Compare Health Insurance Plans to Ensure Adequate Coverage

Health insurance plans are probably one of the hottest topics of the 21st century. It's the one thing families can't afford to be without, especially those with children, of child-bearing age, the elderly, or anyone with a chronic medical condition or a family history of serious illness looming overhead. And yet, for many families, it is the one thing they also can't afford financially.

If you're self-employed, you need to find your own health insurance. If you work for a small employer, it may not be offered to you. But even if you do work for an employer that offers it, many employer plans are extremely limited and do not provide the kind of coverage you really need for your family.

There are, however, many affordable health insurance options available on the open market today. But as a consumer, you need to do your homework. All health insurance plans are not created equal.

Often health insurance plans are available as single coverage, married coverage, single plus one, family coverage, or single plus two. But the differences between the various plans may incorporate more than just the number of people covered. For instance, many policies do not cover prenatal or maternity care or the delivery of a child. If you and your spouse are in your 60s and can't have any more children, that may be fine, but if you are of child bearing age and planning to have children, you need to make sure any health insurance you consider includes that coverage or you could have a whopping bill to pay on your own if you discover you're going to have a child.

Even if you aren't planning to have more children, if you have a minor daughter in her teen years, it's a good idea to be sure any plans you look at cover maternity expenses. Many a parent has been surprised to learn their daughter would soon be expecting a baby, though the pregnancy may not have been planned.

When comparing plans for health insurance, it's also important to look at wellness coverage, such as immunizations, annual exams, pap smears, mammograms, and physicals. These should be considered for coverage, in addition to the co-pay for prescriptions, doctor visits, walk-in care, emergency care, outpatient surgery, and in-hospital stays. The amount of the individual deductible and family deductible per year is also an important consideration.

Yes, good health insurance plans that meet the needs of your family are available, but you have to look for them, and you have to be sure you are comparing apples to apples when you look at plans from different providers. It's also a good idea to consider the reputation of the company or provider, because health insurance is no longer a luxury. It really is a necessity, and you need to know you can count on your provider when medical needs arise, without any unanticipated surprises. Always read the fine print and ask questions before purchasing a policy for you and your family.

Active Babies and Exhausted Mothers

New born babies often sleep for hours. But, they do not sleep on schedule and mothers often do not get enough rest and are completely exhausted in caring for them.

Here are some tips for mothers of active babies to get adequate rest:

o Mothers do not have to be on "alert mode" all the time. When baby is asleep at different times of the day, take a short nap yourself when you are tired. Give yourself 30 to 40 minutes to nap. Set the alarm clock each time to wake you up before you fall into a deep sleep. Your energy level will definitely increase after a short nap.

o Train baby to feed at regular intervals for example every 3 to 4 hours after the previous feed. Wake him up to feed even if he is deeply asleep. This establishes a regular daytime feeding schedule for baby and gives you enough time to rest even if you catch up on some other work first. If you pick him up and feed him every time he awakes momentarily or for a short period, you will cause him to want to feed at short intervals and to take in small quantities each time.

o I used to give my baby his last feed at eleven pm each night without fail from the age of 3 months. From then on he slept through the night and had his next feed only at about 7am the next morning. I was able to have almost the same nightly sleeping hours as my baby after that.

o Mothers should exercise regularly. Start with gentle post natal exercises and move on to short walks, then longer ones and even swimming. These activities are good as mothers can take baby along with them.

o Ask your spouse to take charge of feeding baby at least one evening a week. Mother can then have an evening "off" and get a good night of sleep. Use ear plugs or sleep in another room if you are tempted to take over if baby cries. Be assured that your spouse is more than able to shoulder the responsibility and he will even enjoy bonding more closely with baby.

o Avoid stimulants and other food and medications that affect your ability to sleep from late afternoons if necessary. Examples are coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolates, and caffeinated beverages.

Be alert to anything that causes sleepless nights and unnecessary fatigue. Work towards getting sufficient rest and you will be able to care for baby the next day and the next and the next.

Enjoy parenting and motherhood.
Pat

What to Take to the Hospital on Delivery Day

Your hospital stay for the delivery of your baby will require a well planned out packing list. There are essential items you will need for labor and delivery and the few days following birth while you are at the hospital. There are things that your partner will need as well as your baby. Most of your baby's needs should be taken care of by the hospital, but it never hurts to call and ask.

For labor and delivery, there are some essential items to pack and some items that are optional depending on your birthing plan. If you are planning on giving birth vaginally and without pain medicine, you will need some items to help your labor pains.

A couple things that you may want to consider are: a Pilates ball, a rolling-pin, hard candy, music and movies, and pillows. These things could help with your labor pains, but you must keep in mind that everyone is different. Something that worked for your friend may or may not work for you.

Now if you are planning on accepting some pain management drugs, you will need much less of that gear. You may still want to bring your own pillows, or body pillow or nursing pillow. Whatever helps you get into a more comfortable position at home, you should make sure you have at the hospital during your labor.

After giving birth you will need some specialty items to make your postpartum stay more comfortable for you while you heal. You will need some oversized full underwear. The pads that the hospital will give you are quite large and you will want them to be able to go into a pair of panties easily. In addition to the pad you may also have an oversized ice pack to place in your panties.

Pants will be quite uncomfortable for these first few days. You will need a good nursing gown for this time. Nursing Gowns can be used during delivery and after. This will be loose and open for fitting your ice pack and pad into your panties, and it will also be very useful for nursing your newborn.

Your toiletries and basics such as toothbrush, hairbrush, and face wash are a must and should be packed ahead of time. These are things that are inexpensive and it will be worth it when the time comes to not have to start thinking about whether or not you are forgetting something. Just have a whole second set of this stuff packed and ready to go a couple weeks ahead of time.

As far as your clothing goes, you should pack any nursing clothing, socks and slippers, and a very loose- fitting, comfortable outfit to go home in. You may just want to buy a nicer pair of nursing pajamas that double as loungewear for that day. These are all things that you can pack ahead of time as well. It will save you stress and time to do as much ahead of time as possible, if not all. You will be much more at ease that you are ready when the time comes to go to the hospital to deliver your baby.

The Adrenal Glands Are Responsible for Female Hormone Imbalance Symptoms

If you are a woman who has 'Female Hormone Imbalance Symptoms' its likely that your ovaries have not simply decided to turn against you, but that the underlying cause of your hormonal problems lies somewhere entirely different. The adrenal glands are the 'master glands' that control whether you make stress hormones or you make female hormones. Under normal circumstances, women are able to make adequate amounts of both sex hormones AND stress hormones, but so many women are under such constant stress, or at least PERCEIVE that they are under constant stress, that they are continually in a 'fight or flight' response that leads to Adrenal Gland Fatigue.

And whenever we perceive that we under a stressful situation, our adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol. But cortisol and ALL other hormones, including thyroid hormones, male hormones and female hormones, share a precursor hormone called pregnenolone that is the 'limiting factor' for production of these hormones.

But because stress hormones are designed to be released in the event of an EMERGENCY, cortisol ALWAYS take precedence over thyroid and sex hormone production. So, in the case of women who constantly perceive themselves to be under stress, a condition called 'Pregnenolone Steal' will occur. When cortisol takes the lion's share of precursor hormones, then all other hormones take the back seat, leading to hormone imbalance symptoms.

In true emergency conditions, this condition lasts for minutes to hours at the most, but when people today are in CONSTANT states of perceived stress, it's no wonder that there is an epidemic of female hormone imbalance symptoms and thyroid hormone imbalances that cause so many women to be fatigued, have PMS, infertility, fatigue and other hormonal disorders.

Yet, if balance is restored by easing the stress on the adrenal glands through the reduction of emotional stress, inflammatory stress and dietary stress, then the excessive load can be taken off of the adrenal glands and diverted back to their rightful place in the hormone lineup and the epidemic of hormonal imbalance symptoms can be corrected.

Pregnancy - Your First OB Visit

If you have never had a baby before, the first time you visit the OB can be an exciting and scary event, especially if you don't know what to expect. The exact procedures and routines vary from practitioner to practitioner, but there are a few things that are standard across the board.

As with visiting any new medical doctor, you will first be given a gaggle of forms to fill out while you wait in the waiting room. You will fill out paperwork that gives basic information, your name, address, date of birth, social security number, marital status, spouse's name, insurance information, date of your last period, etc. You will also probably fill out a medical history form, where you will be asked about past illnesses, injuries, surgeries, and hospitalizations. You will also be asked about your family history as well, and maybe even for some of your spouse's information too, so it is a good idea for him to come along to this first appointment. Some practitioner's will also ask questions about your sexual history, as well as talk to you about testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Don't be offended, it is routine with every pregnant patient, and some STD tests are required by law.

Once you have filled out all of your paperwork, you will probably first meet your practitioner in his or her office, where you will go over the forms that you filled out, find out some background information about your practitioner, and be allowed to ask any questions that you may have. When this is over, you will be ushered into either the waiting room, or a patient examination room, depending on what is available.

A member of the staff will check your weight, blood pressure, pulse, and will likely have you give a urine sample, which will be done at every prenatal visit, to check for signs of protein or sugar, which could be a sign of a potential problem. Once this is done, you may have blood drawn for routine lab work, or may be given forms to take to another site, if your practitioner doesn't do labs.

You will be asked to disrobe, and your practitioner will do a routine pelvic exam, and will also check your uterus, to try to get a more accurate idea of how far along you are. This can also be confirmed in other methods, blood tests, ultrasound, and amniocentesis as well. You may also get to hear the baby's heartbeat at this time as well, which can be very exciting, especially for first-time parents. When the exam is complete, your practitioner may talk to you about exercise, diet, and answer any questions that you have. You will be instructed on when to come back in for your next prenatal checkup, and will likely either be given samples or a prescription for prenatal vitamins, which you should take everyday.

You get a lot of information at your first prenatal visit, and it can be overwhelming, so if you think of questions or concerns after you have left, don't hesitate to call. In fact, your doctor probably expects you to, particularly if this is your first pregnancy.

Are Your Individual Health Insurance Rates Too High? Well, Then Reduce Them!

Individual and family health insurance rates have been steadily increasing. If you pay for individual health insurance, then you have noticed the increase in recent years. But there are some specific steps you can take to make your health insurance more affordable.

o Increase your major medical deductible. Since this portion of your policy is the least likely coverage to be used, often changing to a higher deductible will reduce the rate by hundreds of dollars per year. If you have more than three persons insured on the policy, the savings could possibly be thousands of dollars per year.

o Consider a Health Savings Account (HSA). Premiums are lower than most plans, and the tax-deduction of current medical expenses makes this option worth considering. Qualified dental and vision expenses will also be tax-deductible. In many parts of the country, UnitedHealthOne (formerly UnitedHealthCare), Aetna and Anthem offer extremely affordable rates.

o Notify your health insurer if any covered dependent is no longer living in the household and has obtained their own coverage. Often, the insurer does not know unless you tell them. The reduction in premium is likely to be between $40 and $90 per month.

o Utilize preventive coverages on your policy. Most individual health insurance plans include preventive benefits that may not be subject to a deductible. Mammograms, pap smears, Ob/Gyn visits and routine physicals are often provided. By utilizing these benefits, you may be reducing the risk of using other benefits that may have a higher out-of-pocket cost.

o Compare prices of other similar medical plans. If you have been with the same company for more than five years, it's possible that your rate has substantially increased. Assuming you do not have any major medical health conditions, it may be a good time to view online individual health insurance rates.

o Eliminate unneeded coverages. For example, if maternity benefits are no longer needed, and you are paying for the coverage, your individual health insurance rate could substantially reduce by dropping the coverage. Anthem, Humana and UnitedHealthOne offer maternity coverage, so it may be worthwhile to check that you are not paying for this benefit. Dental and vision riders, if not used, should also be eliminated.

o Lose weight or stop smoking! Your initial premium on your policy was based on overall health (including height/weight) and smoking status at the time you originally applied. If you have lost weight and/or stopped smoking, notify your current insurer. It's possible you may be able to reduce your current rate.

o If you are receiving Medicare benefits, then you should remove yourself from the policy. The monthly premium savings should be substantial.

Understanding Gradual Hair Loss

Most people routinely lose between 70 and 150 hairs from their scalp each day, mainly through washing, brushing, and combing. But there is tremendous variation in the number of hairs that people shed each day, depending on the number of scalp hairs and the length of the growth cycle. As people age, their rate of new hair growth slows down, resulting in a gradual thinning.

Scalp hair starts to thin when more hairs are lost through normal shedding than the scalp is able to renew. About 40% of the density of scalp hair has to be lost before thinning of the hair becomes noticeable.

Hair loss can be caused by:

o Heredity issues. Most balding is caused by a genetic predisposition - in other words, it's part of a person's genetic makeup. This is called male pattern baldness, or hereditary balding or thinning. It is the most common cause of thinning hair.

o Illness, certain physical conditions, or their treatments. This can include high fever, thyroid disease, childbirth, inadequate protein in the diet, iron deficiency, cancer treatments, the use of certain medications, and other causes.

Hair may be lost in two ways:

o In patchy hair loss, well-defined areas of hair are lost while the remaining scalp retains a good covering of hair.

o In generalized hair loss, there is a uniform thinning over the entire scalp with no areas of normal hair growth.

The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. There are different classifications of alopecia:

o Alopecia areata is a disease in which well-defined bald patches occur. It usually clears completely within 6 to 12 months without treatment.

o Alopecia totalis is an uncommon condition in which all hair on the scalp is lost. The cause is unknown, and the baldness is usually permanent.

o Alopecia universalis is a total loss of hair on all parts of the body.

o Androgenetic alopecia is balding caused by heredity. It can affect both men and women, although women with this inherited tendency do not become totally bald. The condition can start in a person's teens, twenties, or thirties.

If you notice you are shedding hair excessively after combing or brushing, or if your hair is becoming thinner, you should consult with your primary care provider or a dermatologist (a physician who specializes in treating skin and hair problems). A doctor can determine if disease is present and whether or not the hair loss will respond to medical treatment.