Why you should continue to fight.

If you’re anything like me, you consider yourself a pro in medical insurance claims. I am the go-to friend/colleague when anyone has a medical bill that doesn’t make sense (which, as you can imagine, is fairly often). I credit the lawyer gene and tips my father passed along to me when dealing with legitimate claims that I, very often, must fight.

So naturally, I love this piece, “Fighting Denied Claims Requires Perseverance,” by Walecia Konrad in the NYTimes Patient Money section (of Health).

Konrad points out that insurance companies deny one of every 14 claims by their carriers. Sigh. Again, this really seems like a system that doesn’t need reform.

David Garrard is the man.

18 touchdowns this season = $180,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis. Awesome.

Check it out here: crohnsinthezone.com and ccfa.org
And more about Garrard here: The Real Superman

Protecting a broken system.

Check out this sweet and short article from a small business owner in the midwest (US): Small business desperate for healthcare reform

A simple look at how protecting a system that discriminates is not only senseless—but cruel.

“I have had to watch two of my best employees suffer from illness — one from diabetes, the other from Crohn’s disease. I was sadly unable to provide these hard-working men with health care, leading them to refuse critical medical services.”

More here: southbendtribune.com

I still have hope (and still want healthcare for all).

Want to live longer?

Turn off your TV. Seriously.

A recent study which appeared in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation found that people “who watched television four hours or more per day were 80 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who watched two hours or less, and 46 percent more likely to die of any cause.”

Yikes. Time to go for a run.

More here: circ.ahajournals.org
And here: nytimes.com/health

Image from Liam Shy

Get help to Haiti.

Wondering what to do for Haiti? The best thing you can do is donate money—no matter how small the amount—right now.* And there are lots of ways to do that.

—Partners In Health (PIH) has been working in Haiti for over 20 years. Visit their site to donate and for instant updates from Port-Au-Prince.
—The Red Cross is, of course, always on the front lines and has many donation options that will directly aid Haitian earthquake victims.
—Engineers Without Borders has several projects already underway throughout Haiti.
—The Road to Fondwa is currently donating 100% of DVD sales toward relief efforts in Haiti.
—Heath Ceramics (who I love) is currently donating 25% of all of their online and in-store sales to Haiti relief through Architecture for Humanity.

Imagine if this happened in your village, town, city, and/or country. Haiti is an incredible place — see Justin’s fantastic film for details — and only 681 miles from my home state of Florida.

*Additionally, orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, nurse anesthetists, post-op nurses, and surgical technicians with trauma experience are desperately needed in Haiti. If your qualifications match any of these needs, please fill out the form here: standwithhaiti.org

Photo courtesy of United Nations Development Programme