Health Blog

Often when a dependent or I have a claim we get a letter asking us to call Healthcare Recoveries who works on behalf of our insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA. I know what they want: they are trying to figure out if someone else is at fault for an injury, whether the claim should be for workers comp instead of medical and whether I have other insurance beyond Blue Cross that might pay some or all. I usually try to ignore these requests because I know the claims are legitimate as billed and I don’t want to deal with the hassle.

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This is the transcript of my recent podcast interview with Mary Hiller of MedExpert International.

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Dr. Jennifer Ashton talks about the Seattle Longitudinal Study, a research group that has been testing six thousand people every seven years since 1956. The studies have found that many people perform better on cognitive tests in their forties and fifties than they did when they were in their twenties. The tests found people in there 40s and 50s ranked higher in scores on deductive reasoning, spatial orientation skills, verbal memory and problem solving. However, people with younger brains did better on mental skill tests, such as rapid number computation and how fast you can press a button when prompted. Take a look:


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When I mention the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to my business-oriented friends, they often sneer at the idea. “Medicare and innovation,” the say. “That’s an oxymoron.” And while it’s true that in general innovation thrives in small, private, entrepreneurial organizations rather than big government bureaucracies, the only real hope to bend the health care cost curve in this country lies with CMS.

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Researchers at Stanford Unviersity created Stickybot, a robot with sticky feet that was inspired by geckos. Stickybot is a climbing machine that can climb straight up walls. The feet contain rubber bads made up of microscopic hairs. Each legs is powered by four mini motors and the tail acts as an anchor to balance Stickybot. The research was funded partially by the Department of Defense. You can read more about Stickybot here and here. Take a look:


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