(Family Features) A diagnosis of a chronic condition such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, cancer, or diabetes can bring a swirl of thoughts and emotions. There may be relief at finding an explanation for bothersome symptoms, but that relief is often quickly overshadowed by insurance issues, financial concerns, and worry about the future.
If you’ve recently received a chronic diagnosis, take it one step at a time to navigate the road ahead.
Understand Your Condition
Arming yourself with information is critical when you receive a life-altering diagnosis. It’s important to understand everything you can about the condition, including known causes, symptoms you may experience, what you can expect as the disease progresses, and more.
Identify Treatment Options
A big part of your research will likely involve your treatment options. If your doctor has outlined multiple options for treatment, you’ll want to investigate each one thoroughly so you can understand the benefits and risks, as well as deciding which option is the best fit for your particular circumstances. You’ll also want to confirm that your treatment is covered by your health insurance and at what level.
Handle Insurance Issues
Most people assume that if they have health coverage, they can count on at least a portion of the treatments and medications their doctor recommends being covered. In many cases, that’s true, although the exact coverages depend on variables like your plan, deductible, and more.
However, there are also some circumstances in which you may experience a delay before you’re able to follow your doctor’s treatment orders. One example is step therapy – a protocol sometimes used by health insurance companies that requires patients to try and fail on one or more lower cost medications before they will provide coverage for the medication originally prescribed by the patient’s provider.
Step therapy is also known as “fail first” because it requires a patient to fail on an insurer-preferred drug first. For patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, this protocol may result in worsened health outcomes. A survey by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation found that as many as 40 percent of IBD patients had been subject to step therapy, and 58 percent of those patients were required to fail two or more drugs before being granted access to the drug their doctor originally prescribed.
“During these delays in optimal treatment, patients are at risk, not only for their physical well-being, but also for their quality of life,” said Dr. Ross Maltz, co-chair of the Government and Industry Affairs Committee of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s National Scientific Advisory Committee. “In some instances, insurance policies can impede patient access to the care they need and affect the patient and provider decision-making process.”
Groups are working to change this process through legislative reform, but in the meantime, if you are subject to a step therapy requirement by your insurance provider, you can appeal. The best approach is to work with your doctor to prepare a written letter that contains:
A clear statement that you are appealing a denial of coverage for your prescribed medication
The name of the medication that was denied
A detailed explanation of previous treatments or factors that led your doctor to prescribe the denied medication
Any studies or evidence that support the use of the prescribed medication
The specific health risks you experience now or may in the future without the medication that was originally prescribed
A clearly stated request for approval of the specific prescription, including the medication name and dosage
To find more information and resources, visit crohnscolitisfoundation.org/steptherapy.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
(Family Features) Imagine how strained and tired your arms would feel if you carried around a 10-pound rock for 12 hours. That’s essentially what you’re doing to your eyes when you focus on digital devices all day.
If you’re experiencing headaches, eye fatigue, burning, stinging, redness, watering, blurred vision or even pain in the neck and shoulders after extended time on your devices, you may be experiencing digital eye strain.
A 2018 study from employee benefits company Unum found that nearly 40 percent of adults in the United States spend more than 12 hours a day looking at various digital devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and television screens. In the same study, 34 percent of respondents said they feel they spend too much time on their devices.
In today’s always-on digital culture, it can be hard to escape the need to stay connected, but making a few slight adjustments can have a positive impact on your overall well-being.
Dr. Chris Wroten, an optometrist and partner at Bond-Wroten Eye Clinic, suggests a simple, easy-to-remember rule of thumb for relaxing your eyes.
“Every 20 minutes, shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds,” he said. “This 20-20-20 rule can help relax the eyes and allow them to focus on non-digital objects in the distance.”
Other tips to reduce digital eye strain include:
Reduce the brightness or contrast on your screen to a comfortable level. You can find these controls in the settings of your phone or tablet and on the monitor or keyboard of your computer.
If your glossy screen is prone to glare, consider an anti-glare protector to reduce reflected light.
Try adjusting the ambient light around you. Strategically placed lamps can produce the proper lighting and result in less visual fatigue than fluorescent or LED light bulbs.
Maintain good posture and adjust your seating to assure you’re viewing screens at the proper angles and distances. The top of your computer monitor should sit just below eye level at about an arm’s length away from your face.
Ensure your prescription is up to date, especially if you wear corrective lenses. If it’s been longer than a year since your last eye exam, consider making an appointment with your eye doctor.
Good visual health should be a component of maintaining your overall health and well-being. While the frequency of visits to your eye doctor typically varies for individual needs, most healthy adults should receive a comprehensive eye exam every year or two, which is included in most vision insurance plans. Eye exams can detect vision problems and allow you to adjust with corrective lenses, if necessary. This visit can also allow you to discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing, including eye strain.
Many employers offer vision insurance, and your human resources department can usually provide information about vision plan options. Vision insurance can be an affordable solution and offer benefits typically not included in a health insurance policy. It can cover routine eye exams, most likely offer a benefit for corrective lenses and may provide discounts for additional lens options. Some vision carriers, like Unum, also offer online tools or mobile apps to help you manage your benefits and find qualified, in-network eye doctors in your area.
For more information about digital eye strain, consumer research regarding device dependence or vision insurance, visit unum.com/vision.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
(Family Features) If you find yourself constantly turning up the volume on the TV or asking people to repeat themselves, you’re not alone. In fact, 1 in 5 Americans – nearly 50 million people – ages 12 and older have hearing loss, according to the Hearing Health Foundation.
In addition, it takes 10 years, on average, for someone with hearing loss to seek help, according to a study published in the “International Journal of Audiology.” That’s 10 years of missed conversations with a spouse, compliments from a friend, secrets from a child and laughs with your family, all because many people aren’t sure where to go for care or have misconceptions about hearing aids.
As more people, especially younger people, are diagnosed with hearing loss, treatment has become easier to access. Hearing care professionals and hearing aid manufacturers, such as Beltone, have adopted advanced technologies and novel forms of care to treat an evolving patient population, ensuring that no one has to experience hearing loss alone. If you’re looking to make your hearing health more of a priority, now is the time as these advancements in technology can help improve your hearing and quality of life:
Clearer, fuller, richer sound. Newer hearing aids incorporate technology that enable advanced hearing capabilities, helping you understand more speech and hear the finer details in social and professional settings.
Rechargeable. Changing hearing aid batteries is a thing of the past. Now you can have hearing aids with a rechargeable battery (with some lasting up to 30 hours) and a portable charger.
Entertainment on demand. Wireless connectivity and Bluetooth technology have made their way to hearing aids. You can now make phone calls and stream TV, videos and more directly to your hearing aids. Some hearing aids, such as the Beltone Amaze, are also fully compatible with both Apple and Android devices.
Support is just a click away. Remote fine-tuning allows you to request and receive adjustments to your hearing aids from the comfort of your own home on a computer or from a smartphone.
Personal control. If you love restaurants, but hate the noise, an option like the Beltone HearMax app allows users to select personalized, preset environments, such as outdoor or restaurant. The app’s geolocation option also automatically remembers when you’re in a favorite spot and can adjust your hearing aids automatically.
Personalized style. Like having your own stylist, hearing care professionals are typically experts in fitting hearing aids to meet your individual needs and tastes. Today’s hearing aids vary in size, color and special features so you can blend in or stand out.
Comprehensive customer care. Working with a hearing care professional is essential in treating hearing loss. For example, Beltone’s exclusive care program is available at most of the company’s 1,500 hearing centers nationwide. Follow-up service is just a push of the button away as an easy-to-use mobile app can connect you directly to your hearing care professional.
Locate lost hearing aids. This is a feature you’ll never want to use, but will be thankful to have should the need arise. Through the use of apps, you can track your hearing aids if you misplace them.
To learn more about the latest in hearing aid technology and find a hearing aid that meets your needs, visit beltone.com.
