(NAPSA)—With skyrocketing medical and drug costs, it’s important to plan carefully for expenses in order to preserve your nest egg. Yet according to a national survey conducted by Directive Analytics for Medco Health Solutions, Inc., more than half of retirees (55 percent) have said they completely overlooked their health care and prescription drug needs when planning for retirement expenses, and one in three seniors said their medical or drug costs surpass their expectations, and are taking away from their “golden years” lifestyle. “Retirees have planned for food, shelter, taxes and entertainment, but too many neglect drug and medical costs—which are rising far faster than the inflation rate—and are jeopardizing the quality of life they expect to enjoy during retirement,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League (NCL). NCL, the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy group, is working to spread a message of savings to consumers, many of whom just aren’t factoring in health costs when planning for retirement. Almost half of all retirees (49 percent) have not adequately assessed the costs of paying for health care through their retirement. Furthermore, approximately one in four (24 percent) claim to use very few to no cost-saving tools available to cut these expenses. NCL reminds consumers of steps they can take to save on medical expenses: • Talk to the doc. While previous research has shown that doctors are likely to prescribe generic drugs when asked by patients, nearly half of retirees surveyed Hard To Swallow: The Top 10 Items Surgically Removed From Pets There are a number of steps people can take to reduce medical costs during their senior years. said they infrequently or never discuss with their doctors ways to save money on their medications. • Keep track of your medications with a personal medication record. This allows you to avoid costly medication duplication and dangerous interactions. It should include a list of all the drugs you’re taking—prescription and over-thecounter medications, dietary supplements and multivitamins—and you should bring it along to all your medical appointments. • Optimize your doses. With your doctor ’s prescription, you may be able to take fewer pills at a higher dose to reduce the number of pills you have to purchase. • Review Medicare plans thoroughly. When choosing a plan, find out whether the drugs you are already taking are covered. Look beyond the cost of the premium when evaluating health plans. For money-saving health tips, consumers can request a copy of a free guide by sending a postcard to “Prescription for a Healthy Nest Egg,” P.O. Box 8007, Parsippany, NJ 07054-8007. (NAPSA)—Call it the $1,000 sock, because by the time your veterinarian reaches the source of Fido’s digestive disruption, that’s about how much that chewed sock can set you back. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has reimbursed policyholders for a lot of swallowed socks in its 25 years of insuring America’s pets. In fact, socks top a list compiled by VPI’s claims adjusters ranking the most common items surgically removed from pets’ gastrointestinal tracts. Here are their picks: Most Common Surgically Removed Items 1. Socks 2. Underwear 3. Panty Hose 4. Rocks 5. Toy Balls 6. Chew Toys 7. Corncobs 8. Bones 9. Hair Ties/Ribbons 10. Sticks The list of items only scratches the surface of the collection of indigestible articles. While the most common items are pet owners’ personal belongings, other frequently ingested objects include nails, sewing needles and nipples from baby bottles. VPI claims adjusters have also received medical records for pets that have swallowed pagers, hearing aids, drywall, snail bait, batteries, rubber bands, toy cars, and sand with bacon grease poured on it. Fortunately, a VPI policy reimburses pet owners for X-rays and testing to determine the source of a gastrointestinal blockage, and surgical removal The unexpected can happen at any time: A chewed sock may cause your pet digestive trouble and cost you about $1,000. of the foreign body, if necessary. “It’s no secret that cats are curious and dogs like to chew on things,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Unfortunately, those traits can motivate pets to chew on, bite or swallow items they shouldn’t. Some of these objects will pass naturally, but others have a tendency to become lodged in pets’ gastrointestinal tracts, resulting in pain, vomiting or internal injury. In those cases, surgery may be necessary.” What Pet Owners Can Do The best thing pet owners can do to prevent costly foreign body removal surgery is keep a clean living space. This includes making sure that personal items are not left on the floor or within easy reach of pets and remaining aware of each pet’s chewing tendencies. Certain objects may appeal more to some pets than others. Knowledge of a pet’s tastes and tendencies can help pet own- ers exercise caution when letting them near objects that could be accidentally swallowed. Also remember that table scraps can contain excessive grease, bones or other objects not easily digested by pets. “Most of these incidents occur without the pet owner ’s knowledge,” said McConnell. “Pets can get anxious if left alone and start chewing on objects to relieve boredom or stress. Never ignore the signs that a pet may have swallowed something inedible: continual vomiting, dry heaving and/or coughing. If these symptoms occur, your pet should be examined by a veterinarian.” Medical Insurance for the Unexpected A good example of how pet health insurance works may be the experience of Phoenix, Arizona policyholder Colleen Johnson: “My dog Abby ate a sock. We do our best to keep things away from her because we know she’s mischievous, but somehow, she managed to get a sock. We noticed that she stopped eating and going to the bathroom, so we took her in. It wasn’t until the vet opened her up that we realized it was a sock, or parts of a sock. “The surgery was expensive, $1,716.81, but thanks to VPI, we didn’t let money affect our decision to save Abby’s life. Except for VPI, the whole experience was pretty traumatic. A few weeks later, we received our reimbursement for $1,203.33.” Medical plans for pets are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To learn more, visit petinsurance.com. Perfect Vision Still Vulnerable To Blindness American Academy Of Ophthalmology Wants Americans To Know Their Risks And Save Their Sight (NAPSA)—Many dealers and service shops report service information to Carfax so car buyers can find out where the service was performed and new owners can bring a car back to a shop that’s familiar with it. For more information, visit www.carfax.com. *** Probiotics such as Procter & Gamble’s probiotic supplement, Align have been proven effective at improving digestive health. For more information about Align, visit www.AlignGI.com or speak with your pharmacist. *** An extended warranty is a way to protect your investment, saving yourself from costly repairs that may be required as the vehicle ages and the manufacturer ’s warranty expires. Think of it like health insurance for your car. To learn more, visit www.toyotafinancialservices.com. *** The Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community gives postsecondary students and teachers access to the tools they need to prepare for careers in architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial design, gaming and anima- tion. To learn more, visit www. autodesk.com/edcommunity. *** MS is the number one neurological disease leading to disability in young adults. To help address the challenge of living with MS, the National MS Society devoted $172 million to research and services last year alone. MS Awareness Week is March 10-17. For more information, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org. *** In “Dream Day First Home” (Oberon Games), players help Jenny and Robert—just back from their honeymoon—choose the best house to live in, unpack, shop and decorate. It is available for PC download at casual games portals and at www.oberongames.com. (NAPSA)—When Pauline Leeker, a teacher in Chesapeake, Va., was driving to work one day, she noticed that she couldn’t distinguish the road from the curb. As time went on, she had difficulty seeing at night and eventually stopped driving altogether. By the time Leeker went to her ophthalmologist, she was legally blind in one eye and her activities were restricted. However, thanks to cataract surgery and an im plantable lens, Leeker is now seeing the world in a whole new way. “After the operation, I was amazed,” says Pauline. “I was able to resume driving, colors were so much brighter and I no longer felt the fear of going out alone.” Through its EyeSmart campaign, the American Academy of Ophthalmology reminds Americans with no signs or risk factors for eye disease of the importance of getting a baseline eye disease screening at age 40—the time when early signs of disease and changes in vision may start to occur. “Many eye diseases progress without any warning signs,” says Stephanie Marioneaux, M.D., a clinical correspondent for the Academy and Pauline’s doctor. “Gradual changes in vision can impact your ability to function independently 6 “Knowing your risks can save your sight.“ —Stephanie Marioneaux, M.D. and have confidence in your abilities. One of the hardest adjustments a person can make is adapting to a life with permanent vision loss. That is why nothing replaces a comprehensive baseline eye exam.” Based on the results of the initial screening, an ophthalmologist will prescribe the necessary intervals for follow-up exams. For individuals at any age with symptoms of or at risk for eye disease, such as those with a family history of eye disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, the Academy recommends seeing their ophthalmologist to determine how frequently their eyes should be examined. By 2020, 43 million Americans will face significant vision loss or blindness from age-related eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration, an increase of more than 50 percent over the current number of Americans with such diseases. Despite these statistics, Americans remain relatively unconcerned about vision loss. A survey conducted by the Academy for its EyeSmart campaign reveals that less than a quarter of Americans (23 percent) are very concerned about losing their vision, while a majority feel weight gain or joint and back pain are of greater concern than vision loss. “Unfortunately, millions of people will suffer significant vision loss and blindness because they don’t know the risks,” said Dr. Marioneaux. “That is why the Academy launched the EyeSmart campaign, because knowing your risks can save your sight.” Learn about eye diseases, your risk factors and the names of eye M.D.s in your area by visiting www.GetEyeSmart.org. About The American Academy Of Ophthalmology AAO is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons—Eye M.D.s—with more than 27,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the three “O’s”—opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all—eye diseases and injuries—and perform eye surgery. To find an Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy’s Web site at www.aao.org.