Reality Today Forum 2013

By Valerie Hockert, PhD

Did you miss some issues in 2013? Here are the articles that were published on www.realitytodayforum.com in 2013.

Reality Today Forum is an e-magazine for the growing number of people who wish to get their opinion out there to make a difference in our ever-changing world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Justice Gray
• Release date: Feb 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311452801

Valerie Hockert, PhD

Valerie Hockert, was born in the Midwest where she has lived all her adult life. She has had much life experience through her various entrepreneurial life. She has a Master's Degree in Liberal Studies, and a PhD in Literary Studies. Dr. Hockert has been teaching at a college level for many years. She was the first publisher of the Writers' Journal and Today's Family, two national publications. She is also a certified personal trainer, great chef, and the Publisher of an e-magazine: www.realitytodayforum.com.

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Introduction

Did you miss some issues in 2013? Here are the articles that were published on www.realitytodayforum.com in 2013. Reality Today Forum is an e-magazine that launched in October 2011.

Reality Today Forum is an e-magazine for the growing number of people who wish to get their opinion out there to make a difference in our ever-changing world.

We post articles on hot social issues, including those in: education, health, politics, economy, travel, and social networking.

Our readers range from politicians to CEOs of large corporations to doctors to lawyers to the common consumer. Circulation is constantly growing by leaps and bounds.

You are invited to voice a strong opinion on a topic, by responding to one of the articles by presenting another side of the topic.

To read more, go to www.realityfodayforum.com for the latest issue online.

Reality Today Forum

Volume 3 Issue 1

Reality Today Forum is an e-magazine for the growing number of people who wish to get their opinion out there to make a difference in our ever-changing world.

We post articles on hot social issues, including those in: education, health, politics, economy, travel, and social networking.

Our readers range from politicians to CEOs of large corporations to doctors to lawyers to the common consumer. Circulation is constantly growing by leaps and bounds, which, of course, also makes it a great place to advertise.

You are invited to voice a strong opinion on a topic, by responding to one of the articles by presenting another side of the topic, by clicking on the articles/responses/purchases link. You can also respond to a question or submit a question under the same link.

Choosing Senior Living Facilities….Where Did These Schools Come From? 50 Tips to Saving $$

Are You the Cause of Rising Health Insurance?

By Sally Martin

Do you wonder why health insurance is so high? Is it just the doctors that want to get rich? Or do the CEOs of the big medical facilities want to get rich? Should medical procedures be so high? These and a lot of other questions are on the minds of many today. Could the answers to these questions be why there are so many people who don’t have health insurance? Is it right to penalize these people?

Although many would agree that any company that has over 50 employees should offer them health insurance, others would argue that it costs too much. From someone who used to rate health insurance for businesses, yes, the premiums that an employer pays are too high. Much like people who fly for business, and purchase airfare through a company, the rates are much higher. Why? Perhaps because the providers know the companies will pay it. And much like purchasing airfare where one can purchase a flight on one’s own, and have one’s company reimburse one, one can do the same with health insurance.

A private health insurance policy can also pay more to the health providers, thus keeping the healthcare costs down. Most HMOs have agreements with health care facilities and providers to provide a big discount to them, so the charge to them may be much more than if one has a private policy, but in the end it is discounted more, and so they get paid less.

Another reason why health insurance is high is that there are many who abuse the availability of healthcare. For example, going to the ER (emergency room) for a sore throat, when one would probably not even have to see a doctor, but could go to one of the minute clinics usually found in drug stores and large supermarkets or discount stores. They do this so you will buy their OTCs (over the counter) medicines, and/or use their pharmacies. These minute clinics are usually staffed with nurses or nurse practitioners. Also, oftentimes, one need only act a pharmacist what one should take for a sore throat, ear ache, sinus problems, etc.

I have saved myself a lot of money over the course of a year, by having a high deductible on my health insurance, and a low premium. I went to the doctor once this year, but have also been seeing a chiropractor. When I went to the chiropractor, I was asked if I have insurance to cover the visits, and I said no, which I didn’t, as with the high deductible, I would have to pay it myself. So I didn’t fill out the insurance papers and pay for the visits myself (they are tax deductible). Otherwise, they would bill the insurance company $42, and the insurance would reject it, due to the high deductible, and I would have to pay the $42, plus create a record which could jeopardize any future treatment by another facility as it could be a pre-existing condition (which will go away in the near future). However, since I chose to pay it myself, I pay only $38, so save $4 each visit. And, of course, it would probably take nine people to process that one claim, which will then be reflected on future premiums for everyone.

So you need to ask yourself, if there is something that you, as a conscientious citizen, can do to keep health insurance costs down…and pass this information on to others to do the same.

Sally Martin is an ordinary, fairly healthy citizen who believes she made a wise choice in purchasing health insurance with a high deductible and low premium.

Perhaps the Real Reason Retail Was Down During the Holidays

By Margaret Schmidt

It has been said in the news recently that retail sales were down during the holidays in 2012. Why? The media likes to blame it on the weather, the tragedy in Connecticut, so simply not being in the mood to shop for others. The media also claimed that people are focusing on home improvements, which living in the frigid cold air, I doubt is true, as most prefer to do home improvements during the summer months.

I sometimes think I was a born shopper, but have developed a habit of shopping on the internet. Living in a small community and having to travel 60-200 miles to do some real shopping, I have learned that one can find many things on the internet. I do, however, still like to do personal clothes shopping mostly in person. Yet the media put less emphasis on internet shopping taking over the retail business than the above excuses.

Everything one can’t seem to find anywhere else, one can seem to find on Amazon or on eBay, plus a wide selection of other retailers. And one doesn’t have to fight the crowd.

Did you shop the sales after the holidays? I did go to a couple of my nearby favorite stores, but