Search results for health
-
Posted
Sep 28 2009, 01:59 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A new Harvard study estimates that nearly 45,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance -- and that's after other factors like income and unhealthy behaviors are taken into account.
"Deaths associated with lack of health insurance now exceed those caused by many common killers such as kidney disease," an article by the Cambridge Health Alliance reports.
The study says the uninsured have a 40% higher risk of death than people who have private health insurance -- like the insurance you get through your job. Or, to put it another way, a person dies because of a lack of insurance every 12 minutes.
Of course, some people neglect their health. But many, we suspect, don't see a doctor because they're afraid of the cost. Doctor visits and tests can add up to an intimidating amount, even if you're uninsured but have a good income. A CNN story put a human face on some of these avoidable deaths -- a freelance cameraman, a self-employed mother of two, and a 25-year-old woman who worked in a movie theater.
So we had to wonder: Have you put off visits to the doctor because of financial considerations?
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 25 2009, 01:52 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Chalk up another casualty of the recession: workers' health.
A new study released this week found that, despite all the concern over health care costs, the health of people with jobs is declining.
"Workers are putting in longer hours, afraid of losing their jobs. With less time to exercise, more than a third of employees report that work drains them of energy, leaving nothing for their personal lives,'' writes Cindy Krischer Goodman, who does the Work/Life Balancing Act column and blog for The Miami Herald.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 21 2009, 06:10 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We knew that health insurance companies refuse to sell individual policies to people who've had cancer or hypertension. But acne or bunions -- or working in a first-responder job?
Insurance company documents obtained and made public by Consumer Watchdog indicate how far some insurers will go to limit individual coverage to only the healthiest people (and those with the safest jobs). A hangnail? You'll get coverage. Toenail fungus? Perhaps not.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 17 2009, 05:14 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Is it time to tax sugary drinks?
Another group is saying yes. In a paper published in the Sept. 16 issues of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of public health experts is advocating a tax of one cent per ounce on sugary beverages, The New York Times reported. The tax would apply to soft drinks, energy drinks, sports beverages and many juices and iced teas -- but not sugar-free drinks.
According to this group's research, a beverage tax would lower consumption of soda and other sweet drinks, leading to a small weight loss and better health for many Americans.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 14 2009, 05:04 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Truman Lewis at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
For years, health researchers have expressed concerns about the widespread use of cell phones, especially by children. Finally, more than a decade after a test funded by the cell phone industry showed a possible link between cell phones and cancer, the U.S. Senate held hearings on the question.
"I will still use my cell phone after the hearing ends," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said, but added in a more serious moment that he did not want to overlook the nation's experience with cigarettes, which were touted as harmless and even helpful for decades after the first indications that they might cause health problems.
The saving grace for the cell phone industry -- for now anyway -- is that the devices have been in widespread use for only the last 10 years or so, which researchers say may not be long enough to get a complete picture of their health effects.
But with an estimated 270 million Americans using cell phones, National Institutes of Health associate director John Bucher said the nation faces a "potentially significant health problem." Studies so far have been inconclusive, partly because of the time element and partly because they rely on users' memories of when and how often they used their wireless devices.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 10 2009, 03:39 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Remember that peanut butter scare? We wondered whether the flavored dog treats we'd bought were on the recall list, but finding the latest information seemed difficult.
Or maybe you have a general question about the safety of food: Will that package of hot dogs you opened stay good for a week or a month? (One week.) How about bacon? Is it indestructible? (No.)
A new government Web site can help us out.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 09 2009, 07:24 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Add another profession to the list of those feeling the effects of the recession: dentists.
Their pain could be your gain, in discounted fees or better service -- or it could cost you more.
As patients put off routine check-ups and hold off on fillings and other procedures, some dentists are finding that they need to drum up business, SmartMoney reports. For some, that means marketing, sending more reminders to patients, sending out coffee mugs or even offering reward points. (Would these be Frequent Flosser miles?)
Other, less scrupulous, dentists are making ends meet by recommending procedures that patients don't really need, something that was going on long before the economy soured. The Better Business Bureau says dentists are among the top 50 professions consumers complain about, topping even lawyers, the magazine noted.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 31 2009, 05:21 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.
I've always been a car guy. It's not because I'm mechanically inclined or that I get into the latest makes and models -- neither of these is anywhere close to the truth -- but because a car has always been my primary mode of transportation.
When I was a boy, my family lived in rural Oregon, six miles from the nearest town. Automobiles were our only real option for getting around. Even when I went away to college, I relied on a car for most of my mobility. And so it's been for 40 years. As I say, I've always been a car guy.
This summer, though, I've had a sort of epiphany, one prompted by your comments and suggestions. I've learned that I can save money and improve my fitness by leaving my car at home -- by exploring alternate modes of transportation.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 21 2009, 03:20 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Among the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans, a new crop has sprung up in the gardens of inveterate smokers. They're growing tobacco, The Associated Press reports. This gives new meaning to "roll your own."
The substantial federal tax increase on tobacco products on April 1 apparently sparked this avocation. And, it turns out, do-it-yourselfers can save serious dough (although not nearly as much as they would if they'd quit).
"Cigarettes cost an average of $4.35 a pack; home growers can make that amount for about 30 cents," the AP says.
There's lots of information online about how to grow your own crop, which is much more complicated than, say, planting zucchini. How To Grow Tobacco is one such site, AP notes, and a place to vent if you're a smoker who feels oppressed.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 17 2009, 08:49 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Before you decide this post has no bearing on your life, consider whether you or someone you know has celiac disease, a common condition that's often undiagnosed.
A recent New York Times story focused on a music teacher whose illness was overlooked by doctors for years, despite his history of broken bones and stomach problems. The condition, which afflicts one in 100 people, reduces the small intestine's ability to absorb nutrients, which can cause low bone density, anemia, malnutrition and infertility.
Concerned? Read more here. Luckily, you can control celiac disease by eliminating gluten, a protein found in some grains, from your diet. Unfortunately, the NYT story says, many products advertised as gluten-free often cost three times more than their standard wheat, barley or rye versions.
The story offers some tips for cutting those food costs.
Read More...
More Posts Next page »
|
