Over the past week, I have been asked by many clients and associates “what is the difference in the health-care plans for each candidate?”  Many people believed that Obama was proposing a Universal or Socialized Plan or that McCain wanted to do away with group based health coverage (neither of which are true by the way).

The News and Observer published a simple comparison last week.  So, I decided to share some of their points here.  It offers a quick look at the differences - and at the end of the day, both candidates offer us a chance for “change,” but also allow us the opportunity to keep what we have.

Highlights of Obama’s Plan:

• Require large and midsize companies to provide health-care coverage or pay a fee into a special fund that would help create a public health plan patterned after what federal employees enjoy. Workers could continue to get their coverage through their employers or choose the new federal plan. 
• Subsidize the purchase of health insurance by the uninsured, buying coverage through the new federal health plan or the private sector. 
• Require parents or caretakers to purchase health insurance for all children, stopping short of a mandate for universal coverage but seeking universal access to health care.

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A stand-alone drug plan that adds prescription drug coverage to the Original Medicare Plan, some Medicare Private-Fee-for_service plans and some Medicare Advantage plans. If you have a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy without prescription drug coverage, you can add a Medicare Prescription Drug plan during the open enrollment period. Medicare Advantage plans that offer precription drug coverage must follow the same rules as Medicare Prescription Drug plans.

For more information, please vist our website at www.ibdinsurance.com.

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Medicare Advantage Plans (known as MA or Medicare Part C plans)

A type of Medicare plan offered by a private company that has a contract with Medicare to provide you with all of your Medicare Part A (hospital) and Part B (health) benefits. Your services are covered through the plan and are not paid for under Original Medicare. Most plans offer extra benefits and lower co-payments than Original Medicare. Many plans include prescription drug coverage and are sometimes referred to as MA-PD plans. To join a plan, you must be entitled to Medicare Part A and Part B. You must also live in the service area serviced by the plan. Some plans also require a monthly premium. The most common types of MA and MA-PD plans are HMO (Medicare Health Maintenance Organization), PPO (Medicare Preferred Provider Network) and PFFS (Private Fee For Service).

For more information about Medicare Advantage plans, go to our website at IBD Insurance.

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Are you the type of person that takes excessively good care of their teeth?  Brushing after meals, flossing, using mouthwash, and the like?  No?  Well if you haven’t developed these good habits, then perhaps you might consider the benefits of proper oral care as opposed to bad oral care.  The people at familydoctor.org give the following recommendations for proper oral care:

Continuing good mouth and tooth care as an adult can help you avoid tooth loss, painful gums or other problems. Here are some helpful things you can do:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss your teeth at least once a day.
• Don’t smoke or chew tobacco.
• Ask your doctor if your medicines have side effects that might damage your teeth. (For example, some medicines may cause you to have a dry mouth.)
• Look inside your mouth regularly for sores that don’t heal, irritated gums or other changes.
• See your dentist regularly.

If you have any problems with your teeth or concerns about your mouth, see your doctor or dentist right away.

Other problems can spring from poor oral health as well.  Such things as heart disease, and even mental heath problems can stem from your oral decay.  To this end it is always important to see a dentist through your health provider.  They can assess your troubles and lead you on the right path for a future free of mouth and gum related problems.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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It may be a bit cliche’, but America is fighting its own battle against fat. This may not be World War II, and an excess of fat is not a Panzer tank, but all that extra weight is just as deadly in the long run. Fat may seem like an external problem, something you see in the mirror that you don’t like, but the internal effects are where the real damage is done. The Mayo Clinic has a fascinating article about belly fat, emphasizing its effects on women, which reads in part:

You may think belly fat is limited to the stuff out front that you can grab with your hand — but it’s the fat you can’t see that’s really a cause for concern. Visceral fat lies deeper inside the abdomen, surrounding the abdominal organs. Gaining this type of fat has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health problems. Subcutaneous fat, located between the skin and the abdominal wall, is more visible but also less likely to be a health risk.

If your primary concern is to look good at the beach, just bear in mind that the problem is more than skin deep. The fringe benefits are all around. Being a normal weight for your height and frame helps you feel better physically, emotionally, and it is undoubtedly better for your health. The Mayo Clinic again reminds us that too much belly fat can increase our rates of:

So if belly fat is an issue as you age, you should most certainly combat it by consulting your physician, changing your diet habits, and finding an enjoyable and balanced exercise routine.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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If you’re one of the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines, you know that the effects can be debilitating. Different from normal tension headaches, migraines are usually concentrated on one side of the head, involve pounding pain, and are sometimes accompanied by nausea and/or sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. The headaches can also last anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days. However, there is hope for the sufferers who do not respond to medication. Alternative techniques like acupuncture and chiropractic treatment have been proven to work in some cases.

In one study involving acupuncture published in the British Medical Journal, researchers divided 401 adults with chronic, mostly migraine headaches into two groups. One group received up to 12 acupuncture sessions over a 3-month period in addition to standard medical care, and the other group received only medical care. A year later it was determined that those who received the additional acupuncture care experienced 22 fewer days with headaches, used 15% less medication, and made 25% fewer visits to their doctor.

As for chiropractic treatment, there are two different methods - “straight” chiropractic and “mixed” chiropractic. Straight chiropractors treat migraines by manipulating the spine to correct imbalances, and the mixed chiropractic technique combines manipulation with other therapies, like ultrasound or electric muscle stimulation, that all focus on relieving tension in the neck muscles. An Australian study, that involved chronic migraine sufferers who’d experienced headaches for a collective average of 18 years, concluded that 72% of participants experienced either “substantial” or “noticeable” improvement after a six-month period of chiropractic treatment.

Since many people who suffer from migraines have had them for years, they may develop a resistance to medications that have worked in the past, or simply may want to stop taking medicine. Luckily, there seem to be alternative treatments that might work.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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Last week, I was thrilled to see the U.S. take the top 2 positions in the women’s gymnastics all-around final at the Olympics. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, who took gold and silver, are both amazing athletes who have been two of the top gymnasts in the country for the past few years. Both started the sport at age 3 - Nastia in the gym owned by her father, a former Olympic gold medalist himself, and Shawn’s parents enrolled her in tumbling classes because she “had way too much energy around the house.”

Based on what we know about childhood obesity rates in America, more children might be better off if their parents took actions like Shawn’s and enrolled their kids in sports classes. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which reflects data from 2003-2006 and is done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that 32% of American children and adolescents aged 2-19 are overweight, and half of these - 16.3% of all children - are obese. This number has tripled since 1980.

A lazy lifestyle and poor eating habits are to blame. According to the Pediatrics Journal, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day. Additionally, many kids don’t get nearly enough exercise. Over the years, state’s requirements for daily physical education in school have been reduced. And more than a third of 9th-12th graders don’t regularly engage in any kind of vigorous physical activity.

We must do something about this problem by encouraging better eating and exercise habits. If kids become involved with a sport and get used to eating healthy at an early age, there’s a better chance that they will continue these good exercise and diet habits through adulthood. The CDC says that 70% of overweight children will still be overweight as adults. It’s crucial, then, that parents help kids get into good habits at a young age. And hey, who knows - that 3 year old who has too much energy around the house may win an Olympic medal one day if pointed in the right direction.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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Diabetes is a serious disease that affects millions of Americans every year. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 23.6 million people or 7.8% of the population have diabetes. There are two major different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes, or juvenile-onset because it typically strikes children or young adults. In order to survive, people must inject themselves with insulin in the form of a shot or pump. Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% to 95% of all cases, is also known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes. In these cases, the body produces insulin but the cells don’t use it properly. This slowly causes the pancreas to lose the ability to produce the insulin. Type 2 diabetes typically affects older adults, especially those who are obese and/or have a family history of the disease. Race/ethnicity can also determine susceptibility for the disease; African-Americans and Latino-Americans are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes than Caucasians.

If you or someone in your family has diabetes, it should be addressed. Type 2 diabetes in particular affects everyone in the family because there is a genetic predisposition for the disease. If one of your parents has type 2 diabetes, chances are good that you’ll eventually have it too. However, exercising regularly and eating healthy can significantly reduce your risk of developing the disease since obesity and type 2 diabetes are closely related. Parents should set a good example for their children by preparing healthful meals and encouraging exercise to get them in the habit of making healthy choices at a young age. Taking steps like these may prevent diabetes from being passed on to the next generation, ensuring a healthier lifestyle for all those involved.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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There are a number of reasons why a person may not sleep well during the night. If you’re a pet owner like myself, the tossing and turning may be caused by a lack of room available on the bed. Or maybe you suffer from night tremors or the popular appearance of nightmares. Whatever the reason, a lack of sleep can be very damaging to a person’s daily activities and a new study shows that sleep disorders may also lead to a number of health problems, even death.

According to a recent medical article, people suffering from sleep apnea, are three times more likely to die prematurely and the risk for medical problems and death increases if the disorder is not treated. Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder that causes frequent pauses in breathing during sleep and can often bring on the action of snoring. Researchers conducted a study in which a random sample of 1,522 men and women between 30 and 60 years of age spent one night at a sleep laboratory and every person was screened for sleep apnea. The patients were divided into groups depending on the severity of the disease. After 18 years of follow up, researchers had discovered that 80 of the people in the study had died, thus supporting the conclusion that people with severe cases of sleep apnea are at a greater risk for death than those without sleep apnea. Researchers also found that 42% of the participants that had passed were due to heart disease, creating a very strong link between heart-related diseases and sleep apnea.

Who would have ever thought that snoring could be so dangerous? Thankfully, there are ways to help treat sleep apnea including using a device know as a CPAP, a continuous positive airway pressure system. The main function of the CPAP is to keep a person’s airwaves open while resting, which greatly reduces the amount of pauses in breathing.

So the next time you hear someone snoring, feel free to gently nudge him or her, or toss a pillow at them to wake them up. If they get upset, just politely remind them that your actions may be saving his or her life.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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There are a number of ways to deal with stress that comes from hearing about bad news. Some people squeeze those little balls, others go for a long drive to let off that steam and some express their feelings through the simple act of writing. A recent study has shown that patients who have been diagnosed with cancer may help to ease their pain and overall well-being by expressing their emotions through writing.

This new concept of therapy is known as “narrative” medicine and it’s main function is to provide better communication between not only the patient and the doctor, but is also meant to help patients to better understand themselves and the particular needs that will help improve their overall health. Researchers at the Tufts-New England Medical Center decided to test out this theory by randomly assigning 234 cancer patients to one of three groups. The first group was asked to perform narrative writing, while the second group filled out a standard questionaire about the pain symptoms they were feeling and the third group had no additional duties and just went about with standard care. Conclusions from the study reported that those patients who had engaged in emotional narrative writing actually experienced less pain over time than the other two groups.

The act of writing can be a great release into the inner workings of a person’s brain and how they are feeling. These recent findings for cancer patients suggest that through emotional writing, cancer patients are actually capable of dealing with their pain from the disease in a much easier way than just traditional treatment options. However, for some patients, the act of putting their feelings on paper can be a very difficult task and doesn’t always improve their overall well-being. Researchers plan to continue studying the effects that emotional writing has in cancer patients and they also hope to test out whether or not the verbalization of a person’s emotions will also help patients to deal with their pain and bring on a more positive outlook.

Cancer is a devastating disease that can be very difficult to deal with. Hopefully, by sharing one’s story through writing, more patients will be given a positive hope towards the future.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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