Billie S. Dickenson, Author at Spencer Fitness Central

What Motivates People to Seek Help From a Snoring Specialist?

December 28, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

There are people who snore and have no apparent issues as a result. Others feel that snoring is interfering with their quality of life in some way, and may be affecting their health. The truth is that snoring is not something to be taken lightly. Here are some of the more common reasons why people decide to seek out a snoring specialist and find out what’s causing the snoring in the first place.

Concerns By Family Members

It’s not unusual for people to seek medical care after family members raise concerns about their snoring. This is especially true when the snoring has a spouse or partner thinking about sleeping in another room. When other family members can be in other parts of the house and clearly hear the snoring, that’s a sure sign something is up.

In this instance, the patient may seem to be fine, but has some concern … Read the rest

Health Insurance

US health insurers raise rates to match increase in usage

July 31, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — After putting off routine health care for much of the pandemic, Americans are now returning to doctors’ offices in big numbers — a trend that’s starting to show up in higher insurance rates across the country.

Health insurers in individual marketplaces across 13 states and Washington D.C. will raise rates an average of 10% next year, according to a review of rate filings by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

That’s a big increase after premiums remained virtually flat for several years during the pandemic as insurers seek to recoup costs for more people using their policies, combined with record-high inflation that is driving up prices for virtually everything, including health care.

The rates review included Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington.

“We’re at a point in the pandemic where people are using health care that they

… Read the rest

Health Insurance

A Retirement Journey: Health Insurance Issues

July 30, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

Over the past two weeks, we’ve focused on the story of Bob, a recent retiree. We’ve gone over his pre-retirement experience and his journey through the processing of his retirement application. This week, we’ll look at his health insurance choices.

Bob has an ongoing dilemma when it comes to health insurance. He arguably doesn’t really need Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage or Medicare, because he is a veteran with a service-connected disability. That means all of his medical needs (service-connected and otherwise) are provided by the Veterans Health Administration, at no charge. VHA does bill private insurers (including those in FEHB) for the non-service connected care it provides.

Nevertheless, Bob enrolled in FEHB during his civilian service at the Federal Aviation Administration for a couple of reasons: in case he should need it for a future spouse, should he remarry, and in order to meet the requirement of

… Read the rest

Health Insurance

Health insurance giant Empire pulls out of NYC’s controversial Medicare plan for retired city workers

July 29, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

A major insurance company has pulled out of a deal to administer New York City’s new Medicare Advantage Plan — the latest setback in the city’s effort to shift roughly 250,000 retired municipal workers onto the controversial health coverage.

Empire BlueCross BlueShield, one of the country’s largest health insurance providers, notified Mayor Adams’ office that it’s not going to help roll out the Advantage plan after the city failed to provide a start date and benefit specifics as requested by July 15, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

“This timeline was important because delaying any further would not give retirees enough time to fully understand their options, benefits, and coverage in advance of open enrollment,” the statement read. “Given the level of uncertainty at this time, we informed the city that (Empire) is not able to participate.”

In light of Empire’s withdrawal, City Hall spokesman Jonah Allon said

… Read the rest

Health Insurance

How to avoid a tax surprise from marketplace health coverage

July 27, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

Kateryna Onyshchuk | iStock | Getty Images

If your income is trending much higher this year than you anticipated, it’s likely a welcome shift.

However, for anyone who gets their private health insurance through the public marketplace, that extra cash could mean an unexpected tax bill when they prepare their 2022 return next spring. A midyear income check could help avoid that.

Basically, if you receive premium subsidies (technically, advance tax credits) through the marketplace, having annual income that’s higher than what you estimated when you enrolled could mean you’re not entitled to as much aid as you’re receiving. And any overage would need to be paid back at tax time.

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Report changes that may affect insurance subsidies

“You really should go

… Read the rest

Health Insurance

Retiree health insurance to end for new administrators in Buffalo schools | Education

July 26, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

Lifetime health insurance is about to become a thing of the past for administrators in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Administrators hired after July 2023 will not be eligible for health insurance paid for by the district after they retire, under the terms of a new contract approved this week by the School Board.

“It is significant. It’s something the district had pursued for at least the last two collective bargaining agreements,” said Robert Boreanaz, the attorney for the Buffalo Council of Supervisors and Administrators.

Over the years, Boreanaz said, Buffalo had become one of the few districts in New York State still providing retirees with health insurance.

Administrators hired prior to July 2023 will remain eligible for retiree health insurance.

Those hired after July 2023 will have the option of selling back to the district up to 120 unused sick days to be used toward

… Read the rest

Nutrition

In Order to Live Longer, Weigh Exercise and Nutrition Equally

July 26, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

According to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, putting all of one’s eggs in either the exercise basket or the nutrition basket cannot protect you from chronic diseases. An effective longevity routine needs to include a balance of both.

An international team of researchers sourced data from 350,000 individuals from the U.K. Biobank, a massive database of health information on British citizens, which medical professionals rely on for these sorts of sweeping analyses. They began the study a decade ago, when the median age was 57, and the participants were all free from “cardiovascular disease, cancer or chronic pain.”

The researchers set rubrics for diet quality and level of activity. For instance, as The New York Times pointed out, the best diets included “over four cups of fruit and vegetables per day, two or more servings of fish per week, less

… Read the rest

Health Insurance

N.J. public workers face big increase in health insurance rates in coming year

July 25, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

Hundreds of thousands of public workers, early retireesm and school employees in New Jersey are facing potential rate increases of as much as 24% for health benefits under proposals being considered by the State Health Benefits Commission.

Rate increases being considered include a 24% increase for medical and a 3.7% increase for pharmacy benefits for active public workers, as well as a 15.6% increase in medical and a 26.1% increase in pharmacy benefits for public workers who retired before the age of 65, according to an email sent to county administrators from New Jersey Association of Counties Executive Director John Donnadio.

Donnadio said in the email that the figures, which haven’t been made public, were shared by an insurance and benefits broker.

StateTreasury spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino acknowledged rate increases were being considered and added that rates for active members and early retirees would likely increase between 12-20% across the various

… Read the rest

Nutrition

US$ 500 Million Project Will Help to Strengthen Egypt’s Food and Nutrition Security

July 25, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

Washington, June 29, 2022 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors yesterday approved a US$500 million loan to bolster Egypt’s efforts to ensure that poor and vulnerable households have uninterrupted access to bread, to strengthen Egypt’s resilience to food crises and to support reforms in food security policies, including to improve nutritional outcomes.

The Emergency Food Security and Resilience Support Project will help cushion the impact of the war in Ukraine on food and nutrition security in Egypt. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are the world’s largest wheat exporters, and the war has driven up prices and created nutritional shortfalls, particularly for people who rely on bread for their daily nutritional needs. Bread is a staple in Egypt and this new project links wheat imports to direct assistance to the poor and vulnerable population through Egypt’s Bread Subsidy Program.

“This project supports the government’s strong commitment to ensuring that

… Read the rest

Nutrition

Health & Nutrition 101: Weight Loss or Health Gain?

July 24, 2022 Billie S. Dickenson

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By Gina Cousineau

As a nutrition expert and trained chef, you might think I am outside of my scope of practice when I tell you my goal is to save my clients’ lives, not only one plate at a time, but also through teaching them how to advocate for their health.

Unfortunately, as

… Read the rest

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