Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Senior Citizens have Suffered Twice as Much

Our golden years can offer an opportunity to do things we never had a chance to do, like travel, spend time with loved ones, or work on personal projects. There is no other time in life when independence is more copious for most of us. However, keeping that independence has become a major struggle for many older Americans.

Health care, specifically the cost of care for assisted living and

Family Neglect of Our Elders

Stories in the media about neglect and abuse of nursing home patients raise questions about a portion of the long term care industry we are becoming more and more dependent on. But just as alarming is family neglect of our elders.

A recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services found that a staggering 97% of nursing homes in the United States do not have enough employees to care

Friday, January 16, 2004

Values and Principles can Outlast Alzheimer's Disease

It is tragic to lose a family member to due to a progressive disease like Alzheimer's disease, but I would argue that it is just as sad to lose the memories and knowledge of a loved one.

Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating sickness that strikes thousands of Americans yearly. Systematically, the disease attacks vital parts of the brain and makes it increasingly harder for a person to recall

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Are Medical and Long Term Care Insurance a Right?

One of the reasons why we fund our system of government is to ensure that basic services are provided to the general population. Things like roads, education and ways to promote health are necessary to maintain a working society. Yet, when it comes to providing access to some of these services, our government agencies and programs fail us.

Considering the problem of health care indigents from a

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

It’s Time for Universal Health Care

According to research done by AARP, between 1998 and 2001 many states modestly relaxed rules to give health care coverage to more low-income, blind, and disabled people. This seems to have coincided with the peak of the tech era “bubble” and the overflowing tax coffers of many state and local governments. Unfortunately, this commitment to the well-being of our public was short lived.

Right now,

Thursday, January 8, 2004

Long term care insurance plans and Medicare

Long term care is quickly becoming a type of coverage that is absolutely necessary for older Americans because social programs, such as Medicare, do not cover essential long term care benefits that can bankrupt the average individual.

Ironically, insurance companies found a niche in the mid 1960s for a new insurance product when the U.S. government tried to create a system to care for

Wednesday, January 7, 2004

Election Year Health Care

It is an election year and soon most of us will be bombarded with a number of messages from presidential candidates. Regrettably, not all of the issues that will be debated this year will become a part of the elected candidate’s agenda once that person gets into office. For example, revamping our dilapidated health care system probably will not get nearly as much consideration even though this