Seeking the Best Medical Care Prices

By WALECIA KONRAD

Published: November 28, 2009

With out-of-pocket expenses rising, it pays to look for better deals. Web sites and insiders’ tactics can help.

These techniques will help you save money...QM

A Dream Interpretation: Tuneups for the Brain

By BENEDICT CAREY

Published: November 10, 2009

A new theory suggests that dreams are a warm-up for the day ahead.

So REM sleep is like jogging?....QM

Baby boomers may face high disability rates -- latimes.com

Baby boomers may face high disability rates -- latimes.com

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A Breathing Technique Offers Help for People With Asthma

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: November 3, 2009

An alternative technique developed by a Russian doctor more than a half-century ago has been found effective in some trials.

Share with friends and family who have Asthma... QM

Cobb firm wins "smart-grid" grant | ajc.com

Cobb firm wins "smart-grid" grant  | ajc.com

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US Health Care Wastes Up to $800 Billion a Year - Healthcare * US * News * Story - CNBC.com

US Health Care Wastes Up to $800 Billion a Year - Healthcare * US * News * Story - CNBC.com

Electronic medical records not seen as a cure-all

As White House pushes expansion, critics cite errors, drop-off in care

By Alexi Mostrous

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 25, 2009

In a health-care debate characterized by partisan bickering, most lawmakers agree on one thing: American medicine needs to go digital.

Cancer Society, in Shift, Has Concerns on Screenings

The American Cancer Society, which has long been a staunch defender of most cancer screening, is now saying that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate, have been overstated.

Screenings may be overstated.....QM

Poring over facts about milk: cow's, goat's, soy, almond, rice and hemp -- latimes.com

Poring over facts about milk: cow's, goat's, soy, almond, rice and hemp -- latimes.com

The estrogen like properties in soy milk are not good for men or boys...QM

Well: Phys Ed: What Sort of Exercise Can Make You Smarter?

By By Gretchen Reynolds

Published: September 16, 2009

For some time, researchers have known that exercise changes the structure of the brain and affects thinking. But fundamental questions remain, like whether exercise must be strenuous or aerobic to be beneficial......

Why Health Care Will Never Be Equal

By N. GREGORY MANKIW

Published: September 20, 2009

The main driver of increasing health care costs is advances in medical technology, but those advances are expensive....

Something to think about!.....QM

You Have No Idea What Health Costs If You Did, You Might Just Want Real Reform

By Ezra Klein

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 20, 2009

The most important health-care document released this week was not Sen. Max Baucus's Healthy Future Act. It was the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2009 Employer Benefits Survey.......

THINNER YOU: What to eat after your workout

THINNER YOU: What to eat after your workout

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Without Health Care, One Burger From Ruin

By JIM DWYER

Published: September 13, 2009

Many hospital patients — well-educated, middle-class, home-owning, often insured — are driven into bankruptcy by medical bills.

Tech Companies Push to Digitize Patients’ Records

By STEVE LOHR

Published: September 10, 2009

Both large and small technology firms are devising ways to update health care records. About $19 billion in government financing will help.

It's about time!!!! QM

Well: Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees?

By By Gretchen Reynolds

Published: August 11, 2009

How motion groove may shield against arthritis.

It pays to run!!!! QM

Fat Tax

By DAVID LEONHARDT

Published: August 16, 2009

Should overweight people pay more for health insurance?

We all need to be more responsible for our own health. There is no such thing or will there ever be a fat pill!

Patterns: Do Real Men Go to the Doctor?

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Published: August 18, 2009

Men who endorsed old-school notions of masculinity were far less likely to seek preventive health services than other men.

GUYS it's time to act more feminine!

The ins and outs of affordable dental care -- latimes.com

The ins and outs of affordable dental care -- latimes.com

This can help you save money and your teeth...QM

Healthcare around the world

Some Facts For A Change...QM

Click Here to read artilce

If You Are A Runner Check This Out...QM

The Health Hazards of Pessimism

By Rob Stein | August 13, 2009; 7:00 AM ET

Can your attitude affect your health? Yes, according to a new study. Optimism appears to be good for your health and pessimism seems to be bad, the study found.

Being Positive is good for your health.....QM

Survey Finds High Fees Common in Medical Care

By GINA KOLATA

Published: August 12, 2009

A survey shows the sort of irrational pricing of medical care that is an integral part of health care problems in the U.S.

We need to pay attention to the facts!...QM

A Guide Through a Medical Wilderness

By WALECIA KONRAD

Published: August 8, 2009

When you’re ill, it’s good to have someone in your corner to see errors in medical bills, argue for lower fees and appeal coverage denials.

It pays to ask for help....QM

The Fog That Follows Chemotherapy

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: August 4, 2009

Nearly every chemotherapy patient experiences short-term problems with memory and concentration, but for some the problems are more prolonged.

It's real and not imagined....QM

Obese Americans Spend Far More on Health Care

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Published: July 28, 2009

A study found that obese Americans annually spend about 42 percent more on health care than normal-weight Americans.

Losing weight can save you money.... QM

Acres of Sculpture, Nestled Into the Hudson Landscape

By BENJAMIN GENOCCHIO

Published: August 2, 2009

Maya Lin’s “Storm King Wavefield” is among the works featured at the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, N.Y., this summer and fall.

The next time you're in New York take the time and go to Storm King. It will change the way you feel about yourself, sculpture and nature Especially the Fall!

FDA says mercury dental fillings are safe - The Boston Globe

FDA says mercury dental fillings are safe - The Boston Globe

Lobbyists the silver lining in health care storm?

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

The Associated Press
Sunday, July 26, 2009; 1:57 AM

WASHINGTON -- A strong force, perhaps as powerful in Congress as President Barack Obama, is keeping the drive for health care going even as lawmakers seem hopelessly at odds.

Lobbyists.

This is coming and it will be win win over time....QM

Defying Slump, 13 States Insure More Children

By KEVIN SACK

Published: July 19, 2009

Despite budgets ravaged by the recession, at least 13 states have invested millions to cover 250,000 more children with subsidized government health insurance.

What is more important than insuring our childrens health and future?...QM

Healthcare bill offers workers incentive for healthy lifestyle - The Boston Globe

Healthcare bill offers workers incentive for healthy lifestyle - The Boston Globe

Stay healthy and save money on your Health Insurance. FINALLY

Well: How to Fix Bad Ankles

HEALTH

By By Gretchen Reynolds

Published: July 8, 2009

Balance training is a supremely low-tech but increasingly well-documented approach to dealing with unstable ankles.

Sprained ankle? May just be bad balance!

Another reason to stay married

7:00 AM, July 3, 2009
-- Karen Kaplan
Does your spouse sometimes drive you crazy? Think again: A study published in Friday’s edition of the British Medical Journal finds that people who lived with a partner during middle age had much lower odds of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease later in life......

Staying married seems to help you keeps your wits..Q

Insured, but Bankrupted by Health Crises

By REED ABELSON

Published: July 1, 2009

Some people counted as medically insured have coverage so meager that a medical crisis means financial calamity.

Know what's in your policy. Get a GOOD Health Agent

Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe

By GINA KOLATA

Published: June 28, 2009

A major impediment in the fight against cancer is that most research grants go to projects unlikely to break much ground.

Is there a better way to fight cancer?

Finding the right health insurance policy - Los Angeles Times

Finding the right health insurance policy - Los Angeles Times

Contact me if you need a good Health Insurance in Georgia

Health insurers refuse to limit rescission of coverage - Los Angeles Times

Health insurers refuse to limit rescission of coverage - Los Angeles Times

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Can You BELIEVE these guys? This is disgrace. If you'd like some compassion call me!

Doctors and the Cost of Care

EDITORIAL

Published: June 13, 2009

If doctors don’t address the high cost of over-treating their patients, there is little hope of lasting health care reform.

We all need to pay attention to what our doctors are doing. It's costing us our health not to mention BILLIONS in some cases

If All Doctors Had More Time to Listen

By JULIE WEED

Published: June 7, 2009

Instead of waiting for health care reform, some doctors are cutting administrative costs, seeing fewer patients and focusing on prevention.

`Smart grid' _ power lines move into digital age

By H. JOSEF HEBERT

The Associated Press
Saturday, June 6, 2009; 10:30 PM

Keep an eye on this technology. The world's future may depend on it!

Medical Bills Cause Most Bankruptcies

By By Tara Parker-Pope
Published: June 4, 2009
Even patients with health insurance are forced to declare bankruptcy after a serious illness.

Do you know if your health insurance could bankrupt you?

If you live in Georgia, call me for a free evaluation

The story of the century

100-year-old athlete still playing to win

By Joseph P. Kahn

Globe Staff / June 5, 2009

Health Insurers Balk at Some Changes

By REED ABELSON

Published: June 3, 2009

The insurance industry says it backs a health care overhaul, but it has made no promises regarding the small-employer segment of the market.

I can help you now if you think you're paying too much for your small group in Georgia....QM

Some Doctors Help With Bills As Well as Ills

By Sandra G. Boodman

Kaiser Health News 
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Ask and your doctor if you need some financial help.....QM

Does Your Doctor Have Your's or Their Best Interest At Heart

ANNALS OF MEDICINE

THE COST CONUNDRUM

What a Texas town can teach us about health care.

by Atul Gawande

McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it’s a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. “Lonesome Dove” was set around here.....Read more great story

Changing the Art on the White House Walls

By AMY CHOZICK and KELLY CROW

Barack Obama is taking on health care, financial regulation, torture and environmental policy. He’s also revamping the White House art collection.

This is great news if you collect fine art or would like to

Doctor Uses Some Foods As Medicines

"Just a cold? I thought I was dying." Martha sounded irritated.

She had hustled the kids off to day care and skipped work, clearly expecting to hear that something more dramatic was brewing than a late springtime cold. But what motivated her visit to my office, I realized, was not the infection itself as much as the dizzying array of symptoms caused by her self-administered treatments: 

Food Is Medicine Read this article 

The Real Secret To Quickly Cut Your Small Business Health Care Costs

One of the biggest problems that small businesses face is the rising costs of Health Care. Do you own a small business and work with your spouse? Do you think you are taking all the legal tax savings possible? Chances are you are not.

Let me tell you about one of the best-kept secrets to lowering your health care costs quickly, the

Health Reimbursement Arrangement!

The Health Reimbursement Arrangement Plan is an overlooked tax advantage available to sole proprietors. They are called HRAs or IRC 105(b) Plans

A legal loophole allows sole proprietors access to HRA Plans. The provision allows spouses and the spouse's family members to be covered. The sole proprietor can offer HRA plans to their employees, but cannot be covered under them themselves. However, if your spouse is an employee you are able to be covered under the plan.

Tax Benefits To The Sole Proprietor for offering the plan:

Funds you pay out to employees and any covered family members through an HRA Plan are an allowable business deduction for income tax, and if your spouse and family are covered it also can be deducted for self employment tax purpose. Virtually any out of pocket expense used for your health care can be deducted as a full business expense so no state, federal or self employment tax. Imagine in addition to your health insurance and dental premiums you could add co-pays, deductibles. over-the-counter medications, vision and eye care, prescription medications, Physicians office visits, Chiropractic Care and much more.

The Two Main Questions The Self Employed Ask:

1. I thought I was already deducting my insurance premiums and

2. I am self-employed and deducting my medical expenses

Here are the facts:

1. 100% of health insurance premiums became tax deductible for the self employed starting in 2003. The self-employed can take the deduction whether they itemize or not. However. most tax payers are unaware that the 100% health insurance deduction only affects income tax and does not reduce the income tax when calculating Social Security taxes. The 15.3 % Self -employment tax is still paid on insurance premiums. If an employer elects to establish a Section 105 plan for a spouse/employee, the social security taxes are eliminated for the employee as well as the employer!
2. Medical expenses are deductible if the self-employed itemize deductions, however, they are only able to write off deductions in excess of 7.5% the Adjusted Gross Income. The following are two examples:

• If Adjusted Gross Income is $60,000 and you have $6,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses you can only deduct $1500 ( $60,000 x .075=$4500 and $6,000-$4500=$1500
• If Adjusted Gross Income is $40,000 and you have $3,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses you can deduct $0.00! ($40,000 x .075=$3,000 and $3,000-$3,000=$0.00)

• With a Section 105 Plan the employer can deduct the entire $6,000 or $3,000 as a business expense

How Do I Set Up My Own 105 HRA Plan?

Legally, any individual could administer a HRA for their business. However, they would need to be familiar with complicated tax codes and supply all of the legal documentation required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), The Department of Labor (DOL) and The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The IRS also requires that reimbursement of all medical expenses deducted through a HRA to be substantiated through a independent third party.

Call me at 404-492-7942 or email me at quentinmoses@gmail.com now to see if you qualify and possibly save over $3800 in taxes this year!

BRAIN POWER

At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age

By BENEDICT CAREY

Published: May 22, 2009

A study of people 90 and over without a trace of dementia has begun to alter understandings of the aging brain.

Maybe playing bridge keeps you young?

Free Drugs from Pfizer

Pfizer Will Provide Prescriptions for Free to Jobless

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 15, 2009

Up to 70 different drugs will be available for up to a year to Americans who lost jobs since Jan. 1 and have been on the Pfizer drug for three months or more.

If you know anyone who has lost their job and don't have health insurance they can get up to 70 drugs from Pfizer for FREE

Yoga for the Plus Size

Striking a Pose for Girth

By SARA ECKEL

Published: May 14, 2009

Typically, yoga studios are not havens for the plus-size set, but classes that cater to the overweight have spread across the country over the last decade.

Great way to begin to bring the pounds down

Health Care Reform: “Urgency and Determination”

This legislation will effect all of us for a long time to come.  Stay informed and see what is happening

click here for  

Gay Couples and Health Insurance

For Gay Couples, Obstacles to Health Insurance

By WALECIA KONRAD

Published: May 9, 2009

Even in states where gay marriage is permitted, getting health insurance as a couple can be cumbersome, costly or impossible.

This is a very good reason why getting your own individual health policy is best if you can qualify!

Do Sports Creams Rub the Pain Away?

FITNESS

Do Sports Creams Rub the Pain Away?

By SARAH TOLAND

Published: May 7, 2009

Can you really rub away the pain using over-the-counter sports creams, or is it all in your head?

Is this just mind over matter?

Finding Health Insurance for College Students

A Maze of Options on Health Insurance for College Students

By WALECIA KONRAD

Published: May 2, 2009

Coverage under their parents’ policy for full-time college students is no longer a given, but there are other ways to make sure a child has adequate health insurance.

Virtual Colonoscopy Is Simple, but Is It as Effective?

Unlike Standard Colonoscopy, an Invasive Procedure Performed Under Anesthesia to Find And Remove Polyps, Virtual Colonoscopy Involves a Simple Scan. But Is It as Effective?

By Sandra G. Boodman

Special to The Washington Post 
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

PATIENT MONEY

PATIENT MONEY

When Medical Bills Outpace Your Means, Seize Control Swiftly

By LESLEY ALDERMAN

Published: April 25, 2009

Health care debt can grow swiftly when people are sick or underinsured. Here are some ways to manage that debt more effectively.

Morning Rounds

MORNING ROUNDS

Falling Drug Sales, Swine Flu in Mexico and Insurance Subsidies for the Unemployed

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Published: April 24, 2009

Health news from round the Web.