Abuse Of Prescription Drugs

How many of you really take the recommended dosage of medication prescribed to you? No matter how bad we may feel, we always manage to increase the dosage thinking we would feel a little bit better if we did.  Well, I have to tell you that it will not make you feel any better.  In fact, increasing your medication will only further lead to complications.  

Over excessive use of prescription and non-prescription drugs may not be a good trade off of feeling better if not used properly.  In some cases, the over use of prescription and non-prescription drugs may lead to temporary to permanent damage to certain internal organs such as the liver, kidney, bladder and even reproductive system.  Here is the downside of the mis-use of prescription drugs.  Unfortunately, people from all walks of life are dying by the thousands across the U.S. due to prescription drugs.  

When the handsome, talented young actor Heath Ledger died last winter, the New York City Medical examiner's autopsy report revealed his death was due to an unintentional life ending cocktail of prescription drugs, including anti-anxiety medications alprazolam, diazepam and lorazepam, sleeping pill zopiclone and the sedative temazepam which is also used for insomnia.   So you think this is just one of those rare tragedies that mostly happens to troubled or hard living Hollywood movie stars, right?  Wrong!  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released data showing that at least half of all Americans take one prescription drug and 1 in 6 of us takes three or even more prescribed medications.   How many times a day, I could not begin to tell you.  

Any kind of medication should be taken with the use of precaution.  Especially if there are several kinds of prescription drugs taken for different types of illness.  Please read the label to see what active ingredients are in it and the instructions on how and when to take them.  Don't take more than you have to regardless of how you may feel.  You wouldn't want to cause more harm than good to yourself.  That even goes for young children as well.  Be very careful when giving medication to infants and toddlers that are in the stage of teething or infected with an ear infections which in some cases, parents will reach for acetaminophen for young children rather than seeking proper medical advice from their Obstertrician.  

Make sure when taking precription drugs, pay close attention to "Warning" sign.  It is there for a reason.  

Exploding Health Care Expenses In The United States

Let's take this back a bit starting from 1960, about 48 percent of health care expenses were paid out-of-pocket by individuals and the balance came from insurance and government programs. I can say this statement is true. Thinking back of when my mother and I use to talk about the story of when she had given birth to her three daughters and how much my father complained about the hospital bill.

After the birth of the last daughter which was myself, the bill total was $60.00. You may not think of it as being much but for my parents, it was a lot. Keep in mind that I'm referring back to the 60s'. Today, the Federal Government decided to drive down the 22 percent uninsured rate to zero by creating two massive programs. In 1965, Congress created Medicare to pay for health care for those who are 65 or older. Than they created Medicaid to purchase health care for those considered to be low-income. Immediately thereafter, health care spending had spiraled higher at double digit rates.

In 1965, Congress predicted that by 1990, Medicare spending would spike to $9 billion a year. Instead, Medicare spent $57 billion in 1990. I think who ever made that prediction was looking through a defected crystal ball. More than $408 billion was spent in 2006 alone. This is what happens when health care is "Free" or nearly Free to those who use its services. By trying to solve the health care crisis of the 1960s, Congress created the health care crisis of the 1970s, so it created what we all know to be Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO).

It made the crisis worse if not better. As spending continued its rapid growth and HMO and insurance premiums began to follow. This bring us to today and where we stand in the crisis of health care. By 2005, only 12.5 percent of health care was paid out-of-pocket. The government spent 45 percent of the health care dollar to buy services for 25 percent of the people. Most of the remaining 75 percent of the people had their health care expenses paid by someone else, primarily health insurance, usually purchased for them in part or in whole by their employers. How could this be? We were told there are 47 million uninsured (although the U.S. census Bureau confesses that it has been miscounting for at least five years). Health care spending has continued to soar to just more than $2 trillion a year representing 18 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. This kind of spending has driven the cost of health insurance higher.

There is an up side to all of this and that is the choices and decisions we make in life. When it comes to our health and the health of our children, we have to make sound decisions regarding whats best for the family. We can continue to pay out-of-pocket for services rendered at an emergency care unit or have you turned away because of the type of insurance you have that does not cover most procedures or treatments. So what's the solution you ask? With a newly Elected President in position, we can only wait and see in the next couple of years how the crisis of health care in the United States shall come to be.

What's the Difference Between Dental Insurance vs. Dental Discount Programs?

You may ask so what’s the difference? Does one offer better coverage than the other? Will it cost me more or less than my current dental insurance? Before I explain the difference of both dental insurance and dental discount programs, here are some facts you should know first.

“In 2005, almost 1 in 10 people age 18 to 64 years old reported not being able to afford prescription drugs and almost 10 percent said they postponed getting the medical care they needed because of not having any kind of dental or medical insurance”. I just thought I leave you with that bit of information before I really get into informing you of the difference between dental insurance and a dental discount program.

Dental Insurance is utilized by large groups and businesses to cover their employees’ and their families as well. In some cases, some employees will have a certain amount of monies deducted from their check every pay period whether it is weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Dental Discount Programs are available to anyone, anytime regardless of length of employment. “Traditional” Dental Insurance requires paying monthly premiums for coverage. Dental Discount Programs are designed to provide consumers access to dental networks at a reduced rate. “Traditional” Dental Insurance is not readily accessible to individuals and families unless provided by their employer.

Dental Discount Programs are affordable to join and are the most widely available dental programs for individuals and their families. You would not have to wait for an enrollment season to cover you and your entire family. “Traditional” Dental Insurance has an annual spending maximums, deductibles and waiting period for certain procedures and limitations and exclusions on care. Dental Discount Programs provide instant savings on most dental procedures. “Traditional” Dental Insurance involves tedious claims forms to fill out and submit. A Dental Discount Programs are on a member based providing coverage usually on an annual or bi-annual basis.

Dental Insurance usually covers the cost of preventive services (such as cleanings and exams) only after deductibles are met. With a Dental Discount Program, consumers pay a membership fee in exchange for secured discounts on most dental services like dental exams, routine cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, dentures, crowns and orthodontic treatment (braces). Dental Insurance deductible varies from $25 to $50 per covered individual depending on the policy. With health insurance premiums set to go up another 9%-10% in 2009, employers are going to once again be looking for ways to cut health benefit costs. Dental Discount Programs save members any where of about 20% to 60% on most dental procedures when visiting participating network providers.

In the long run, if you consider making the switch from traditional dental insurance to a dental discount program, you might want to go over the numbers to see what works more in your favor as far as your budget is concerned. In my opinion, I believe you might find having a Dental or Health Care Discount Program may be the way to go for this is the newest trend in health care nationwide.

Deductibles and Copays: Will Your Employer Raise Yours?

We all know how important it is to have Dental and Medical coverage. We also know how important it is to have a nest egg set a side for the future. With the rising cost of Health Care, managing our monthly expenses seems almost impossible these days. Let us examine the possibility of your health insurance deductible and copay increased by your employer.

I want all you readers to think about this question very carefully. What are the values of copays and deductibles of an employer-sponsored health insurance? I can think of serveral values but that was after I come to the realization of the true nature of why deductibles and copays are being raised. You see, Insurers and Corporations have a way of sneakily shifting the financial burden onto everyday Americans by driving memebers into high deductible, high copay plans that offer little protection when a person actually needs Dental or Medical Care.

The new Medicare drug plan and health savings accounts are two prominent examples of this effort to shift health care costs to members and both are contributing to the dissolution of what it even means to be insured. Lets look at the average cost of health care per person. In the United States, the average cost per person approximated $3,925 in 1997. In 2007, it has alomst doubled. From 1992 to 2002, the percentage of all enrollees in employer-sponsored health insurance who had a plan with a deductible increased from 43.91 percent to 46.63 percent. The average single deductible per single enrollee with a deductible increased from $335 to $409 per enrollee over this period.

I provide this information only to give readers insight to some of the pitfalls of Dental and Health insurance coverage. For those who can afford and feel comfortable with individual and family deductible limits ranging from $500 to $5,000 are usally okay with accepting those high deductibles and of course common. Why pay more when you can save thousands of dollars every year? Why not take the money you're saving with having a Discounted Dental and Health Care Program that will include your entire household at no additional cost to you and put it towards the nest egg you're building for the future.


You can start today by going to EveryOneBenefits.

Is Your Health Care Insurance Costing You A Fortune?

I can remember when a thing such as health care was less complicated in the early 70’s. I was young about maybe 7 years old and fell very ill with the flu and my parents immediately ran to the local drug store to purchase an inexpensive over the counter medicine which by the way tasted like quinine to cure my illness. In the early 70’s, my parents had a doctor they trusted who may I add made house visits. I can remember when my middle sister had taken ill with same illness of having the flu, they called the family doctor who again made the visit to our home and administered an injection of Penicillin for the illness and called it a day.

Cost for home visit and injection, $10.00. If my parents didn’t have the immediate fee to pay once the services was done, the visiting doctor told my parents "to pay whatever you can when you get paid". Today, a trip to the emergency room to be treated for same flu like illness would cost you around $700.00 or more. You may wonder why am I sharing this story with you, because I want to raise the awareness of just how much has changed in the last three decades with the issue of health care insurance and how it may effect you and your family.

Today, health care is one of the top social and economic problems facing Americans today. Have you read reports or listened to local and world news on the rising cost of medical care and health insurance is impacting the livelihood of many people in one way or another. The inability to pay for necessary medical care is no longer a problem affecting only the uninsured, but is increasingly becoming a problem for those with health insurance as well. What doesn’t work is a health care system administered by profit-driven corporations and health insurance benefits that are primarily tied to employment. Let’s not forget about those who are working a part-time job from which an employer does not offer any kind of dental or medical insurance to their employees whatsoever.

My question being raised; is your health care insurance costing you a fortune? In a study completed by the Commonwealth Fund, 45% of the adults in the survey reported that they have had hard times paying their bills even with health insurance and had been contacted by a collection agency or had to change their way of life in an effort to pay their medical bills. This comes with saying almost 50% of personal bankruptcies are due to medical expenses. Keep in mind that more than 70% of American companies had double-digit health care cost increases in 2006 and almost 60% of companies intend to keep down rising health care cost in 2009 by raising workers’ deductibles, co-pays and waiting periods can make the coverage far less than stellar.

I have a solution which would make having dental and health care a bit affordable for you and your family. If I told you that you can save thousands of dollars on medical expenses such as dental, prescription drugs, eye examination, lab work and MRI’s, you would want me to point you in the right direction of receiving such a plan right? Well it’s true! You can save thousands of dollars just by having a discounted dental and health care plan that gives you the care and flexibility you and your family need along with fitting into your monthly budget. Just go to MyBenefitsPlus and check out some of the many programs offered to you and your entire household at no additional cost to you. Now you can help those you love without hurting your budget. For more information go to MyBenefitsPlus you'll be glad you did.

How Important Is Health Care To You?

Filling? $200. Crown? $900. Root canal? $1,205. Orthodontic Treatment (Braces) under age 19 $5,000. Priceless especially when you don't have it. In a perfect world, we'd all have dental insurance, paying monthy premiums might not be a cost-effective solution. Even full-time workers participating in an employee Dental Plan and Health Care coverage often find less than satisfactory. Almost 1 in 5 Americans going without Health Care seems to be the biggest problem growing daily. Almost 20 percent of Americans, or more than 40 million adults, can't afford or access needed health care, according to a new U.S. government report. It shows that one-fifth of Americans couldn't afford one or more of these services such as medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care or eyeglasses.Sure you can open a savings account and set aside money every month, say $150.00 in a separate account. However, living in world where limited resources just doesn't seem financially fitting to do so with the way of our economical future is leading. In the year 2011, Health Care will be $4 Trillion Industry.

Statistics reveals:

* 144 Million Americans have no dental coverage
* 175 Million Americans uninsured or underinsured
* 1.8 Million people filed for medical bankruptcy last year

More than 70% of American companies had double-digit Health Care costs increases in 2006 and 59% of companies intend to keep down rising health care costs in 2009 by raising workers deductibles and co-pays. What am I saying? I'm saying there is an alternative way of keeping your medical expenditures down where you can afford to keep them for you and your family. If you don't believe me, go to for more information MyBenefitsPlus You and your entire household can be covered for under $20 a month! and that's not all. With this plan, included Vision, Prescription, Chiropractic. If you think that's something, wait until you hear out this! THIS IS NOT A SECRET....You and your family can be at ease with Total Health Plus Program. This will cover all your needs giving you Physician care, DENTAL, VISION, CHIROPRACTIC PRESCRIPTION.

I'm not done yet...this program also includes Auto Club, Identity Theft, Legal for only $59 a month per household! Think about how much is being deducted from your check for yourself and family and do the math. This is not insurance, but a Discount Program so there is NO waiting period, NO pre-authorization for treatment required, NO paperwork, most ongoing medical problems are included, NO age limit, you can change physicians whenever you like. Most of all, INSTANT SAVINGS.....This is the answer to your medical delimma! Go to MyBenefitsPlus or call toll free at 888-524-4092 leave your name, number and the type of program you're interested in and a representative will immediately contact you.

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