christianscienceva.com

Dec

Alternatives to traditional health insurance – Two Stories

By Roger · Comments (0)

Can’t afford or choose not to pay the high monthly fees for traditional individual health insurance? Amy Jeter, the health business reporter for the Virginian Pilot has an article in Saturday’s edition that highlights a small but growing trend to dealing with the high cost of private health insurance policies.

According to the article: “In the past few years, the number of uninsured people with higher incomes increased significantly, according to the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation.”

Ms. Jeter tells the story of two different couples and their two approaches to health insurance coverage – without for profit health insurance companies.

The Shunkwilers , joined Samaritan Ministries International (SMI). Members pay $175 annual fee and a monthly payment of between $135 (singles) to $320 (families with children). Monthly checks go directly to other members who have a medical bill to pay. SMI tells them who to send their check to each month. In effect, the “payer” or traditional profit-based corporate entity is cut out, along with all the administrative and management costs. The article quotes Mr. Shunkweler saying “it’s so much fun to write that check every month”.

In a totally different approach, Ms. Jeter shares the story Ann Williams who gave up her employer-sponsored health plan when she moved back home to Virginia Beach to care for a family member. Rather than pay for a costly individual health plan, and after much research, she and her partner:

“found Dr. Christopher Dowd and his Corenerstone Private Practice in Suffolk”, VA. An osteopathic physician, his practice focuses more on holistic medicine and preventive care.

“ He makes himself available to patients around the clock through a payment model known as concierge medicine or direct care” (recommend reading the article for more details)

I am not endorsing either of these approaches to meet health care needs.

I do find it so refreshing that in the U.S. of A., individuals can develop and manage a health delivery model that meets a need, and with today’s technology those who are looking for alternatives can find these providers and be happy with the services they provide.

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Categories : Health Care, News, Non Profits and NGOs

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Dec

States to Determine Essential Health Insurance Benefits

By Roger · Comments (0)

As reported in today’s New York Times, in a surprise move the White House has given states the authority to determine what their essential health insurance benefits will be. In a bulletin from HHS states have been given categories that will need to be covered, but can choose from benefits of existing major existing plans in their state or from federal employee health plans.

Having followed the efforts in the Virginia legislature and executive branch to prepare for implementation of the Patient Protection & Affordability Care Act (PPACA) this past year, this decision is huge.

One would think that health insurance companies doing business in Virginia would welcome this news. I will be watching to see their response and that of our lawmakers.

For those who value spiritual non medical care, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in lieu of or in addition to allopathic medicine, this decision make expand what to now has been a rather limited conversation about the range of benefits.

One of the options given by HHS (as reported by the NYT today), would be to use one of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans as a baseline for plans that their Health Benefit Exchange will offer.

Of the 18 Federal Employee Health Plans, four of them cover Christian Science Care practitioner and nursing services, in addition to traditional medical services.

Although it is too soon to know if this decision will have any influence on the Supreme Court case or how legislatures across the country will respond to this decision, but my read is that by recognizing the history and experience of each state in regulating insurance industry products and services, the federal government has defused much of the frustration that I have heard coming out of Richmond and other state capitals.

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Categories : Health Care, News

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Dec

Bible Ban @ Walter Reed Overturned

By Roger · Comments (0)

Photo tks to Robert of Fairfax

The head of the Congressional prayer caucus, Representative Randy Forbes of Virginia released this email today to his mailing list. I I try to cover all of the Virginia delegation (both parties, Senate and House). I was pleased to see that this silly policy of banning Bibles and other religious materials for those visiting soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center was overturned.

Please note that the corrective memo says that faith groups like Christian Science that are not represented by staff Chaplains will have their spiritual needs coordinated. Although the number is small, there are Christian Scientist chaplains who serve as Protestant chaplains in our Armed Forces.

Dear Friend -

“No religious items (ie: Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.”

Those words were included in a memo issued September 14 by Walter Reed Medical Center, one of our nation’s primary medical facilities for thousands of wounded military men and women.

The policy was brought to the attention of my colleagues and me, along with valid concerns that family members or pastors would not be able to bring Bibles or other religious materials to visit their wounded sons or daughters or husbands and wives. My colleague Rep. Steve King pointed out that “It means a priest that might be coming in to visit someone on their death bed couldn’t bring in the Eucharist, couldn’t offer Last Rites. This is the most outrageous affront.”

Our troops have risked their lives for our freedoms and liberties – including our religious liberties. To deny them this freedom when they return home is deplorable.

Last week, I hosted a meeting with officials from Walter Reed regarding the policy. The officials said that the policy was not properly vetted and has been rescinded. The following apology has been posted on their website:

We are in the process of rewriting our policy and would like to offer the following statement:

Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The visitation policy as written was incorrect and should have been more thoroughly reviewed before its release. It has been rescinded. We apologize for any confusion the policy may have caused.

Please know that at admission, all patients are asked for their religious preference and a chaplain associated with their preference visits them regularly to provide spiritual services. In addition, their families may also bring religious material and we will not refuse any religious group entrance.

WRNMMC provides multiple venues at WRMNMC for religious expression and worship. There is daily Catholic Mass as well as Protestant, Hindu, and Muslim services. Eucharist is also available at the bedside. There are weekly Torah studies, multiple weekly Christian bible studies, as well as weekly Qur’an study. Furthermore, chaplains coordinate spiritual needs for those whose faith groups are not represented by staff chaplains (such as Latter-Day Saints, Buddhist, and Christian Scientist).

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center remains committed to supporting the religious preferences of all our patients and we will continue to ensure their spiritual needs are met.

I have requested background information about the policy, how it was implemented without proper vetting, and what forces were behind its implementation. Additionally, Rep. Steve King was featured on Fox and Friends to discuss the situation. You can view his comments here.

Yours in Service,

Randy Forbes

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Categories : Health Care, News, Virginia

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Dec

Finding your own sense of dominion

By Roger · Comments (0)

SEAL Candidates photo tks to Rennett Stowe

“My buddies ask me why I meditate. I tell them “because I can stay under water longer””

I like this quote attributed to a Navy SEAL, that I found on the website of the Samueli Institute. It links thought, the act of meditating; to physical performance, staying under water longer.

There is a sense of dominion in this quote. From the many SEALs that I worked with over the years – while on active duty, then as a senior executive in the Navy Department and later as a defense consultant, this sense of dominion, is a common thread. Thirty years ago a good friend said it best, ” it’s not their physical attributes it’s their ability to stay calm under stress”.

I am no expert, but I have observed some of the training that is done at BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALS) in Coronado,CA., and did some work for the command a few years back on how to better identify those who would succeed in training.

Most of us would look at the candidates at the start of a BUDS class and guess that those most physically fit would be those that succeed, but that is not the case. It’s often the less physically daunting guys who succeed.

As one faces overwhelming challenges physically, it’s those who stay focused on the present task and don’t let their mind wander to worry about the difficulty of the next task, the next hour, the next day or week. Certainly their is an emphasis on teamwork as well – relying on your team mates to sustain one another.

Very few choose to become a SEAL and very few of those actually succeed. The tasks that they are given many of us would rather not know about.

Yet each of us daily makes choices about how we respond in thought to challenges – a demanding boss, a friend who suffers a loss, or a frightening medical diagnosis.

For me, quiet, earnest, daily prayer provides the stability to face whatever the day may bring.

I am grateful for those who choose to become SEALs, for their families who never know when daddy is going to leave, where he is going or when he will return. Will keep them in my prayers as well.

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Categories : Health Care, Personal Note, Prayer

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Nov

Doing our part in fighting AIDS

By Roger · Comments (0)

Photo tks to Big Grey Mare

“The United States will, for the first time, make it a policy goal to have an “AIDS-free generation” in the near future, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced.” – as reported by Emily P. Walker in MedPage Today on November 6^th.

Welcome news. In the past few months with dithering officials dancing around a debt crises in Europe and the not so Super – Super Committee of Congress taking a pass, it’s wonderful to see someone in government take a firm position, state a policy and act on it.

In an editorial in today’s New York Times, “Still Fighting Against Aids”, “substantial success” in reducing AIDs is being reported by the United Nations Agency in charge of fighting AIDs. Statistics on various fronts are encouraging.

If we could wave a magic wand and eliminate AIDs and HIV, would not the moral conditions and reckless behavior that contribute to this devastating disease remain? As governments and NGOs work to deliver drugs and prevention education to those who need it, there is something just as important that each of us can do. Prayer.

We are instructed very simply in the gospels to “love God” and “love our neighbor as ourselves”. To me loving my neighbor means seeing him/her as God sees and knows them; as innocent, complete, joyous and free children of God.

These simple teachings have rippled and blessed people for more than 2000 years.

Following this guidance, watching our thoughts and giving our precious moments to prayer for those we will never know will do wonders.

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Categories : Health Care, News, Prayer

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Nov

My Life as a Turkey on PBS’s Nature – New meaning of Commitment

By Roger · Comments (0)

My Life as a Turkey, was broadcast on PBS’s Nature program on November 16^th. I came upon it by accident Saturday evening, 11/19 , and was blown away by this moving, gentle documentary. What I watched was a reenactment documentary of Joe Hutto’s experience of imprinting and raising 16 wild turkeys.

The reenactment involved nature photographer and actor Jeff Palmer imprinting another group of turkeys as they hatched, raising them as Joe did and retelling this story, this time captured by nature photographer, David Allen.

This is TV at it’s very best.

Watch My Life as a Turkey on PBS. See more from NATURE.

The commitment Joe Hutto and subsequently Jeff Palmer made to become the mother of 16 wild turkeys. To spend all their waking hours together for over a year, to learn their language.

As they told it, when Joe was walking in the wilds of Florida woods with the turkeys, wild animals would no longer flee from him. These scenes are captured with such love by this film maker. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but know that this is no Disney fantasy.

Most of us think turkeys as stupid, but with new eyes, this film reveals the individuality, uniqueness, wisdom, discrimination, and many other qualities of these amazing animals. I recall reading in a biography of Ben Franklin, that the wild turkey, not the bald eagle was first given consideration by our founding fathers as our national symbol. I now see why.

The story reminds me of the prejudice we all carry that would blind us to the glory around us.

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Categories : News, Personal Note

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Nov

You’ve Got to Read This

By Roger · Comments (0)

Ginny Luedeman, CS in “Your Daily Lift” podcast today, referred to a November 15th article by Gloria Giffords in the Arizona Daily Star. Gloria is the mother of Gabrielle Giffords whose book was just released. I was blown away.

I can’t say more just click on the link and be inspired! ….and thanks Ginny for bringing this to our attention!

http://bit.ly/tOJN7H

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Categories : Bible, Christian Science, Healing, Health Care, News

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Nov

Celebrating Individuality Lightens the Load

By Roger · Comments (0)

Photo tks to James F. Clay

I have been doing a lot of traveling lately. My preferred airline for U.S. travel is Southwest Airlines.

I like Southwest because of the culture of their employees. Lots has been written about this culture so I will just give highlights of what I see.

First, there is a team effort to turn the planes around quickly and stay on schedule. That’s big, but more than this Southwest also celebrates individuality. Their flight attendants, don’t just drone through the safety brief – seat belts, life preserver, floor light, no smoking etc. they put their individual spin on it.

Sometimes it’s humor, sometimes it’s with song, but it’s always individual and that is noticed. It reminds us that we are individuals – worthy of recognition and appreciation.

That brings joy to passengers who have lugged kids and their car seats through security and long concourses or business people looking for a little respite from a jammed schedule.

This past Thursday on the last of 3 flights back from the west coast, the flight attendant sand “good night sweet heart well it’s time to go…” , as passengers in the back joined in with “doo, doo, do, do, dah….”

What we say and how we treat others can make the difference between living in the Kingdom of Heaven or slugging it out in the hell of mediocrity.

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Categories : Healing, Personal Note

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Nov

Interest in Studying CAM Continues

By Roger · Comments (0)

Photo tks to DomesticTimes

Results from studies of Complementary & Alternative medicine (CAM), conducted by reputable health research organizations continue to be reported in mainstream media.

Specifically, last week The Wall Street Journal Health & Wellness page had an article about the effectiveness of yoga in relieving lower back pain, conducted by Seattle’s Group Health Research Institute. As I was searching online for the source document published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, I found another article in Yahoo news on the same subject, but with results from a study done by the University of York and reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

What I find fascinating is not so much the specific findings of each of these studies, but the fact that these organizations decided that DOING the study would add value to health research.

So as interest grows in CAM, whether it be yoga, meditation or prayer, the Wall Street Journal yesterday (Nov 1^st) reported that: “ Since signs emerged last year that Americans were using fewer medical services, the question has been when we would flock back to clinics and hospitals. The answer: not yet”.

Whether the lower utilization of traditional medical services is due to tough economic times or individuals looking to more fulfilling paths to achieve and maintain health, only time will tell.

The link between what we think or perhaps more specifically the “wellness” of our thought and our overall well being continues to interest those doing health research.

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Categories : Health Care, News, Prayer

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Oct

Senior Moments – Guest Blog

By Roger · Comments (0)

Bob Clark, Christian Science practitioner and spokesperson to media/legislature in Florida, posted this note on his site today and had it carried by the Clearwater Patch.

We live in an area with a lot of wonderful older people, “seniors” as they’re often called. I love seeing seniors walking on the beach, fishing off the piers, driving convertibles, playing golf and generally enjoying life in their later years. These are the true “senior moments.”

So it bothers me deeply when I read about Alzheimer’s disease threatening to demote seniors from their well-earned place and status to a lower level where their “senior-hood” can become a curse rather than a blessing.

Here are some startling statistics from American Family Physician, “The financial and social costs of Alzheimer’s disease are staggering. In the United States, the disease accounts for about $100 billion per year in medical and custodial expenses, with the average patient requiring an expenditure of about $27,000 per year for medical and nursing care. In addition, 80 percent of caregivers report stress, and about 50 percent report depression.”

Is there an alternative to the unjust sentence this disease imposes on our seniors and their families? Is there a way to control or even avoid its collateral costs and damage? Yes. Fortunately for all of us, there is.

As health care reform lumbers forward and costs spiral upward we are seeing increased coverage of alternative approaches to health and healing. The number one alternative, according to the National Institutes of Health, is prayer. Surprised?

Well, prayer, as it turns out, actually works, even for incurable, degenerative diseases that baffle medical experts. Below is an outstanding and inspiring example of how prayer was used to completely overcome Alzheimer’s.

In this case, after a medical diagnosis, every conceivable remedy was applied: Chinese herbalism, homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine, and yoga, all in addition to the most up to date pharmaceutical remedies. After all else failed, this woman found prayer to be the only effective and permanent alternative. Hers is a must read story.

Alzheimer’s Disease Reversed

Her prayer-based triumph over Alzheimer’s is just one example of thousands, offering proof that medical diagnoses are not always final and that there is a practical spiritual alternative to forfeiting the joys of senior-hood.

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Categories : Christian Science, Healing, Health Care

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