Tag: Medical Health

Depression Medication and Health Insurance - Getting Prescription Coverage
health insurance

Depression Medication and Health Insurance – Getting Prescription Coverage

- by Ray McFarren

Zoloft is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) specifically designed to treat depression, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and OCD. This medication has proven to be very effective when it is taken accordingly, but can often cause problems for some people. It’s not the side effects or drug interactions that most people worry about, but the lack of health insurance coverage for this medication and others like it. Many states have created laws to require private insurance coverage for mental health treatment, but they have not been effective at convincing insurance companies that covering anti-psychotic medications is a good idea.

Too many insurance companies see this as a risk that they cannot afford, and will deny prescription coverage to people taking Zoloft and other prescriptions for mental health disorders. What is even worse is that some companies will increase health insurance rates or drop customers if they present with serious mental health disorders because it puts them at a risk level that insurance companies aren’t able to handle. If you are already taking anti-depressants, you need to make sure that you find an insurance company that will accept you.

The medical history

You certainly can’t lie about your medical history. That’s insurance fraud. However, you need to make sure that you are getting the healthcare coverage that you need without compromising your health because an insurance company doesn’t like antidepressants. Group health insurance plans that you get through an employer seem to be much more accepting of mental health issues …

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Introduction to Lung Surgery for Lung Lobectomy
health news

Introduction to VATS Lobectomy Lung Surgery

- by Ray McFarren
Introduction to Lung Surgery for Lung Lobectomy

There are over 200,000 diagnosed cases of lung cancer (LC) each year in the United States. While the incidence rate has declined since 1991, the disease remains the leading cause of cancer-related death. When the condition is detected in stage 1 (i.e. localized within the lung), it can be treated successfully. By the time cancerous cells have metastasized and spread to distant lymph nodes, it becomes more difficult to contain.

In the past, the disease was treated through thoracotomy (also known as open chest surgery). The patient’s thoracic cavity was accessed by the surgeon after a long incision was made into the chest. The breastbone was cut and the ribs were spread to provide working space. Because the ribs have limited flexibility, the procedure occasionally resulted in fractures. To resolve this issue, thoracic surgeons began to remove portions of the patient’s ribcage.

Today, minimally invasive techniques are often used to treat lung cancer. Once of these techniques is a VATS lobectomy. This article will provide an overview of the procedure and describe what to expect during recovery.

How is The Operation Performed?

A lobectomy is the surgical removal of a lobe (i.e. section of a lung). It is one of the most common procedures done today to treat early-stage LC. With a VATS lobectomy, four incisions are made into the sides of the patient’s chest. Three of the four incisions typically measure less than a single inch. The fourth incision may measure up to a few inches. There is no …

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Alzheimer's Disease - Importance of Good Healthcare and Good Insurance
health news

Alzheimer’s Disease – Importance of Good Healthcare and Good Insurance

- by Ray McFarren

Alzheimer’s disease is often difficult to deal with for everyone involved. There is no cure and there is no way to reduce the risk of developing the disease. This disease slowly progresses over time, and damages some nerve cells in parts of the brain. In early stages, a person may have loss of short-term memory that progresses to the failing of long-term memory, language, and reasoning. Things such as age, family history, and sex could play a role in whether or not a person is susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s and although forgetfulness is a natural part of life as age, there are things that can be done to help protect against the disease.

There are things to look for when trying to determine if a family member may be developing Alzheimer’s disease. One thing to look for is impaired thinking such as, forgetting one’s own birthday or occupation. Difficulty in performing the normal routine such as, showering, dressing, or eating, may also be a sign of the onset of the disease. Other difficulties may include, problems speaking, disorientation, confusion, inability to follow directions, misplacing things, loss of motivation, social withdraw, and loss of appetite. Some of these listed symptoms may be normal development with age, but a physician should be consulted for proper diagnosis.

When a person develops Alzheimer’s disease it is likely that they will require long-term healthcare, such as home health care or a nursing facility. Health insurance is important to help pay medical costs with healthcare in …

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Senior Health Insurance Plans and Ways to Handle them
public health

Senior Health Insurance Plans and Ways to Handle them

- by Ray McFarren

In the moment when people purchase medical health insurance they are paying against a calculated risk and the greater this risk is, the more they will have to pay. As people age, the chances of getting ill increase and people become more susceptible to diseases like rheumatism, diabetes or arthritis. There are also some other factors taken into consideration, for example whether the person in question is a smoker or non-smoker. All in all, an insurance policy for a 65 year old will always be higher than for people below this age.

One of the best solutions to ensure your future and to make sure that you will have a suitable medical health insurance is to plan ahead. Get the insurance as soon as possible, before reaching the age of retirement. Since you will have to pay more for the same policy as you grow older, you will have fewer chances to make economies.

There is also a special kind of insurance policy for seniors known as ‘pennies a day’. Although this may sound interesting and you might think that it is advantageous, you should know that in the majority of the cases they do not cover more than Medicare, so it is just a waste of money.

Planning ahead means that you will have to take into consideration the cost of living that you will have after retirement and the cost of the health insurance policy. It might be a good idea to sign up for the supplemental plan …

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