(NAPSI)—A new national poll conducted by YouGov found that 91 percent of Americans believe insurance companies should not be allowed to deny coverage for people with chronic diseases whose premiums are paid by charitable organizations.

Known as “charitable premium assistance,” the federally approved practice of patients applying for and receiving help from charities to pay insurance premiums has long been accepted. Yet recent efforts by insurers to undermine the practice have left many people worried about their insurance coverage. Across the country more than 74,000 dialysis and kidney transplant patients—who are overwhelmingly unable to work because of their illness—rely on help from the American Kidney Fund (AKF) to afford health insurance premiums.

The poll found that 76 percent of respondents believe insurers want to block charitable premium assistance “to increase the company’s profits by not providing coverage for people who are very sick.”

“Consumers overwhelmingly reject efforts by the billion-dollar health insurers, their lobbyists and their legislative patrons to deny charitable assistance that pays patients’ health insurance premiums,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of AKF. “Consumers are smart enough to see through the insurers’ false statements and to recognize insurer efforts to end or limit charitable premium assistance are clear evidence of insurers doing what they do best: trying to find every possible way not to pay for sick people’s care,” she said. “The question is whether they’ve been able to find enough legislators who will take the insurers’ side instead of protecting sick patients.”

The poll showed that individuals are not inclined to vote for legislators who side with insurers. A vast majority of respondents (88 percent) are less willing to vote for a politician who supports the industry’s efforts.

What the Survey Shows

Among the findings:

• 91 percent of respondents felt private insurance companies should not be allowed to kick patients with chronic diseases off their health insurance just because the patients’ premiums are paid by an organization such as a nonprofit charity.
• 87 percent of consumers support the government’s current position of letting private charities help patients pay their insurance premiums, co-pays, and out-of-pocket costs when the patient suffers from a debilitating illness such as kidney failure.
• 71 percent of respondents think patients with a chronic disease should be able to choose their health insurance plan. This number dramatically exceeds those who think state and federal governments (17 percent) or health insurance companies (13 percent) should choose which health insurance a patient with a chronic disease can have.

Concluded AKF’s Burton, “I believe people inherently understand that if insurers are successful in their campaign against people with kidney disease, people with other chronic diseases will be easy next targets. We’ll continue to protect patients by working with legislators and regulators at the national and state levels.”

As the nation’s leading independent nonprofit working on behalf of the 30 million Americans with kidney disease, AKF is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling one in five U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.

Learn More

For more facts, visit www.kidneyfund.org/therealstory.

(NAPSI)—It can be overwhelming and confusing to know where to start if you need to find treatment for an alcohol or drug addiction. Addiction touches nearly everyone in some way, yet there is no one-size-fits all approach to effective treatment. With many addiction treatment options, finding a program that will provide the quality care you or your loved one needs to address their specific addiction issues can be challenging. These steps will help you know what to look for to find a treatment program that is high quality and tailored to your needs.

How Do You Find A Treatment Provider?

If you have insurance, a good first step is to contact your insurer. Ask about your coverage and whether they have a network of preferred providers. If you don’t have insurance, you still have access to quality care. Each state has funding to provide treatment for people without insurance coverage. Find out where to call for information about payment for services at: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/ssa-directory.pdf.

What Should You Look For In A Program Or Provider?

Quality treatment programs offer a full range of services accepted as effective in treatment and recovery from addiction. Keep these points in mind when weighing your options.

1. Accreditation: Make sure the treatment program is licensed or certified by the state. This ensures the provider meets basic quality and safety requirements. You should also check that the program is accredited, which means it meets standards of care set by a national, compliance organization. Be sure to ask the program to show you how people using their services have rated them.
2. Evidence-Based Treatment: Check to determine if the program offers effective and proven substance use disorder treatments, such as medication management, cognitive behavioral therapy, drug and alcohol counseling, education about the risks of drug and alcohol use, and peer support. Quality treatment providers or programs offer more than one form of effective treatment. Effective programs will also be mindful of or address mental health and physical disorders that will affect substance use treatment.
3. Medication: Confirm whether the program offers FDA approved medication for recovery from alcohol and opioid use disorders. However, keep in mind that currently, there are no FDA approved medications to help prevent relapse from other problem substances.
4. Families: Family members have an important role in understanding the impact of addiction on families and providing support. Make sure the treatment program includes family members in the treatment process.
5. Continuing Care: For many people addiction requires ongoing medication and supports. Quality programs provide treatment for the long term, which may include ongoing counseling or recovery coaching and support, and helps in meeting other basic needs like sober housing, employment supports, and continued family involvement.

Once you’ve identified a treatment program that meets the criteria above, call for an appointment. Many programs provide walk-in services. If they can’t see you or a family member within 48 hours, find another provider. (It is important that the provider or program connect you to care quickly).

You can find more information about finding addiction treatment by visiting: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ or calling the National Helpline at (800) 662-HELP (4357).

(NAPSI)—Underage drinking is a significant concern and public health challenge nationwide contributing to a wide range of costly health and social problems. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the economic burden of alcohol misuse in the U.S. is estimated at $249 billion, with three-quarters of those costs coming from binge drinking. Almost $24.3 billion (about 10 percent) of the total $249 billion economic cost of excessive alcohol consumption is related to underage drinking, much of it due to premature mortality of underage youth.

Annually, alcohol is a factor in the deaths of approximately 4,300 youths in the United States, shortening their lives by an average of 60 years.

Last year, nearly 20 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 20 reported drinking alcohol. In fact, alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance among America’s youth, and a higher proportion use alcohol than use tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs according to Monitoring the Future.

While teens tend to drink less frequently than adults, 4.5 million young people drink larger quantities or binge drink, having five or more drinks males, and four or more drinks for females during a single occasion.

While underage drinking is a source of concern, parents can influence whether their child decides to drink or not.

Moms and dads may want to start by knowing the risks and signs of underage drinking. Teenage drinkers are more prone to have legal issues and participate in unsafe sexual behaviors. They are more likely to have memory problems and changes in brain development that cause life-long effects. There’s also an increased risk for using other drugs, hurting themselves or someone else and developing an Alcohol Use Disorder.

There are signs that parents should recognize as it might indicate their child is drinking. If parents notice several of these signs or if they occur suddenly and are extreme, it could mean there’s alcohol use involved, and parents should intervene with their children and seek professional help through the child’s school or contact the county health department. These signs are mood changes like a quick temper, irritability and defensiveness; school problems such as poor attendance, low grades and/or recent disciplinary action; switching friends and a reluctance to introduce the new friends; and finding alcohol in a child’s room or backpack or smelling alcohol on their breath.

The good news is there are a number of things parents can proactively do to help children stay alcohol-free.

• Show you disapprove of underage drinking.
  More than 80 percent of young people ages 10-18 say their parents are the leading influence on their decision to drink or not drink. So they really are listening, and it’s important that you send a clear and strong message.
• Show you care about your child’s happiness and well-being.
  Young people are more likely to listen when they know you’re on their side. Try to reinforce why you don’t want your child to drink—not just because you say so, but because you want your child to be happy and safe. The conversation will go a lot better if you’re working with, and not against, your child.
• Show you’re a good source of information about alcohol.
  You want your child to be making informed decisions about drinking, with reliable information about its dangers. You don’t want your child to be learning about alcohol from friends, the internet, or the media—you want to establish yourself as a trustworthy source of information.
• Show you’re paying attention and you’ll notice if your child drinks.
  You want to show you’re keeping an eye on your child, because young people are more likely to drink if they think no one will notice. There are many subtle ways to do this without prying.
• Build your child’s skills and strategies for avoiding underage drinking.
  Even if your child doesn’t want to drink, peer pressure is a powerful thing. It could be tempting to drink just to avoid looking uncool. To prepare your child to resist peer pressure, you’ll need to build skills and practice them.

Keep it low-key. Don’t worry, you don’t have to get everything across in one talk. Many small talks are better.

There are free tools available to help parents have meaningful conversations with their kids and learn more about how to reduce the chances that children start drinking. “Talk. They Hear You.” is a resource from SAMHSA that can help parents get started. Parents, caregivers and educators can download materials by visiting https://www.samhsa.gov/underage-drinking. “Talk. They Hear You.” also has accessible videos that demonstrate the importance of discussing alcohol use with your children. These videos serve as examples how a parent can approach their child about alcohol use and can be found at http://bit.ly/2LuvT0F.

Moms and dads are the biggest influence when it comes to underage drinking, they hold the key to helping kids make good decisions and steer away from alcohol use.

(NAPSI)—Anyone who has ever seen a retirement account take a hit during a recession or stock market correction knows firsthand that it takes a mental and emotional toll. New research, however, has discovered that it also makes you sick.

An article published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, based on a study of how 8,714 adults fared over a 20-year period, concluded that a “negative wealth shock” can increase an individual’s risk of dying within the next two decades by more than 50 percent.

As The Wall Street Journal explained, “losing one’s life savings in the short term might curtail one’s life span in the long term.”

What Can Happen

It’s not entirely clear to researchers how the loss of retirement savings can damage your health—perhaps it’s related to increasing blood pressure or cardiovascular events—but the scientific findings are consistent with a growing body of knowledge:

• The Population Reference Bureau studied the effects of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 on older Americans’ health and well-being and found that financial losses during that time translated into a higher risk of mental and physical health problems with potential long-term consequences.
• The Federal Reserve released a briefing paper in 2013 that found “lower levels of life satisfaction” correspond to “greater levels of financial stress”—58 percent of older adults who said they were not very satisfied with life also reported having major financial stress.

What You Can Do

There is no magic bullet to prevent your retirement savings from being depleted by a major financial shock. Economic downturns are inevitable, stock market volatility is rising and unexpected expenses—such as a sudden hospital bill or home repairs—can wreak havoc on even the very best retirement funding plans. One option for coping with a negative financial shock is to unlock hidden value from everyday assets you may no longer need.

For example, many seniors are surprised to learn that one potential asset for generating immediate cash is a life insurance policy. A life insurance policy is considered your personal property, so you have the right to sell that policy anytime you like. When a consumer sells a policy—something called a “life settlement” transaction—the policy owner receives a cash payment and the purchaser of the policy assumes all future premium payments, then receives the death benefit upon the death of the insured. Candidates for life settlements are typically aged 70 years or older, with a life insurance policy that has a death benefit of at least $100,000.

If you own a life insurance policy you no longer need or can afford, you may be able to protect your retirement savings—and your personal health—by selling that policy for immediate cash.

Learn More

For more facts about life settlements, visit www.LISA.org or call the LISA office at (888) 793-3946.

(NAPSI)—High blood pressure is often silent—showing no signs or symptoms—but it’s not invisible. Survivors are speaking out to show the real impact of high blood pressure, and a new campaign from the Ad Council, American Heart Association and American Medical Association provides resources to help you and your doctor create a treatment plan that works for you.

Survivors William, Jill, Francisco, Allyson and others show you what high blood pressure looks like while telling their stories at LowerYourHBP.org to encourage you to get your blood pressure under control before it’s too late.

Understanding High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is any level of blood pressure above 130/80. Its consequences include heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, vision loss, sexual dysfunction and peripheral artery disease. According to the American Heart Association, 46 percent of Americans have high blood pressure, but only about half of them have it under control.

Committing To A Plan

Once you know you have high blood pressure, you can manage it very effectively through changes in eating habits, physical activity, and, when needed, medication. The best way to avoid the consequences of high blood pressure is to talk to your doctor and commit to a treatment plan that works for your life. Here are some questions to answer in preparation for your doctor visit:

• How have you been feeling?
• Is anything preventing you from sticking to your current plan?
• Any changes in your blood pressure?
• Any side effects from any medication or symptoms?
• How do you treat your side effects and/or symptoms?
• What questions or concerns do you have for your doctor?

Overcoming Everyday Hurdles

If your treatment plan feels overwhelming, your doctor can help you create a more achievable plan. The most effective plan is the one you actually follow. You can use the guide at LowerYourHBP.org to start the right conversation with your doctor.

If a hectic schedule, the cost of medication, or your habits are keeping you from sticking to your treatment, talk to your doctor about ways to overcome these barriers. Be clear about your concerns and get all the answers you need.

Learn More

You can find important facts, stats and tips and see the campaign’s videos online at www.LowerYourHBP.org. There, you can also find helpful tools as you work with your doctor to create or get a treatment plan to bring your blood pressure under control.

You can save yourself from the “silent killer.”