A new study has discovered that adding virtual reality cognitive behavioral therapy to the standard treatment for psychotic disorders is safe and can reduce paranoia and anxiety.

In a paper published in The Lancet Psychiatry, the researchers state that to their knowledge, theirs is the first randomized controlled trial of virtual reality (VR)-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that has attempted to improve social functioning and decrease paranoid thoughts in people with psychotic disorders.

Depending upon your circumstances, you may be eligible to get up to 283 hours of IHSS each month. The county will do a needs assessment to figure out the services you need and how many hours you qualify for.

Today at least 5.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, and that number only continues to grow. A recent study conducted by the Rand Corporation revealed that by the year 2019, nearly 15 million Americans will be living with mild cognitive impairment, which could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments, but results from recent trials indicate there could be one or more therapies available as early as 2020. The federal government set a goal in 2012 to achieve prevention and disease-modifying treatment by 2025.

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) are financed by state, county, and federal funds. Depending on your countable income, you may have to pay for a portion of the cost of services. This is known as share of cost.

If you work, you may qualify for no-cost IHSS even if you think you have to pay a share of cost. That’s because if you have a disability, you could sign up for Medi-Cal’s Working Disabled Program (WDP).

Sooner or later, science will deliver medicines to prevent, slow or cure Alzheimer’s disease, but America’s health care infrastructure is woefully unprepared to deliver such innovative treatments to the millions of people who would need access. Unless the health care system accelerates its readiness for a breakthrough treatment, patients could find it difficult or impossible to get access to life-changing, perhaps life-saving, medical advancements when they are ready.

Some counties have contracted IHSS care providers. Community care providers, friends, neighbors, and relatives can provide services as well. You are responsible for hiring, firing, and supervising your IHSS caregiver.

Anasarca is general swelling of the whole body that can occur when the tissues of the body retain too much fluid. The condition is also known as extreme generalized edema.
Accumulation of fluid may occur due to any illnesses and conditions that change the proteins of the body, affect the balance of fluids, or create abnormalities in the blood vessels or lymphatic system.

Often, if anasarca is present, it is a sign of severe organ damage or illness.

Low Income Subsidy (LIS) 

Helps to pay for Medicare Part D for people with low to moderate income and resources. Also known as “Extra Help”.
There are two levels of the LIS:

Full Subsidy

• The full subsidy is for people who also get Medi-Cal coverage or who are in a Medicare Savings Program (MSP). You may also qualify if your countable income is less than $16,281 per year and your resources are less than $7,560, if you are single (the limits are higher for larger households).
• With the full subsidy, you will not have to pay a Part D premium or deductible, there will be no donut hole, and there may be lower co-payments.

  Partial Subsidy 

• The partial subsidy is for people who can’t get the full subsidy, but have less than $18,090 in countable income and less than $12,600 in resources, if you are single (the limits are higher for larger households).
• With the partial subsidy, you will pay 0%, 25%, 50%, or 75% of the Part D premium, depending on your income, and will only have to pay a $83 deductible before you get help paying for drugs. You will have to pay coinsurance and co-payments for your medications, but they will be lower than they would be without the partial LIS.

  Note: Not all of your income and resources are counted when you apply for the Low Income Subsidy. You can apply for the LIS even if you are not sure that you will qualify.

Because dental insurance is usually acquired as part of a job benefit package, most persons lose their dental insurance coverage when they retire. In some states, Medicaid provides limited dental coverage for routine dental care for low income and disabled elderly persons.

Medicare, on the other hand, does not cover routine dental care for older adults, but provides a few, very limited services considered to be “medically necessary.” With only 22 percent of the adults 65 years and older covered by private dental insurance in 1995, most dental care expenses for the elderly were paid out of pocket.

This website offers affordable low cost dental insurance that will greatly help with dental care cost. Take a moment to review our dental insurance plan options and call member services if you should have any questions at 310-534-3444 M-F 8-5. We are always happy to help you with any of our dental insurance plan options.

As you may already know, dental coverage is not typically coverage, in your basic medicare. Original Medicare (Part A for hospital coverage and Part B for medical coverage) generally does not include routine dental coverage, such as dental exams, cleaning’s, fillings, crowns, and bridges. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule.

You may be able to get dental coverage under some Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare Part C) can include extra benefits like routine dental, routine vision, and Medicare prescription drug coverage.

I was searching the benefit and services for the Careington dental discount plans in California and found they have some good options for the dental plan 507. I am not sure how well the plan would work for the Share of Cost Medi-Cal program since the SOC program generally requires dental insurance but the discount plan should work for many others. CareingtonDental.com web site indicates all of the dental service charges are reduced if performed by a participating general dentist.

That would mean you need to select a plan network dentist but I do not see this as a bad thing since a great majority of people without a dental plan do not go to the dentist anyway so what does it matter which dentist you eventually go too? It doesn’t!

A good item was the 20% discount for charges not listed which could be a lot depending on the office you visit. I found some important disclosures and copied them here for your review – Implants and some whitening procedures will not be discounted by all participating carrington providers.

Implants and some whitening procedures will only be discounted if the participating careington provider has agreed to discount these procedures as part of their contract. These services will be offered, when applicable, at a 15% discount off of the provider’s normal fee. If the General Dentist’s normal fee for any procedure is less than the fee listed on this schedule, the dentist will charge 20% off of their normal fee for that procedure

The disclosures as noted indicate this is a discount program and not an insurance plan as noted above. However it could possibly be used as a supplemental dental plan if the dentist goes along with it… Careington cannot guarantee specialty care in all areas. In cases in which you are referred to a participating specialist, you will generally receive 15% to 20% off their usual and customary fees. Please verify such benefits with each individual provider. Work in progress, after joining the plan, must be completed by the provider who started the work. Any procedures performed by a non-participating provider are not included. They cannot guarantee the continued participation of any provider. If he or she leaves the plan, you will need to select another provider. Not all types of providers may be available in your area.

Some providers may charge for missed or broken appointments if no prior notice is given. It is the member’s responsibility to verify that the provider is a participating provider. This plan does not include all procedures which might be provided. Any procedure delivered which is not listed on the Schedule of Services may cause additional cost to be incurred by the member. The dollar amount specified adjacent to each procedure may not be the only cost incurred for a given treatment because the treatment may require more than one procedure. Note to Utah Residents: This contract is not protected by the Utah Life and Health Guaranty Association. The program and the program administrators have no liability for providing or guaranteeing service and have no liability for the quality of service rendered.

I hope this brief review will help you make an informed dental plan decision. I would recommend purchasing it if you can locate a dentist near you in their network.

According to the National Association of Dental Plans, approximately half of the U.S. population does not have an affordable dental plan. The cost for affordable dental insurance can vary. Therefore, it is important to understand all your options in obtaining the most affordable dental plan coverage.

The company where you work may provide the most affordable dental insurance plan options. Dental insurance plans for individual and families are usually an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) or a PPO (Preferred Provided Organization) and operate much like traditional health insurance organizations.

Affordable Dental Plans – HMO

Affordable dental insurance plans from an HMO have a limited pool of dentist to select, but it is a more affordable insurance plan. If you are self employed and looking for a more affordable dental plan, a discount dental plan may be an alternative.

Discount dental plans are not dental insurance plans. A discount plan partners with dentists to provide customers with a savings on visits to the dentist office. The downside to discount dental plans is that they are not regulated and you have limited recourse if you experience dental plan problems.

Affordable Dental Plans – Where to Buy

You can obtain quotes for more affordable dental insurance plans from companies online and through your local insurance agent or broker. Please keep in mind that there are many web sites who give the appearance of selling dental insurance but instead only offer a dental discount plan which is not insurance.

Your dentist may also have affordable dental plan options available to patients. Ask the receptionist if they partner with a dental plan company and see if one might be right for you.

Affordable Dental Plans – Other Alternatives

If you belong to a professional association, you might be eligible for a dental insurance or discount dental plan. Many associations partner with a PPO to provide their members with dental plans that offer very comprehensive insurance coverage at more affordable prices.

Finally, dental schools may offer affordable dental services. Dental schools seem to be safe, but can be inconvenient and treatment for one problem may have to be addressed in multiple office visits.

On ShareofCost.com you can learn about and buy an individual, couple and family dental insurance plans that fits your personal needs. Some of our dental insurance plans require you to stay within a network of dental care providers. Where as other of our dental plan options will let you choose your own dentist or go out side their provider list. The premiums may be a bit higher for this type of plan and you may have to pay more at the time of service depending on how your dentist files claims.

With more and more studies showing links to poor oral health and over all health care issue it is important to maintain your oral and dental care health. Seniors may need to see their dentist more then just twice a year if advised by their dentist in order to properly maintain their dental healthcare needs.

However with the rising cost of dental care many seniors tend to put off their dental care needs. One why to address the cost factor is by having dental insurance. There are many different types of dental insurance plans that can address different needs. One this website we offer Affordable low cost dental insurance plans such as HMO and or dental discount plans. Both of these plan types will make dental care much more affordable at a low month cost.

For people that wish to stay with or choose their own dental provider we also offer dental PPO plans such as Dental Dental, StandardLife Dental and Madison Dental   to name a few. Take a moment to review our dental insurance and plan options and see which may be the best fit for your dental needs and your budget.

As you age it is important to maintain your oral and dental health. Yet many seniors do not maintain seeing a dentist regularly due to cost factors. However, there are many good HMO dental insurance plans that are low cost plans that greatly reduce the cost of having dental services therefore making it affordable to maintain your dental health care needs. On this website we provide many affordable dental insurance plans. We are always happy to help you if you should have any questions about our dental insurance plans just call member services at 310-534-3444 M-F 8-4.

Seniors can find affordable dental insurance in CA, on our ShareofCost.com website. Cost of living can be rather high in California, with dental care cost continuing being on the rise it is important to have current dental insurance to help control your dental care costs. Let our member services help you with our dental insurance plans if you have any questions just call 310-534-3444.