Many children will be trick-or-treating tonight and tomorrow night.  Here are a few reminders of safety for us all.

1)  Stay in groups.  Never go trick-or-treating alone. 
2)  Teach children to never enter a home without prior permission from their parents.
3)  Teach your children to never approach a vehicle unless they have their parent or guardian.
4)  Carry a flashlight or glow stick and wear reflective clothing.
5)  Never go up to a home that is not well lit.
6)  If possible, go with your children.  If not, go in groups or see if your child can tag along with another parent.
7)  Consider attending fall …read more

This summer Grad Guard put together a pretty interesting list of the most expensive insurance mistakes young adult make when entering the workforce for the first time. If you’re a new college graduate obviously these tips will apply, however, even if you’ve been in the workforce for a while, it’s always good to check up on your insurance savvy. Mistakes cost the same at age 23 as they do at age 33 – although, since as you age you’re likely to run into more health issues, possibly insurance mistakes could cost you more the older you get.

Here are the five …read more

Lately I’ve been hearing more and more about the fat tax. A soda tax. An unhealthy food tax. Etc. There have been some concrete suggestions for some sort of unhealthy food tax, but nothing in the U.S. is 100% yet. What I’m wondering is are you on board or not?

Personally I’m on the fence i.e. I haven’t totally made up my mind if a fat tax is a good idea or not, although to be honest I’m leaning toward it being a super idea. I’m not going to discuss that now though, because I have a feeling this post would …read more

Today we have a guest post from Dr. Erika Schwartz, Medical Director of Cinergy Health. Dr. Schwartz has got some pretty solid advice about how to beat the high costs of health care; especially vital in today’s economy. Plus, the best thing about all these tips is that they’re easy. You can manage your health care without too much stress if you pay attention to the tips that matter most (#1 in my opinion) then use smart judgment in other areas. Enjoy!

Five Simple Steps to Taking Control of Your Health Care Costs:
What can you do to decrease your health care …read more

According to The Vision Council, many kids aren’t getting the eye exams and eye care they need. A new report by The Vision Council, Making the Grade, “finds state laws regarding vision assessments for children entering school are inconsistent, impeding children’s ability to succeed in school.” As much as 80% of what your child learns in school (and elsewhere) is through the visual processing of information so undetected vision problems can really impact your little one’s cognitive development. The Councils notes that “Early detection and treatment of vision problems are key to preventing permanent vision loss in children.”

Key findings …read more

According to a new study, being seriously in debt and seriously overweight may go hand in hand, but researchers aren’t sure exactly why.

The new theory which comes from research conducted in Germany is that .”Overindebted” people were about twice as likely to be overweight as the general population. The study defines overindebted as not being able to pay off your debts within a reasonable time frame. Folks in the study who were overindebted were also more than 2.5 times as likely to be obese.
Socioeconomic status for a long time has been linked to health, but this study takes into account …read more

With school starting, family meals can get pretty tough to follow through on BUT it’s a good idea to eat as a family, even when you’re crazy busy for many reasons, including saving money. Why?

The family that eats together eats the same thing, thus saves money. It’s more expensive to cook a million different things.
The family that eats together avoids higher medical bills – kids who don’t eat with their family have more negative weight issues and eat less healthy foods and being unfit can cost you.
The family that eats together avoids therapy bills. Studies show that kids who eat …read more

When the economy changes so do employment benefits, according to a recent survey of employers conducted by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company.

Colonial Life talked to over 750 human resource managers and benefits administrators at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference in New Orleans during July. Based on current economic hardships, employers note that various changes have been occurring with regards to employee benefits. For example…

26% increased contributions from employees
12% eliminated benefits
12% offered employee-paid voluntary options
10% added benefits
9% increased employer contributions

You would expect to hear ALL bad news but it’s better than I …read more

A new study from Research Triangle Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the health cost of obesity in the United States is as high as $147 billion annually.

According to the study, all annual medical costs related to obesity increased from 6.5 percent in 1998 to 9.1 percent in 2006. The figure of $147 billion includes payment by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers, and includes prescription drug spending. If you break it down, the study notes that people who are obese spent about $1,429 each per year on medical care, which is a whopping 42% more …read more

If you don’t have insurance or can’t afford an expensive medication, even with insurance then The Partnership for Prescription Assistance may be able to help you.
The official Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is an organization that can help connect you with a low-cost or free prescription program free of charge. Some other prescription help sites charge fees but the official PPA won’t ever.
The PPA’s mission is to “Increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible.” PPA has information and access to more than 475 public and private programs, including nearly 200 offered by pharmaceutical …read more