Will it cover your needs? Can you pay for it? Can you afford not to have it?
Five tips to help you navigate Medicare: 1) You must sign up for Medicare when you turn 65. 2) Medicare is not free. 3) Medicare does not cover everything . . .
Enrollment period expanded to seven weeks to give seniors and people with disabilities will have more time to compare plans.
Health insurers are in a race for a decisive competitive advantage: winning the highest mark on Medicare’s quality exam, a one-to-five star rating system.
Dire predictions that health reform would cause private Medicare health plans to raise prices and lower benefits have turned out to be a false alarm — for now. Medicare Advantage premiums now expected to drop 4% next year.
Long-term care services for the elderly and disabled in Washington state are second only to those provided in Minnesota, according to a new report.
Are older patients being over tested? There is little evidence the elderly benefit from colon, breast and prostate cancer screening — and considerable risk.
As you listen to pols argue about how deeply to cut Medicaid think about Natalie — an 85-year-old widow with heart disease and memory problems. Or Lisa — a 50-year old mother of two who has been battling multiple sclerosis since she was 20.
More than one-third of adults over age 65 fall each year, and one-third of older adults who fall suffer moderate to serious injuries, including hip fractures and head trauma.
You can’t prevent all age-related changes to your eyes. But you can take steps to protect your vision and reduce your risk for serious eye disease in the future.
PACE, Program for All-Inclusive Care for Elderly, provides comprehensive medical and social services to frail, low-income seniors with serious health problems.
You can use the Medicare website’s new “Find-a-Plan” online tool to help find the best Medicare Part D plan your prescription drug coverage.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
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