News for April 9th 2009
INSIDE THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM – MEDICAL DEDUCTIONS—WHAT THE IRS DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW (PART 2)
mistake: Many people fail to claim these tax breaks because they provide less than half of the individual’s income— and so mistakenly assume that they provide less than half of the individual’s support.
key: “Support” includes only amounts that are actually spent on items of support, such as housing, food, clothing and medical care. It does not include income that is saved.
By having the parent save enough income in the bank (by putting money in the bank, he isn’t using the money to pay for support) so that you pay more than 50% of his support in the form of medical payments and other items, you can obtain a deduction for the medical bills.
tactic: When several people together provide most of an individual’s support with no one person paying more than 50%, they can file a multiple support agreement, IRS Form 2120, Multiple Support Declaration, to obtain a dependency exemption and assign it to one member of the group (which can change from year to year), provided he pays more than 10% of support.
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Edited: April 9th, 2009
INSIDE THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM – HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR HMO (INTRODUCTION)
If you’re not already enrolled in a health maintenance organization (HMO) or other managed-care plan, you may be soon. Three-quarters of American workers are enrolled in some form of managed care (HMO, PPO, POS) plan.
The number in traditional fee-for-service insurance is decreasing every year, and even these plans increasingly incorporate managed care features.
The rules are very different in this new system. To get good care, you must understand how managed care works and adjust your approach accordingly.
The first thing to understand is how the financial incentives for doctors have changed. Under the fee-for-service system, insurance companies paid doctors for every service rendered. Each time doctors stuck in a needle, ran a cardiogram or took out someone’s tonsils, they were paid.
Unfortunately, doctors responded to this arrangement by doing millions of needless tonsillectomies and other procedures.
As a result, medical costs skyrocketed, with health care consuming a larger and larger chunk of the GNP.
HMOs came along and changed the way doctors are paid. Although they use dozens of different systems, the bottom line in many plans is this—the less the doctor does, the more money he or she makes.
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Edited: April 9th, 2009
HEALTHY EATING AND WEIGHT LOSS – IS IT WHOLE GRAIN?
When buying any type of bread, look for whole-grain flours in the list of ingredients. These include bulgur, whole wheat, whole rye, whole oats, barley, brown rice and buckwheat. Less common whole grains include amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye). One of these flours should appear first in the list of ingredients—this means it is the primary ingredient by weight.
caution: Just because a bread package says “multigrain,” “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran,” it does not mean it is made from whole grains.
important: Serving sizes can be deceiving. Some breads list one serving as one slice, others as two slices.
White bread, which is made from refined grains, will list enriched wheat flour as the first ingredient.
typical nutritional data per slice! 66 Calories, 0.6 g fat,
0.6 g fiber, 170 mg sodium.
important: Sourdough bread does not cause the spikes in blood sugar that result from eating other refined breads. That’s because it has a lower glycemic index, an indicator of how quickly carbohydrates are digested.
The following breads can be among the most healthful available. Just check the ingredients to ensure that they’re made from whole grain.
Nutrient-dense breads.
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Edited: April 9th, 2009
HEALTHY TRAVEL AND REMEDIES FOR EVERYDAY AILMENTS – THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF YOUR EVERYDAY COSMETICS
Eye injuries are the most common mishaps when applying cosmetics—especially scratching the eye with a mascara wand, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
advice: Never try to apply mascara while in motion, including as a passenger in a vehicle.
Here are some other suggestions from the American Academy of Dermatology to reduce the risk of skin irritation when using cosmetics…
Choose powder-based makeup when possible. It usually has few preservatives and other ingredients that can cause skin irritation.
Avoid waterproof cosmetics, which require solvents to remove them. These solvents also remove the oily substance produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands, leaving skin exposed to potential irritants that can cause a breakout.
Throw out old cosmetics. The lifespan for lipstick and foundation is one year; for mascara, three to four months; and two years for powder and shadows.
Use products with fewer ingredients. The fewer ingredients, the less likely they are to cause a problem.
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Edited: April 9th, 2009
HEALTHY TRAVEL AND REMEDIES FOR EVERYDAY AILMENTS – BREAK THE STREP-THROAT CYCLE; THE TRUTH ABOUT LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
When your doctor prescribes antibiotics, it is very important to take the full course. Do not stop before the bottle is finished.
Most people use just enough antibiotics to relieve symptoms, then stop. This may result in symptomless infections that cause hidden damage (rheumatic fever)…a recurrence of the strep throat…or the transmission of strep throat to someone else.
A study suggests that only a fraction of those who think they are lactose intolerant actually are. The others have simply been swayed by widespread publicity about the condition. In a study of 30 people who thought they suffered from lactose intolerance, all were able to consume up to eight ounces of milk daily with negligible problems.
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Edited: April 9th, 2009