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The Truth About Pain

Don’t let anyone fool you:  pain is good. It’s not fun, but it is good. Necessary. And helpful. Pain is actually a protective mechanism — our body’s way of saying, “hey, pay attention; there’s an injury going on here!”  Without pain, we’d keep our hand on the hot stove, walk on a broken leg and keep abusing an injured back.

Sudden, acute pain signals a new injury; chronic pain, however, is long term, decreasing the quality of our daily life, often making us anxious, agitated and depressed.  The people around us seem to have compassion for our acute pain and little patience for chronic pain. They want us to get over it (so do we, those of us who are suffering!), but it’s not always easy.

There are a lot of myths and half-truth about pain management. Let’s sort a few of them out.

Myth:
My doctor — and others — will think I’m a wimp or complainer or worse — an addict —  if I ask for something stronger.

Truth:
Pain is real and needs to be aggressively controlled, often with several different drugs, at initial high doses, to enable you to function at your best. Depending upon the type of pain you’re having, drugs other than “traditional” pain relievers may be effective, such as those used for seizures or depression.

Myth:
All of the good pain medicines are addictive; I’ll instantly become addicted if I take them.

Truth:
If you need to take narcotics for your pain, it is unlikely that you will become addicted.  Typically, addiction occurs when you continue taking the drug long after you need it for pain relief. It’s critical to take the drugs as prescribed.

Myth:
I should wait until the pain becomes unbearable before taking anything.

Truth:
Pain is easier to avoid and harder to treat.  Translation:  if you wait until the pain is intense, you will never be able to relieve it; but if you take your medicine at the first sign of the anticipated pain, you’ll be able to avoid it.

Myth:
Because over-the-counter pain medicines are safe, I can take as many as I want without hurting myself

Truth:
Over-the-counter pain medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol®), aspirin, naproxen are very effective pain relievers, but can be just as dangerous as prescription pain medicines if you take too many or too often.

Take care of yourself: Don’t listen to the myths; listen to your body. Heal it with rest and appropriate medicine. Don’t be shy about seeking stronger relief. And if you have questions, ask until you’re satisfied with the answers.

May 27, 2010 | Tags: , , | 2 Comments »

Open Enrollment: A Critical Time for You and Your Family

Whether you’re one of the lucky folks who still have health insurance from your employer or you purchase insurance on your own, open enrollment is right around the corner. It’s a critical time in terms of choosing or renewing benefits, so approach with care and caution.

Here’s what it is:
An annual event, open enrollment gives you an opportunity to change your current health plan  or benefit options, such as dental or vision care. Once open enrollment is over, you can’t make any changes to your plan design for an entire year, unless there’s an IRS qualifying event, such as marriage, divorce birth, adoption, or death.

During Open Enrollment, examine your plan choices for the following:

  1. The Network:  Compare your doctors and specialists  (along with your preferred hospital) with the plan’s list of network providers. Who’s in?  Who’s not? Can you live with that?  Are you allowed to use out-of-network providers and hospitals?  If so, what are the costs and prerequisites?
  1. Cost Per Visit:  Look at monthly charges, deductibles, and co-pay requirements for doctor and specialist visits.  Do the math. If you see doctors often, you may want a higher monthly payment with lower co-pay; if you go occasionally, consider a lower payment and higher co-pay.
  2. Prescription Coverage:  Basically, you want to compare plans in relation to the annual cost of all your prescriptions. Which plans have a separate prescription deductible? What about co-pays?  How much will you save with generics or ordering by mail?
  3. Plan Features & Overall Coverage:  Think about the services and supplies you normally use;  now imagine the coming year and what you might need. Will you be traveling? Having surgery? Will you need short term rehabilitation and physical therapy? Does your plan require precertification? Are you covered anywhere in the U.S. or if you travel abroad?  Are preventative care and immunizations covered?  Of the plans you’re considering, which offers discounts for services like gym memberships? Is that important to you?

Choose your plan according to your needs — the ones you have now and the ones you envision for the coming year. You only get one chance each year to get it right. If you need help comparing plans and benefits, give Health Champion a call.  We’re here to make Open Enrollment easy on you.

May 19, 2010 | Tags: , , , | 15 Comments »

So you have two health plans…what should you know?

Double the Benefits

You’re married. You have jobs. And both employers provide health benefits. Double the insurance, double the benefits, right? Not so fast. And, while all the folks with little to no health insurance are likely reading this, saying, “I should have such a problem,” there really is a bit of Double Trouble when you have two sets of benefits under one roof.

The key to managing your coverage is understanding the rules, knowing which policy is your primary one and which is secondary (you don’t get to choose no matter how much you may like one plan over the other). However, you have to follow the rules of both, so pay attention to the details.

Some tips and reminders:

  • When there are dependent children on both policies, most plans follow the birthday rule: the parent whose birthday month falls earlier in the calendar year holds the primary plan. The actual birth year is ignored.
  • Make your doctor aware of all your health insurance coverage; always give copies of both cards.
  • Ask if your doctor’s office will send the secondary carrier a copy of the bill along with an explanation of payment. If not, you’ll need to do that. This is critical to having the claim processed correctly.
  • Using network/out of network providers: If your primary plan allows you to see both types of providers, but your secondary plan requires that you use only participating providers, the limitations of the secondary plan take precedence. In this case, the provider must be participating with the secondary plan. Otherwise, benefits won’t be paid.
  • Ditto for preauthorization or precertification: the rules of the secondary health plan have to be met in order to process the claim.

Dual coverage is definitely a benefit, but it takes vigilance to ensure you don’t fall between the cracks of your coverage. When in doubt, call your plan administrators to learn what’s covered, what’s not and how to receive maximum benefits.

Next week, we’ll look at the Medicare Factor and see its impact on coverage.

May 12, 2010 | 3 Comments »

It Kills. And it’s Silent: High Blood Pressure

When the heart stops ticking, so do we. That’s the plain and simple truth. So let’s work at keeping it healthy for as long as possible. No lectures here. Just a couple of reminders and a new way of looking at things. For instance, contrary to popular assumption, heart disease is not the result of isolated, unconnected diseases; rather it runs along a continuum. And it starts with high blood pressure.

Known as the Silent Killer, high blood pressure can start in teens or early adulthood, generally has no symptoms, and can go undetected for years. Left untreated, it only gets worse. And so does your risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

Quick Review:

Your heart beats rhythmically, transporting blood through arteries and veins, stopping by the lungs to pick up oxygen and then moving on, delivering oxygen-ripe blood throughout your body, returning to the lungs and beginning the journey once again. All day. All night. This elegant system of pressure and movement keeps us alive and healthy.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure makes the heart work harder. The harder it works, the larger and less efficient it becomes, resulting in irregular heat beats (arrhythmias), blood clots — which  can block veins and arteries or break off and travel to your lungs or brain — and even  heart failure.

Think of high blood pressure as the beginning of heart disease — the beginning of a story where you can help write the ending with healthy behavior. Have regular check ups. Take medication if required, even if you have no symptoms. Exercise. Lay off salt. Eat well. And pay attention to the other risk factors along the continuum. Next time we talk about hearts, we’ll examine cholesterol.

Meanwhile, remember that in 2006 high blood pressure killed 56,561 people across the U.S. It’s time to change those numbers. If you’re going to be a statistic, be a good one! Start by taking care of your blood pressure.

May 7, 2010 | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments »