Manage Your Health Savings Account (HSA)
Now that the Affordable Care Act has gone into effect, managing your health savings account (HSA) is important to pay attention to.
Healthcare.gov defines Health Savings Accounts as such: “A medical savings account available to taxpayers who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan. The funds contributed to the account aren’t subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Funds must be used to pay for qualified medical expenses. Unlike a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), funds roll over year to year if you don’t spend them.”
You are able to use your HSA for any family member listed as a dependent on your taxes. A “qualified medical expense” can mean various things. This includes medical and dental expenses which can consist of the costs of diagnoses (lab tests), cure, mitigation or reduction of pain and costs for treatments.
To learn more, the IRS Publication 502 explains in greater detail. These things can add up if not properly managed. Knowing costs upfront is vital to managing your healthcare budget along with your HSA. We help to fill one of those holes due to our wide selection of lab tests with upfront pricing. You know exactly how much your test is before you get it done. This saves you many headaches and helps you to manage your HSA in its entirety.
Visit www.anylabtestnow.com/aca to learn more.
How To Stop Hepatitis
In 2011, there were an estimated range of 2,700 actual new cases of Hepatitis A, 18,800 of Hepatitis B and 16,500 of Hepatitis C in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control. As these numbers continue to climb, join us in taking part in Hepatitis Testing Day, today, May 19 to stop that number from increasing. We are supporting the cause and hope you do too.
May has been deemed Hepatitis Awareness Month and in light of that, the CDC and its public health partners work hard to bring awareness to the epidemic and encourage people to get tested. It’s extremely important to get tested because if Hepatitis is left untreated, it can turn into serious health issues including liver failure. Another reason getting tested is so important is because the disease can remain dormant in your body for years without causing any symptoms. Don’t let it go unnoticed if you may be affected.
Check out the ABC’s of viral Hepatitis provided by the CDC to learn more and get tested today.
Become Aware of Your Food Allergies
A surprising 15 million people are affected by food allergies. Allergic reactions to different kinds of food can affect the skin, gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract and sometimes even the cardiovascular system. Reactions are different for everyone, but if not properly treated can be threatening. Symptoms and timing of symptoms vary for each individual, which is why it’s so important to know your body.
Diagnosing an allergy on your own is not recommended, as the root of the allergy could be from something else other than your first inclination and can result in unnecessary dietary changes. Talking with an allergist and getting the recommended tests is the best way to determine the best plan of attack on your food allergies. We offer a selection of allergy tests that can help you with your food allergies.
“In 1998, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, now FARE, created Food Allergy Awareness Week to educate the public about food allergies, a potentially life-threatening medical condition.” Learn more about how you can get involved with this year’s Food Allergy Awareness Week here.
Stroke Awareness – It’s Preventable
May is an important month! We talked about the importance of allergy testing last week, and this week we want to shine a light on stroke awareness. May was designated by President George H. W. Bush as National Stroke Awareness Month. The National Stroke Association works hard each year to bring awareness of strokes in hopes to conquer them. Check out their resource center for programs, activities and tons of valuable information.
A stroke happens after a blood clot blocks an artery or when a blood vessel breaks. This causes interrupted brain flow to the brain. Brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs when this happens.
“When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.” -Read more from the National Stroke Association here.
Did you know that up to 80% of strokes are preventable?
In order to prevent a stroke, check out our PLAC® Test. It’s a test that measures an increased enzyme caused by inflamed arteries. It can help your physician assess your risk and susceptibility for heart attacks and stroke. Support National Stroke Awareness Month by getting informed, spreading the word and getting tested!
Bless You! National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America encourages you to get informed about asthma and allergies as the season is upon us. That’s why they’ve deemed May as Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.
When spring arrives, the flowers bloom, the weather warms up and the sun comes out more! However, spring also means an overload of pollen, which makes a lot of people’s allergies act up.
Allergies become apparent when your body is exposed to something that it considers to be harmful and, as a result, creates antibodies to protect itself for the next exposure. The next time your body comes is exposed, histamines are released, causing those allergic reactions and symptoms that seem to come around spring time. Want to see where your city ranks in the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies? Check it out here.
It’s important to monitor your allergies, so check out all of the convenient allergy tests we offer and get yours tested in honor of Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.
Stressed? Relax, It’s Stress Awareness Month
April is Stress Awareness Month. What a perfect excuse to take a vacation or a long weekend to relax as the weather is slowly starting to warm up.
We all get caught up in our day to day activities, and if not properly dealt with, the result is stress. It’s important to remember to relax and take time to ourselves. It’s healthy and necessary. Busy lives and stressful activities can result in decreased attention to your health. That’s why Stress Awareness Month is a wonderful reminder to relax and overcome stress. Check out these 10 ways to celebrate Stress Awareness Month.
If your scheduled is slammed and you need lab tests but don’t have the time to do so, you may want to consider one of our complete health panels. This takes up less of your time, while giving you a complete overview of your health. The basic check up panel is a good start if you’re not sure where to begin. Take Control of Your Health® this April!
Celebrate Your Siblings
Happy National Siblings Day! Siblings Day Foundation founder Claudia Evart was inspired to create a recognized day to celebrate and honor siblings after losing her own siblings early on in life. She chose April 10 specifically, as it is the birthday of her late sister.
Evart’s goal is to create a nationally known holiday, similar to Mother’s and Father’s day. Do something nice for your sibling today to let them know how much you appreciate them.
Because today is National Siblings Day, we’d like to remind you of our Siblingship DNA Test. If you want to know if siblings share one or both biological parents in common, a Siblingship DNA Test can determine the statistical probability of whether they are half or full siblings, or unrelated.
Don’t Be A Fool
It’s April Fools’ Day! Among all of the tricks and pranksters today, don’t fool yourself about the importance of monitoring your health. 
Remember our post about measuring your health to help maintain your New Year’s resolutions? We talked about our Basic Check Up Panel, which is an excellent way to examine your overall health. It’s extremely important to proactively monitor your health, so that you stay ahead of any signs and symptoms of possible health problems that could arise. Proactive health and wellness often correlates with lower healthcare costs, important in this day of high deductible insurance and health savings accounts (HSAa). We encourage you to come in to your local ANY LAB TEST NOW® and get tested today!
Don’t be fooled by what’s going on inside your body, or by any of the tricks played by your friends and family this April Fools’ Day! Share your prank stories with us by commenting below!
Deadline Is Here: Are You Enrolled?
Here’s a friendly reminder that the deadline for Open Enrollment for coverage in 2014 is here. Today is the last day to enroll, which means you may miss your window of opportunity for health insurance coverage this year if you haven’t signed up on the exchange by the end of the day. The next Open Enrollment period is November 15, 2014 for coverage to begin January 1, 2015.
If you have chosen not to have health coverage in 2014, you may face a penalty, but not if you enroll by today, March 31. For other important dates and details about 2015 Open Enrollment, see here.
Tired Often? It May Be Fatigue
We’re here to help you get informed during National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness month. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder characterized by fatigue that isn’t solved by sleep and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. When not properly dealt with, it can affect your body causing weakness, muscle pain, impaired memory and concentration, insomnia and a number of other effects.
“CDC research indicates that at least more than four million Americans have CFS. Unfortunately, less than 20% of them have been diagnosed. The low rate of diagnosis shows a need for increased understanding of CFS among individuals experiencing symptoms of the illness, the general public and health care professionals.” –CDFIS Association of America
Being tired is a symptom caused by normal daily activities, that when combined, can strain us and make us tired. Read the story of an in depth account of someone who suffers from CFS.
If your energy level is always low, you may want to try taking our Fatigue Panel test. This is made up of 8 different tests including a CBC, which measures the cellular makeup of your blood that can reveal anemia, signs of infection or other factors that can cause fatigue. A chemistry panel is also included to analyze electrolytes, sugar, proteins and enzymes. If any of these results come back abnormal, be sure to contact your primary care physician. If you feel like coffee is just not cutting it, maybe it’s time for you to dig a little deeper.
