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Archive for February 7th, 2010

Health coverage for the family helps to assist those families in obtaining more affordable healthcare services, says a report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The Foundation, which based the report on its 2005 Low-Income Coverage and Access Survey, makes the argument that not having health insurance affects not just a parent’s health, but also the well-being of the entire family.

The vast majority of low-income uninsured parents, according to the report, are without access to health coverage. At the same time, their children are also much more likely to be without health insurance. Indeed, four out of 10 low-income parents, defined as those with income below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $40,000 for a family of four in 2007) do not have health insurance coverage.

Throughout Texas, and especially in cities such as Dallas, Houston and Austin, the percentage of uninsured residents is higher than any other state — more than 24% according to most observers, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Kaiser Family Foundation report also states that most low-income uninsured parents are in working families but with employment in areas of the economy that do not typically offer health coverage. Those sectors include construction, service and agricultural jobs, areas with the lowest levels of employer-sponsored insurance. The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that only about 25% of low-income workers in these industries were covered through an employer-sponsored plan in 2005.

Workers without health insurance are also more likely to work for firms with fewer than 25 employees, those companies being least likely to provide employer coverage.

More than half of uninsured low-income parents in employed families work for companies that do not offer coverage to any employees. Further, they do not have coverage through a spouse. Also, an additional 35% of low-income uninsured parents are not eligible for coverage through either their employer or their spouse’s employer, either because they have not been employed long enough or they do not work enough hours to be covered.

Only 13% of low-income uninsured parents have access to employer coverage, the Kaiser report says. At the same time, the coverage that is available is too expensive for most parents to afford.

Although many children are in families where they would be eligible for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, concerns exist over widespread knowledge of the programs — only 47% say they have heard of SCHIP.

Research, the Kaiser report says, has documented the importance of family coverage as a tool to reach uninsured children and to improve access to healthcare.

Low-income uninsured parents often have serious health problems, says the Kaiser report. Unfortunately, financial barriers block access to care.

More than one quarter of uninsured parents in low-income families say they have fair or poor health, with 14% saying they experience pain almost every day and 8% reporting they have a disability that prevents them from participating fully in work or other activities. Nearly half of uninsured parents, the Kaiser report says, say they have a chronic condition, leading to the likelihood of their receiving less care with worse health outcomes than for those with similar health conditions who do have health insurance.

While low-income uninsured parents have serious healthcare problems, the Kaiser report states that their conditions are far worse than those with insured parents. Low-income uninsured parents, for example, are half as likely to have visited a doctor for preventive care in the past 12 months. Further, those without a medical home or regular preventive care may delay treatment in the early stages of a condition, allowing the condition to worsen and possibly leading to more expensive treatment later on.

The Kaiser report also states that lack of care causes serious health and financial consequences for low-income uninsured parents, with 60% saying they saw their condition get worse as a result of not getting timely care and 30% reporting a loss of time at work or other activities.

As the Kaiser report summarizes, health insurance for low-income parents influences not only their own health and access to care but also the well-being of their families. When parents have health insurance, their children are more likely to be covered as well, giving them access to healthcare.

Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com

Tracleer is a relatively new drug which is commonly used to treat Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH). This condition increased blood pressure in the lungs and puts excessive strain on the heart, reducing its ability to function effectively.

It works by reducing blood levels of a molecule called endothelin, which is naturally present in the blood. The amount of endothelin in the blood is increased to a dangerous level in people with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. It is thought that these increased levels of endothelin are actually one of the causes of PPH, because endothelin causes blood vessels to constrict, and therefore elevates blood pressure.

Primary Pulmonary Hypertension is a serious disease, and currently it is not curable. However, the progress of the disease can be slowed and the severity of symptoms can be alleviated with the use of drugs such as Tracleer. All of the drugs used in PPH treatment do have side effects, some of which are unpleasant or serious and require careful monitoring. However, Primary Pulmonary Hypertension has very severe consequences if left untreated, and the benefits of medication outweigh the risks of side effects.

Please note that this article should not be used as a substitute for professional medical help. If you experience any symptoms that are not noted here, consult your doctor or another medical professional as soon as possible.

Side Effects of Tracleer

Minor side effects include flushed skin, headaches, irritation of the nose or throat, and stomach upsets. These side effects are common for people undergoing this treatment. The severity of these symptoms may decrease as your medication dosage is adjusted, and it can take time before an optimal dose is established.

Any occurrence of side effects should be reported to your doctor while your treatment program is being established and at any other time if they become persistent. While these side effects are not necessarily serious or life-threatening, they may indicate that your Tracleer treatment dosage requires adjustment, or that you may be responding to PPH treatment in an abnormal fashion.

The following side effects are more serious and require immediate medical attention.

* Coughing up blood
* Dizziness or fainting
* Irregular heartbeat or a pounding feeling in the chest
* Lightheadedness
* Shortness of breath
* Swelling of the legs or ankles
* Sudden weight gain

Allergic Reactions

If you are allergic to it, your symptoms may include:

* A rash or hives on the skin
* Itching of the skin
* Shortness of breath
* A feeling of tightness in the chest
* Swelling of the tongue or throat
* Swelling of the lips or other facial features

Seek medical attention immediately if any of these side effects occur, as a severe allergic reaction can be fatal if untreated.

Liver Damage – Signs to watch for

The use of it can cause a reduction in liver function, and may cause serious liver damage. Before and during it’s treatment, you will be required to undergo liver function tests to monitor your liver for side effects.

While taking it, look for the following warning signs that may indicate liver problems: nausea or vomiting, fever or stomach pain, yellow skin or yellow eyes, dark urine, pale-colored bowel movements, or excessive tiredness. If any of these symptoms occur, consult with your doctor. You will most likely need to undergo liver function tests, and your doctor may decide to adjust your treatment plan or discuss alternative treatments to prevent further liver damage.

Note that at this time it is thought that the liver damage caused by this treatment is not permanent. In most cases of liver damage caused by it, normal liver function returns after the treatment is stopped.

Drug Interactions

Tracleer interacts with a wide variety of prescription and over-the-counter medicines which can reduce the effectiveness of it or cause other side effects. If you are taking any other medications prior to or while taking Tracleer it is vital to make sure your doctor is aware of these. Because commonly-used medications such as Advil and Aleve can reduce the effectiveness of it, it is also important to seek medical advice before using any over-the-counter drugs while taking Tracleer for PPH treatment.

Tracleer is also known to reduce the effectiveness of most oral and injected birth control medications as well as implanted contraceptive devices. Because it also causes severe birth defects if taken during pregnancy, it is very important that women taking it use additional or alternative forms of birth control to avoid becoming pregnant.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel with Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs in many states and focuses on injury cases involving Fen-Phen and PPH, Paxil, Mesothelioma and Nursing Home Abuse. Call Nick Johnson at 1-888-311-5522 or visit http://www.jbclawfirm.com

If you are planning on moving out of a house or apartment that is been infected with mold, decontaminating your clothes before you do is a must. No one should stay in a place where mold exists for very long and cross-contaminating your new living space with the mold that can exist on your personal belongings is likely.

Most items made from cotton and polyester can be freed of the mold, however the older the mold stains are on the clothing, the harder they will be to remove. These stains can be bleached out if it is white clothing you are dealing with.

If it is colored fabric, you can use a brush to remove the mold from it and this will help to loosen up the mold growing in the threads. Rub a pre-wash spray into the stain and soak it in water and laundry detergent up to 45 minutes and wash.

Do not use the clothes dryer in your laundry room to dry these items; let them dry naturally outside in the sun.

The artificial heat can seat the stain even further into the clothing and as some people may know, the sun is very good at bleaching things, so this could actually help your white clothing. Unless you leave colored clothes in the sun for days, it should not do any damage.

Sometimes dry cleaning can be effective in killing and removing the mold from your clothes, but it does not always work.

Cleaning mold from upholstery starts almost the same way cleaning clothing does and that is with a brush. Remove the mold from the upholstery with a brush and if you have a vacuum cleaner that has a brush attachment on it, use that to keep mold spores from taking flight.

Washing the item where the mold was present with laundry detergent (test in a small inconspicuous area first to make sure it will not damage the fabric) and a brush comes next and then take it out into the sun to dry.

Unfortunately, if mold contaminates something made of leather, you are pretty much out of luck. Leather is discolored easily, especially by mold and since leather is skin that is been cured and dried over time, it is very porous and mold loves porous surfaces. Even if you do clean the mold off of it, it will still be spotty and discolored in areas.

To keep mold from growing on clothes that you hang in your closet, do not pack them into the closet so close together.

Air circulation is the enemy of mold and your clothes need to be able to breathe. If air can not get in and out of the closet, mold will grow. If you do not pack them tightly and they still become moldy, try installing a vent.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
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