Eating Right in the Workplace Packing a lunch is no longer just for the young ones; believe it or not, it can be for grown-ups too. Everyone has heard about the horrors of fast food, so why not pack a lunch from home? Yes, it may seem like a barbaric concept for people over the age of 10, but it really isn't. It can save you gas money, mileage, and many minutes stuck in traffic searching for the... (14 views)
Health Insurance Plan. Either do it on your own or sign up with your employer A recent report by the Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development states very bluntly — and ominously — that the ''U.S. employer-based health insurance system is failing.'' Why is it failing? It turns out that in spite of record productivity and a relatively sound economy, corporations and firms are not stepping up to the plate to offer... (13 views)
Medical Billing Errors on the Rise If you've visited the emergency room lately and received a bill in the mail, that feeling of shock at the total cost may have been more justified than you think. A new study has found that as healthcare costs increase, so does the number of errors appearing on patients' bills. And the charges aren't always negligible; depending on what you've been charged for, you can end... (13 views)
Taking a great vacation break to exotic locations. ''Oh, the weather outside is frightful...''I can't help still humming that song, even with winter coming slowly but surely to an end in the next couple of months. With the Northeast still tackling snowstorms and the West Coast dealing with rain and floods, it's no wonder that the song still rings true today. (13 views)
Precious Design Meets Precious Crystal Parents are notorious for believing with all of their hearts that their child is the smartest, cutest, and most talented around. This explains why cars are plastered with ''My child is an honor student at...'' bumper stickers, Little League games are so loud, and handmade cards with accompanying poems quickly head to the top of the ''best presents ever received'' list. (13 views)
February 22 2007 LawCrossing Weekend ''Pitchers and catchers report today.''Those are the sweetest five words in the English language for a baseball fan like me. Fortunately, being a rich and successful attorney affords me the ability to buy pricey season tickets in a luxury box. But this weekend, I've got something else in mind: buying my own baseball team. (12 views)
The Legal Ramifications Associated with Forced Wellness Programs Over the past several years wellness programs have found their way into various companies across the United States. Such programs, geared toward getting employees healthy in order to cut insurance costs, are known to reward employees for participating and sanction them for refusing to do so. This new corporate attitude has generated concern about employers' roles in their... (12 views)
Sleep: Getting the Rest You Need For many decades now, the issue of sleep has been a topic of conversation and sometimes even debate. Are we getting enough? Are we getting too much? (12 views)
Gift Giving on a Budget ''It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice everywhere you go!'' (11 views)
December 18 2006 LawCrossing Weekend Finally, it's the weekend! Only three more shopping days until Christmas, and I have yet to make a dent in my list. Legal professionals don't have a lot of time to shop, so we tend to cram all our shopping into one extravagant weekend. I'm spending this weekend picking up a little something for my nephew, Keith. (11 views)
Depression and Healthcare Mental health issues continue to be the most problematic and least disclosed of all health concerns in America, though they remain a common ailment. A full 16% of Americans will experience some form of depression at some point in their lifetime, though other estimates put this number at almost double. This means that between 50 million and 100 million Americans will be... (11 views)
New Year's Resolutions: Cheers or Jeers? Take out the pen and paper; it's that time again — the time when many decide to place their bets on themselves. How many of us have done this? Come on; let's be honest. You've secretly made a New Year's resolution or two yourself at some point in your life. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but how realistic are the expectations you are putting on yourself? Sure, we would... (11 views)
Fighting AIDS in the 21st Century It may seem hard to believe, but AIDS has only been a major human disease since it was first identified in 1981. After the initial scare of an impending epidemic and a series of international programs designed to educate populations to combat the spread of the debilitating disease, many nations settled into a period of complacency about AIDS despite the fact that it has... (11 views)
Celebrating Heart In the subjective world of art, no one truly knows whether artists' pieces will become critical darlings or will get consistently panned. For those who do produce works that are highly praised and prized, however, the recognition and compensation can be immense. For instance, earlier this year one successful bidder spent $19.3 million when purchasing Damien Hirst's Lullaby... (11 views)
States Seeking Universal Health Coverage With the drums beating increasingly loudly for universal healthcare coverage, a number of proactive states have taken the initiative to implement (or at least debate) their own independent programs. Illinois is currently the only state in the nation to offer universal healthcare under its All Kids program. Other states have made significant strides toward universal... (11 views)
Disparities in Health Insurance Fall Along Racial Lines According to a report released by the Commonwealth Fund, Hispanic and African American adults are one-and-a-half to three times as likely as white adults to be without health insurance. Accordingly, they are also much more likely to be underinsured, be burdened with medical debt, and work in jobs where their employers offer them no access to healthcare. (10 views)
Fighting the Flu: How to Cope It's that splendid time of year again: flu season. Yes, folks, time to fend off the germs in the air and the people coughing way too close to your desk yet again. (10 views)
Bringing ''Daydreams'' to Life Recently some of the long-established bands of our time have developed a trend of performing entire past albums live. Is this because these bands are not able to come up with new ways to further their musical growth? Some may say that, but anyone who was in attendance of one of Sonic Youth's performances of ''Daydream Nation'' will argue the point. (10 views)
Top Schools Raise Bar on Parental Contributions Many top universities across the country are locked in a competition over financial aid programs, and it's the students and their families that are benefiting. (9 views)
Choosing a Health Insurance Plan: Some Tips Catastrophic illness or injury can lead to devastating financial loss. To protect themselves from this situation, most people depend on health insurance. (9 views)
February 8 2007 LawCrossing Weekend I have always thought of myself as a rather creative person, and this weekend I have decided to find my muse. I'm pretty sure that he—or she—is living at The Muse Hotel in the heart of Times Square, so come evening, the city that never sleeps will be my destination of choice. (8 views)
March 8 2007 LawCrossing Weekend It's Friday once again and time for my favorite activity: shopping! My BFF thinks what I have my eye on this week is a little odd since I can't swim. But I have decided that I want my own submarine. Anyway, once I'm locked tightly inside, I won't have to worry about swimming. (8 views)
Happily Uninsured Ah, youth — full of fun, fancy, tomfoolery, and just maybe too much foolishness. There is currently an increasingly vocal anti-insurance-industry sentiment growing in the public sphere, arguing that the best way to combat unchained and unmonitored corporate greed is to simply reject insurance companies' services in the first place. But we're not dealing with HD TVs and... (8 views)
Politics: Getting All the Facts The world of politics — some loathe it, and some can't live without it. Yes, it's time to discuss the controversial topic that is our political system. An important question still exists, though: are we getting it all straight, or are we only hearing what we are getting? Makes sense...not really. (8 views)
Virtually at Your Service There are often tasks that must be accomplished around the house that, for most, are not enjoyable. Such tasks typically appear on the list of ''have to do'' because often there are much better ways in which we feel we can utilize our days and nights. (8 views)
Cruises: Temporary Au Revoirs to Legal Work With gas prices soaring and airline prices kicking into high gear, it's no wonder more and more people are picking the seas over the skies. (8 views)
To Date or Not to Date...Online You work until late in the evening, then you hit the gym, and afterward it's cooking time and then time for dinner. Room for social hour? Probably not. Sound familiar? Well, that may not be your exact schedule, but you get the point. (7 views)
Insuring America's New Epidemic: Autism Official estimates of the rate of occurrence of autism in American children a decade ago stood at one in 1,000. Today, the numbers have increased to an alarming one in 150, indicative of a full-blown autism epidemic. Indeed, recent studies have established that over 1 million children in the U.S. are currently living with autism, with a new child diagnosed every 20... (7 views)
Glossary of Health Insurance Terms (Part One) Health insurance is widely discussed, and policymakers, the insurance industry, underwriters, employers, employees, healthcare providers, beneficiaries, and public interest groups are the stakeholders. A lot of research has been done, and many reports have been published, but a better understanding of the subject is essential if one wants to derive the maximum advantage... (6 views)
Take a Trip on a Budget The holidays don't just mean a chance to eat and party more; they also mean a chance for you to get away from it all. Once finals are over and winter break hits, what could be more fun than jetting off to a dream destination? (5 views)