Simple Tips About Leadership That Are Easy To Follow

 

 

Perhaps you are not the type that considers himself a leader. Or, maybe you are one but think that you could do a much better job. Either way, everyone can improve their leadership skills, so this article is going to benefit you by explaining a few things that you should know.

In order to be a great leader, you must be able to communicate your vision to your team. Explain clearly what the common goal is, and instill a vision of success in the group. Getting everyone working together on something they all believe in cements your leadership role in the group.

Always remember that a great leader builds up and does not need to tear down. Do not be overly critical of those on your team. Be quick to give commendation, praise and recognition. Even when people fail, commend the effort and inspire them to get up and try again to succeed.

You can never be a good leader if you don't respect that others may have different opinions than your own. While it may seem like being a leader is all about bossing people around, you can never be the boss if you have no idea how to respect the feelings of others.

Don't just fly by the seat of your pants. Instead, pick up a book and read. Don't just read books about business leadership, either. You may find useful bits of knowledge that can be applied to your role as business leader in many different types of books, even those that tell fictional stories!

Be sure to finish everything you start or you risk losing the respect of the people that work under you. Even if something seems particularly difficult, you should give it your all and see it through to the end. No one will look at you the same if you turn into a quitter.

Recognize the employees who consistently do a good job. Don't focus on problems or spend too much time trying to strengthen weak employees. When the squeaky wheel always gets the grease, being a weak employee becomes motivation to get more help from the boss. Try to surround yourself with your strongest employees and help them grow.

Business is changing constantly so be open to new ideas. Even though something has always worked well in the past, that doesn't mean there isn't a better way to get the job done. Be open to innovative ideas. You can try new methods on a small scale before implementing them company wide.

Being a good leader means being clear with what you expect from your employees. They aren't mind readers, and neither are you. A good team thrives on structure which you can provide. Tell your employees what's expected of them. Be clear in your goals. Don't be vague about outcomes.

Remember that you are not someone who is perfect. Even as a leader, you still have things that you can learn, and you don't singlehandedly own all the intelligence in your company or organization. Stay humble enough to realize that you are still going to need help every now and then, and the people you lead will think highly of you.

Be prepared for conflict and try to deal with it before it gets out of hand. Ignoring conflict will make the problem worse and make you look too weak to handle it. Practicing good communication skills with your employees will help them feel more respected even if they don't agree with specific decisions.

When providing employee reviews, you want to focus on both praise and constructive criticism without taking things too far. Motivate people by emphasizing their good qualities while also giving them constructive criticism.

If you are a leader, become part of the team. You can bolster your team's morale just by showing that you aren't too good to do what they do. Try doing each job at the workplace periodically, whether it be cashiering, cooking, or answering phones. This will show your team that you appreciate what they do, and want to check here be a part of the success of the workforce.

Get to know a little about your employees personal lives. While you don't have to delve deep into their darkest secrets, remembering a birthday or offering condolences to an employee with a sick child will go a long way toward building a relationship with that person. Everyone wants to know you are capable of viewing them as a human being, and acting as a caring leader can help you to create that impression.

You can use your leadership role in many positive ways. Try organizing a community outreach, and take your team to visit a homeless shelter, bringing food, or comfort items. Find a charity, and encourage your team to participate in some way. Your role as a leader does not have to be confined to a workplace. Your skills can be used to change lives.

If you are a leader, become part of the team. You can bolster your team's morale just by showing that you aren't too good to do what they do. Try doing each job at the workplace periodically, whether it be cashiering, cooking, or answering phones. This will show your team that you appreciate what they do, and want to be a part of the success of the workforce.

Consider taking a class on developing and enhancing your leadership skills. Your local community college most likely offers such a class, and if not, you will be able to find one at a reputable school online. You'll find that the cost of a class like this is a worthwhile business expense!

A humble leader will surely find success. People are attracted to humility and would rather work under a person with that quality than most anything else. This humility fosters appreciation, and makes it easier for you to handle people. This allows everyone to do their best at their work!

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your team members is vital to becoming a solid leader. Understanding your team's diversity can help you find success. Get familiar with the temperaments and personalities that your employees have. It is also helpful to ask about their families and personal lives as that helps build trust.

Leadership qualities are essential for business success. You likely now understand that, and you also have the tools it takes to develop those qualities. Whenever you feel a little lost about developing your own leadership abilities, turn back to this article for help. By doing so, you can achieve your personal best and create a business environment that breeds success.

 

Who Are You Becoming To Level Up As A Leader Of The Future?

 

Self-leadership is important. You cannot lead others or have sustainable followership if you don't have the self-mastery to lead by example with humility. Words are cheap. Actions count much more. Besides making it real for self and others, wise leaders have the inner-sage ability to activate wisdom using their sights—more importantly, "insights" (i.e., with the complete internal alignment of the mental, physical and spiritual senses). This allows clarity for better judgment on critical decisions. Self-mastery and true people leadership is a personal development journey. Are you taking ownership?

Who Do You Serve?

What are the choices you would make and what action plan would you take to level up as a leader of the future?

 

I love Bobby Knight's wisdom in coaching the best of the Olympians. He says: "The key is not the will to win, everyone has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."

The world is going through historically redefining moments on all fronts, including an outcry for leadership that saves, serves and uplifts from the chaos and vulnerability. We need pivotal, agile and righteous leaders with good virtue in clear conscience serving for the good and wellness of sustainable humanity and workforce. Essentially, progressing in tandem to drive transformation, innovation for the future and sustainable growth.

In my last article, I highlighted why nonlinear growth is the next leadership transformation to address the widening gap between human's linear progression and technology's exponential growth. Leaders who are self-serving or serving merely for capitalism, and who are not evolving to be purpose-driven for the long haul, will quickly lose the trust of their people, partners and clients. These types of leaders are disconnected, irrelevant and will be outplaced. The world is on a great shift, so let's be awakened.

Leaders Of The Future

Business leaders are becoming aware of the fact that our economic systems are not delivering progress for society. In many regions and sectors, these systems have led to negative outcomes with unintended consequences for society and the environment. It is no longer serving humanity's progress. Leadership development must therefore support businesses to reframe their purpose, strategy and approach to value creation and achieve change at the pace and scale required. And at a systemic level to reconcile profitability and sustainability.

We do have a concerning gap in business commitment to leadership development that will deliver the necessary capacity of individuals, organizations and wider society to tackle these challenges at scale. Here presents an opportunity for whoever gets it and will solve it for great reward.

A true purpose-driven company plays out its purpose in all aspects of organizational culture, including ways of thinking about values, practices and behaviors, and in how people operate supported by the structure, systems, processes, investments and all strategic decisions. Not forgetting the four D's: DEI, digital, decarbonized and disruptive innovation.

 

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Top Leadership Advice To Take Control Of Your Destiny

 

 

When you are put in the position to lead others, you have already gained the trust of someone. It is time to gain the trust and respect of your team now, as well. It is also important to learn some leadership techniques. Use the information below to help improve your skills as a leader.

Your employees are not mind readers. Clearly communicate expectations if you want tasks to be carried out correctly. Maintain and open-door policy. That way, if staff members don't understand your instructions, they won't hesitate to come to you and ask for advice.

Communicate openly with your team. You must find your own voice. You also need to learn how to express it and how to trust it. When you have ideas and information, you must learn how to share them. Stay accessible and be willing to listen. Integrate your thinking into the whole. Be aware of how your style and presence affect other people.

When you're a leader, make sure that you team with people. You must remember that you are a part of a team. Individual voices can contribute to and better an entire project so try bringing others together to collaborate. Leaders are never alone. Do your best to invite as many perspectives into the discussion and decision-making processes as you can.

Understand the business you are in. Unfortunately there are many leaders out there who don't get their business totally. Whether that's because they inherited the business or they just no longer care, it doesn't matter. It reads the same to employees. How can you lead if others don't trust that you have the knowledge to do so?

Trust the people who work for you and do what you can to help them develop their specific talents. Although you must provide direction to your employees, you do not need to look over their shoulders all day. If you find yourself doing this, you may not have hired the right type of people for your company.

Express a vision for the company. Great leaders differentiate themselves from great managers because of vision. They see where the company needs to be 5 years, 10 years and 20 years down the road. If you've got the vision, share it with your employees. Make them part of the team that'll help get you there.

Choose an appropriate form of communication for the subject matter. Simple confirmation of instructions or other daily communication can be done through email and text messages. If the subject matter is sensitive or of high importance, it is important to schedule a meeting to discuss the subject face to face.

When an employee makes a mistake, a good leader will help them learn from it. Discussing what went wrong and sharing this information with the rest of the team can lead to ideas on how prevent the error from happening again in the future.

Create an atmosphere that people will enjoy working in. While you want to be stern and in charge, you also have to do everything you can to make sure your team is productive. If the environment is pleasant, people will be more likely to love the place where they work.

Being a great leader is not all about paying too much attention to every move that people make. It is about showing people the best way to do things and allowing them to show you that they are capable. You have to provide encouragement and reinforcements to help them do their best.

Read what others have to say about leadership. Even great leaders not inspiration themselves. And there's a lot of great books, articles, and web posts out there regarding leadership. Take the time to learn something new everyday, and use what you can in practice. You'll find that it'll strengthen your leadership skills.

Accepting blame, even when it isn't your fault, is part of being a good leader. You should act as a shield for your employees, and defend them from attacks by upper management. You should also be willing to take the blame from your customers when something goes wrong. Use these opportunities to study the situation and ensure it doesn't happen again in the future.

Use your knowledge of your employee's strengths when delegating work. Try to spread mundane tasks out over a large amount of employees. Give a variety of individuals the opportunity to attempt tasks that are website challenging, exciting and give them some form of responsibility. One important aspect of being a good leader is building effective leadership abilities in others.

Maintain a positive attitude. As the leader, you set the tone for your business. You need to make sure that the tone you set is one of possibilities, positivity and patience. Always encourage those under you to think in terms of the solution and not the problem, so that they too can keep an air of positivity as they go about their work.

The difference between a charismatic leader and a self-aggrandizing leader is the former's ability to back up his or her claims. While the charismatic leader does take pride in these accomplishments, the key reason for sharing them is to inspire others. Try to use your past successes and experiences to give others the confidence they need to achieve their own goals.

Consideration is one of the most powerful aspects of effective leadership behavior. This describes the leader's ability to exude friendliness, comfort, warmth, and kindness to other members of the group. This requires only the simplest acts, such as taking time to apprise team members of developments, performing an occasional small favor for another person, and treating others with respect and equality.

Recognize employees who do well. Publicly recognizing team members provides a much needed boost of confidence and will also help encourage future participation and efforts. You don't have to have a big formal award, simply acknowledging and praising your employees as part of your day can go a long way to boost morale.

Drive your point home with a balanced approach to communication. Avoid using deceptive or overly complicated language, but don't overlook the power of a carefully chosen metaphor or analogy. When using technical language, you are appealing to the team's intellect. Analogies and metaphors, on the other hand, appeal to the team's imagination and aspirations.

As stated in the above article, becoming a leader takes fortitude and a mindset that you can communicate with anyone at any time. You need to be strong and tough-minded in order to lead people. Thankfully, you just read important tips about leadership skills that you can use in real-life to help you succeed in this area.

 

How a former ISU basketball coach found new purpose after a stint in federal prison

 

Minutes after the Iowa State University men’s basketball team lost to the Michigan State Spartans in the 2000 Elite Eight game, I found myself searching for a place of solitude in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

I walked the circular hallway dodging people left and right looking for an open door. I found one and stepped inside a pitch-black, small room. I laid on whatever was in front of me, my screams and sobbing echoed for what seemed like an hour.

My heart had been ripped in two knowing that the biggest dream of my coaching career was over. Millions had seen us lose and the season that was heading toward a national championship was over.

 

Never before or after did I feel that kind of sheer agony from losing a basketball game.

For a little guy 8 years old, I fell in love with basketball. Here I was 35 years later at the pinnacle of the college game as one of its most promising coaches. Maybe I would lead my own big-time program or coach in the NBA. The sky was the limit.

 

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Telehealth and telemedicine for coronavirus: What it is and how to use it now

 

What is telemedicine?

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, telemedicine is defined as “the practice of medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. A physician in one location uses a telecommunications infrastructure to deliver care to a patient at a distant site.”

Testa says his hospital is using telemedicine both within and outside the hospital to manage the influx of patients needing care. “We're using video visits inside of our hospitals, and inside of our emergency departments, to minimize exposure to our staff, as well as exposure to other patients who are immunocompromised,” he says.

How to use telemedicine

A good place to start is to check with your health care provider, provider system or hospital’s app for a telemedicine portal, download it and follow the prompts.

“We've been doing video visits for over a year and a half — we've already done about 15,000 of them,” says Testa. “What we've learned in interviewing our patients is that more often than not, they had plans to either go to their primary care doctor and it is off-hours, or they had planned to go to a brick-and-mortar urgent care. Virtual urgent care is just more convenient than those options.”

At NYU Langone, for example, Testa says these video visits are fully integrated into patients’ online health profiles, and visible to their primary care doctors who can easily see what labs or X-rays have been ordered.

If you don’t have a primary care doctor and prefer to use urgent care when you need it, virtual urgent care apps, like PlushCare, Doctor on Demand or MDLive, can give you virtual access to a doctor, 24/7.

Ryan McQuaid, CEO and co-founder of PlushCare, says that under normal circumstances, patients who use his telemedicine platform tend to use it as a primary care provider.

He says these patients usually fall into three buckets: They use telemedicine to manage ongoing conditions, like depression, diabetes or hypertension; everyday care issues like hair loss or birth control; and urgent care issues, like cold and flu, sinus infections or UTIs. And their patients aren’t just tech-forward millennials — McQuaid says elderly patients have begun to embrace telemedicine.

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZiSk2MOF17UdugnGNqOAojsLDrM0Qu-pLwshdGqch_M/edit?usp=sharing



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You CAN Lose Weight! Just Follow These Tips

Most people know that losing weight isn't something that's very easy to do. The fact is, it is actually quite the opposite. Losing weight is one of the most difficult things that there is. If you really want to lose weight, the info below will help you do it.

To lose weight, replace foods with refined carbohydrates with unrefined carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates include white sugar and white bread, while unrefined carbohydrates include raw/brown sugar and whole wheat bread. Refined carbohydrates absorb rapidly into your bloodstream without requiring your body to spend energy processing them. However, unrefined carbohydrates make your body burn calories processing them, reducing your weight in the end.

If you're trying to lose weight, it's important to make sure you stay away from sugary-tasting foods and drinks, even those sweetened artificially! The reason for this is that when your body takes in a sweet taste, even if it's not sugar, it primes your insulin pump for a sweet "hit" to come. Your body produces insulin, preparing for more calories to arrive and you become hungrier, making you eat more. So stay away from the sweet tastes and you will find that your appetite goes down.

A great way to boost your weight loss is to eat only fresh foods. The further away a food is from its natural state, the more likely it is to be less nutritious and more fattening. Make a commitment to ban all boxes, bags and bottles from your shopping cart and just focus on fresh foods. If you do, you are sure to lose some pounds.

Do not go grocery shopping while hungry to help you lose weight. Eat a quick and healthy snack before you go grocery shopping. It will help curb the temptations of buying fatty snacks or making unhealthy choices while shopping. Groceries often place temping items all around the store and if you are hungry you will be thinking with your stomach, not your brain.

Spend some quality time with your friends doing something active. Not only will it encourage you to keep going if you feel tired or sweaty, but it boosts your mood and enables you to have a better time. Knock some calories out with a trip to kickboxing class instead of going to watch a movie.

To help you lose weight, look for opportunities to get a little exercise while going about your daily activities; you can even get a mini-workout while shopping. Make the effort to walk around the mall before you even go into a store. It won't take long, and you will burn a few extra calories before you know it.

Turn off the television and sit together as a family when eating. Distractions are a problem with most kids. When you take any distractions like TV out of the way, your child can focus on eating. Sitting together as a family also promotes a sense of well-being that makes your child want to eat and enjoy family time.

Because much of weight loss is mental, keeping your confidence boosted will help make your weight loss journey much easier to manage. Remember that weight fluctuates greatly throughout the day based on what you ate and when you ate it. Rather than weighing yourself every single day, weigh in every few days. You will still get an accurate read on your progress and it will keep you from getting discouraged if the day-to-day results tend to get you down.

If you enjoy foods with any type of spread on them (like cream cheese) try using peanut butter or almond butter instead. These are protein based, which will keep you full longer, and also have more nutritional content than cream cheese or butter has. Get used to new tastes and textures with your food.

During the day, you will have a lot of sugar cravings, which are very hard to resist. Sugar plays a key role in the formation of excess body weight, so try to eliminate foods with high sugar content from your diet. Instead of a candy bar which is high in glucose, choose fruit, which contains safe levels of fructose to maximize weight loss.

Condiments such as mayonnaise and ketchup contain large amounts of fat or sugar and should be used sparingly. Many condiments have lots of sugar and adds extra calories to your meal. If you cannot eat your food without, only use small portions.

Never drink soda if you can avoid it. These drinks have a lot of sugar and can cause cravings. A better choice is a bottle of cold water to stave off thirst and help you get healthy and slim.

When on a weight-loss regimen, it is very important to stay hydrated. By drinking six to eight glasses of water a day, you will discover that you are less hungry and smaller portions will satisfy your hunger. Whenever you get the desire to snack, simply drink a glass of water first and wait ten minutes. On many occasions, this will either remove your desire for a snack or it will lower the amount of food needed to make you feel full.

Do not use too much of any condiment when you eat foods. A lot of condiments are high in sugar and loaded with empty calories. If you can't have your food without them, severely limit the amount you use.

Is it are to say 'no' to food? Try weight loss supplements! This may be helpful if you are the type of person who never feels full. Most of the supplements on the market today are made to suppress hunger - so you are less likely to eat as much. This is very helpful if you are click here prone to snacking between meals a lot.

Avoid sauce like the plague if you want to lose weight. Sauces tend to be full of fat or sugar, both of which will set you back in your progress if you ingest them. Try to make your own sauces at home with items like mustard and horseradish so you can control what goes into them.

Try to slip in a few minutes of walking every day. Even a short walk is better than no walk at all. By parking at the back of the lot at work, or getting off the bus a stop early, you might be able to sneak a thirty minute "workout" in every day. The pounds will drop off almost without you even noticing.

To help you stay motivated, get rid of the clothes that no longer fit you. Once you lose a dress size, make sure you do not go back there again. You can donate your clothes to charities or friends. Buying new clothes will help you stay motivated in your efforts.

As mentioned above, losing weight is difficult for almost anyone who tries. There are many things you can do to make the process easier. This article can only cover a few of them, but with these tips, you should be better prepared to head out on your weight loss journey. Be safe, be healthy and have fun with it!

 

Diet Doc Announces Great hCG Diet Alternative

 

In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.

 

ATLANTA, March 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While the HCG diet has a proven record of providing successful weight loss, some find the drastically reduced calorie intake to be troublesome. However, because it provides such astounding weight loss, the hCG diet is still utilized for off label weight loss use. Doctors are able to prescribe hCG, or human gonadotropin, for off label uses such as weight loss. The powerful hormone stimulates the body's ability to burn fat, and this combined with a low calorie diet plan can produce drastic results for all body types.

In an effort to bring the power of an hCG diet alternative to patients nationwide, Diet Doc Has created a revised hCG diet plan featuring low dose naltrexone, a great hCG replacement for weight loss.

Low dose naltrexone helps users lose weight by reducing appetite, and helping to reduce the hormones in the body responsible for emotional eating and snacking.

Diet Doc's new medical weight loss plans use Low Dose Naltrexone to produce great results, similar to the hCG diet. Aside from easier weight loss, LDN has been found to provide the following benefits to users:

Increases natural endorphins, dopamine;

Improved effects on mood, well-being;

Decreases inflammation;

Increases sex drive;

Safe to use long term;

First improvement is in mood / sense of wellbeing;

Clinical strength LDN is extremely safe when used for weight loss, with nearly zero side-effects being reported. Dieters can use Diet Doc's LDN as a long-term appetite suppressant without fear of discontinuing use abruptly, as LDC's safety is very well established. In addition, Diet Doc's LDC can be used in conjunction with other Diet Doc clinical weight loss aids like Oxytocin, MetWell, Sermorelin, Lipotropics like vitamin B-12 injections, and nearly any other, allowing users to experience much easier weight loss than with dieting alone.

The Diet Doc Weight loss system is simple. Interested dieters simply schedule a free consultation with a licensed Diet Doc physician, conducted conveniently and privately from the patient's own home via Skype or telephone conference. During this consultation a licensed doctor will evaluate the patient, using complex questionnaires and medical insight to expose underlying causes for weight gain.

Each new patient receives a free initial clinical evaluation, as well as unlimited doctor consultations for as long as they remain on the Diet Doc medical weight loss system.

Similar to the hCG diet plan, after the patient's initial consultation, Diet Doc begins working with their licensed nutritionists to develop an individualized diet plan based on each individual's personal factors including age, weight, long term goals, and current health. Each diet plan is a little different because it is designed around the dieter's individual factors.

To complement the medical weight loss plan, Diet Doc patients have access to the company's complete line of prescription weight loss aids, helping boost results to nearly 20 pounds per month. All prescription diet aids are produced in an FDA approved compounding pharmacy located in the United States, and all prescription medication is delivered directly to each client's door, saving the patient time, money, and unnecessary effort.

 

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Health Insurance Tips You Must Read Today

You need to be covered by health insurance that keeps up with your needs so that you can keep on top of your health. The following article is going to provide you with advice to help you get and maintain reliable health insurance coverage.

When looking for a personal care physician, make sure to check with your insurance company for a doctor in your insurance network. Your insurance co-pays will be higher with an out-of-network provider, or you may find your visits won't be covered at all. Your insurance company should provide an online directory of physicians from which you can choose.

If you find yourself without medical insurance, you can still get medical care, but you will be paying for all of it yourself. To keep costs in line, use walk-in clinics, county health services and talk to your personal physician. Many will charge a bit less or work with you to set up a payment plan.

Never pay your insurance agent your monthly premiums. Health insurance payments should always go directly to the insurance company. With no middle man involved, there is less of a chance for error. If you pay the company directly online, then you will also have current records of payment on your bank statement every month.

If having a baby is your plans, set yourself up now with health insurance that will pay the costs from the very beginning. You should know this because there are health insurance plans that do not cover certain procedures pertaining to pregnancy and labor.

If you have health problems, be sure to shop around for your health insurance. Some insurance providers have more liberal medical guidelines when compared to their competitors. For example, some insurance companies allow a total cholesterol level of up to 270 to qualify for their cheapest policies, whereas other insurance companies specify a total cholesterol level of up to just 230.

In case you are interested in changing your health insurance policy, make sure to determine how many regular routine doctor visits you go to annually. Add their costs with the co-pay if they're covered and view the amount they'd be without insurance. Ask your doctor about their visit fees if you don't know how much they are without a policy.

Make sure you know how much you're paying into your employer-supplied health insurance. If you end up losing your job and enrolling in COBRA you'll probably end up paying the full premium you pay now, so knowing how much you're already paying will prepare you for the worst when the time comes.

If you're a man, you won't need maternity coverage. This is just one example of the coverage that may come in a health insurance plan that you DON'T need, but you're paying extra for. Another money saving option to look for is a plan that only covers generic drugs which can save you a ton of money on your premiums.

Let's spend a minute talking about the differences between an HMO and a PPO. HMOs are pediatric telemedicine wellness-focused: they cover almost all preventive exams, their premiums are generally far lower, and your doctor will likely be chosen for you. PPOs, on the other hand, allow you to choose doctors from a PPO network; they do cost more; but on the other hand, they are more focused on treating and covering you when things go wrong, if that makes sense. So if you want to keep costs down and are very healthy, an HMO is your best bet. If you want to be sure your coverage is as high as possible no matter what the contingency, and are willing to pay more for it, a PPO is the right choice for you.

One important feature of any insurance plan is prescription drug coverage. Be sure to scrutinize all the details of your prescription drug plan so that you are familiar with how your healthcare insurer handles prescriptions. It's especially important to understand how they cover different classes of drugs, and whether they offer generics for the prescriptions you normally take.

Check to see if your employer's insurance plan is "grandfathered in" as it will exempt you from some provisions of the new health reform law. For example, you may have free coverage of screening for conditions like high blood pressure or depression, immunizations when you travel or for your children, and in getting help to quit smoking.

Buy health insurance that cannot be canceled by the insurance provider. You never know how your health situation will change, either by illness or by a catastrophic event. Having health insurance that cannot be canceled will give you peace of mind that you will be covered for as long as you choose to be covered.

Health insurance is a must have in today's society. Even if you are strapped for cash, do not let your health insurance coverage lapse. It is important to keep your coverage. If your policy does not remain in force, you may not be eligible for the same coverage if your health condition has changed. Do not risk losing your coverage, just pay the premium.

Make your insurance policies overlap. If you are leaving one health insurance company for another, you will want to make sure you do not end up in a period of not being covered by anyone. Have the date of the new policy start before the end of the old policy.

When your doctor prescribes you a drug, ask him if there is a cheaper version, or an over-the-counter option, which you could use instead. For example, my husband had a stomach parasite which required three drugs to treat. The doctor was going to prescribe him a combination pill which would have cost literally ten times as much as if we got each drug separately!

If you are student, check and see if you can still stay covered under your parent's insurance plans. New laws have now made young adults eligible to stay under a parent's plan until the age of 26. The premiums for this coverage can increase so offer to help your parents out with some of the premium costs if you can afford to.

Don't assume that the insurance offered by your employer is the cheapest option, especially if you require a policy that covers your entire family. While this is the easiest option, there are often significant savings available if you are willing to shop around and obtain quotes on individual plans for each family member.

Look out for health insurance polices that also offer eye and dental care converge. Some health plans now include this extra converge and these plans could save you a lot of money. Paying separately for dental procedures, lens, glasses, annual eye and dental checkups, etc. can really add up.

You never want to start shopping for health insurance without knowing what is very important to your venture first. There are several things to know about health insurance and the providers today, so make sure you use the tips in this article to get a better policy at the best time possible.

 

People with disabilities left behind by telemedicine and other pandemic medical innovations

 

Divya Goel, a 35-year-old deaf-blind woman in Orlando, Florida, has had two telemedicine doctors' appointments during the pandemic. Each time, she was denied an interpreter.

Her doctors told her she would have to get insurance to pay for an interpreter, which is incorrect: Under federal law, it is the physician's responsibility to provide one.

Goel's mother stepped in to interpret instead. But her signing is limited, so Goel, who has only some vision, is not sure her mother fully conveyed what the doctors said. Goel worries about the medical ramifications — a wrong medicine or treatment — if something got lost in translation.

"It's really, really hard to get real information, and so I feel very stuck in my situation," she signed through an interpreter.

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Pandemic-fueled shortages of home health aides strand patients without care

Telemedicine, teleworking, rapid tests, virtual school, and vaccine drive-throughs have become part of Americans' routines as they enter Year 3 of life amid Covid-19. But as innovators have raced to make living in a pandemic world safer, some people with disabilities have been left behind.

Those with a physical disability may find the at-home Covid tests that allow reentry into society hard to perform. Those with limited vision may not be able to read the small print on the instructions, while blind people cannot see the results. The American Council of the Blind is engaged in litigation against the two dominant medical testing companies, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics, over touch-screen check-in kiosks at their testing locations.

Sometimes the obstacles are basic logistics. "If you're blind or low-vision and you live alone, you don't have a car," said Sheila Young, president of the Florida Council of the Blind, pointing to the long lines of cars at drive-through testing and vaccination sites. "Who can afford an Uber or Lyft to sit in line for three hours?"

One in 4 adults in the US have some sort of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though barriers for the disabled have long existed, the pandemic brings life-or-death stakes to such long-running inequities.

 

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