Have You Checked Your Credit Report This Year?

It is essential for everyone to check their credit history on a regular basis to be sure that it’s accurate and does not contain false or fraudulent information. Security breaches have become a common occurrence.

FREE credit reports are available from each of the 3 major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These three nationwide consumer reporting companies have a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

To order, visit the site https://www.annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Be sure you are on the "official" www.annualcreditreport.com website. Visit http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports for more information and important warnings about “imposter” websites to avoid.

Since the law allows you to order one free copy of your report from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies every 12 months, staggering your requests allows you to monitor your credit every 4 months.

Interestingly, over 80% of the general public does not request credit reports. Don’t allow yourself to fall victim to credit fraud because you failed to regularly check your credit history. It's easy and it's FREE!

Commonly Used Medicines Send Seniors to Hospitals [as reported in The Wall Street Journal]

Commonly used diabetes pills and blood thinners—not high-risk medications like opiate painkillers—are behind most visits by senior citizens to U.S. emergency rooms for drug reactions and unintentional overdoses, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The findings suggest that hundreds of millions of dollars could be saved annually by improving the education and drug management of people with certain chronic conditions.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimated that 99,628 hospitalizations every year of people 65 years and older are linked to adverse drug events such as allergic reactions and unintentional overdoses. Nearly half of those hospitalized were adults 80 years old and older.

Avoiding Probate

If all of your assets are jointly owned and you wish to have the co-owner of the account inherit it after your passing, this is a convenient way to avoid probate. But beware. A co-owner can withdraw all money in the account at any time. A safe way would be to list your intended beneficiaries on the bank account and have the bank account titled as payable on death (“POD”) to them. You would remain in full and complete control of the accounts during your lifetime and retain the right to change who will inherit it.

Who Will Know If You’re In a Serious Auto Accident?

Maryland drivers can now add three emergency contacts to their driver’s license so police will know who to call if an accident occurs. The emergency contact information is stored electronically on an individual’s driver’s license and will be available only to authorized law enforcement and medical personnel.

You can go to the MVA’s website at www.mva.maryland.gov and add your three emergency contacts in just a few minutes! Go to the website, click “On-line Transactions”, then click “More”, look under “Other Services” and then click “Emergency Contacts” to add your contact names, addresses and phone numbers.

NOTE:  To perform this Emergency Contact transaction, you must be able to provide your driver’s license number, date of birth, and PIN or last 4 digits of your social security number.

Elders Are More Vulnerable to Prescription Drug Abuse

A recent study conducted by the USA Today newspaper established that older Americans are particularly vulnerable to prescription drug abuse.

The simple fact of the matter is that as we age, we develop more health problems -- many of which cause pain and physical discomfort.

Due to a combination of convenience and concern, many members of the medical community are too prone to prescribing pain medication when rest and patience would be better “medicine” than pills.

The consequences can be quite serious with the development of long-term addictions. The history of pain medication administration is that a small dose may alleviate symptoms for awhile but as a tolerance is built up, dosages are steadily increased.

To illustrate the problem, in the past 10 years, the cases of pain medication abuse and addictions grew by more than 200% in the 65+ age group according to survey data. As the American population ages, the problem will only get worse.

As a general rule, pain medication should be used on a short-term basis only to minimize the risk of addiction and side effects. (This advice certainly doesn’t apply to advanced-stage cancer or other end-of-life conditions.)

If your doctor prescribes pain medication for you, be sure to discuss how long you should take it and whether there are alternative medical steps that could be taken to minimize or possibly eliminate the need for pain medication.

WARNING: If you find yourself on a regimen of long-term pain medication, and you’re not suffering from some incurable condition, something’s probably not right. Discuss the matter with your doctor immediately. Help is available.