Cardiac Rehab Dedication Lowers Heart Risks
A new study finds that attending all prescribed cardiac rehabilitation classes can lower the chance of death or heart attack, the Associated Press reports. Duke University researchers studied records on 30,000 heart patients and found that those who attended all 36 cardiac rehab sessions (the total covered by most Medicare plans) had a 47 percent lower risk of death than those who went to fewer than 12 sessions, according to the AP. Despite the advantage, only 18 percent of patients attended all 36 sessions. An editorial, published with the study in the journal Circulation, suggested that patients who are medically worse off are less likely to complete all classes.
[Read Many Heart Attack Patients Not Referred to Cardiac Rehab and From Back Pain to Heart Rehab, Exercise Is Underused.]
How to Break Your Addiction to Tanning
Tucked into health reform legislation under debate in the Senate is a tax on tanning, Reuters reports. To help pay for the nearly $900 billion overhaul of the healthcare system, legislators had first planned to levy a 5 percent tax on cosmetic procedures, including breast augmentation and Botox injections. They dropped that idea over the weekend, opting instead to levy a 10 percent tax on tanning salon services, according to Reuters.
The industry took a hit earlier this year when the International Agency for Research on Cancer called tanning beds "carcinogenic to humans." The move reflects the presence of evidence showing beyond a doubt that tanning beds can cause skin cancer and should be avoided, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz wrote. But indoor tanning can be a tough habit to break.
Researchers have identified some specific causes for tanning addiction—or tanorexia. A 2006 study from Wake Forest University found that frequent tanners actually experience withdrawal symptoms—like nausea or jitteriness—when they stop using tanning beds. Since there's no compelling reason to hit the tanning salon and it involves a serious health risk, you need to find safer alternatives. Read more.
[Read The Indoor Tanning Industry Wants You and Tanning Beds Get Highest Carcinogen Rating.]
Pros and Cons of Long-Term-Care Insurance
The popularity of LTC insurance policies has grown since they appeared in the 1980s—more than 8 million people now have individual or group coverage. Still, consumer advocates and insurance regulators caution that such coverage is not a good buy for everyone, writes U.S. News. LTC policies remain confusing, they say, and the terms and features vary widely, from when benefits start and the maximum daily payout to how long benefits last and what services are covered. State insurance regulators field a steady stream of complaints from consumers over issues such as unexpected premium increases and denial of coverage.
To fend off such unpleasant surprises, which may not surface until far into the future, experts stress that consumers must understand the details of what they are buying and bring a sharp eye to policies under consideration.
Deciding whether to buy at all, as with most insurance, is something of an educated guess. Are you pretty confident you could handle the cost of long-term care on your own if you needed it? Assisted-living facilities in some parts of the country charge $50,000 a year or more, and nursing homes can cost well over $100,000 a year. If not, can you afford to pay premiums now and for years to come for coverage you may never need? Read more.
[Read 6 Tips for Long-Term-Care Shoppers and 4 Ways to Cover the Cost of Long-Term Care.]
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