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4A – Daily News – Monday, November 8, 2010 Vitality & health NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (MCT) — Amanda Rooker doesn't pay for health insurance. Instead, she pays a monthly share to cover other people's health bills. It's part of a medical bill sharing program called Medi-Share, which claims an exemption from federal health reform's individual mandate. Under the exemption, members of healthcare sharing ministries _ organi- zations where members share financial resources to pay one another's medical costs _ are not required to carry insur- ance by 2014 or face penalties, accord- ing to Medi-Share. Medi-Share is one of three similar, large Christian-based bill-sharing pro- grams available in the U.S. Medi-Share covers about 13,000 households. Com- bined, the three groups have about 100,000 individual participants, said Robert Baldwin, president of Florida- based Christian Care Ministry, which oversees Medi-Share. "It's a highly organized way of pass- ing the hat," he said. Rooker, a 35-year-old York County, Va., resident, enrolled in Medi-Share about five years ago, after the birth of her second son. Her husband had changed jobs, and the new insurance plan was expensive for a "woman of childbearing age," she said. So Rooker, who's self-employed, signed up her husband and two sons on her husband's employer-sponsored health plan, and shopped around for health insurance for herself. That's when she found Medi-Share. "At first, it was just a cost-effective option to health insurance," she said. She pays $133 a month to Medi- Share and $250 per incident per year for her medical bills. Anything over that, she can submit to the group to pay. "That has really encouraged me to look into self care and natural reme- dies," Rooker said. She sees a natur- opath, a provider who emphasizes nat- ural remedies, which would not be covered by insurance anyway, she said. The only bill she has submitted to Medi-Share was for a hormonal imbal- ance, and they covered it, Rooker said. Members can qualify for discounts if they're healthy. If they're not, they're assigned a health coach. That helps keep monthly shares down, Baldwin said. Rooker sees it as a kind of cata- strophic insurance. If something terri- ble were to happen, she would have help covering the bills, she said. "It's less than what I would pay for health insurance," she said. "It's just a more customized personalized health program that works for me." Medi-Share members are encour- aged to seek treatment among the more than 600,000 physicians and tens of thousands of hospitals that are a part of the network to take advantage of prene- gotiated discounts, Baldwin said. Home fertility tests may not be reliable predictors of a woman's ability to get pregnant, researchers at the University of North Caroli- na-Chapel Hill have found. The group, led by Dr. Anne Z. Steiner, an assis- tant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, found that the do-it-yourself kits often indicated women would have difficulties, yet many had no problem conceiving. "Although the tests are out there, this is the first study that asks, can these tests be used to measure potential fertility?" Steiner said. Women typically use the tests to gauge their chances of becoming pregnant, par- ticularly if they've post- poned child-bearing into their 30s when fertility diminishes. For years, women in the Medical bill-sharing All the local hospitals are on the net- work, Rooker said, so she hasn't wor- ried about out-of-network expenses. Members must sign a statement of faith professing faith in Jesus Christ and agree not to engage in sex outside of traditional Christian marriage, use tobacco or illegal drugs or abuse legal drugs or alcohol. Members are not permitted to sub- mit bills for a list of things, including abortion of a live fetus, birth control procedures and/or supplies and breast implants or reductions. For that reason, she understands it's not for everybody. "I don't think it would work well for people who have babies or small chil- dren who want to have their immu- nizations and well checks," she added. "I would really like to see more affinity-based cost-sharing groups pop up, which are not just evangelical Christian, but anyone else who has a common health belief, so that it's smaller and people can feel more con- nected to each other," Rooker said. "I think the model is innovative, and I would really like to see it replicated." When people have a common understanding about health and beliefs, they can agree on what's covered, she said. "You can trust that other members will provide for your need when you need it because there's a common bond there," she said. Do-it-yourself fertility kits can mislead women (MCT) FSH, a chemical produced in the pituitary gland in the brain that helps stimulate the growth of eggs in the ovaries. U.S. have delayed their first pregnancies, on average now until age 25; in the 1970s, the average age was 21, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At about age 30, fertility gradually starts to wane as the number and quality of eggs declines. The drop-off is steeper in a woman's late 30s. Like a pregnancy test, a home fertility detector uses a chemically treated strip that reacts to hormones in the urine and displays a read- ing. It measures for follicle stimulating hormone, or Readings above a cer- tain level are supposed to signal that a woman may be infertile. But Steiner's group found that abnormal FSH levels did not correlate to reduced fertility among the women who participated in the study. "When we have larger numbers of women in the study, we will be able to look at how many women conceived in a year despite an abnormal test value," Steiner said. Her findings result from a small trial of about 100 women in the Raleigh- Durham, N.C., area who were older than 30. The women, who were all try- ing to become pregnant and had no history of infertility, supplied both blood and urine samples that were tested for FSH and other hormones. Although FSH levels were not good predictors of who would have difficulty conceiving, another hor- mone was more accurate. That chemical, anti-muller- ian hormone, or AMH, is produced in the ovaries and also controls the growth of egg follicles. Steiner said screenings might need to include more than one hor- mone, although AMH can only be measured in blood. Recycle The Warmth Yes, I can help! Who do you know that needs a coat? Yourself? Children? Grandchildren? Mother or Father? Neighbor? Homeless? Friend? Co-worker? Elderly? C ome to: Bethel Church, 625 Luther Rd., Saturday, Nov. 13th 8:00am to 12 noon Help us get the word out. Every year the Daily News associates have sponsored a warm clothing/soup kitchen giveaway. It is our way of saying “ we care about others”. Clothing, blankets and food will be available for all. Please help us pass the word to families and individuals that would benefit from this event. If you would like to donate, bring your gently used: • BLANKETS • COATS • HATS • SCARVES • WINTER CLOTHING, to the Daily News, 545 Diamond Ave. The greatest needs each year are for X-Large sizes and Children’s warm clothes. We will be accepting items until Nov.12th. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s participation. This event is open to any family or individual in need of winter clothing. THANK YOU Senia Owensby Getting the word out about Recycle The Warmth. Transporting clothes from Daily News to Bethel Church Nov. 12th. Setting up night before giveaway, Nov. 12th. Roving help during giveaway. Tearing down afterward, boxing up, cleaning up. Transporting leftover items back to Daily News. We Also Need: Clothes racks of any size Trash/Leaf - sized bags Your own unique skill or talent Name Phone # E-mail Please return this form to Senia Owensby Daily News, 545 Diamond Ave. Call 527-2151, (DailyNews), 527-2841, (home), or e-mail production@redbluffdailynews.com wowensby@clearwire.net Ask about our Open Fit Technology Discreet and Comfortable Red Bluff Community Center 1500 So. Jackson Wed., Nov. 10, 2010 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 1-800-488-9906 Appointments CALL Limited Professional Personal Convenient • Premium Digital Hearing Aids for every budget • FREE hearing evaluations • Service/Repair, all makes and models • Batteries & accessories • Preferred provider for most insurance plans: Including PERS, Carpenters, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, etc. • Low monthly payment plan available • Trial Period/ Satisfaction Guaranteed Performed for proper amplification selection only. fitness Nutrition Quiz: Eating while driving (MCT) You've no doubt heard about the hazards of driving while yakking on a cell phone or using your thumbs to text rather than steer. Well, how about the dangers of eating while driving? The "Ask a Dietitian" website listed the dangers of driving while eating, culled from a list compiled by Haggerty Insurance Co. So put down that greasy burger and put both hands on our quiz. 1. What is the most hazardous thing a driver can consume behind the wheel? a) Oatmeal b) Coffee c) Cheetos d) Green beans 2. Why is the answer to Question 1 deemed the most hazardous? a) "Because drivers invariably try to make instant cleanups while still driving" b) "Because it's often served at temperatures near scalding, and can cause serious burns that also divert a driver's focus" c) "Because uncovered drinks generally are the greatest offenders for unexpected splashes and spills" d) All of the above 3. Why do more food-related auto accidents happen in the morning than in the evening? a) "A driver's synapses do not fire as fully as in the afternoon, increasing spills" b) "Nobody wants to look messy on the way to work ... so drivers invariably try to make instant cleanups while still driving" c) "Foods eaten for breakfast, such as cereal in a bowl with milk or scram- bled eggs, tend to spill more frequently than hamburg- ers or burritos" d) All of the above Answers: 1) b 2) d 3) b