This Informative Guide Will Help You Pick The Right Health Insurance Plan

Health insurance is a vital part of life, but it can be tough to determine which plan is right for you. It can be hard to know where to start with so many options available. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of choosing health insurance, with the factors to consider when picking one. Let’s get started.

Choose Your Health Plan Marketplace

Before picking any insurance plan, you must know the marketplace you are working with. Is it through your employer, or are you buying it yourself? If you are buying it yourself, each state has different marketplaces. You can also work with pa insurance agents to find the best plan for your needs. This ensures that you are getting the best deal possible.

Once you know which marketplace you fall into, research the plans that are available to you. There will be various options, so take your time and compare all of them before making a decision. It would be best not to rush this process as you could end up with a plan that doesn’t quite fit your needs.

Factor In Your Needs

When picking a health insurance plan, you need to factor in your own needs. What are you looking for in a plan? Are you looking for comprehensive coverage, or do you need basic coverage? Do you want a low monthly premium, or are you willing to pay a higher premium? You need to take the time and figure out what your needs are before going through this process.

It is also important that you think about your family’s health when picking insurance plans. If one of them has a chronic illness, for example, it would be best to get coverage for all members of that family. This way, you won’t have to worry about any unexpected costs in the future. However, if everyone is relatively healthy, then it may not be as necessary for your whole household to get insurance coverage at all times.

Do Your Research On The Company

You want to make sure that you are working with a trustworthy company. Take the time to research the company and find out if they have been in any lawsuits. You also want to make sure that you find a plan within your budget.

If you want specific coverage options, such as dental or vision insurance, it may be worth looking into them separately from other plans at this time. You can always add these to your plan later if you want, but you must be aware of the costs associated with them.

Get Quotes

Now that you have a general idea of what you are looking for in a health insurance plan, it’s time to get quotes from various companies. This will help you find the best deal possible. You can either go through an insurance agent or use an online tool to get quotes from different companies.

When getting quotes, make sure that you are upfront about your needs and what you are looking for in a plan. This will help ensure that you are getting the most accurate quote possible. You shouldn’t compromise your coverage to save money.

It is important to make sure that you pick the right health insurance plan. By following these steps, you will have a better chance of finding one that works for your needs and budget. You may want to talk with an agent or use an online tool to get quotes from various companies before deciding which company’s plan best suits your needs.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. About 1 in 8 women, and 1 in 1,000 men, will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. For women, this means that you have a 12% chance of having the disease. With early screening, diagnosis, and treatment, your chances of survival are very high, up to 99% survival rate after five years when caught in the breast before it spreads. Many factors contribute to your risk of developing this disease, just being a woman greatly increases your risk. While about 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history of breast cancer, genetics is thought to cause 5-10% of breast cancers. If you have a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer, your risk of developing it nearly doubles. Age also contributes to a higher risk of having breast cancer. The older you are, the higher your risk of developing it becomes. Women who menstruated before 12 years of age or those who stopped after 55 years of age are also at a higher risk.

What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?

Knowing what to look for is important in early detection. Some symptoms for breast cancer include: swelling of all or part of the breast; skin irritation; breast pain; nipple pain; redness or thickening of the nipple or breast skin; nipple discharge that isn’t breast milk; lump in the underarm areas; or a dimple in the breast tissue. Early screening and detection is key for breast health. When you suspect you might have a problem, you can see your primary doctor for initial tests. Depending on your test results and diagnosis, you may see a specialist. Some of the specialists you may encounter further into your treatment may include a breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a medical oncologist, and a reconstructive surgeon, among others.

How is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?

Screening tests can help to detect breast cancer before symptoms start. Typically, the earlier you diagnose breast cancer, then easier it is to treat. Some screening tests include things like yearly mammograms, clinical breast exams, and breast self-exams. Those with a high risk of breast cancer may have an option of a breast MRI; however, this is not recommended for those with lower risk. For those whose screening tests show they might have breast cancer, diagnostic tests are performed as a follow-up. These may include a fine needle aspiration biopsy, surgical biopsy, and lymph node biopsy to diagnose the type of breast cancer and develop a treatment plan. Monitoring tests, such as CBCs, bone scans, and ultrasounds, are used during and after treatment to check for signs of recurrence. There are many types of breast cancers that may occur. These are determined by the types of cells in the breast that are affected. Some general categories are non-invasive, invasive, recurrent, and metastatic breast cancers. In situ breast cancers, such as ductal carcinoma in situ, are non-invasive or pre-invasive cancers that have not spread to surrounding tissue. These are the easiest types to treat. Metastatic, or invasive, breast cancers such as invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma, are ones that have spread into the surrounding tissue. Metastatic cancers are classified with stages, 0-IV, and treatment depends upon the stage of the cancer.

How Can You Prevent Breast Cancer?

While you can’t control your genes or age, there are things you can control to lower your risk of developing breast cancer. Some controllable lifestyle choices, such as smoking, excessive drinking (more than one drink per day), diets high in fat, and lack of exercise, all contribute to a higher risk of developing the disease. Regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, and limiting drinking will help to reduce these risks. Avoiding exposure to certain chemicals also helps to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. Those with a personal history of breast cancer also have higher risk of developing the disease again. There are screening tests, diagnostic tests, and monitoring tests you may take for the diagnosis of breast cancer.

What is the Treatment for Breast Cancer?

Two methods of treatments to get rid of the cancer or get it under control are systemic treatments and local treatments. Systemic treatments, such as medicine given by mouth or through the bloodstream, can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body. Examples of these are chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy (such as Herceptin, Tykerb). Local treatments are treatments just on the tumor, without affecting other tissues or organs, such as surgery and radiation. Stage 0 breast cancer treatments may include mastectomy, lumpectomy with or without radiation, or hormone therapy. Stage I breast cancer treatments may involve the above treatments along with chemotherapy or targeted therapy. More advanced stages may require further lymph node removal and a more aggressive form of radiation, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy treatment. In addition to traditional treatments, there are clinical trials that you can chose to be involved in to try new treatments for breast cancer therapy, along with the new immunotherapy drugs. You may also choose to treat your cancer with complementary or alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, massage, special diet, vitamins, and herbs. Some of these treatments may have side effects. These side effects vary greatly depending on the treatment itself and the health of the individual. They include some of the following: physical illness, weakness and fatigue, depression, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, mouth sore, hair loss, weight gain, early menopause, a higher risk of infections, bleeding, and even possible death. If untreated, breast cancer is typically a fatal disease that doesn’t go away on its own. The timeline depends upon the severity of the cancer and the health of the individual; there aren’t any conclusive studies to show how long you will live with the disease if left untreated.

Final Thoughts

Early diagnosis and treatment will greatly increase your chances of remission and recovery. Many forms of breast cancer, when diagnosed early, may be treated with minimally invasive methods, enabling you to heal quicker and get back to your life. Nearly 13% of women will develop this disease. A chance at surviving depends heavily on early detection so empower yourself by knowing the symptoms, your family history, living a healthy life and having the recommended screenings.

The Flu Vaccine: Separating Fact From Fiction

With flu season rapidly approaching, many will choose to skip getting a shot because of advice they’ve heard from friends or read online. The truth is that the flu can be deadly for some people, so it’s vital that you get vaccinated. To help you distinguish between facts and fiction, below are five common myths you may have heard and the actual facts supported by science.

Myth 1: You Can Catch the Flu from A Flu Shot

This is a common misconception many people have about vaccines, and it is understandable to a degree. When you are vaccinated, you are injected with a small amount of the particular disease and your immune system works to build a stronger immunity to it. People are led to believe that they will catch the flu from the vaccine itself which is not the case. With the flu vaccine, you are injected with an inactive strain of the virus, so it is biologically unable to cause illness. If you receive the nasal spray variant, the viral strains are weakened but do not cause severe flu-like symptoms.

Myth 2: You Don’t Need a Flu Shot Every Year

Once you receive the vaccine you’re set for life, right? Wrong. The influenza virus is continually mutating from year to year, so it’s essential that you’re vaccinated each year. Much like you would update your smartphone to the latest software, you need to do the same with your immune system. In addition to the virus mutating, your body’s immune system will have less of a response to the flu vaccine over time. Receiving the latest and greatest flu vaccination is your best defense against the flu.

The Flu Vaccine Separating Fact From Fiction

Myth 3: You’re Better Off Taking Your Chances

Many people skip the flu vaccination because they think that their immune system is robust and on the off-chance they’ll get sick they can just power through this. While this may seem like the selfless, heroic choice, you’re really doing more damage than good. When you get the flu, it affects more than just yourself. Once the virus is in your system, you become a carrier for it, spreading it in the air when you cough, and on every doorknob or handrail, you touch. The flu is highly contagious, and the symptoms don’t usually show for up to four days after its entered the body. Be mindful of others and don’t unknowingly spread the virus to those that aren’t healthy enough to tough it out.

Myth 4: The Flu Isn’t That Serious

While the flu might not seem severe to those with healthy immune systems, the flu can be very deadly to many people, especially the very young and old. In fact, the CDC estimates there have been 12,000 to 56,000 flu-related deaths since 2012. That’s serious. Even if your immune system is resilient, the flu can still put you on the sidelines for up to two weeks. Do you really want to miss work, school, or social activities because of the flu? If not, make sure you get vaccinated.

Myth 5: You Can Only Be Vaccinated in the Fall

Many people associate flu season with winter which is fairly accurate since the virus tends to spread most during the cold months but the official flu season usually runs from October all the way until May. There isn’t a correct time you should be vaccinated, just as long as you are immunized before you contract the virus so if you decide to get vaccinated in March, you’re still protected from the flu for the remainder of the season. Now that we’ve separated facts from fiction and you have the right information make sure that you go out and get your vaccination! Even if you think you’re healthy and your immune system will fight it off, it’s better to be safe than sorry and prepare yourself for flu season!