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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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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Helpful Health Care Links: December 12, 2014

Confused woman - people feeling confusion and chaos. Indecisive,Our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics — 6 tips to avoid headaches during the holiday season and the suspension of the trial for a Canadian-Developed Ebola Vaccine. We also include a story from The Wall Street Journal touching on the importance of exercise, which doctors call a “vital sign.” 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!

Healthcare.gov breaks 1 Million as Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge

The upsurge in enrollment comes in advance of next Monday’s deadline to sign up for health insurance that goes into effect by Jan. 1, 2015.

Canadian-Developed Ebola Vaccine Trial Suspended

A clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine has been halted temporarily as a precautionary measure after four patients complained of joint pains.

6 Tips To Avoid Holiday Headaches

Between the shopping, the cooking and the decorating, does holiday stress make your head throb? These tips may help you avoid holiday headaches.

Many Aren’t Seeking Cheaper Health Plans As First Deadline To Switch Nears

Across the nation, millions of people who bought insurance through the exchange must decide by Monday whether to switch plans for 2015 if they want a new plan starting January 1.

Doctors Dole Out Prescriptions For Exercise

Patients are coming out of the doctor’s office with prescriptions for physical activity in addition to drugs, doctor referrals and follow-up protocols.

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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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