Texas Family Medicine April 2023 Blog

Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C, offer several advantages over traditional Medicare.

We highly recommend Medicare Advantage plans, such as Care n Care or Humana to our regular medicare patients. You can sign up here.

One of the main advantages is that they often provide additional benefits, such as prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and hearing benefits, and wellness programs.

Additionally, Medicare Advantage plans typically have a cap on out-of-pocket expenses, providing financial protection for beneficiaries.

Another advantage is that many Medicare Advantage plans offer coordinated care, which means that they provide a team of healthcare providers to manage a patient's health and ensure that they receive the appropriate care.

New weight loss drugs becoming controversial

Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, is a medication that was originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes but has been found to have potential as a weight loss drug.

Ozempic works by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and reduces appetite. Studies have shown that patients who took Ozempic in addition to making lifestyle changes lost more weight than those who made lifestyle changes alone.

The drugs in this class have become so popular as a weight loss treatment that even diabetic patients are unable to access it.

Other medications in this class that help with weight loss are Mounjaro and Wygovy. If you want to lose weight - that’s a good thing! - your provider will discuss the pros and cons of using one of these GLP-1 medications. Hopefully, you can afford it. They rune 500 dollars a month or so, and insurance typically won’t pay for it if it is not used for diabetes treatment.

Long COVID

Long COVID is a condition that affects some people who have recovered from COVID-19 but continue to experience symptoms for weeks or months after the initial infection.

Symptoms can be debilitating and vary widely between individuals, but some common ones include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, joint pain, chest pain, and difficulty sleeping.

The cause of long COVID is not yet fully understood, but it is believed to be related to a persistent immune response or viral damage to organs and tissues.

Treatment options for long COVID are limited, and the best approach is currently to manage symptoms as they arise.

We have patients who are experiencing Long COVID symptoms, mostly neurological and respiratory. Treatment is difficult but we are seeing slow progress in almost every case.