries out the air, which in turn dries out your mucous membranes. Some simple fixes for this are buying a humidifier or using a saline sinus spray. A humidifier will help to rebalance the humidity levels in your home. Ideally, these levels should be around 45% humidity. Dehydrated sinuses can often manifest symptoms similar to a cold, and they can also exacerbate infection.
3. Be Conscious of Your Body – Eating healthy, exercising and sleeping will all boost your immune system. Providing your body with what it needs in terms of energy sources will make it easier to produce the antibodies that attack and heal infections.
Three Easy Ways to Ensure a Speedy Recovery:
1. Keep it Clean (Again) – The last thing you want is to stop cleaning up while you’re sick. You’ll just re-infect yourself and anyone else that comes into your environment. Properly dispose of used tissues, wash your sheets, and wash your hands at the bare minimum.
2. Liquids and Vitamins – When you are fighting off a cold, your body is working much harder than when you are healthy. This means it needs extra nutrition and fluids. Taking immune system boosting vitamins assists those functions and processes, making it a little easier on your body. Some of the most important vitamins to take are Zinc, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and B vitamins. There has also been a lot of research done on the healing properties of Colloidal Silver.
3. Take it Easy, but Not Too Easy – While it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough rest, you don’t want to stay in bed all day for a week. Rest if you need to, but try to maintain your normal schedule, including gentle exercise. Exercising detoxifies your body, and will also help you sweat out the infection.
Common colds shouldn’t last for more than a week. If you are suffering from fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, recurring infections, or other severe symptoms, make a visit to your physician. For more information on how to obtain an affordable health insurance plan, visit TheHealthQuote.com for a free personal health insurance quote. Having a comprehensive health insurance plan is important and not something to be overlooked. With all the affordable health insurance plans available, there is no reason you can’t have at least basic health coverage.
The 5 Fastest Growing Careers in the Medical Industry
With the changes happening in the economy and society, such as the aging of Baby Boomers, the fastest growing careers in the medical industry have been changing from things like nurses and doctors to medical assistants, home care aides, and medical technicians. This is a good thing because it means that there is more of a variety of affordable education opportunities for medical careers available.
The top 5 fastest growing medical careers are:
1. Home Health Aides are expected to grow in numbers by over 56 percent in the next 8 years (Forbes.com). This is due to the aging of the Baby Boomers and their increasing need for in-home medical assistance, as well as the number of them hiring help for their elderly parents.
2. Medical Assistants make good pay and are always in high demand because they play a vital role in the medical industry. They handle both administrative and clinical duties to help keep a practice running smoothly.
3. Physician’s Assistants require more schooling that some of the other careers, but are rewarded with long-term job stability, better pay and lots of career options and flexibility. Physician’s assistants provide medical care under the supervision of a doctor. This allows the practice to see more clients and is more affordable for the patient.
4. Physical Therapy Assistants are in high demand and often find a rewarding career full of challenges, stimulation, and long-term client relationships. They provide therapeutic treatments to patients under the supervision of a doctor and play a key role in many patients recovery.
5. Dental Hygienists have become more and more in demand with the increasing availability of affordable medical and dental insurance plans. Dentistry is still a growing industry and has become a staple part of medical care in the last few decades.
With affordable health insurance becoming more available, more medical services have become available and in demand. This relationship means that the medical insurance industry has also seen growth. This is good for the consumer because it means there are more providers and medical insurance plans to choose from, with more competition. Finding affordable health insurance is much less difficult that it has been in the past.
What are the Drug Companies Doing with All of their Profits?
There is a question that has been asked of large corporations from the moment their profits are made public…Where do all of their profits go? Many individuals do not agree that companies who create products to help others stay healthy should be charging so much for their products. Many consumers feel that they are being taken advantage of by unfair prescription drug pricing just so these companies can see huge profits.
It turns out that the drug companies generally have 3 major spending areas:
• Research and Development
• Advertising/Marketing
• Administration Costs
Although the drug companies as a whole make exorbitant profits, research has shown that in the majority of cases, these profits have been re-invested into research and development products. You must keep in mind that once the drug is discovered, tested and approved, yes, it is relatively easy to produce. The truth of the situation, however, is that before a drug becomes available to the public, the company that paid for all of the research, testing fees, insurance against possible suits and claims, is already millions, sometimes billions of dollars in the red.
With this being the case, one could argue that the prices are necessary in order to keep these companies in business. Without the drug companies, we would not be without a lot of the prescriptions that make it possible to go outside without sneezing due to allergies. We might have missed some of the best years of a loved one’s life because a potential life saving drug was not created.
It is true that without a health insurance plan, it is very difficult to afford name brand prescriptions. However, there are systems in place either through the government or through your insurance company that can help subsidize the cost of these drugs and make them accessible for you and your family should the day come where you ever need them. Before you go off judging the drug companies for their expensive prices, keep in mind all of the fees they incur. The research alone costs millions. Their insurance is possibly even more since they are constantly under threat of a lawsuit if someone has an ill effect from the drug. Furthermore, all of the testing that must be done on the drug before it goes to market, much of which is mandated by the government, can not only delay the realization of a medication’s profits, but it can also contribute to the initial costs of getting a drug approved for sale.
Hillary Out, Obama, In?
Now that Hillary is out of the running, we can turn our attention to what Obama’s plans for healthcare reform will include.
According to his official website:
Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
- Obama’s Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
- Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
- Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
- Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
- Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
- Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
- Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
- Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
- Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
As healthcare industry professionals, some of his administration’s ideas sound solid. However, the cost and effort to implement these plans could take years. Is it realistic to imagine a flawless transistion into government healthcare? You be the one to decide…
A Look at Obama & Clinton Health Models
As we all know, socialized medicine is a popular topic with the presidential candidates. Some people think it’s the answer to healthcare, others (such as professionals like us), know the dark sides of socialized medicine. Here’s a look into the ideas of Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton….
Call it Obamacare or call it Clintoncare. But don’t call it “socialized medicine.” And don’t think that the health care systems that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have promised to put into effect if they get into the White House would be anything like the universal health coverage offered in Great Britain or Canada.Last week, Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, described his challengers’ health care plans as a “move closer to a nationalized health care system.” But that’s a stretch. To nationalize means to transfer ownership or control to the government. There’s still a vast distance between what the Democratic candidates have proposed and nationalized health care.
Clinton and Obama aren’t proposing government hospitals or government doctors. They want people to have health insurance, and they want people to be able to choose from a variety of policies. The menu would include private plans as well as an option similar to Medicare. Tax breaks would help lower- and middle-income people pay their monthly premiums.
Employers, except for small businesses, would also pay into the system if they don’t offer coverage to their workers. Wealthier people would pay too because their taxes would go up. Both candidates have promised to discontinue income tax cuts passed in President Bush’s first term for those households with incomes exceeding $250,000. The revenue generated would be used to help pay for more health coverage.
The biggest difference in the two candidates’ plan is who would be required to get insurance. Clinton says everyone should be. Obama says only children must have coverage.
Such a system would continue the split system that the U.S. has when it comes to health coverage. The elderly, poor, disabled and many veterans would continue to get care paid for primarily by the government. Others would get coverage from private companies, usually through their employer, or through the Medicare-like option.
“Their approach is not taking any other country’s system. It’s building on what we have in the U.S,” said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which conducts health research.
The candidates say the Medicare-like option they include in their health care plans offers additional competition that would benefit consumers. But, if that plan is subsidized so generously that private companies can’t compete, then it has the potential to be the “backdoor to single-payer,” said Regina E. Herzlinger, a professor at Harvard Business School.
Still, the mix of private and public coverage bears little resemblance to Canada or Great Britain, two nations that Americans might think of when it comes to universal health insurance.
Consider, for example, that in Canada, all medically necessary services are paid for by the government. Each province determines what’s medically necessary, but surgery, prenatal care and visits to a doctor’s office for an annual health exam are typical examples. Private insurance is basically limited to dental care, vision care and prescription drugs.
In several Canadian provinces, patients are prohibited from using private insurance to pay for services covered through that nation’s Medicare program.
The prohibition stems from the fear that some people could use private insurance to get to the front of the line, thereby undermining access to publicly insured services.
Advisers to each candidates dismissed such restrictions. “We don’t eliminate the employer-based side of the equation. We don’t dismantle private insurance,” said Heather Higginbottom, policy director for the Obama campaign. “We still have competition and choice and all the things that would lead to adequate supply and good care.”
Even for those people who select the government-managed plan, nothing will preclude them from buying additional coverage, just as older people today are free to buy insurance to fill gaps in their Medicare coverage, said Neera Tanden, the policy director for the Clinton campaign.
“She wanted to build on the system we have rather than radically reshape it,” said Tanden.
Private insurance is also little used in Great Britain. About 11 percent of the population has it. Many use private insurance to escape waiting lists for elective services. But, the great majority of care is paid for by the government.
There are pluses and minuses to the single-payer system that those two countries have. Among the pluses, health care expenditures in Great Britain come to about $2,724 a person. Canada spends $3,359 per resident. Meanwhile, the U.S., spends about $6,401 per resident, according to worldwide figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Development.
Many doubt that the U.S. is getting good value for all that spending. It also makes it harder for U.S. companies to compete internationally.
“That’s why it costs less to build a car in Canada than in the United States because you’ve got a bunch of money tied up in health insurance,” said Steven Lewis, a Canadian health consultant.
New Bill to Open Up Health Insurance Market
Some more changes are in the air for health care. One of the latest ideas comes from Arizona congress. Since TheHealthQuote.com works in multiple states, we think this is a revolutionary idea for health care.
Being based in California, we have some of the higher rates compared to many other states. If individuals and families had the option to obtain rates and plans from various states, the population of uninsured individuals may drop significantly.
———————–
A new House bill introduced by Arizona Republican John Shadegg will allow people to buy health insurance across state lines, reported The Washington Times. The bill is designed to make health insurance markets more competitive and reduce the number of people without insurance.
The cost of health insurance varies dramatically from one state to the next. A policy that costs $60 a month in one state may cost several hundred dollars a month in another.
Why such a large difference in pricing? State laws have a lot to do with it. Many states mandate benefits that all insurance policies must offer, driving up the cost of coverage. Other states mandate that all health insurance applicants must be accepted by private insurance companies, which also drives up the cost of coverage.
Representative Shadegg’s bill would “introduce true competition to health insurance by creating a nationwide marketplace,” said David Merritt of The Center for Health Transformation.
Policy experts and political commentators don’t expect the bill the pass. The recent showdown between Congress and the White House over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program demonstrated how much disagreement there is over the direction of health coverage in the United States. It also demonstrated how little each side of the debate was willing to compromise.
Health Care: A Change In The Air!
Millions of Americans are constantly frustrated with our healthcare system. While it has so many positive aspects to it, there are also many negative issues that must be fixed. Many insurance companies are finally making some changes to the way they do busines
Wellpoint, the parent company of Blue Cross, is one of the places making some good changes!
INDIANAPOLIS, Nov 14, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — WellPoint, Inc., (NYSE: WLP) the nation’s largest health benefits company, today launched the State Health Index, a program that incorporates public health data from the 14 states in which the company’s Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield licensees operate to identify major state health issues. WellPoint’s state plans will then work with community and state leaders to design programs that will help address those health issues and, in turn, improve the health of millions.
The states where WellPoint operates Blue plans include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Given that one in nine Americans is covered by a WellPoint health benefits plan, our company has a mission and a unique responsibility to understand and help improve not only the health of our members, but also the overall health of the communities we serve,” said Angela F. Braly, president and CEO of WellPoint.
“The State Health Index will provide WellPoint and our public and private partners with a roadmap to help improve the overall health of millions of people.” Developed from data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State Health Index will track 23 measures of public health established by the CDC. WellPoint has selected these measures of improvement for its focus during the first several years of the program as they have the most potential to be positively influenced by the actions of the company: Prenatal Care in First Trimester Physical Activity Levels Low Birthweight Infant Rate Cigarette Smoking Rate Adult Influenza Immunization Rate Diabetes in Adult Population Adult Pneumococcal Immunization Rate Heart Disease Death Rate WellPoint and its state plan representatives are collaborating with local and state officials, as well as community organizations, health care professionals, and consumers to research the reasons behind prevalent health deficiencies in each state, and to design policy solutions and implement or enhance programs aimed at improving the overall health of all residents in each state.
“The guiding measures selected for the State Health Index provide a broad snapshot of the overall health of a state’s population,” said Sam Nussbaum, MD, executive vice president, clinical health policy and chief medical officer of WellPoint. “WellPoint is making significant monetary and resource contributions through the implementation or scaling of public health programs that have proven successful in other states, including smoking cessation, physical activity and adult immunization programs.” The State Health Index is a companion program to WellPoint’s Member Health Index, launched earlier this year. WellPoint’s Member Health Index uses data from the company’s own nearly 35 million members to track the improvement of the quality of health care members receive. In comparison, the State Health Index uses data pertaining to all the residents of a state to identify the most serious heath issues facing each unique population and enables WellPoint and its state plan representatives to partner with organizations to help improve and benchmark all consumers’ health through unique partnerships and programs.
“Together, WellPoint’s Member and State Health Indices clearly demonstrate our company’s commitment to measurably improving the quality of life for both our members and all of the people who live in the communities in which we live and serve,” said Braly. “We believe these innovative initiatives set a new industry standard and will help improve the health of Americans.” About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint’s mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of commercial membership in the United States. Through its nationwide networks, the company delivers a number of leading health benefit solutions through a broad portfolio of integrated health care plans and related services, along with a wide range of specialty products such as life and disability insurance benefits, pharmacy benefit management, dental, vision, behavioral health benefit services, as well as long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.
Thanks to cnbc.com for this information! (more…)
A Market Makeover For Health Insurance
The ongoing question of how health care should change is an uphill battle. While many solutions make sense, the mystery question is, which solution will work for the masses?
One option that has been proposed by congress outlines a two-step solution, aimed at producing a competitive marketplace with broad individual choices.
First, the federal government would establish independent regional “exchanges” through which individuals would purchase one of many competing private insurance plans. The exchanges would set standards for the insurers and each year conduct an “open season” when purchasers could change insurers. The exchanges would manage risk adjustments for insurers, but no one could be denied coverage because of age or prior illness.
Second, every family would receive a fixed-dollar credit, sufficient to pay the premium on the basic, low-cost plan in its region, so it could be insured without cost to the family budget. Any higher-cost policy would be paid by individuals with after-tax dollars.
The current tax credit for employer-financed health care would end (along with the company obligation to insure its workers), and that saving, plus some form of broad-based tax either on payrolls or income or on purchases, would finance the universal insurance payments.
Could this possibly work? Read the full article here.
