For some, nothing scarier or painful then having bad teeth. One way to avoid having large dental care needs is by having good at home dental care habits. Brushing and flossing your teeth regularly and using a plaque fighting mouthwash.

But it dose not stop there.  Seeing your dentist at least twice a year or as often as advised by your dentist is a key part of maintaining your dental health.  Good dental care habits and seeing your dentist will greatly reduce your risk of having to have larger dental care needs.  So enjoy your treats if you have any on this Halloween but make sure to brush and floss your teeth afterwords.

Improved patient experience, population health, and reduced cost of care for patients with obesity and other chronic diseases will not be achieved by clinical interventions alone.

Obesity contributes substantially to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cancer. Dietary and physical activity interventions will prevent, mitigate, and treat obesity and its related diseases. Challenges with the implementation of this model include provider training, the need to provide incentives for health systems to move beyond clinical care to link with community systems, and addressing the multiple elements necessary for integration within clinical care and with social systems. The Affordable Care Act, with its emphasis on prevention and new systems for care delivery, provides support for innovative strategies such as those proposed.

1) Review each MSN or EOB you receive to determine how much your provider billed, the approved amount covered, and how much you have to pay.

2) Check your statements for accuracy and any denials of coverage, then call your provider or your plan with any questions.

3) For one-on-one assistance and counseling regarding your Medicare coverage, denials, or appeals, contact your local HICAP at 1-800-434-0222.

4) For one-on-one assistance and counseling regarding suspicious services, items, or charges, contact our Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 1-855-613-7080.

When reviewing your Medicare statements, identify the services or medications you have received and your share of the cost for each item. Your statement will clearly mark the services received, the amount that Medicare or your plan will cover, and the maximum amount that you can be billed for the service. These statements will also list if Medicare or your plan has denied coverage for care or medications you have received. It is important to check your statements for any denials of coverage. Your provider will also send you a separate bill for any fees you owe.

If you see a denial, call your provider to ensure that the service was billed to Medicare correctly. If the service was billed correctly and is being denied, follow the instructions on your statement to file an appeal. If you need assistance with denials, appeals, or understanding your coverage, contact your local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). If you do not think you received the service, item, or medication outlined on your MSN or EOB, contact your provider to inquire about a possible error. If you are unable to resolve the issue with your provider, contact our Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) to discuss potential abuse or fraud at 1-855-613-7080.

In addition to an EOB or MSN that details your Medicare health coverage, you will also receive a summary statement for your Medicare Part D plan. These statements are also called EOBs. Remember, if you have Original Medicare, you must get your Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage through a private stand-alone prescription drug plan. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, your Medicare Part D prescription coverage is generally provided through your Medicare Advantage Plan. Regardless of how you get your Medicare benefits, you will get a separate EOB for each month in which you had prescriptions filled.

If you have Original Medicare, you will receive an MSN in the mail every 3 months for your Medicare Part A and Part B covered services. Keep in mind that Medicare often provides separate MSNs for Part A and Part B covered services. The MSN will list the services or supplies that providers and suppliers billed to Medicare during the 3-month period, what Medicare paid, and the maximum amount you may owe the provider. If you do not receive any services or medical supplies during that 3-month period, you will not get an MSN for that particular 3-month period. You can also create an account at www.mymedicare.gov and view your MSNs online at any time.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may receive EOBs on a monthly basis (if you received services). Other plans send an EOB for each claim and then a quarterly summary of your health claims, and give you the option of creating an online account that allows you to access your EOB any time. Your EOB tells you how much your provider billed, the approved amount your plan will pay, and how much you have to pay. While all EOBs provide the same basic information, the layout and other specifics may vary. If your EOB shows that an item or service is not being covered, look for a section that includes footnotes, comments, or remarks to find out the reason why. You should contact your plan to get more information if any of your services or items were not covered.

Statements about your Medicare coverage contain important information about the costs of medical care and prescriptions you have recently received. Below we explore 2 main types of Medicare statements: the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and the Explanation of Benefits (EOB). It is important to note that MSNs and EOBs are not bills. Rather, they provide a summary of health care services you have received during the previous months and should be saved for about seven years, as you might need them in the future to prove that a payment was made.

When shopping for dental insurance if you have young kids you may want to make sure you buy a dental insurance plan that offers benefits for orthodontic services.  Many children at some point of their dental development may required orthodontic care. Making sure you have a dental insurance plan that will provide some coverages for that type of service will save you money if the need arises.

One way to make a change is to get people laughing! This is what an acting troupe of seniors do…traveling and performing comedy as a way to educate their peers on senior scams. Based in southern California, Stop Senior Scams Action Program is comprised of a lively, humorous, youth-filled group even as their ages span from 65 to 96 years. They visit nursing homes, temples, churches, senior housing units and senior centers and put on their skits about IRS scams, sweet heart scams, financial and health care scams. They even have their own hit tune called “Just Hang Up!” – to the tune of “Don’t Hang Up” (a big hit 53 years ago). Options for skit material are endless as they can draw from their own personal experience.

This group’s vision of using humor and laughter to spread awareness and empower seniors reflects the same vision our Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Thespians Society, which also uses funny skits to highlight fraud schemes, how to detect and report them, and ways to prevent them.

When it comes to dental insurance, prevention and maintenance are probably the most important coverages. When you have this type of coverage, you have a lot less to worry about when it comes to dental repairs or other services you might need in the future. Even the ability to keep the children’s teeth healthy comes from preventive care.

Also under most dental insurance plans, preventive dental care services are free to low cost making going to the dentist more affordable.  Whether for a child or an adult maintaining your dental care with preventive services and good at home habits will greatly lower your risk of having any need for larger more costly dental care.

The head of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at George Washington University, Professor Amitai Etzioni, recently released a video relating a sociological view on aging and how to deal with its changes. He uses the analogy of green bananas to point out that when we’re young, we’re often taught to take actions that secure a “good” future. We see things in more of a linear way, taking actions today to secure financial security, or a good home or family life, etc for the future. Once Professor Etzioni became an elder, however, he realized how this linear way of orienting one’s life, activities and goals wasn’t so applicable or relevant. The timeline that extends into the horizon isn’t so long, and more than ever, he is aware that one’s present moment is where the keys to happiness lie. In looking to sociological research, Prof. Etzioni found 3 key actions elders can take in leading happier, healthier and longer lives.

They are:

• Invest in friends
• Volunteer, mentor, find ways to give back in your community, and
• Maintain or develop your spiritual practice

While having good, quality health insurance coverage and care certainly contributes to one’s peace of mind and quality of life, these 3 actions also enhance people’s happiness and health. Watch the short video below as Prof. Etzioni expands on these actions.

When your child see a dentist regularly the dentist will be able to monitor the alignment of your child’s teeth.  A large majority of children will need braces to align or straighten their teeth at some point of their dental development. Children with crooked teeth, overbites, structural issues or severe under-bites will get the recommendation to wear braces.

The type of braces that your child will require and the length of time needed depends on how severe the problem is. Retainers can also be used which, like braces, provide a level of pressure to move your child’s teeth into their proper position.  Make sure you talk to your child dentist and go over any recommended dental treatment.

New research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust could transform treatments and diagnosis for a common digestive condition which affects thousands of patients.

The oesophagus or food pipe (gullet) is part of the digestive system. It is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. Barrett’s Oesophagus (also known as BE) and low-grade dysplasia affects approximately 2% of the adult population, particularly those with heartburn, as acid reflux from the stomach can, over time, damage the lining of the oesophagus and lead to BE. BE is seen in people undergoing endoscopy to determine the cause of their digestive problems. Barrett’s Oesophagus can sometimes lead to cancer.

It is important to under stand that brushing and flossing still can not thoroughly get every nook and cranny. So even though you may have given your child all the tools necessary for brushing and flossing their teeth, having a dentist look at your child’s teeth is recommended because dentists have additional tools which will allow them to clean every corner of your child’s mouth. This is also another chance that your child will have to understand the importance of good oral hygiene.

US communities and federal agencies should more intentionally seek to create healthier communities during disaster preparation and recovery efforts — something that rarely happens now, says a new report.

U.S. communities and federal agencies should more intentionally seek to create healthier communities during disaster preparation and recovery efforts — something that rarely happens now, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. By adding a health “lens” to planning and recovery, a community can both mitigate the health damage caused by disasters and recover in ways that make the community healthier and more resilient than it was before.

Brushing your teeth before bed is one of the most important children’s dental care tip for your child. When your child is young, make sure to either brush his/her teeth for them or supervise as it can be hard to brush correctly without practice. The goal for this is to make brushing before bed part of the routine of dental care for children and encourage them to continue it throughout their life. If they are hesitant about brushing, you could try making it a family routine that you all do together