Pregnancy and oral health: Dentists care required

Changing body can affect teeth and gums

Most pregnant women in America don’t see their dentists for important oral health care nearly as often as recommended, which can cause ongoing health problems for both mother and her baby.

In fact, fully a quarter of pregnant women didn’t see the dentist at all during pregnancy and 38 percent visited the dentist just once. That’s one key finding from a survey(1) of American children’s oral health, conducted this summer on behalf of Delta Dental Plans Association, the nation’s leading dental benefits provider. Delta Dental commissioned the survey to build greater knowledge about the state of children’s oral health.

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, about 50 percent of women get “pregnancy gingivitis,” a disease that makes the gums sore and swollen. In some studies, pregnant women with gum disease have given birth to low-weight or pre-term babies, who are at risk for many serious diseases including chronic lung disease, brain injury, motor and sensory impairment, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

Dentists can identify gum and teeth problems during a routine checkup. Besides brushing, flossing and chewing sugar-free gum, women should get a thorough dental exam if they are planning to become pregnant. They also should get their teeth cleaned professionally once they are expecting.

Babies Need Oral Health Care, Too

The Children’s Oral Health Survey suggests that caregivers recognize the importance of oral health care for infants, but don’t always understand the techniques that promote oral health.

“On one hand, more than three in four survey respondents strongly agree that giving children sugary treats or a bottle of juice to go to sleep can cause cavities. And nearly two-thirds of those we surveyed strongly agreed that it is important to clean a baby’s gums daily,” said Jed J. Jacobson, DDS, MS, MPH, chief science officer and senior V.P. at Delta Dental. “But 35 percent of caregivers say they actually clean their baby’s gums just a few times a week, or less. Dentists recommend that caregivers wipe the bay’s gums with a wet washcloth twice a day, including once just before bedtime.

“Also, only 40 percent of the respondents strongly agreed that caregivers can pass dental disease to their child by sharing items such as spoons or straws, or by cleaning a pacifier in their own mouth and giving it to the baby. Rather, they should wash the pacifier with soap and water, rinse, and then return to the baby.”

“Many Americans don’t understand how important their children’s baby teeth are to lifelong oral health,” Jacobson said. “There’s a continuing need for more education to teach practices that will ensure lifelong oral health. And, since people overwhelmingly prefer the dentist as their primary oral health information source, dental benefits that encourage visits to the dentist are crucial.”

The not-for-profit Delta Dental Plans Association (www.deltadental.com) based in Oak Brook, Ill., is the leading national network of independent dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to more than 54 million Americans in more than 89,000 employee groups throughout the country.

(1) Morpace Inc. conducted the 2009 “Children’s Oral Health Survey.” Random 15-minute telephone interviews were conducted nationally with 914 primary caregivers of children from birth to age 11. Respondents with multiple children were asked to think about their youngest child when answering questions

Source: Delta Dental Plans Association


6 ways to slash your health costs

People often assume they have little control over how much they spend on health care. After all, sickness cannot be scheduled, doctors prescribe treatments and employers provide health coverage to more than 60 percent of Americans. However, there are many overlooked ways to trim your health costs and still get the care you need.

Cut your prescription costs: Asking questions, research and making some phone calls can make a significant dent in your drug bill.

There can be options for treating some medical conditions with more than one specific drug. Always ask your doctor about therapeutic substitutes and/or generics. Of course, large name pharmacies now offer $4 monthly and $10 quarterly costs for many drugs. Mind your co-pay rate; these low prices are sometimes less than your drug plan’s co-pay, so make sure you pay the lesser rate. You can compare prices among local pharmacies and reputable Websites by calling or Googling your prescribed dose. For example, Rxaminer.com or pillbot.com have free pharmaceutical cost comparisons.

If a brand name drug is best for your particular condition, ask your doctor about free samples. It’s unusual for free samples to be available for generic drugs. The samples are promotional tools for newer, more expensive drugs.

Also, check the drug manufacturer’s website for each of your prescribed drugs. Many manufacturers now post discount offers, coupons, rebates and cost assistance programs.

Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter options. There may be drugs or even diagnostic tests that can help manage some temporary and chronic illnesses, and cost a lot less than prescriptions. In fact, nearly one-thousand current OTC drugs were once available only by prescription. These include allergy remedies, pain relievers and heartburn medications.

Pay less for a consultation: Retail clinics (such as MinuteClinic or RediClinic) or telemedicine services that offer phone and online consultations (such as TelaDoc) can cost significantly less than traditional office visits. A visit to a walk-in clinic can result in a bill that is less than half of what you’d see from a doctor’s office visit and a fraction of emergency room treatment. TelaDoc is about $35 per consultation. Small, free standing clinics like CareNow also offer costs and wait times that are usually well below those in an emergency room. And, don’t pass up the opportunity to visit health fairs — where most services, such as disease screenings, blood tests and risk assessments are often free.

Shop for diagnostic procedures and lab work: Ask about cash rates and discounts. Call different labs in your area and check prices for both cash and your insurance plan’s negotiated rate. Paying upfront and/or filing insurance forms yourself may save significant costs. If you are getting any kind of procedure, make sure — in advance — that all providers are in-network, including the anesthesiologist. If uninsured, negotiate in advance of receiving care; check the Internet for discount card programs that lower costs at hospitals, pharmacies, labs and retail clinics.

Also, compare prices at different labs and diagnostic centers. Screenings and tests can be priced up to 80 percent less than the cost for the same services in hospitals or clinics.

Medical Tourism: This term originally meant traveling to another country for treatment, but that’s changed. If you are in need of costly surgery, there are increasing numbers of reputable clinics, hospitals and surgery centers in the U.S. willing to compete for business by offering services as a steep cash discount. Search the Internet for competitive facilities that cater to cash-paying patients willing to travel to a neighboring town or state to save money.

If your deductible is high or you’re uninsured, consider traveling to another country where the cost of performing surgery can be a fraction of the cost of same procedure in the U.S.

Experts identify India, Singapore and Thailand as the best values, but countries such as Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica have partner relationships with a variety of American hospitals, and provide high quality health care for as much as one-half to two-thirds less the cost of the same procedures in the U.S.

Compare your insurance options: Check your insurance plan; the end of December marks the end of open enrollment at many companies. For those insured through an employer, review your health plan choices. A Health Savings Account (HSA) might save you money over a PPO or HMO, especially with employer contributions. I have saved more than $12,000 during the past five years by taking advantage of my HSA. If on a non-group plan, shop around and consider raising your deductible to reduce your monthly premium and still maintain major medical and catastrophic coverage.

Become an empowered patient: Do your homework and search reputable websites for information that can help you ask more informed questions and possibly prevent an unnecessary office visit. There are growing numbers of educational websites dedicated to information on specific medical conditions. Many are university-, hospital- or association-based. You can learn to help manage chronic conditions, such as asthma, allergies or diabetes. Participating in the daily treatment of your illness can help minimize costly and dangerous complications.

If patients learn to ask more questions, do their homework and take an active role in taking better care of themselves, the payoff can result in both medical and financial benefits for the coming year.

Devon Herrick, Ph. D., is a preeminent expert on 21st century medicine, including the evolution of Internet-based medicine, consumer driven health care and key changes in the global health market. He was among the first to identify and publish in-depth studies on medical tourism, telemedicine, and “shopping for drugs” strategies.

Dr. Herrick concentrates on a variety of critical health care issues, such as health insurance and the uninsured, patient empowerment and trends in state health policy reform. He has conducted numerous cutting-edge research projects for the NCPA.

The National Center for Policy Analysis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization headquartered in Dallas with offices in Washington, D.C. The NCPA depends solely on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that advocate private sector solutions to public policy problems. All contributions are tax-deductible, and the NCPA accepts no government grants or contracts.

Source: National Center for Policy Analysis


Health care sector revenue increased by 5.7 percent in 2008 to $1.75 trillion, up from $1.66 trillion in 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This sector is classified under the North American Industry Classification System as NAICS 62.

These figures come from the 2008 Service Annual Survey: Health Care and Social Assistance, a series of tables which provides estimates of revenue, sources of revenue and expenses for taxable and tax-exempt employer establishments that provide health care and social assistance to individuals.

“In spite of only small increases in some industries over the past year, the health care sector continues to represent a sizable portion of our economy,” said Mark Wallace, chief of the Census Bureau’s Service Sector Statistics Division. “At $1.75 trillion, this sector made up 30 percent of the service sector in 2008, which itself represented about 55 percent of the economic activity in the United States.”

Revenues from community care facilities (NAICS 6233) for the elderly saw modest growth in 2008, reaching $35.5 billion in 2008, an increase of 3.3 percent from 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Continuing care retirement communities (NAICS 623311) increased 3.1 percent in 2008 compared with a 9.8 percent increase in 2007. This industry is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in providing residential and personal care services for the elderly and other persons who are unable, or do not desire, to fully care for themselves.

The homes for the elderly industry (NAICS 623312) grew 3.5 percent in 2008. In contrast to community care facilities, homes for the elderly typically include on-site nursing care facilities.

Other residential care facilities (NAICS 6239) remained relatively flat at 1.4 percent in 2008. These include boys’ and girls’ residential facilities, orphanages, group foster homes, homes for unwed mothers, boot camps for delinquent youth and disabled group homes without nursing care, among others.

As in recent years, Medicaid was the leading source of funding for nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623) in 2008, contributing more than $60 billion. Medicare is the leading source of funding for kidney dialysis centers and home health care services.

The social assistance subsector (NAICS 624), which provides a wide variety of social assistance services directly to their clients but does not include residential or accommodation services, increased 6.6 percent in 2008 to $131.9 billion, up from $123.8 billion in 2007.

One of the industries that helped account for the growth in the social assistance subsector was emergency and other relief services (NAICS 62423), which increased 15.7 percent to $8 billion. This is the first increase in revenue for this industry since 2005.

The industries in the health care and social assistance sector are arranged on a continuum starting with those establishments providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing health care and social assistance, and finishing with those providing only social assistance. The sector includes both health care and social assistance because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of these two activities.

All industries in the sector share the commonality of process — labor inputs of health practitioners or social workers with requisite expertise, i.e., trained professionals. Many of the industries in the sector are defined based on the educational degree held by the practitioners included in the industry.

The estimates provided in this release are based on data from the 2008 Service Annual Survey, which use the 2002 North American Industry Classification System and apply only to employer firms. Estimates contain sampling and nonsampling errors. Some estimates may be suppressed to keep the identity of an individual firm confidential. For measures of sampling variability and other survey information, see http://www.census.gov/services/sas/cv.html.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau


House creates new cancer research program

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Dec 17,2009

As a result of C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition’s advocacy efforts, $15 million for a new peer reviewed cancer research program is included in the final Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill.

This new cancer research program will research cancers, like colorectal cancer, that are not addressed in the breast, prostate, lung and ovarian cancer research programs run by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.

The $15 million in funding for this new cancer research program was included in the final bill at the request of Representatives Kay Granger (R-TX) and Jim Moran (D-VA).

Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) released the following statement following House passage of the defense bill:

“I was pleased to support funding for colorectal cancer research through the establishment of a new peer reviewed cancer research program. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. However, federal funding for colorectal cancer research has lagged behind funding for other diseases and I was pleased to support the creation of a peer reviewed cancer research program that will help to address this disparity.”

Congresswoman Jim Moran (D-VA) released the following statement following House passage of the defense bill:

“The recognition of the need for peer-reviewed research of colorectal cancer in the Defense Appropriations Bill is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of C3. They are as well informed as they are nice, an absolute pleasure to work with.”

Dr. John L. Marshall, Division Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Georgetown University Hospital, Associate Director, Clinical Research, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, released the following statement following House passage of the defense bill:

“As a researcher, I know first-hand how difficult it is to secure funding for innovative cancer research. The $15 million in funding for a new peer reviewed cancer research program will not only help attract new researchers but it will play an important role in developing new treatments for colorectal cancer. I look forward to the implementation of this new program and the discoveries and innovations the funding will secure.”

Carlea Bauman, President of C3: Colorectal Coalition released the following statement following House passage of the defense bill:

“The $15 million in funding for this new peer reviewed cancer research program will fund research efforts that investigate new methods of studying early detection, screening and treatment of colorectal cancer as well as attracting new researchers to the field. Today marks an important milestone in the fight against colorectal cancer with research on track to receive its fair share of federal resources. We thank the House Appropriations Committee, and especially Representatives Granger and Moran for recognizing the need to step up the fight against this disease.”

C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C3) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization seeking to eliminate suffering and death due to colorectal cancer. C3 pushes for research to improve screening, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer; advocates for policy decisions that make the most effective colorectal cancer prevention and treatment available to all; and works to increase awareness that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable.

http://www.fightcolorectalcancer.org/

Source: C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition


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