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Pop Quiz: Test your knowledge of managed-care plans

Preventing health insurance mishaps by knowing how you’re covered THERE’S NO GETTING around the fact that healthcare insurance plans can be complicated and confusing. There are many different types of plans, such as managed-care plans, and each has its own set of rules and requirements. However, having the right information — down to the smallest…
Health insurance update: Who falls in the coverage gap and how can they get insured?

“I think most of the providers that volunteer feel a moral and ethical obligation to help take care of those people.” — Dr. David Loewy, volunteer with We Care of Polk County LOCAL RESIDENTS who have issues getting health insurance coverage are fortunate in that there are many agencies here that offer a wide range…
Medicare and end-of-life care: What’s changing?

New proposed policy encourages the process of advanced-care planning END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS are complicated and fraught with emotion, but a recent announcement by Medicare will hopefully offer some clarity to those facing such tough decisions. In early July, Medicare announced plans to pay doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants for conversations with patients concerning end-of-life care.…

One of the many roles of physicians

Physicians perform many functions in our society. One of the tasks physicians perform that almost everyone knows about is the care of the ill and injured patient. But physicians also perform other functions. They take care of patients that are neither ill nor injured. These are individuals in our society that perform critical functions…
Breaking the mold of medical advertising

When asking, “What’s the standard of medical advertising?” That’s a simple question to answer: new medical staff, the latest equipment, or latest ratings from U.S. News and World Report are just some of the qualities we look for in a medical ad. But what other messages can the medical industry send out to the public?…
Editor’s Dose: Don’t miss out on this issue’s Healthy Cook article

As I spoke with various doctors and medical professionals on this month’s topic of breast cancer, several themes were emphasized. Specifically, the importance of a healthy diet and nutrition is one thing that doctors are really focusing on for the long-term overall health of their patients. For this reason, we could not leave out our…