Lifestyle Affects Our Pocketbooks

It seems that every time you look, someone is increasing the tab of providing medical and long term health care services to Americans. Here is another bill to add to the cost of medical care-- obesity.

It’s a well-known fact that, as a society, we have become heavier and less healthy than ever. You can see it when walking around in the mall or when you step out of the office during your lunch

Scientific Research is Important but Not in Mars.

$820 million to study rocks and take pictures of a deserted place that (we know) cannot sustain life. That’s what the Rover Mission to Mars is costing American tax payers. I can think of better ways to spend 820 million of our tax dollars.

Scientific research is important but not in Mars. There are millions of lives here that could benefit from the creation of new drugs, new ways to grow food,

The State of the Campaign Address

President Bush managed to deliver a State of the Union address that (instead of the constitutional mandated assessment of the country’s status) included a lecture on the state of his presidential campaign and lacked the messages that a country with a number of domestic problems needs.

Even with the coaching of his staff, Mr. Bush delivered a pointless pep talk full of campaign propaganda

Senior Citizens have Suffered Twice as Much

Our golden years can offer an opportunity to do things we never had a chance to do, like travel, spend time with loved ones, or work on personal projects. There is no other time in life when independence is more copious for most of us. However, keeping that independence has become a major struggle for many older Americans.

Health care, specifically the cost of care for assisted living and

Family Neglect of Our Elders

Stories in the media about neglect and abuse of nursing home patients raise questions about a portion of the long term care industry we are becoming more and more dependent on. But just as alarming is family neglect of our elders.

A recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services found that a staggering 97% of nursing homes in the United States do not have enough employees to care

Values and Principles can Outlast Alzheimer's Disease

It is tragic to lose a family member to due to a progressive disease like Alzheimer's disease, but I would argue that it is just as sad to lose the memories and knowledge of a loved one.

Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating sickness that strikes thousands of Americans yearly. Systematically, the disease attacks vital parts of the brain and makes it increasingly harder for a person to recall

Are Medical and Long Term Care Insurance a Right?

One of the reasons why we fund our system of government is to ensure that basic services are provided to the general population. Things like roads, education and ways to promote health are necessary to maintain a working society. Yet, when it comes to providing access to some of these services, our government agencies and programs fail us.

Considering the problem of health care indigents from a

It’s Time for Universal Health Care

According to research done by AARP, between 1998 and 2001 many states modestly relaxed rules to give health care coverage to more low-income, blind, and disabled people. This seems to have coincided with the peak of the tech era “bubble” and the overflowing tax coffers of many state and local governments. Unfortunately, this commitment to the well-being of our public was short lived.

Right now,

Long term care insurance plans and Medicare

Long term care is quickly becoming a type of coverage that is absolutely necessary for older Americans because social programs, such as Medicare, do not cover essential long term care benefits that can bankrupt the average individual.

Ironically, insurance companies found a niche in the mid 1960s for a new insurance product when the U.S. government tried to create a system to care for

Election Year Health Care

It is an election year and soon most of us will be bombarded with a number of messages from presidential candidates. Regrettably, not all of the issues that will be debated this year will become a part of the elected candidate’s agenda once that person gets into office. For example, revamping our dilapidated health care system probably will not get nearly as much consideration even though this