Coffee has somewhat of a bad reputation, probably created by its caffeine content. It’s also a diuretic, which can dehydrate people, and can stain teeth if drunk excessively, leading many to consider tea as a healthier alternative. Coffee’s addictive properties contribute to its bad reputation, with caffeine impacting sleep cycles and day to day stress levels.

However, researchers have found that coffee may actually have many health benefits. Analysis by scientists found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee every day actually decreased their likelihood of oral cancer by almost 40 percent.  The University of Utah coordinated the study while using information from nine studies conducted by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium.

How Healthy is Coffee?

The rates of oral cancer in the United States have been rising every year, hitting a high of an estimated 36,000 new diagnoses in 2010.  Oral cancer has been linked to tobacco use—especially chewing tobacco—and alcohol consumption. While oral cancer has a high survival rate when detected early, in most cases, the cancer is not detected until it’s too late. The results of this study may prove beneficial in the prevention of oral cancers.

Another study in 2009 indicated that coffee may reduce risk for prostate cancer. Men who drank more than six cups of coffee each day were almost 60 percent less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than their less.  Decaffeinated coffee was just as effective as caffeinated. While the study warns that it is a little too soon to start excessively drinking coffee to prevent cancer, remember that prostate cancer is something to think about while enjoying your morning Nantucket Blend.

Coffee has also been linked to lower heart disease risk.  A study in the Netherlands revealed that drinking both coffee and tea in moderation can cut down on heart disease.  Tea was most beneficial to heart health, but coffee consumption proved helpful as well. People who sipped between two and four cups daily saw a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease. Another study determined that coffee is also a source of antioxidants. According to Joe A. Vinson, Ph. D, coffee is the top source of antioxidants consumed by Americans: such antioxidants the same as found in chocolate and red wine.

All in all, despite its unhealthy qualities, coffee does indeed have some health benefits. While brewing a pot in the morning or stopping by Starbucks, keep in mind both the positives and negatives. Maybe coffee isn’t so bad after all.  Perhaps all this new research can legitimize America’s love affair with coffee.

Entitlement Reform: What happens when Medicare and Social Security Are Bankrupt?

This threat has been looming in the background for years, and though successive administrations have “kicked the can” down the road we must confront the fact that the financial health of our two major entitlement programs has withered more during this recession than at any time since the mid-1990s. Though the economic downturn has contributed significantly to the programs’ rate of decline given the fact that worsening unemployment figures mean fewer workers are paying into the trusts’ funds through payroll taxes, the pressure of baby-boomers aging into the programs has pushed their financial health to the breaking point independent of current economic conditions.

These facts point glaringly to the need for entitlement reform. Obama administration officials have suggested that if the legislature were to act the programs’ insolvency could be bridged in three ways: by raising workers’ Social Security payroll taxes by 2 percentage points, by reducing benefits by 13 percent, or by a combination of the two.

The usefulness and effectiveness of these alternative medicines isn’t always evident. Some of them are promising, but others could be more harmful than helpful to your health. About half of the people who used alternative medicine do so because they cannot afford conventional care. This includes a significant amount of senior citizens who chose to turn to alternative medicine once they hit the Medicare gap and can no longer afford conventional alternatives. One report found that over one-third of adults use some form of alternative medicine.

The main reason behind why people tried alternative therapies like chiropractic care and massages was for pain. The most popular supplements used were glucosamine (which is supposed to reduce joint pain) and fish oil (which is supposed to reduce the risk of heart disease).

Although not all alternative medicine is covered by health insurance, it was found that about 43 percent of alternative medicine in 2007 was paid for by private insurance and about 31 percent was paid for by public insurance. The remainder was paid by the patients.

under discussion in Congress.” The doctors in the AMA do not tell the whole story, however. Not all doctors oppose the government-backed p

ublic plans. As Dr. Jay V. Solnick, a medical doctor and professor in the departments of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the University of California, Davis said in a letter to the New York Times: “But most doctors do not belong to the A.M.A., and the A.M.A. does not speak for many of us who believe that the United States should join all other Western countries in providing universal health care.”

The case stands out because one of the accused, Jorge Luis Pacheco, violated the terms of his bond, cut off his ankle monitor and tried to flee to the Dominican Republic. He told officials he was “going fishing.”

This isn’t the first time Rothman and Russell committed fraud. Rothman has written for about $60 million in phony HIV treatments from 2004 to 2005 and Russell wrote prescriptions totaling millions of dollars at other clinics. Both doctors’ sentencing is on June 26 and until then they are on house arrest. Pacheco, who tried to flee, and Milanes are being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

Unfortunately Original Medicare does not usually provide adequate coverage for all. The expenses that are not covered by Medicare can be covered by a Medicare Supplemental Plan, or Medigap. Medicare Supplemental Plans are designed to supplement Original Medicare and are provided by private health insurance carriers and can help to cover expenses such as coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.

You may be able to choose from up to 12 different standardized Medigap policies. Medigap policies must follow Federal and State laws. Each plan, A through L, has a different set of basic and extra benefits depending on your health care needs but each policy must offer the same basic benefits no matter which insurance company sells it. However, Medigap policies do not cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, and private-duty nursing.

What you need to know to buy a Medigap policy

• You must have Medicare Part A and Part B
• You pay a premium for your policy to the private insurance carrier

- As long as you pay the premium, your insurance company can’t cancel your Medigap policy.

According to an article in The Nation, we need the right health care reform for our nation to recover economically so it can prosper. The establishment of a national single-payer style healthcare reform system that expands the existing Medicare system to cover all Americans is said to be the “right reform.” The National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association (NNOC/CNA) released a study last week that shows that if we implement this reform, it would provide a major stimulus to our economy by creating more than 2.6 million jobs and instilling $317 billion in new business and public revenues into our economy. $100 Billion in wages will be added as well to the U.S. economy.

Unemployment hit 7.2% in 2008; a 16 year high and over 2.6 million jobs were lost. The single-payer system will create the jobs we lost last year, approximately 2.6 million.

“Through direct and supplemental expenditures, healthcare is already a uniquely dominant force in the U.S. economy,” said Don DeMoro, lead author of the study and director of the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, the NNOC/CNA research arm.

“However, so much more is possible. If we were to expand our present Medicare system to cover all Americans, the economic stimulus alone would create an immense engine that would help drive our national economy for decades to come,” DeMoro said.

Healthcare in the U.S. currently accounts for $2.1 trillion in direct expenditures. Total health care spending is nearly $6 trillion. The comprehensive plan includes attributes such as universal eligibility, regardless of age, income, pre-existing conditions, and employment status; a uniform single standard of care for all enrollees which would eliminate the existing disparities in Medicare and Medicaid; and a single payer system for both funding and administration. The entire nation will have access to the same health services, costs, administrative cost burden, and eligibility requirements.

This single payer system can make significant contributions to the access of health care for all residents of the United States as well as a substantial economic stimulus in the form of new jobs and increased wages. The total cost for this system is $63 billion, which ends up being a huge percentage less than the bailouts paid for AIG and CitiGroup.

• Part A: Hospital insurance- helps pay for hospice care, inpatient hospital care, and skilled nursing facility care. Individuals are entitled to Part A if they contributed payroll taxes for 10 years or more while they worked.
• Part B: Supplementary Medical Insurance- helps pay for physician services, outpatient care, preventive services, x-rays, diagnostic tests, and mental health services. It is funded primarily by premiums.
• Part C: Medicare Advantage- provides care through managed care plans. Plan C provides Parts A, B, and D benefits.
• Part D: Prescription drug plan- enrollment is voluntary and is provided by private prescription drug plans or Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans.
• Medigap- refers to private supplemental health insurance plans sold to Medicare beneficiaries. It covers medical expenses that may not be covered by the Original Medicare plan.
• Original Medicare- a fee-for-service plan that covers many health care services and drugs but doesn’t pay for all health care costs. There are costs such as coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles that you must pay. It includes Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.
• Monthly premium- a monthly payment to Medicare, an insurance company, health care plan or drug plan for health coverage.
• Annual deductible- The amount you pay for medical services and prescriptions before your health insurance plan or Medicare plan kicks in and begins to pay.
• Coinsurance- The amount you may be required to pay for services after you pay any deductibles.
• Copayment- an amount you pay for services such as a doctor’s visit or specialist visits regardless of whether you have fully paid your deductible.

These are just some of the terms you should be familiar with when you are dealing with your Medicare plan or when you are choosing a Supplemental Medicare plan. They can help you to better understand the process and make an informed decision about the right plan to choose. Other ways to stay informed is to talk to your health insurance representative or carrier and stay current with insurance news.

Of course there are some disadvantages. If, as of December 31 you have prescription drug coverage, you must continue to keep the coverage. If you did not have prescription drug coverage, you cannot add it to your plan.

The main reason why individuals may want to buy supplemental Medicare coverage is because Original Medicare offers limited coverage. Adding a supplemental plan, also add extra benefits, especially for those individuals with disabilities and pre-existing conditions. Medicare Advantage plans are required to cover any individual with pre-existing conditions.

Once the current enrollment is closed on March 31, beneficiaries have limited options to switching their coverage. There are only a few reasons that an individual may be able to change their plan. These specific reasons include:

• Turning 65 after the open enrollment period is closed
• As determined by the Social Security Administration, any individual can join a plan three months before or after their 25^th month of disability
• Permanent home change is grounds for switching plans. If you move out of your plan’s service area, you’re eligible to switch plans.
• If an individual move into or out of a nursing home, they can enroll in a new plan anytime during the specified year.

So if for any reason, you would like to switch your plan to best fit your needs, you still have time. Make sure you call your health insurance provider immediately to get the most out of your insurance.

Anyone who is eligible for Medicare Part A and/or Medicare Part B is eligible to join the Aetna Medicare Rx- Costco Plus plan if the service is available in their state. The Aetna Medicare Rx- Costco Plus plan benefits include $0 deductible and $0 preferred generic prescription drug co-pay. The plan premiums range from $50 to $70 a month, depending on the region. It also provides coverage for all Medicare-approved Part D prescription drugs and coverage for preferred generic prescription drugs in the “coverage gap.” Save at Costco pharmacies on prescription drugs and get enhanced coverage for generic benzodiazepines and barbiturates, prescriptions that are not covered by Medicare Part D. Maximum co-pays for generic prescription drugs filled at Costco are $5, if nothing at all.

The difference between original Medicare plans and the Aetna Medicare Rx- Costco Plus plan is that most drugs are not covered under original Medicare. The Aetna Medicare Rx- Costco Plus plan uses a formulary which is a list of drugs covered by your plan to meet patient needs.

Information on the plans are available on the Costco website (www.costco.com) , in the Costco Connection member magazine, and in-warehouse displays and literature on the plans. These materials are available to help educate Costco members on the new product. To enroll in these plans, you can use the Aetna website, Costco website, or over the phone with Aetna and Costco sales representatives.

‘”Aetna is committed to finding cost-effective solutions through all of our Medicare plans,” said Frank McCauley, head of Aetna’s Consumer Business Segment. “Teaming up with Costco, which is known for providing great value to its customers, gives us a great opportunity to reach a significant number of Medicare beneficiaries with an innovative prescription drug plan.”