Columns

If you have reviewed your Medicare coverage options for 2021, pat yourself on the back. Annually, 57% don’t bother, according to recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). If you’re among those that skip Medicare’s annual open enrollment, there are some good reasons not to ignore this round.

Second opinions are a welcome hope! I received one for the first time this week, and the experience left me questioning my decision. Earlier this year, my primary pulmonologist and I agreed that I should seek a second opinion on my lung health.

Right around this time last year, I was cobbling together homemade chicken soup to get rid of a cold. My victory was short-lived, because a second wave struck a week later.  That’s long been my M.O. — battling an endless series of colds, viruses, and sinus infections.

Last week, voters successfully nudged a handful of states into expanding opportunities to buy marijuana legally. But there are a few things you should know before leaping into medical marijuana. I was excited when my home state of Pennsylvania finally opened the door to medicinal uses two years ago.

You may or may not be a sports fan. But today’s NFL trade deadline is a useful reminder to us all that some employers will stick by you through good and bad, while others will ditch you given the opportunity.  By 4 p.m., a host of players will…

It has been an interesting week. I was having a conversation with a friend about getting back into the workforce. Although I have pulmonary sarcoidosis, I believe my 30-plus years as a video professional should still be relevant in the marketplace, especially during a…

With Halloween just days away, I’ve been thinking about fear. Not the holding-your-breath, muscle-clenching, waiting-for-horrors to unfold type. But rather the run-of-the-mill scares we’ve pushed down so deep we’ve forgotten they’re even there.  The idea that I’m avoiding fear has been flitting through my mind for months. It became…

Many folks with chronic health issues have difficulty focusing on too much at any given time. I have repeatedly tried to overcome this habit. Each day, I’m faced with the reality that my life is different and I have to move on, but it’s easier…

A best friend from high school occasionally stops by to let my wife and me know what’s going on in her life and to check on my health. We all sit on my porch — socially distanced, of course — with cocktails in hand while we’d…

Bad habits usually sneak up on me. I glide along thinking I’m in control until I get hit with the realization that I’m not. That moment arrived for me on a recent morning when I decided to skip the news.  It shouldn’t have been a big deal. But eating…