Simply stated health care

Is Avastin for Breast Cancer Coming Back?

Cathy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:59 +0000

In November 2011, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) removed the drug, Avastin (brand name for Bevacizumab), as a treatment for breast cancer. The FDA cited a lack of benefit for using the drug for metastatic breast cancer (cancer that spreads to other parts of the body). The FDA ruled the potential for serious and life-threatening risks could [...]

Stress Study Shows More Words Than Action

Cathy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:55 +0000

We know we’re stressed. We know we should do something about it, but are we doing what we should? Apparently not. The American Psychological Association (APA) recently released Stress in America: Our Health at Risk. You probably won’t be surprised about the results. About the Study The APA initiated the study in 2006 as part [...]

Are Baby Boomers & Their Parents Playing Health Care Roulette?

Cathy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:39 +0000

It’s probably a young person’s nightmare – a world overrun by old people. According to a 2010 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the older population is growing at a faster pace than the younger generation. Good to know we still do some things faster than the younger set. As good as that might sound, [...]

Healthfinder Dot Gov Likes Facebook

Cathy — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:25 +0000

Healthfinder.gov hopes you like them – you really, really like them. The U.S. government website for information and tools for staying healthy has joined the 800+ million users of Facebook in search of a community. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched [...]

Americans Drop-Kick Healthy Behaviors During Holidays

Cathy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:43 +0000

The holidays sabotage healthy behaviors for many Americans. Exercise decreases – except for the hand to mouth motion Fruits and vegetables go missing – unless you count pies The November report of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index revealed the lowest Healthy Behavior score (62.6 percent) since 2008′s low of 61.4 percent. Not so coincidentally, the [...]

Are Health Reform’s Essential Benefits Not So Essential?

Cathy — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:17:30 +0000

It’s one of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act where everyone seemed to have an opinion. What health care services deserve essential benefits status? There are 10 categories Individual/small group health plans in state Exchanges must offer them All Medicaid plans must offer them The provision is effective in 2014 The tricky part was what [...]

Insurance Brokers At a Loss Over Medical Loss Ratio

Cathy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:24:27 +0000

It sounded like a good idea – require insurance companies to spend most of its premium dollars on health care and quality improvement. Insurance brokers and agents are not feeling the love from the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of healthcare reform’s Affordable Care Act. What is the MLR Provision? At its most basic, the [...]

Mobile Workforce’s Ringing in Ears is 24/7

Cathy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:00:33 +0000

Forget sugarplums, today’s mobile workforce has images of smartphones dancing in their heads. At least that’s the picture painted by a recent report released by iPass, a provider of enterprise mobility services. For many of us, the results are hardly surprising. The Dearly Addicted The iPass Global Mobile Workforce Report:Understanding Enterprise Mobility Trends and [...]

Health Poll Draws a Line for Unhealthy Behavior

Cathy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:18:51 +0000

Individuals with healthy behavior should reap rewards beyond good health. At least that is the majority opinion of participants in the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll. 84.8 percent of respondents believe individuals with healthy behavior should receive discounts on health insurance premiums 58.5 percent think smokers should pay more for health insurance premiums Even the majority of smokers [...]

Mid-level Providers-Threat or Good Idea?

Cathy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:29:29 +0000

It’s a problem I have heard before – fear over using a mid-level provider. What is a mid-level provider? You probably know the answer, even if you have not heard the term. It is a health care professional who provides care under the supervision of a physician. Examples of medical mid-level providers include: Physician assistant [...]