South Hampton Roads

Understanding the Affordable (Health) Care Act

May 6, 2013 - 19:22 On April 23, Region III Director of Health and Human Services Joann Grossi visited Viriginia Beach to educate the public on the health insurance marketplace system that will open for enrollment in October. Norfolk Perspectives on Location spent some time with Director Grossi to learn more about the Affordable Care Act. Below is their interview posted on YouTube. 

Ehrenthal: My Experience Navigating the Health Care System

April 4, 2013 - 16:06 By Ken Ehrenthal Recently, my wife gave me a card. It looked like a credit card. She told me that it was a card that I should use whenever I had to pay a doctor or purchase some prescription drugs. It was part of a “medical savings account” supplied by her employer. I’m not sure if it was an account she put money into or whether her employer put in money as a perk.   Several weeks ago, I received a letter from my Pension plan provider, The State of Connecticut, informing me of a change in my dental plan. Membership cards would be forthcoming. I just received a bill from my own medical care provider for a visit I made to by “primary care” doctor for a new prescription drug for my neurological pains, and for my “pacemaker” test, from my Cardiologist. I also use the services of EVMS’s Glennan Geriatric Center twice a year. I am also, since I am over 65, on Medicare.  My wife works for two different hospital groups in this area. For Sentara she is a certified lactation consultant and for Bon Secours she is a Pregnancy educator. As such she received a health plan from her major position at Sentara. My father-in-law is a veteran and uses either the Naval Hospital or the Veteran’s Hospital. There are also times he is admitted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. I live in Chesapeake, and in Chesapeake there is an independent regional hospital, as well as a branch of CHKD, a children’s hospital.  I listed all of these programs and health providers, to point out, what I consider, an interesting phenomenon in the United States. In all these cases there are different health providers and different ways to pay these providers. In each case, each provider and payer, have their own rules, their own bureaucracies and their own policies and procedures that I, as a client, have got to be aware of. We call this a free enterprise system.  If Rube Goldberg tried to come up with a more ridiculous system even he would fail. For anyone to make any sense of the health care system he or she would have to be a PhD in economics. Fortunately, my relatives and I don’t have to purchase health insurance. We should add that and then of course Medicaid and Famis (in Virginia). When are we going to demand from our law makers, and our medical providers, and “stake holders” in this system, some practical ways to stop this nonsense? When will it be easier to understand?

Marroni: An egg-cellent recyclable

March 6, 2013 - 15:15 March 6, 2013 By Ed Marroni Most everything can be recycled when one learns about it!  Of course, some of these tips were known and used by people of the distant past generations, handed down from one family to another. One example of sage wisdom passed through family members is the benefit of eggshells.  Most eggshells are discarded in the trash, but there are other uses they have besides providing us with eggs according to the Care 2 Healthy Living website.  Eggshells can prevent DRAIN CLOGS. Keep some crushed egg in the sink drain strainer--as they break up they'll naturally clean the pipes.  They WHITEN CLOTHES. Toss some eggshells in a closed cheese cloth in the washer along with the clothes and notice the difference.  They are good FERTILIZERS as long as you do not overdo it. Crushed egg shells are packed with calcium and other minerals.  They help with PEST CONTROL. Just scatter some around the garden to deter pesky pests.  They also prevent TOMATO BLOSSOM-END ROT. Put some egg shells at the bottom of the hole when transplanting the tomatoes.  Recycling egg shells does positively affect our earth in that it avoids the use of toxic chemicals to clean our sink clogs, to whiten our clothes and to kill garden pests. Last, but not least, when we are contributing to our Earth's well-being we are contributing to the well-being of every person.