Healthying the World

How do I obtain health insurance?

2011-08-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Health insurance coverage is usually obtained through an employer if a person is employed on a full-time basis. However, there are many exceptions. Employee benefits that include health insurance are often not available to part-time employees, and small employers, especially those with less than 5 employees, often do not provide health insurance coverage options.

Self-employed persons who do not have employees generally must obtain individual insurance. Self-employed persons and employees of small businesses sometimes can obtain health insurance through group endorsed insurance packages that include health insurance coverage. Some examples include teachers who obtain insurance through state teachers' associations instead of through their employers, lawyers who obtain insurance through their bar associations, small business owners or self-employed who obtain insurance through chambers of commerce, etc.

In employment, there are many different kinds of employee benefit plans available and a variety of ways that that health care coverage is paid for in the group setting. For instance, there may be employee welfare benefit plans in which participation is mandatory and the employer pays the premiums as a fringe benefit. On the other hand, there may be

(1) plans in which employee participation is completely voluntary, or

(2) plans in which the employee may choose from different health care insurance offerings, or

(3) health care insurance offerings where the employer pays some but not all of the premiums or pays for the employee but not for coverage of dependents, or

(4) "cafeteria plans" where a certain amount of money is available through a plan and the choice of how to use it is left to the employee.

Persons who have reached Social Security eligibility age can obtain insurance through Medicare, (including primary and supplemental coverage), military dependents can obtain insurance through CHAMPUS and the medically indigent or disadvantaged can obtain health care coverage through Medicaid or through local medically indigent adult programs.

What is a health insurance plan?

2011-08-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

A health insurance plan is a plan or insurance policy that is purchased or made available for sale to companies or individuals. Each type of health insurance plan has a variety of costs and benefits associated with it. What medical service is covered under your health plan depends on which plan you have, each different plan has different levels of coverage. Health insurance plans also have a variety of providers of medical services such as doctors, hospitals, and specialists associated with them. These medical service providers are part of the insurer's network.

Health insurance plans in the United States are governed by a variety of laws, both at the state and federal level, that cover such topics as what treatments and medications must be covered, how much coverage can be offered, and in what cases coverage must be given or denied. There are numerous health insurance laws associated with health insurance plans.

One set of laws deals with parity, or equality, in treatment, and is often used in regards to mental health insurance plans. Other laws cover the regulations required to offer or sell health insurance, as well as the health coverage that is provided by employers. COBRA, for example, requires that employers continue to offer employees health insurance at a group rate for up to 18 months after the employee is terminated, as long as the employee is able to begin paying the premiums. Implied laws of good faith and fair dealing mandate that insurance companies actually provide the coverage that they have promised to provide and impose strict penalties on insurance companies that deny claims in bad faith or without case.

There are also pending changes to health insurance laws which are expected to begin taking affect through 2014. These health insurance laws require more employers to cover more workers, and also mandate that everyone obtain health insurance or pay penalties and fees. The future of health insurance under these health insurance laws remains to be seen as the changes go into affect.

What is Health Insurance?

2011-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Health insurance is, basically, a promise by an insurance company or health plan to provide or pay for health care services in exchange for payment of premiums.

Health care in the United States is delivered and insured in many different ways.

Health Centre

2011-08-11T04:47:00.001-07:00

Community health centres, also referred to as community health services (CHSs), operate across the state and aim to provide a broad range of services and health promotion activities to local populations, particularly those who have or are at risk of the poorest health and have the greatest economic and social needs.

CHSs are agencies that receive Community Health Program funding from the Department of Health. There are approximately 100 CHSs in Victoria operating from approximately 350 sites.

Community health services sit alongside general practice and privately funded services, and other health and support services, to make up the majority of the primary health sector in Victoria. State-funded primary health care predominantly refers to dental, allied health, counselling, nursing services and health promotion.

The services available depend on the needs of individuals, families and the community living in the area. Most community health program funding supports flexibility in the delivery of services, and enables CHSs to develop models of care that meet the needs of their local communities. However, specific initiatives deliver particular services to vulnerable population groups.

Community health services focus on health promotion, and disease prevention and management, which are designed to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents, as well as take pressure off the acute care health system.

Aims of community health services
Community health services aim to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents by:

Encouraging people to actively participate in their own health care
Working together with other primary health care providers such as general practitioners (GPs) to provide coordinated care
Liaising with other health agencies and service providers to fill service gaps
Encouraging individuals and community groups to actively participate in the centre’s activities, including service planning, fundraising and volunteer work
Promoting prevention of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions
Developing health care programs and activities to improve social and physical environments in the community.

Services offered
The services offered vary between community health services, depending on the needs of the local area. Primary health services could include:

Counselling and support services
Health promotion activities
Medical and nursing services
Dental health
Allied health, including audiology, dietetics, exercise physiology, physiotherapy, podiatry, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Other services and supports may include:

Aged care services
Alcohol and drug programs
Carer respite
Maternal and child health services
Mental health programs
Disability services
Outreach services
Problem gambling programs
Rehabilitation programs
Support for self-help

Community health services are available to everyone
CHSs offer affordable health care, particularly for people on low incomes. Services are available to all local residents, regardless of income, although fees apply. These fees are charged for services according to the client’s ability to pay, and can be negotiated or waived if payment is difficult. Health Care Card holders are charged a heavily discounted fee.

Contact your local community health service direct for more information. Addresses are listed in the telephone book or you can use the Better Health Channel services directory. Alternatively, ask your doctor about how your local CHS could help you maintain or improve your health and wellbeing.

Where to get help

Your doctor
Your local community health centre
Better Health Channel services directory

Things to remember

Community health services aim to keep individuals and families in better health by taking into account their environment and social conditions.
The services available at CHSs depend on the needs of the families and other specific groups living in the area.
Fees are charged for services according to the client’s ability to pay, and can be negotiated or waived if payment is difficult.

What is healthcare science?

2011-08-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

What is healthcare science?
This page provides an introduction to healthcare science careers in the NHS.

Healthcare scienceIf you have an interest in science - and want to work in improving people’s health - few organisations can offer you more scope than the new NHS.

As the “Backbone of the NHS” (influencing around 80% of clinical decisions) healthcare scientists are increasingly being recognised for their vital role in delivering health care.

Almost any patient investigation or treatment depends on the work done by healthcare scientists: from biomedical scientists providing diagnostic information on blood and tissue, to clinical perfusionists enabling surgeons to perform complex procedures on the heart and lungs. The list goes on and on.

Many healthcare scientists work in the background, unseen by the patients whose diagnosis and recovery depends so much on their expertise.

But there are others who are directly involved in patient care.

Most healthcare scientists are also involved in research, developing new methods of detecting and monitoring disease, designing new equipment, and introducing treatments that will help improve health prospects for everyone.

Healthcare scientists work in one of three broad areas in the NHS. These are:
life sciences
physiological sciences
physical sciences and engineering

What is Health Care Reform?

2011-08-11T04:39:00.001-07:00

Healthcare reform is a hot topic in the news lately, and it will impact your medical career significantly, depending on how it is implemented. What is healthcare reform? Why does the United States need healthcare reform, and how should the healthcare system be reformed?

Many people understand the objectives of healthcare reform, but they do not understand the intricacies involved in overhauling an entire healthcare system nationwide. Some people are not even clear as to the purpose of healthcare reform, or how it could directly impact their medical career, for better or for worse.

In brief, the goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare more accessible and available to all American citizens. Currently, millions of Americans remain uninsured due to job loss, or because healthcare premiums would simply be too costly. Ideally, healthcare reform would enable more, or all Americans to become insured, and also decrease the cost of healthcare. However, this is a goal that is not so easily obtained, due to the complexities of the healthcare system in America, and the quality of care provided here.

The key is to find a solution that does not compromise the quality of healthcare or the quality of providers here in the U.S. Many providers already feel sqeezed by increasing overhead of medical practice, including covering costs of meeting insurance payers' demands and prerequisites, as well as paying for malpractice insurance, technology, and other ballooning costs.

The only guarantee in health care reform is that it is guaranteed to cause a controversy! No one seems quite certain on how best to reform healthcare in America. What are your thoughts? The experts have weighed in - you can too!

Laser Hair Removal

2011-08-11T04:25:00.000-07:00

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

A laser is a machine that emits one wavelength of intense light. Some lasers target melanin. These lasers can be used to target the melanin within hair.

The Laser Hair Removal Procedure

A pulse of energy is sent through the laser hair removal hand-piece. Since laser light involves heat to stop the hair follicle from growing again, a cooling system is needed to protect the skin. Sometimes the cooling system is a chilled laser hair removal tip, and sometimes it is in the form of a gel or a spray used during the laser hair removal procedure.

When the laser heat reaches the hair follicle, it deters or stops future hair re-growth of unwanted hair.

Typically, laser hair removal requires 3-5 treatments.

How Laser Hair Removal Works

If you're interested in laser hair removal, it's important, as a first step, to learn how it works. Laser hair removal technology is the use of an invisible beam of light and a constant source of heat that penetrates the hair follicle, disabling and then destroying it at its root while preserving the surrounding skin.

The procedure of removing unwanted hair is simply targeting the follicle and then directing the laser beam at its root. The hair removal process begins as the laser beam finds the hair follicle that it is targeting by first finding the melanin (the dark color of the hair).
Who can benefit from Laser Hair Removal?

Laser hair removal works best on those people with dark hair and fair skin.

Melanin is also found in skin, so those people with dark skin either from suntans or by birth will not be ideal candidates for laser hair removal. Neither will red headed or light blond haired people — simply because the laser is solely attracted to the darkness of the hair.

Laser hair removal is most successful when the hair is in its anagen phase (the phase when a hair follicle is its active growth). This phase lasts several years — 85% of our hair is in that phase at any given time. During this phase, the hair is easily targeted and more easily destroyed.
Are there any problems with Laser Hair Removal?

Unlike other hair removal methods such as electrolysis, waxing and, of course, shaving, laser hair removal is the most state-of-the-art and high-tech method in removing unwanted hair for longer (and even indefinite) periods of time. It is the only proven method available for easily removing hair from mass areas of the body including back, chest, legs and face. Laser hair removal is effective, precise and cost efficient.

The laser simply and directly pinpoints the root of the hair and removes it from the body. Although the process is precise and beneficial, it can be irritating to the skin — therefore it is important that the surrounding skin be cooled with a gel, a spray or a cooling device throughout the procedure. These cooling systems prevent the laser beam from causing harm or discomfort to the surrounding skin.

The Real Dangers of Laser Hair Removal

Has Laser Hair Removal Been Linked to Cancer?
Types of Lasers

There are currently four types of lasers used for hair removal:
Alexandrite – such as the Candela GentleLase Plus
Ruby – such as the EpiTouch or Epilaser
Diode – such as the Coherent Light Sheer
ND and LP ND Yag – such as the Candela GentleYag and the Altus Cool Glide

Each of these techniques is FDA-approved and proven effective, fast and safe methods for successful hair removal and permanent hair reduction.

What to look for

Although it is the work of the laser that removes the hair follicle, successful laser hair removal depends upon the skill and knowledge of the technician who manipulates and maneuvers the laser. That is, once the laser is selected, it is the mastery of the technician that will yield the best results.

Now let's better understand the technique involved. Words like pulse, fluency and time are imperative to you, the consumer. These techniques will ensure that your experience is comfortable and effective.

For instance, long pulsed lasers are considered to be the safest. Energy and fluency levels of the laser can be specified depending on your personal skin type. The time allowed between pulses of light allows the skin and follicle to cool for longer periods of time, making your experience more pleasant. The size of the area on your skin's surface affects the speed and penetration of the laser — a larger area allows the technician to go deeper into the root of the hair follicle, which can give you better results per session.

Laser hair removal is not a one-time procedure. But, in just a few sessions, you can feel like a different person. The power of the laser is unchallenged by any other hair removal method available.

Will Laser Hair Removal Hurt?

Laser hair removal may be somewhat uncomfortable. As with anything, the pain or discomfort you feel may be different from others who have had the procedure. That said, most people tolerate laser hair removal very well.

At first, you will likely feel a slight stinging sensation, indicating that the laser has been activated. The treatment involves a series of impulses that cause prickling and a slight burning sensation. Your clinician may apply a topical anesthetic to the area being treated to minimize discomfort, but most people endure the procedure without any. Some people have likened the feeling to that of a rubber band snapping against your skin.

Remember that, depending on the area of the body you are having done, the treatment can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

What is illness?

2011-07-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

disease a serious illness that usually lasts a long time, often one that affects a particular part of the body: tropical diseases ♦ She has a rare lung disease.

infection an illness that is caused by bacteria and that does not usually last a long time: He was off work with a throat infection.

virus a very small germ that causes illness, or an illness caused by these things: The virus is highly contagious. ♦ She has a virus.

condition an illness or medical problem that affects someone for a long time: a serious heart condition

disorder (formal) a situation in which a particular part of someone’s body does not operate normally, often causing illness for a long period of time: a stomach/heart/liver disorder

ailment a minor illness that may be painful or uncomfortable: He was complaining about his various ailments.

bug (informal) an illness caused by a virus or bacteria that is not serious and that does not usually last a long time: a stomach bug

What is health?

2011-07-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health in 1948 as a ‘state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. This coincides closely with the holistic view seeing the patient first as a person within their family, community and workplace, and recognising the positive and negative influences each can have on the person. Helping an ill person back to better health requires due account to be taken of factors other than their physiology and anatomy; meeting psychological, social, spiritual and environmental needs are important.

The evidence that environment and other factors affect health can be found throughout this resource.
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