In Colorado, group health insurance is designed to meet the health care needs of employees of large and small companies. In Colorado, a single person who owns a business could, in some circumstances, qualify for group health insurance benefits. If your employer offers group health plans paying only a portion of the premium, then you are responsible for the rest. This is true for individual and family coverage. Whether the employer pays all or a portion of the cost, Colorado insurance laws dictate that you cannot be refused, or asked to pay more because of your medical condition. Also, your group health insurance can never be cancelled, even if you get sick.

An important point to remember is if you leave your job, you cannot take your group plan with you. You can continue coverage by paying out of pocket for a plan called “state continuation coverage” or COBRA. This coverage usually lasts for three months. It also helps cover any waiting period you may have once you get a new job and new coverage. Keep in mind however; your new coverage may not include medication coverage for a pre-existing condition for up to one year.

Most group health plans in Colorado offer flexibility to companies in choosing plans. Companies usually offer employees several plans to choose from. A good plan will offer benefits like coverage for “out of the network” doctor visits by the members.

In cases where employees contribute to the plan, there are often times a savings plan benefit to employees. Check with your employer to see if one is offered and how it works.

By: Peter Emerson

For many people, sedation dentistry is a wonderful solution to the anxiety and fears they possess regarding dental treatment. Through the use of oral sedatives, patients are able to calm these fears and obtain the treatments necessary to maintaining their oral health. Though, in many cases it can be difficult to know where to begin the search for these services, and with so many dental professionals available in this day and age the decision process can be quite overwhelming. In this article, we will outline a few tips to help you find your ideal sedation dentist.

Step 1 – Take part in a discussion with friends and family member who have sought similar treatments in order to obtain recommendations. Word of mouth is often the best way to establish a preliminary list to choose from, as well as figure out which practitioners to avoid.

Step 2 – Hop onto your favorite search engine and search for sedation dentists in your area. Check out practice websites and look into the specifics of each, including location, hours, the education of the dentists at the practice, certification and more. Additionally, you can also find local review sites to look into reviews from current and past patients of the practice in order to gain a better idea of what to expect.

Step 3 – Once you have a basic list of candidates, pick out your favorites and give each of them a call to find out more about their practice. Find out which types of methods they use, insurance specifics and any other information not found elsewhere that will help in the decision making process. Many offices will offer new clients free initial consultations. If you like what you hear, schedule an appointment to meet with the dentist in order to obtain a first hand look at the office and get a feel for the practitioner you will be working with.

Step 4 – At your meeting, be sure to bring a list of questions and discussion topics for the physician to address. Take notes based on their responses and pay attention to the way in which they speak with you. It’s always important to go with someone that makes you feel comfortable, especially when concerned with sedation dentistry. Pay attention to all facilities and staff as well.

Step 5 – After you’ve met with each candidate, sit down and evaluate the information you’ve gathered. Avoid making a decision based on price, and go with your gut feeling regarding who will provide the best work. Remember, more often than not, you’ll get what you pay for…. And where your health is concerned, there should be no skimping. Go with your gut and schedule your appointment.

By: Andrea Avery

Besides the obvious aesthetic aid that houseplants can bring to a room, did you know that they contribute to your family’s health? We already value plants outdoors for their air cleansing and medicinal abilities-why should that be any different inside the home? Through healing salves, air purification and increased humidity, plants are an easy way to spruce (get it?) up your home’s health and beauty.

Your houseplant can be an in-home drug store! Plants like Aloe Vera can help speed the healing process for many external injuries, including burns and cuts. Just squeeze the gel from your kitchen’s aloe plant on a burn you get from the stove and you will see how soothing natural remedies can be for minor wounds. Native Americans relied heavily on natural and herbal remedies for their medicine, so why can’t we? Rather than buying products made with these natural extracts, consider keeping aloe, fennel, chamomile or ginger plants around to balance your body both inside and out.

No matter how clean your home may appear to the naked eye, indoor pollution is a reality of many modern homes. Houseplants have the ability to remove greenhouse gases quickly and effectively, replacing toxic carbon dioxide with fresh oxygen. The Peace Lily, a uniquely beautiful flower, can remove even mold spores from the air, making it a great choice to decorate any bathroom where mildew can cause mold problems. The lily’s flower petals absorb the mold spores and then use them for nourishment. It can also absorb harmful airborne chemicals like acetone and alcohol that may be left over from the use of aerosol products.

Plants can also increase the humidity in your home, which can make your home’s air much more comfortable for you to breathe. Plants like ferns act like a humidifier, releasing moisture into the air through water vapor that is created as atmospheric pollutants are removed. A Eucalyptus plant can help you clear out springtime congestion by raising fluid levels in respiratory membranes.

Experts recommend using one plant per ten square yards of floor space, so keep that in mind when deciding how many plants to use in each room. Depending on the kind of plant that you choose, you can use two or three to adequately care for a larger room and fewer for smaller. Keep in mind that not all plants require direct sunlight, so if your rooms are slightly lacking in light choose an appropriate plant species. Make sure that no drafts hit the plants, to ensure that their natural vapors work at maximum effectiveness.

Plants are an extremely affordable way to improve your home’s look and health, particularly when grown from seeds. They do take time and effort to cultivate, but the benefits reaped from having them around are manifold.

By: Yelena M Gertsenova

Countless bathroom accidents occur every year. In fact, it has been reported that there are more accidents that happen in the bathroom than in any other room in a home. Seniors are especially at risk, so it is imperative that senior homecare includes bathroom safety products that will decrease their chances of being hurt. Bathroom accident prevention is the key to stopping accidents before they have a chance to occur. Installing home health safety products such as bath mats in bathtubs that are sturdy and slip resistant is one way of making sure your bathroom is safe for use. Cosmetic Solutions offers bathtub safety mats which features suction cups to help hold the mat in place to prevent slips and falls. In addition to safety mats, Medline offers a bathtub bar that locks to the sides of your tub to provide stability for getting in and out of the tub. This device supports up to 250 lbs. and has rubber pads to protect bath tub walls.

Medline also offers a bath bench that sits in your bathtub to make bathing a lot more comfortable. The bath bench has a durable aluminum frame, with suction cup tips on all four legs making it stable and safe for individuals who need to sit while bathing. The seat is adjustable up to 19.5 inches making it ideal for many different bathtubs.

For those who may need back support during bathing, Duro-Med’s White Blow Molded Bath Seat features anodized aluminum tubing, non-slip tips and back and seat rest blows with drainage holes made of high density plastic. The back support makes bathing a lot more comfortable and allows caretakers to easily assist loved ones in getting in and out of the bathtub.

By: Erika Lang

Recovery in mental health is not used in the same manner in which one typically views recovery. Webster defines recovery as:

1) a return to normal conditions
2) an act, instance, process, or period of recovering
3) Something gained or restored in recovering
4) The act of obtaining usable substance from unusable sources, as with waste materials

These definitions are problematic. What is a normal condition? When is one done with recovering? What is gained or restored? And how could you even begin to refer the human mind as unusable?

Consequently, the concept of mental recovery was coined by Pricilla Ridgeway as “an ongoing process of self directed healing and transformation.” The Mental Health Center of Denver, or MHCD, the home of some of the leading researchers in the mental health recovery field, go on to say that recovery is a non-linear process where one progresses from lower to higher levels of fulfillment in a number of metrics. In short, recovery is a sliding scale process driven by the consumer, rather than scheduled out by the mental healthcare practitioner.

Thus essentially, recovery from a mental illness is not equated to being cured, it means living a meaningful, fulfilling life regardless of, rather than in spite of, one’s mental condition. Interestingly enough, cultural differences do exist in the meaning of what ‘recovery’ and mental health recovery actually is. New Zealand, which recently mandated all mental health facilities adopt a recovery-based approach, views recovery as a merging between psychoanalysis and cultural recognition. The U.K. agrees with New Zealand in believing that recovery is a systematic concept (thus including one’s environment and culture), rather than an incidental one. The United States tends to focus more on the number of people coming in than those going out, thus the notion of recovery is still rather unformed in the region

The Mental Health Center of Denver, through their Research and Evaluation’s Department, has further developed psychometric tools for quantifiably testing a mental healthcare consumer’s progress through the mental health recovery process. These instruments have been substantiated by biostatisticians and psychological/psychiatric expertise, thus are generally held in good standing.

By: Lex Douvasa

Driving in Denver, Colorado can be an incredibly scenic and enjoyable endeavor. Although the traffic can be heavy at times, the scenery of this majestic location is wonderful. Even though many people do enjoy driving around Denver to take in the sights, many people are simply trying to get from one point to another. With all those vehicles on the road, it’s easy to see why car insurance is mandatory in this city.

In addition to purchasing the required levels of coverage of car insurance, many people need to have more comprehensive coverage. In Denver, Colorado vehicle owners can work with their insurance companies to develop policies that cover all their individual needs. By adding and subtracting certain types of coverage, a car owner can expect to find cheap car insurance that meets their requirements.

One type of coverage that many people opt to go without is medical coverage. For someone with a health plan already in place, purchasing this extra medical coverage simply isn’t necessary. Instead they decide to turn to their traditional health plan if they are faced with an injury.

Uninsured motorist coverage is exactly how it sounds. This coverage protects a driver if they are hit by someone who is driving illegally without proper car insurance. Many drivers realize that the chances of this occurring are relatively slim given the strict rules that are in place when it comes to driving without insurance. So to enjoy cheap car insurance rates they forgo this particular type of coverage.

It’s difficult for anyone to say what type of coverage is ideal as it varies from person to person. However the most important thing is that the driver feels comfortable with the protection level they’ve purchased given the type of car they drive as well as their driving history.

By: Deborah Mills