Custodial care is assistance provided to help you perform your activities of daily living (bathing, preparing your meals, dressing, toileting, and more). While the care may be necessary for day-to-day living, it is not a medical treatment that requires the skills of a licensed person to perform. Your need for assistance may be considered a […]

Employer and Union Funding Choices Affect You. Fully Funded Verses Self-Funded Plans. Employers and unions can opt to assume the full risk of paying their medical claims. In assuming this risk, they are able to create their own medical insurance policies which are similar to those provided by a medical insurance carrier. Self-funding medical insurance […]

Why do doctors offer treatment options, if you are dealing with a terminal diagnosis? The options being considered are either aggressive or palliative. Again, I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand what your physician is saying when they offer you “treatments” for a terminal illness. I know you are scared. I know […]

Healthcare begins and ends with you. That is to say, as your needs for healthcare and healthcare information change, you must evaluate not only the source but also also what is provided. It is your right to be thoroughly informed; but as importantly, it is your responsibility to participate actively in your own care and […]

Supplemental Travel Insurance Policies Travel insurance is not one of the things on your list of “To Pack” or “To Do”, but if you are considering traveling abroad, you should contact your insurance carrier to see if your plan provides coverage outside the country. Most medical policies do not provide coverage once you step outside […]

Selecting the Policy That is Right for You Selecting the policy that is right for you involves more than finding out which policy is the cheapest! In addition to the cost, you should consider the amount you travel, the complexity of your health condition, your age and, how important “freedom of choice” is to you. […]

Medical Necessity; Does it Affect You? I think the most important “limitation” to understand is the term medical necessity. Your whole policy revolves around those two words. You will want to check your benefit booklet’s list of definitions to understand how your insurance carrier defines this term. Medicare defines medical necessity as follows: “Services or […]

Coming Soon (the new topics) COMING SOON IS INFORMATION ON: Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) Options Tips to Manage Your Healthcare Mobility Devices (this has actually been split into a separate website because it is a large topic. This site is in the process of being built. Definitions page. Any text that you find on pages in […]

Health Info Search Results As you go through your health info search, we hope that the following search engine results will prove useful to you. If you can’t find anything specific on this site that you need, search the rest of the web for further results. Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here’s how… […]

It is hard enough understanding medical jargon or to learn the language under “normal” circumstances. When you are dealing with a terminal illness, it can be even harder. But, whether you are under stress or in an ideal situation, it is important to have a basic knowledge of some of the terms. Let’s look at […]

No Health Insurance? There Is Help and Hope! “What to do if you have no health insurance but still need medical care”…. This subject is very near and dear to my heart. As a nurse, I know how important it is to do whatever you have to do to stay healthy. Neglecting to stay on […]

Whether you are going to the hospital to visit a friend/family member or you are going to be admitted as a patient for a day or more, knowing what to expect when you arrive can help decrease your anxiety level and smooth the way to your recovery. Together, we will go over: Preparing for Hospitalization […]

After your terminal illness was diagnosed, you remember the exact second you heard your doctor say “I’m sorry, your illness is terminal.” You remember how it felt as if someone had socked you in the stomach, leaving you breathless; how everything just seemed to go white. It felt as if time stopped. You felt cold […]

and Advance Directives Bringing up the subject of Durable Power of Attorney for Health or Advance Directives with your family can be tricky; after all, thinking of a time when you are too ill or injured to speak for yourself is far from pleasant. While there are those who believe that just mentioning the words […]