Surviving AmericanSurviving
American Medicine
Monthly Archives: December 2012
As we approach 1-1-13, we are aware of the fiscal cliff, which every media source is covering. But worse, in my estimation, is the approaching Medicare and healthcare cliff, also arriving 1-1-13.
On 1-1-13, without congressional action, payments for all Medicare services will decrease 30%. What effect will this have on your care?
There is a 25-40% chance your doctor will retire, stop seeing Medicare patients, or stop participating in Medicare (requiring you to pay…
Would you ever expect a doctor to protest on your behalf regarding the cost of a medical treatment? Well you should, because they do! Aflibercept (marketed as Zaltrap), a new medication that is effective in cancers of the colon and rectum, is extremely expensive; the estimated cost of this treatment is $11,063 per month. This extraordinarily…
Over the age of 65, most people are enrolled in Medicare. However the economy and deterioration of the value of retirement accounts has forced many senior citizens to reconsider the expense of Medicare. Often seniors become confused about their best insurance decisions. To compound the dilemmas of senior health, reduced Medicare payments have convinced many doctors to stop accepting new Medicare patients,…
Doctors have been trying for 30 years to develop a chemotherapy sensitivity test to identify the most effective chemotherapy drugs for an individual patient. At the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, my partner Dr. Linda Bosserman and I presented the results of a national study that showed a new test, the MiCK Drug Induced Apoptosis assay, was able to help physicians choose…
There is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the United States. Sun exposure increases the vitamin D levels in the body, but that not by enough for optimal health. Today, not only are vitamin D levels low in the northern half of the country (where sun exposure is particularly reduced in the winter time – where we’re heading now), but more individuals throughout the country are avoiding sun exposure in order to prevent skin…
It is common to use aspirin to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. One baby aspirin a day is taken by millions of Americans to help to reduce or delay the occurrence of heart attacks. About 25% of Americans take daily aspirin (E. Jacobs and coauthors, J. National Cancer Institute August 10,…
The end of the year is quickly approaching, which typically means open enrollment time for employer-based health plans, as well as Medicare, is also approaching. Now more than ever is the time to seriously consider your options for health care, and to know what is best for yourself.
Health care and the health care industry are changing fast. Not only are health plans altering their covered benefits and adjusting their premiums, but physicians are changing…
New drugs offer promising benefits but potentially greater risk side effects
Every day we read about new drugs that have been approved by the FDA for different diseases. This is especially common in anti-cancer drugs, where many new treatments are currently reaching the market.
Are new drugs better than older drugs? Each of these new drugs has met the FDA criteria for improving outcomes compared to standard treatments. But many times these standard treatments are…