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Life

Medicare - the basics (part 2)

Life

Information from Department of Health and Human Services/ Elder Care Directory If you don’t take Part-B when you are first eligible, the cost of your Part-B premiums will go up 10% for each full 12-month period that you could have had Part-B but didn’t sign up for it, except in special cases. You may have to pay this penalty as long as you have Part-B. If you didn’t sign up for Part-B when you first became eligible, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to see when you can apply. TTY users should call 1-800-325-0778. If you get benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board, ...

Opinion/commentary

Life

Every child deserves a safe place to live and the opportunity to reach their full potential. But housing prices continue to rise and pandemic relief measures that aided families have expired. Homelessness is climbing: the U.S. set a record for homelessness in 2024, with children seeing the largest increase — 39% — of any age group. Three new reports show that we have to do more to protect housing stability for Michigan families. The Ending Homelessness in Michigan 2023 Annual Report counts the total number of people the state’s homeless response system serves during the entire ...

Colleges use state grants to assist students

Life

BARAGA — New grants for colleges and universities are aimed to expand student emergency aid and student services. This year, $7.8 million will become available for initiatives to increase the number of college graduates and skill certificate holders. The money is part of a $45 million ...

Talk with the Doc

Life

Following is a list of all eleven of our United States Holidays, as designated by our federal government. New Year’s Day, Jan. 1 Martin Luther King’s Birthday, 3rd Monday in January President’s Day, 3rd Monday in February Memorial Day, Last Monday in May Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19 Independence Day, July 4 Labor Day, 1st Monday in September Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11 Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day, Dec. 25 Last week, on Monday, February 17th, we celebrated our annual ...

Emergency mental health transport remains burden on UP residents

Life

NEWBERRY — Last year, someone called Upper Peninsula support group director Robin Spindlow, threatening suicide. After the person refused help, Spindlow filed paperwork for police to assist with the emergency. The person was taken to the local hospital and held in protective custody by ...

Health matters

Life

I don’t like causing pain. Maybe it’s a psychological thing…..but, regardless, I dislike hurting people. And yet, as a physician, there are some situations where it is unavoidable. (I’m hoping this sentiment is true for most healthcare providers but I’ve read no survey on the topic.) Because of this aversion, I’ve sought out ways to minimize the discomfort associated with many invasive procedures. Early on, I had the opportunity to use a device which employed air pressure to insert a tiny amount of local anesthetic. Prior to performing an injection, the device allowed me to ...