What is a homebirth
03.July, 2009
Having a baby is the one of the most precious moments for a woman. The experience of delivering a new life is like no other.Even though it has a lot of pain associated with it, the majority of women will believe it is worth it.
As a San Diego midwife I would like to share with you a method that you might not be aware of.It is also known as waterbirth.
Waterbirth of all the methods of delivery has been described as one of the gentlest of methods. It requires the use of a heatedwater bath or a pool.A few woman will just use the water for the pain of the labor part.They will do it because heated water is actually a good pain reliever.It soothes and relaxes the tissues.
Other women also use it to deliver the baby.They don’t leave the water till the delivery is all the way through.Even till the placenta is delivered all the way through.
The whole procedure is usually overseen by a person called a midwife. If you are in San Diego there are plenty of midwives San Diego. You will want to find an experienced one.
Why do some women choose this procedure over the hospital? As mentioned previously, it is very painful the labor and delivery part.A majority of women will use the drugs to try and stop the pain.But for quite a few women they do not want to introduce drugs into their body in fear of harming the baby.Using this method of waterbirth helps reduce the pain.Because of the
heated water it soothes the tissues and helps with the pain.
Most women will have this done through a natural process. They will not use any drugs to cope with the pain. Often times this actually helps the labor happen faster.Because when you use the drugs it can really slow down the labor.
It is really a safe alternate way of delivery. For women looking to having their baby naturally this might be the way to go. I have seen many happy deliveries as a San Diego licensed midwife.All it will require of a woman is to do a little research and see for themselves
how safe it really is.
Who Was The First Periodontist?
03.July, 2009
Many people have wondered, who was the first periodontist? Upon hearing this, many other people have wondered, what is a periodontist? Well, we are going to discuss those questions and many more throughout this article, to the best of our abilities concerning the documented evidence.
We know for a fact that periodontal disease has been a problem for people throughout history. You see, as a specialty, periodontics - the study of gum disease, periodontitis, et cetera - has a very long and very rich history. That history spans the whole of civilization.
An excellent mouthwash product line by therabreath therabreath exists and can be quite useful for oral health.
There is evidence that even back in prehistoric times, our ancestors had problems with their teeth. For example, people in the early Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures had oral health problems. How do we know this? Well, for one thing, there is written evidence and skeletal remains which show the existence of periodontal disease.
In more modern times we have a deviced called the hydrofloss as well as Ozone generators that can be quite helpful in this regard.
In histories pertaining to ancient Chinese and Indian cultures, there exists evidence of periodontal diseases like scurvy. Within those same histories, there were actually pieces of advice pertaining to the importance of cleaning one’s teeth! The evidence piles up throughout history, from ancient Greek and Roman to Renaissance Europe. The diseases themselves were described in the documents available, as well treatments and methods of prevention.
However, the first periodontist came quite a bit later - not until the early twentieth century, in fact. Now, it stands to reason that periodontists likely existed before this; they simply were not documented. They may have gone by a different title. Around about 1914, however, all available accounts seem to suggest that Dr. Grace Rogers may well have been the first periodontist.
Given the long history of documented periodontal diseases and care, however, it only stands to reason that, in the equally long history of dentistry, other people must have practiced periodontology. We simply do not have documentation of those possible forebears.
Disclaimer: If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, please visit your doctor or periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition.
How to keep your wealth
03.July, 2009
One of the problems associated with most Americans is their wealth is being lost.They have lost it in regards to the dollar value being lost and going down.They may be losing it by not having as much work. And they are losing it in the equity of their houses.
As a San Diego painting contractors I would like to examine how to perserve your wealth in regards to your home.
During this decade many people made tens of thousands if not more in equity.In a few places like in California the equity gained is what caused the economy to get hot because a lot of people spent their gains like an ATM.
Well now that the housing bubble has burst, so has a lot of people’s wealth. For many people who were counting on the equity in their houses it is all gone. For many they are still losing equity even now.
So what can be done to secure that equity. Well there is a quick way. That is to hire painters San Diego company.
Now you must be wondering how can that keep my equity?Well by keeping your home in top market condition you will have the opportunity to sell your home at the highest prices.
If you have attempted to put your house on the market and sell in this economy you understand what I am referring to.The homes that go off the market and are sold fast are the best kept up ones. The ones that look like they have been kept up.By doing something like a home improvement job such as doing some painting on your house you can complete that goal.
A painted house that you do can make your home look brand new.A beautifully done outside paint job can make your home look brand new and the best one on the street. And when everyone is competing for the few buyers you want that edge.
So in the future when you are finding ways to keep your wealth, you might want to look into a paint job.You will be astonished at the value a quality painter can give you. I should know from my experience painting San Diego.
In a long-term care insurance (LTCI) policy, the elimination period is often referred to as the policy deductible. In many ways it is similar to the deductible used in major medical insurance policies. One significant difference is this: rather than a certain dollar amount that you will initially pay for your own care expenses, there is always a specified number of days for which you will be responsible for your own homecare.
What are My Options?
Nowadays, there are only a few carriers that offer a zero day elimination period. The most common choices are 30, 60, 90, 180 and 365 days, although these periods can vary from one carrier to another. The choice of 180 or 365 days is most often made by those who have significant assets of their own. Selecting a longer period helps them keep the cost of LTCI extremely low. Even if one chooses a 90-day elimination period, the amount of funds put at risk is miniscule when compared to the asset protection afforded by the policy;s total pool of benefits.
What is a Reasonable Choice for an Elimination Period?
There are some popular financial authors who recommend setting it as low as possible, perhaps even at zero. It’s true that the shorter the elimination period, then the less likely it will be for you to pay out when the time comes for you to recieve care. On the other hand, low elimination periods can have a dramatic effect on the premiums that you pay throughout the life of the policy. Usually some form of compromise is necessary for the sake of affordability. In making a decision about the elimination period, many policyholders keep in mind that insurance is often used as a way to avoid suffering catastrophic financial losses rather than insuring against every possible expense. Accepting a small portion of the risk involved can be an economical and reasonable choice for most people.
The Smartest Thing You Can Do
Please keep in mind that what is right for most people might not be right for you. In deciding on the best elimination period for your particular situation, it is prudent to consider what the cost would be for the most expensive assisted care that you may have to receive, which is most often facility care. Once you have a good idea of the daily costs for facility care in your area, then you multiply the costs by various elimination period choices and determine the amount that you feel is affordable. When you decide on the elimination period that best fits your situation, earmark those funds for your care, and allow them to grow so that they keeps pace with inflation, at the very least. Using a little financial common sense goes a long way toward making a wise decision about the LTCI elimination period.
Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) Basics
02.July, 2009
Private insurance companies sell LTCI policies to offset the costs of long-term care. LTCI, like all insurance policies, requires premiums to help recipients avoid paying large sums later on in the event of an illness or a catastrophic event. Also take note that the premiums are based on the individual’s age at the time of the purchase and are usually locked in for the life of the policy. LTCI covers the following, depending on the policy you choose:
Care in a skilled nursing facility
Care in an assisted living facility
Buying a LTCI policy allows the policyholder to choose from many options, such as the amount of the daily benefit, the number of years the policy will pay benefits, and, once the applicant qualifies for a policy, the number of days or months before the policy will begin paying benefits. It’s very important to evaluate policies carefully to see which one offers the benefits you require with a premium that fits your budget. Policies differ in their benefits, contract conditions, deductibles and premiums.
It is also important to take into account the rising cost of home care. Be sure the LTCI policy gives inflation protection for benefits to increase as health care costs continue to rise. Policies are generally labeled according to the place in which benefits are paid. Homecare-only policies pay for care at home and in an adult day care or adult day health care facilities. Make sure the policy includes both types of day care. Facility-only policies pay for care in a skilled nursing facility and in an assisted living facility. Comprehensive policies pay for care in a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility, adult day care or adult day health care facility, and at home. Since LTCI claims are often paid many years after the purchase of the policy, it is imperative to check the following: Financial strength of the company. The industry’s major rating services are A.M. Best , Duff and Phelps, Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s and Weiss Ratings . Reputation and claims-paying history of the company.
You can contact the State Insurance Department for more information on specific private insurance companies. Click here for listings information for each state’s insurance information. Applicant must be healthy at the time of application Each insurance company has individual requirements and/or limitations Not sure when is the right time to buy an LTCI policy? Or how to assess what you will need from a policy? Visit our Expert Column on Financing Long Term Care to find out more.
Long-term care insurance (LTCI) happen to be very much different from the other kinds of insurance. As a result, even the foundational features of these policies require taking some time to understand before making your final decision. However, what about all the other choices and features which are not built into the policy and requires you to pay extra to get them? In my opinion, LTCI policies are best kept simple. If you have done your homework on setting up the foundational features of the policy, you have already done 90% of the work in most cases. Remember that it is always a good idea to find out more about those other options once you feel that you can afford to spend more on your care, but you should also examine whether they are truly going to be cost-effective in your case. A good way to accomplish this is to narrow down your selection to the two to three carriers that you feel most comfortable with and get quotes on a straightforward policy setup with no extras or options added.
Next, add on the options that you may be interested in one at a time and get a new quote. This will tell you exactly how much extra you can expect to pay for these options. Once you have those figures it’s much easier to decide if the options you are considering are really worth pursuing further. Here is a list of some of the most popular options in LTCI or Long Term Care insurance policies:
1. Return of Premium - This option allows you to receive back some or all of the premiums that you pay into the policy if you either decide to cancel the policy or if you die without using all of your benefits. Be careful as this option is very expensive.
2. Survivorship - The benefits of this option can vary from carrier to carrier, but typically it says that if the policy premiums have been paid for a specified period of time, often ten years, and one spouse dies, the surviving spouse’s policy is considered paid up with no further premiums required.
3. Restoration of Benefits - This provision restores all of the benefits paid out for care if a policyholder fully recovers and does not suffer a relapse for a specified period of time (usually six months).
4. Waiver of Home Health Care Elimination Period - This option reduces the elimination period (the amount of days that you pay for your own care before the insurance company starts to pay) to zero. This means that it starts to pay from the very first day of services rendered if the care is received at home. There are other options that can be considered when shopping for LTCI too, but in my experience the most common danger is getting bogged down in these extra features that do not really impact the quality of your future care nearly as much as the foundational features.
This is one reason why getting an experienced and knowledgable agent help you with the process can often reduce much of the confusion surrounding these options so that you can select the policy and features that suit you best.
In my previous articles, I have talked about long-term care insurance partnership program that almost two thirds of the states is in the process of getting approved and put into place. This program is designed to encourage the purchase of LTCI by consumers so that the state can reduce its liability for paying for long term care costs in the near future. This is vital if current state Medicaid programs are going to remain solvent. The advantage to consumers is that the state acts as a safety net for them in case their care exceeds the benefits of their LTCI policy, and they are guaranteed that long-term care costs will not be allowed to completely wipe out all of their assets. The question is what identifies a policy as being partnership qualified? There are several qualifications that were outlined in the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, including the need to be federally tax-qualified and to contain the consumer protection provisions of the NAIC LTC Model Act and Model Regulation.
Majority of the policies sold today already have those provisions. However, there is one requirement that contributes more than almost any other to qualifying a LTCI policy for the partnership program. It must have the age-appropriate inflation protection benefit. These requirements are as follows: Those who are aged 60 or younger need to have ” compound annual inflation protection. ” Those at least 61 but younger than 76 must have ” some level of inflation protection. ” Those age 76 or older must be offered an inflation protection option, but they are not required to purchase that option. Now why is inflation protection given to such prominence in partnership-qualified policies? The answer is that if partnership-qualified policies don’t have inflation protection, the purpose of a partnership program may be defeated. This is because the whole point of the partnership program is to help relieve the financial burden of long-term care costs from the state Medicaid systems.
If a consumer buys a LTCI policy but does not allow it to keep pace with the rising costs of assisted care, the insufficient benefits will most likely to force the policyholder to turn to Medicaid anyway. With very few assets left, the state will then have to pick up the rest of the bill for this individual and the original intent of the program is defeated. A very important lesson that can be learned is that inflation protection is a vital component of any LTCI policy;whether partnership-qualified or not.
Long-term Care Insurance Explained: What It Is, Types of LTCI Policies & What to Consider
02.July, 2009
Health is always vital when it comes to long-term care, and LTCI (or Long-Term Care Insurance) can be an effective tool for protecting your assets and estate from the high costs of senior care. The best long-term care insurance should cover many care solutions, and even if you don’t think you need it now, it is always best to get LTCI early on. Though the average nursing homes length of stay is significantly higher than most people believe, 2.4 years according to a report conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, less than 20% of long-term care is home care, nursing home care, home health care, adult day care, assisted living facility care and others consitute the overwhelming majority of senior care services. Generally, the people who are in need of care are responsible for paying the costs. Long Term Care is usually not covered by your personal health insurance plan or by the policy you may currently have from a present or previous employer. Medicare is usually the one that pays for only a small percentage of skilled nursing costs, while Medicaid provides health care coverage to Americans with lower incomes and can pay almost half of all nursing home costs.
Though it is likely that you will need long-term care in the future, no one can predict the kind of care that may be needed or what are the exact costs involved. With Long-Term Care Insurance, you can budget and plan for a quantible and known premium for a policy that can protect you from potentially large out-of-pocket expenses. It can be beneficial to learn about the different types of long-term care health insurance policies available to you in order to match the most appropriate policy to suit your needs.
Types of Long-Term Care Health Insurance Policies: The most common policy type is indemnity which pays a maximum fixed benefit. A benefit amount is chosen at the time the policy is issued and actual expenses, up to a fixed predetermined dollar amount, are reimbursed as they are incurred. Also, integrated policies that give benefits are now becoming more popular today. The provisions allow for a total dollar amount that may be used for various long-term care services with expense limits on a daily, whether monthly or weekly basics.
Due to rapidly increasing long-term care costs, most long-term care health insurance policies offer inflation adjustments to help offset high anticipated future costs. Take note that long term care insurance policies only take effect when an individual is unable to perform activities of daily living or becomes cognitively impaired from dementia or related illnesses. Home care services such as skilled and unskilled nursing care, physical therapy and home health aide support provided by licensed agencies are generally covered as are skilled, intermediate and custodial care services provided in licensed nursing facilities. It should be noted that if any conditions are preexisting, all benefits are denied when care is needed within six months of the policy’s issue date for that condition.
What to Consider When Selecting the Best Long-Term Care Insurance: There are now over 100 Long-term Care Insurance products on the market today. Before selecting a long-term care health insurance provider and policy, Always remember to consider the following: Verify that the insurance agent is licensed to sell long-term care health insurance in your state and review ratings to make sure that the insurance provider is secure financially since you will likely need the policy for years to come. Also, remember to determine exactly which services are covered, e.g., skilled nursing home care, unskilled nursing facility care, home health care, adult day care, etc. in order to select the best when it comes to long term care insurance policy. Examine the length of time benefits are provided for the various types of services covered; look for maximum lifetime benefit amounts.
Remember to identify the length of time before pre-existing conditions are covered. Find out how long you must wait before benefits begin for services. Inquire regarding coverage of Alzheimer’s and other related illnesses, a good long term care insurance provider should allow for this. Review any premium provision waivers. Analyze cost requirements to ensure your ability to make policy payments during retirement years. As with all complex and important decisions, you should talk to friends and relatives to obtain recommendations on the best long-term care insurance and share experiences regarding various policies, review all paperwork, with the consultation of your attorney if needed, to ensure that you understand policy provisions and discuss economic implications with your financial advisor.
A Sneaky Secret About Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums
02.July, 2009
Affordability is one of the key ingredients in any successful long-term care plan. That is why the premium cost is often the most important factor to consumers who are considering the purchase of LTCI. One of the most common questions I hear is: ” Will my premiums ever increase? ” The answer is this: there are a couple of scenarios in which LTCI premiums could increase. I will try to explain one in this article and follow up with the second in a future article. The first scenario involves a choice the policyholder makes regarding inflation protection. Most of the LTCI policies have automatic inflation protection built into the policy design from the very beginning; in such cases the premium is designed to stay level for the life of the policyholder. The benefits increase each year, but the long term care insurance premium remains the same.
Inflation Protection: What You Need to Know
Some insurance carriers offer a different kind of inflation in which the policyholder starts out with no automatic inflation protection; instead, benefit increases would be offered every three years or so. These increases can actually be declined or accepted by the policyholder. This means that your premium would increase every three years for the rest of your life or until you start receiving policy benefits. The problem with this inflation protection choice is that the policyholder is three years older when each offer of extra benefits is made. The cost of the added benefits is based on the later age, not on the age of the policyholder at the inception of the policy. This can result in a significant increase in premiums in later years. Some consumers simply drop these policies after a while, as they just can’t afford to continue paying long term care insurance premiums that are so much higher than the cost of the original premium.
Long-term Effects of Premium Increases
Group policies often offer this kind of inflation protection to stay competitive with individual LTCI policies. Before they start finalizing their decision, it is very important for consumers to understand the long-term effects that these premium increases can have. Unfortunately, there are lots of policyholders who did not understand the ramifications of this kind of inflation protection when they purchased their policy. They sometimes find themselves locked into a policy that is constantly increasing in price and have few options for switching to a more affordable LTCI product due to their age and/or home health care circumstances. It is actually true that automatic inflation protection increases that are built into the premium cost from the inception of the policy will initially be more expensive than a periodic increase offer. But in my opinion, in most circumstances, it is better to lock in your inflation protection costs at an early age, and know that your premiums will remain stable, than take the chance on an ever-increasing premium that may eventually be too much to afford.
Underwriting is essentially the acceptance of risk in return for payment. In long term care insurance, this occurs when an applicant becomes a policyholder, paying the insurance company to accept the risk that may require them to pay out claims on the applicant’s behalf. A lot of people often wonder what the application process and the underwriting process for long-term care insurance are about and how it all works. I’ll discuss all of that in this article. Why is underwriting necessary? The answer to this question has to do with how insurance functions.
Think of insurance as a pool of money into which different parties have made deposits. These funds can then be used to pay for the financial losses of individual depositors who have had to make a claim due to unforeseen circumstances. In the case of long-term continuous care, the funds could be used to pay for custodial care for the individual policyholders who may have developed a need for this type of care.
One primary objective of underwriting is to spread the risk among the pool of policyholders as equitably as possible in a manner that is also profitable for the insurance company. The premiums that each policyholder must pay are directly affected by how much money the insurance carrier expects to have to pay out for claims. This can only mean that the insurance company has to manage the risk that it will have to pay money out of that central pool of funds. The more they have to pay out, the higher the cost of the insurance for everyone. Risk management, once again for those who are not familiar, involves analyzing the potential risks for each of the applicant (and the associated costs of those risks) in order to set premium rates for policyholders and mitigate the potential financial losses for the insurer.
Question is, how are long term care insurance or LTCI premiums calculated? To manage the payout risk, each insurance carrier employs underwriting procedures to make sure that applicants with high-risk medical histories are not allowed into the insurance pool, which would thereby drive up the cost for everyone else. Obviously, while the risk taken by the insurer directly informs the premium rates that policyholders must pay, there are lots of different risk levels which are reflected the different premium rates. This is essentially how a long term care insurance company determines the premium rate that you will pay, in which I will further explain in a future article. What underwriting procedures are employed? The first step of underwriting that all carriers use is the application form where the applicant lists his or her relevant personal health history and authorizes the insurance company to examine their medical records.
More often, the carrier will schedule a phone health interview that lasts for about fifteen to twenty minutes. One of the main purposes of this telephone call is to assure the carrier that the applicant should not have any cognitive problems that would become evident in the way the phone conversation is conducted. Afterward the carrier will often request a copy of the medical records from the applicant’s primary care physician to verify that person;s overall health. If the applicant has been treated by a specialist for any serious illness in recent years, a copy of those medical records may be requested as well. This is where the whole process can sometimes bog down for a few weeks if the doctor’s office does not process the record request quickly. However, once the carrier receives the medical records, a final underwriting decision usually follows very quickly.