Helpful Health Care Links: January 2, 2015

Happy New YearHappy New Year! We start 2015 with no shortage of healthcare news you can use.

Our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics — a report the high rate of influenza  and the deadline for using health flexible spending accounts. We also include an article from The Dr. Oz Show with a quiz to discover your resolution personality. All are worth your time. And, as always, if you ever come across a healthcare story that you think merits more attention, please send it our way!

What’s Your Resolution Personality?

A new year is a time to make good on the goals we’ve been meaning to accomplish. Take this quiz to find out if your personality type will make you more likely to keep your resolution, partially achieve it or abandon it completely.

Health Plan Enrollment Numbers Show Importance Of Coming Supreme Court Case

The subsidies that the court may eradicate are helping a large majority of HealthCare.gov customers pay for their medical insurance.

This Season’s Flue Activity Has Reached The Epidemic Threshold, The CDC Says

Fifteen children have died across the country from influenza, as the number of states reporting a “high” level of influenza activity jumped from 13 to 22 in one week.

Deadline Looms For Spending Health Flex Account Money

More than 15 million workers have employer-sponsored health accounts, which gave customers a chance to set aside up to $2,500 in pre-tax wages this year for health-related expenses not covered by insurance. But these accounts come with a big catch: Often you have to use the balance before the plan year ends or you lose it.

Federal Funding Bill Includes Alzheimer’s Accountability Act

Congress recently signed a funding bill including the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act, enabling scientists at the National Institutes of Health to tell Congress the amount of funding they need on an annual basis to reach the national goal to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025.

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3 Healthcare Predictions for 2015

Driving On An Empty Road To New 20152015 will continue to see healthcare grow and change.  I hope MyHealthSpin will help you find easy, simple answers to your healthcare questions.  

Here are our Healthcare predictions for 2015:

1.  More Health Insurance Coverage:  More people will continue to be covered by health insurance.  Due to ObamaCare and related penalties, more people will have health insurance.  Whether you like ObamaCare or hate it, more people having health insurance is good for everyone.  Whether we have a government mandate or not, everyone pays for the uninsured.  The costs of the uninsured shows up in your health insurance premiums, your doctor bills and your taxes.   Additionally, statistics show that people that are insured are healthier.  This is good for everyone.  A healthier population is happier and more productive.

2.  Responsibility:  The consumer will have more of the responsibility for keeping healthy.  More and more insurance plans are requiring you to be responsible for your health.  For example, there is often an extra cost for your insurance if you smoke.  You can often get a reduction in your insurance premiums if you go in for an annual physical or join a weight reduction program.  Statistics show that people that smoke or are obese have more health problems than those that do not.  Therefore, insurance companies will be asking you to take responsibility for your health.  If you do not get health insurance, you will pay a penalty.  This penalty helps to offset the cost of your healthcare if you need it and do not have insurance to cover your needs/costs.

3.  Technology:  Technology will continue to grow in healthcare.  You are seeing technology everywhere.  Your doctor is now using an Electronic Medical Record.  Your doctor may be asking you to get your health information through a patient portal.  Your mom or dad may be being monitored at home by their physician using an Tablet. Surgeons are using Google glass in surgery.   All of these advances will continue to grow in 2015 and beyond.

So those are just a few predictions for 2015.

We all struggle to keep up with the many healthcare changes.

 I hope MyHealthSpin can help you find simple, easy answers.  To get started, get a FREE copy of Easy HealthCare:  What You Need First by CLICKING HERE.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

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All of this information and more will be explained in MyHealthSpin’s soon-to-be-released book, Easy Healthcare:  Choose Your Health Insurance.  For more information,  go to myhealthspin.com.

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Helpful Health Care Links: December 26, 2014

Happy Holidays Greetings On A LineHappy Holidays from MyHealthSpin!

Our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics this holiday week — an Atlanta CDC worker being monitored for possible Ebola exposure and important information about smartphone apps which are meant to monitor hypertension. We also include a local story from Crain’s Detroit Business reporting on a lawsuit filed on behalf of 159 Detroit residents whose medical records were breached. All are worth your time. And, as always, if you ever come across a healthcare story that you think merits more attention, please send it our way!

When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach

A Medicaid experiment helps some elderly and disabled people move out of institutions into their own homes.

CDC Worker In Atlanta To Be Monitored For Possible Ebola Exposure

A laboratory technician working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

Henry Ford Health Wins Appeal Over Online Posting Of Patient Medical Records

The Michigan appeals court has reversed a decision and dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of 159 people in the Detroit area whose medical records were mistakenly made available online.

3 Ways To Get Cheaper Health Care In 2015

Companies are offering workers more health and wellness options, which means more opportunities for you to shop around for the most affordable care.

Beware The Claims Of Hypertension Apps, Study Says

Many smartphone apps that contend they address hypertension make medical claims without clinical validation or FDA approval.

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All of this information and more will be explained in MyHealthSpin’s soon-to-be-released book, Easy Healthcare:  Choose Your Health Insurance.  For more information,  go to myhealthspin.com.

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