Pet owners often joke about pets being like vacuum cleaners literally eating anything put in front of them. Unfortunately, that lack of dietary discretion too often results in pets ingesting toxic substances, emergency visits to the veterinarian, and large medical bills.

Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has analyzed its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to find the sources behind the hundreds of poisoning claims submitted to VPI every month. Following is a ranking of the nearly 20,000 pet poisoning claims VPI received between 2005 and 2009:

• Accidental Ingestion of Medications (pet or human drugs): 5,131
• Rodenticide (mouse & rat poison): 4,028
• Methylxanthine Toxicity (chocolate, caffeine): 3,661
• Plant Poisoning: 2,808
• Household Chemicals: 1,669
• Metaldehyde (snail, slug poison): 396
• Insecticide: 323
• Heavy Metal Toxicity (lead, zinc): 288
• Toad Poisoning: 270
• Antifreeze Poisoning: 213
• Walnut Poisoning: 100
• Alcohol Toxicity: 75
• Strychnine: 28

VPI policyholders spent more than $6.6 million between 2005 and 2009 treating their pets for poisoning. Accidental ingestion of pet or human medications, the most common type of poisoning, cost policyholders an average of $791 per claim. The most expensive type of poisoning, heavy metal poisoning, cost an average of $952 per claim.

“Not only can a poisoning incident be life-threatening for the pet, it’s traumatic for the pet owner as well,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Depending on what substance the pet has ingested and the amount, the reaction can be sudden with the animal exhibiting alarming symptoms such as staggering, vomiting, drooling, seizures, and even loss of consciousness. We recommend that pet owners be aware of which items around their homes can be harmful to their pets — medications, insect poisons, chocolate, and certain nuts — and keep these items safely out of reach. Also, they shouldn’t assume that their pets will ignore that bottle of bleach in the laundry room or the Philodendron plant by the window. Our data shows this just isn’t so.”

In addition to taking steps to avoid poisoning emergencies, pet owners should be prepared for such an emergency should it arise. For example, owners should keep the phone number of their pets’ regular veterinarian and a phone number for an emergency veterinary hospital handy at all times. For more information about pet poisoning prevention and poisoning first-aid, please visit the Pet Poison Helpline at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

In response to the “graying of America” phenomena, Senior Smart announced today the inception of http://www.assisted-living-info.org/, an online tool that provides the perfect match between families and seniors actively looking for assisted living and quality assisted living facilities nationwide.

The senior population, in this country and around the world, is growing and changing. For example, it is expected that in the next 40 years the senior population in this country will grow by 147 percent.

They preceded Generation “X”: the baby boomers, those born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1964, are approaching retirement age. The oldest baby boomers turned 60 in 2006, and when the trend peaks in 2030, the number of people over age 65 will soar to 71.5 million — one in every five Americans.

Obviously not all of these seniors will require assisted living care, but are we ready to address the multitude of services needed to provide for this group of consumers adequately?

“This country is ill-prepared to handle the tens of thousands of senior citizens in need of assisted living or home hospice care,” states Mary Jo Leste, an 18-year industry veteran and Chief Executive Officer of Senior Smart, Inc., a marketing company specializing in assisted living and home hospice referrals.

A recent study by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and funded by the MetLife Foundation reports the following:

• Health Care – In one-third of the U.S. communities surveyed, older adults do not have access to a range of needed preventive health care services such as health education, community-based health screenings, and counseling about prescription drug programs.
• Nutrition – Eighty percent of U.S. communities have programs providing home-delivered meals for older adults, but only 25 percent provide nutrition education for seniors.
• Exercise & Wellness – More than one-third of communities do not have fitness programs for older adults, although 86 percent report having biking or walking trails.
• Transportation – Many communities are not addressing the mobility needs of an aging population. For example, only 56 percent reported having “dial a ride” or door-to-door transportation services, and only 40 percent reported having road signage that meets the needs of older drivers.
• Public Safety/Emergency Services – More than 33 percent of communities do not have a system to locate older adults who become ill or wander due to Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. And 70 percent do not have prevention programs for elder abuse and neglect.
• Housing – Only half of the communities reported having home modification programs helping older adults adapt existing homes for physical limitations. The study says this is important because a vast majority of older adults prefer to remain in their own homes as they age.
• Taxation/Finance – More than a third of communities do not provide tax relief for older adults living on limited incomes.
• Workforce Development – Over 40 percent of U.S. communities do not offer formal job training and retraining programs to help older adults remain in the workforce, however 45 percent reported that discounts were provided at local colleges and universities for older adults who are interested in taking classes.
• Financial Planning and Retirement
• Aging/End of Life/Human Services – Many communities do not offer a single point of entry for information and access to all aging services, even though it is expected that aging baby boomers will demand it.

After reaching a 50-year low in 2009, the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty surged nearly 43 percent during the first six months of 2010, according to preliminary data released today by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). If the mid-year trend continues, 2010 could end up being one of the deadliest years for U.S. law enforcement in two decades.

Preliminary NLEOMF statistics show that 87 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty between January 1 and June 30, 2010. That compares with 61 officers who were killed during the first six months of 2009, an increase of 42.6 percent.

By June 30, 2010, officer fatalities had already reached 75 percent of the total for all of 2009, which was 116. That represented the fewest line-of-duty deaths since 1959.

“It is certainly disheartening that last year’s encouraging news on officer fatalities has not continued into 2010,” said NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “These latest figures provide a grim reminder that, even with all of the safety improvements that have been achieved in recent decades, our law enforcement officers still face grave, life-threatening dangers each and every day.”

He added, “As governments across the country face tighter and tighter budgets, we must ensure that critical officer safety measures such as training, equipment and personnel are not sacrificed. If our dedicated law enforcement officers are to continue to drive down crime, as they have done so successfully in recent years, then they must have the necessary resources to protect our communities and themselves.”

All major categories of officer deaths rose sharply during the first half of 2010, according to the NLEOMF’s preliminary data.

Firearm-related deaths increased 41 percent, from 22 during the first six months of 2009 to 31 in the first half of 2010. Six officers this year died in three separate multiple-fatality killings:

• On February 25, Fresno County (CA) Sheriff’s Deputy Joel Wahlenmaier and Reedley (CA) Police Officer Javier Bejar were shot while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a suspected arsonist; Deputy Wahlenmaier died that day, and Officer Bejar succumbed to his injuries on March 1.
• On May 20, Sergeant Brandon Paudert and Officer Bill Evans of the West Memphis (AR) Police Department were gunned down following a traffic
  stop by two suspects armed with AK-47s.
• On June 29, Tampa (FL) Police Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab were shot at close range following a traffic stop by a suspect with an outstanding warrant.

Traffic-related fatalities were up 35 percent, from 31 at mid-year 2009 to 42 as of June 30 of this year. The 2010 total included 29 officers who died in automobile crashes, four killed in motorcycle crashes and nine who were struck and killed while outside their vehicles — all increases from 2009. Deaths from all other causes combined jumped 75 percent, from 8 to 14 as of June 30.

The preliminary 2010 law enforcement fatality data were released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a non-profit organization that provides critical assistance to the surviving family members and loved ones of officers killed in the line of duty.

“The membership of C.O.P.S. grows every year with each and every line-of-duty death. The rise in the number of deaths is certainly a major concern of C.O.P.S. because every year the number of requests for assistance, attendance at our healing grief retreats, and the need to help families through their darkest days weighs heavily on our organization,” said Linda Moon Gregory, National President of C.O.P.S. “Knowing that survivors can experience intense grief for five years and have their grief issues resurface with every single officer death, C.O.P.S. is in it for the long haul to ensure our surviving families recover from their tragedy as emotionally healthy as possible,” she added.

Shortly after Ms. Gregory’s election to the national presidency of C.O.P.S., her son, a law enforcement officer, was involved in a shootout with the gunmen who had murdered Sergeant Paudert and Officer Evans in West Memphis, AR, on May 20. Two other law enforcement officers were wounded and the two suspects killed in the gun battle. Ms. Gregory notes that her family is now seeing line-of-duty death issues from the perspective of an affected co-worker as well as a surviving family. Ms. Gregory’s brother, Officer James Moon of the Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office, was shot and killed in the line of duty on September 27, 1971.

Other preliminary findings from the mid-year report include the following:

• Thirty states and Puerto Rico experienced at least one officer fatality during the first six months of 2010. California had the most officer fatalities with nine, including five officers with the California Highway Patrol who died this year. Three states — California, Texas (8 fatalities) and Florida (6) — accounted for more than one-quarter of all officer fatalities in the first half of 2010. In addition, five federal law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty this year.
• If current trends continue, 2010 will be the 13th consecutive year in which more law enforcement officers are killed in traffic-related incidents than die from any other single cause. Traffic-related incidents — which include automobile and motorcycle crashes, as well as officers struck while outside their vehicles — accounted for more than 48 percent of the fatalities between January 1 and June 30, 2010. Firearms-related fatalities made up nearly 36 percent, and deaths from all other causes combined accounted for the remaining 16 percent.
• The average age of the officers killed during the first six months of 2010 was just over 40, with an average of 11.3 years of law enforcement service. Eighty-two of the fallen officers were men; five were women.
• 2010 could end as one of the deadliest years for law enforcement since the late 1980s. If historical patterns hold true, the 2010 year-end fatality figure could approach the 2007 total of 185. Outside of 2001 — when 240 officers died, including 72 killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11 –  2007 was the deadliest year for U.S. law enforcement since 1989, when there were 195 deaths.

The statistics released by the NLEOMF and C.O.P.S. are preliminary and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial for 2010. The report, “Law Enforcement Officer Deaths, Mid-Year 2010 Report,” is available at www.LawMemorial.org/ResearchBulletin.

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund: Founded in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers and to promoting officer safety. The NLEOMF maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 18,983 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org.

About Concerns of Police Survivors: Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal criteria. Furthermore, C.O.P.S. provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors. For more information, visit www.nationalcops.org.

Aetna also offers the Aetna Life Essentials program with all life insurance plans to give members and beneficiaries access to financial advice and legal services. Aetna Life Essentials also offers discounts on fitness center memberships, fitness equipment, hearing and vision services as well as personalized counseling services from a licensed social worker for employees and beneficiaries who are suffering from disabilities or dealing with a serious medical condition.

“Our customers are looking to us to provide value-added services aimed at protecting and rewarding talented employees,” said Scott Beeman, head of Aetna Life Insurance. “Life insurance is an important part of the benefits package our customers offer their employees, so providing more than just benefit payouts is critical. Our offerings provide information and access to resources on a variety of issues including funeral costs, financial advice, estate planning and legal services. These services can truly make a difference for consumers at a time when they need it most.”

The funeral planning services, offered through Everest Funeral Package, LLC*, a nationwide funeral planning and concierge service, provide:

• 24X7 Advisor Assistance to discuss funeral planning issues with consumers, including choosing a funeral home, finding a cemetery, purchasing a casket and others.
• PriceFinder Research Reports to help consumers compare costs at local funeral homes. The PriceFinder database is the only nationwide database of funeral home prices.
• Online Planning Tools, including the “10 Key Decisions” and “My Wishes” planning guides. The personal information consumers enter into these tools is stored and maintained in a secure data warehouse.

In addition, this new offering also provides resources for families after the member has passed away. They include:

• Family Assistance and Plan Implementation — Advisors work with the family to understand their wishes and then communicate the personal funeral plan to the funeral home, providing 24-hour assistance throughout the funeral process.
• Negotiation Assistance — Advisors gather pricing information and present it to the family in an easy-to-read format; they negotiate funeral service pricing with local funeral homes; and help the family compare prices of caskets and other products or services.

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.1 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and Aetna’s Annual Report at www.aetna.com/2009annualreport/.

*Everest Funeral Package, LLC (Everest) is not affiliated with Aetna and is not a provider of insurance services. Everest and its affiliates have no affiliation with Everest Re Group, Ltd., Everest Reinsurance Company or any of their affiliates.

The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the national association of lawn care and landscape professionals, has announced that its 14th Annual Renewal & Remembrance project at Arlington National Cemetery will be held on Monday, July 19, 2010.

Hundreds of landscape, lawn care, and tree care specialists from across the nation will bring their crews to Arlington National Cemetery to spend the day mulching, cabling trees with lightening protection, pruning, liming, planting, and aerating the grounds. This gift is valued at more than $200,000. Over the years, PLANET has contributed more than $2 million to this national landmark.

“Members look forward to this project all year long,” said Walter Wray, Landscape Industry Certified Technician, Renewal & Remembrance chair. “They consider it a privilege to honor our soldiers, their families, and the public by helping to care for this place that is so important to our nation.”

Mike Kravitsky has been participating since the first year of the event when it was held in February. He works for a family-owned lawn care company called Grasshopper in Larksville, Pa. Each year he brings his family and a crew of workers. The company pays their salaries and all their expenses during the trip.

When asked why he keeps coming back each year, Kravitsky said, “It’s in our blood. It started the first year. We knew it was for Arlington, and we wanted to help. It is like a pilgrimage, and we don’t feel complete without it.”

His children, now 20 and 21, have been coming since they were teenagers, and he said that it has been important to the family and has taught them that “it’s about giving back and not always taking, and it’s about supporting the soldiers.”

The Irrigation Association will partner with PLANET to host this year’s event, and the event sponsors at the Platinum level include Husqvarna Outdoor Products and Syngenta.

On Tuesday, July 20, 2010, PLANET members will visit their congressional leaders on Capitol Hill and speak with them about issues facing the green industry. For more information about Legislative Day on the Hill and Renewal & Remembrance, please contact Betsy Demoret at (800) 395-2522 or visit the PLANET Web site, LandcareNetwork.org.

PLANET is the association of members who create and maintain the QUALITY OF LIFE in communities across America. With more than 3,500 member companies and affiliates, these firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals. Some of these professionals have taken the extra step of becoming certified through PLANET and bear the distinction of being known as Landscape Industry Certified.

Specifically, 39 community cancer clinics in 15 states across the U.S. have closed or are in the process of closing since this January 2010 date due to financial pressures from severe cuts in Medicare reimbursement for cancer care. If this trend continues, the number of closures could double by the end of this year. A recent casualty is the cancer clinic serving Selma, Alabama for nearly 25 years that was forced to shut its doors to patients. In total, 166 clinics have closed over the past three years.

“As a practicing oncologist, I am extremely concerned about the impact these closings have on patients. Many are simply falling through the cracks as providers are being forced to cut staff and close clinics, forcing patients to seek treatments outside of their communities,” said David Eagle, MD, newly elected President of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

In the past few years, more than 850 clinics nationwide have experienced severe negative impacts from annual cuts to cancer care by Medicare. This number includes clinics that have closed their doors; continue struggling financially to pay bills to operate; are forced to send all of their Medicare patients elsewhere for treatment; or have been acquired by hospitals or other entities.

As a result, a growing number of cancer patients are unable to receive care in their communities, and many cannot travel the distances required to get treatment. Rural practices and those with higher proportions of Medicare and Medicaid patients are particularly hard hit. Four out of five U.S. cancer patients are treated in the community setting, and approximately half of all U.S. cancer patients are Medicare patients.

“Delays in resolving major Medicare cuts to all physicians have compounded the very serious problems already facing community oncology practices due to continued payment cuts to cancer care,” said Ted Okon, Executive Director of COA. “We are seeing community oncology offices cutting staff, services, and ultimately closing at a much faster pace since the beginning of 2010. The economic reality is that practices cannot continue to operate when their costs are greater than revenues. This country has the best, most efficient cancer care delivery system in the world, yet unrealistic payment policies are pushing it off a cliff. This is nothing less than a national crisis.”

Compounding the problem, the nation is losing oncologists relative to the mandate for cancer care. By 2020, there will be a shortage of 4,080 oncologists, causing cancer patient demand to outstrip the supply. It is estimated that by 2020, one in four cancer patients will be short an oncologist. Additionally, as oncologists retire, fewer physicians are choosing to treat cancer. National Analysts reported that one in five (20 percent) oncologists would discourage a medical student/resident from pursuing a career in oncology, versus only 3 percent who would have done so in 2003, prior to the problems caused by year-over-year Medicare cuts.

The cancer mortality rate in the U.S. has declined due to earlier detection, the quality of treatment, and the accessibility of cancer care. The American Cancer Society’s just-released Cancer Statistics 2010 estimates that 767,000 U.S. lives were saved from 1990-2006 by reducing the cancer death rate. Yet, cancer is still the number one killer of Americans under age 85.

“The government has to act now to stop Medicare cuts in order to preserve our nation’s cancer care delivery system before it’s too late,” said Okon.

About Medicare Cuts to Cancer Care

Medicare has already severely cut payments for cancer care, dramatically impacting doctors’ ability to treat patients. For example, Medicare payment for the administration of chemotherapy has been cut by 35 percent since 2004, which is an effective cut of 47 percent when factoring in the increase in the Medical Economic Index (MEI). Medicare will make additional payment cuts in 2011, 2012, and 2013. A study completed by Avalere Health shows that Medicare covers only 57 percent of the cost of providing this critical component of cancer care. Payment cuts are also being made to imaging tests — such as PET and CT scans — and there will be a 23.5 percent payment cut for all physicians’ services effective December 2010 and a 6.1% cut effective January 2011, if Congress does not act to stop these cuts.

About Community Oncology Alliance (COA)

Formed in 2003 in response to the Medicare Modernization Act, COA is a non-profit organization dedicated solely to community oncology. COA was founded by community oncologists to advocate for patients and providers in the community oncology setting, where four out of five Americans with cancer are treated.

Currently, COA is working with Congress in providing proactive solutions designed to protect the viability of the nation’s cancer care delivery system and patients’ access to quality, affordable cancer care. The cancer death rate in the U.S. has declined due to earlier detection, the quality of treatment, and the accessibility of cancer care. However, according to the American Cancer Society, men still have an approximately one in two lifetime risk of developing cancer, with a risk of one in three for women. For more information, please visit www.communityoncology.org.

Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) is pleased to announce the launch of its newest educational offering, the Hospice Information Center for families, friends and professionals. This centralized resource is part of “HFA CARES: Hospice Foundation of America’s Conversations, Advice, Resources and Education Series,” funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and can be found at www.hospicefoundation.org/infocenter.

“For over seventeen years, HFA has been the leader in presenting high-quality educational programming on hospice care, grief and loss, and end-of-life issues. Through our annual teleconference, we communicate with large and diverse audiences,” said Amy Tucci, President/CEO of HFA. “We are pleased that funding from CMS has given HFA the opportunity to develop the Hospice Information Center, which provides new ways for consumers and professionals to easily access information, resources, and education programs.”

The resources in the Hospice Information Center make it easier for family and friends to learn about hospice and how it can help people cope with some of life’s most challenging situations, in a format that is accessible and understandable. The Hospice Information Center offers opportunities to:

• Listen to the Voices of people who have experienced hospice, as well as experts who work in hospice and bereavement care.
• Educate Yourself and Others about the basics of hospice care, grief, and caregiving. Online presentations are available in a convenient, user-friendly format; free CEs are available for some programs.
• Read and Share Resources on end-of-life care, hospice, and grief. HFA has developed one-page Fact Sheets on many topics, which are available to download and share for free. Print resources are also available in Spanish, and materials in Chinese and Vietnamese will be available within a few weeks.
• Ask HFA questions about hospice care, caregiving, and grief.

The programming also provides hospices and other community organizations the opportunity to educate staff and volunteers about the basics of hospice care, caregiving, and grief, and links are provided to guide viewers to more information on a variety of subjects.

Hospice Foundation of America (www.hospicefoundation.org) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help those who cope personally or professionally with terminal illness, death, and the process of grief and bereavement. This project is provided through the support of a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to support hospice and end-of-life care outreach and education. CMS funds of $571,000 with HFA in-kind services of $5,710 are funding a variety of outreach and educational programs, including this project.

Summer is here, and that means longer days, better weather and the chance to be outdoors. But it’s not just you and your family who are spending more time in the sun. It’s likely the family pets want to spend more time outdoors after being cooped up all winter. But being outside more often can also expose your four-legged loved ones to illness or injury.

In a recent Associated Press/Petside.com survey, more than 40 percent of pet owners surveyed said they are worried they wouldn’t be able to afford health care for a sick dog or cat. You may be considering pet insurance to help with veterinary expenses. Before you make your choice, here is some information from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to help you get smart about your pet insurance choices.

Your Choices

Just like health insurance for you or a family member, there are several types of pet insurance policies. A pet health insurance policy reimburses the pet owner for covered veterinary care. As with your health insurance policy, these policies typically itemize covered treatments, deductibles (the amount you’re responsible to pay) and lifetime or per illness maximums. The cost of a pet health insurance policy will vary based on the amount of coverage, the type of coverage, the species and age of the pet, and even what breed of animal.

A pet life insurance policy covers end of life costs for your animal. This can include burial or cremation expenses and even bereavement counseling for you and your family.

Pet injury coverage is a new type of coverage that may be part of your auto insurance policy. It covers the treatment of a pet injured in a car accident up to a set limit. Generally, this coverage is automatically part of your auto insurance policy. Check with your insurance agent or company to determine if your auto policy includes coverage for a pet traveling in the car with you.

What to Compare When Reviewing Your Options

Covered conditions:  Some pet health insurance policies may reimburse covered medical expenses for accidents, illnesses, surgeries, X-rays, prescriptions, hospitalizations, emergencies or cancer treatments. Other pet insurance plans may only cover accident and illness after a waiting period.

Pre-existing Conditions: Hereditary conditions and certain medical conditions are considered pre-existing conditions. Ask about pre-existing conditions and review the policy to see if they are covered. Look to see if the conditions are considered curable (stable or controlled pre-existing conditions) or incurable (terminal pre-existing conditions). For pre-existing conditions considered curable, the company may choose to enforce a waiting period before coverage kicks in. Conditions considered incurable such as diabetes or cancer may be excluded entirely or may be covered on a limited basis. A vet may have to examine your pet to certify its health before it can be insured.

Renewable Benefits: If your pet is treated for a covered condition during the policy term, some companies will then consider that condition a pre-existing condition when the policy renews and will exclude coverage for that condition in the renewal policy.

Exclusions: Treatments not covered by pet insurance can vary by type of pet or breed. Not all pet insurance plans cover preventative care, dental care not associated with an accident or injury, treatment of behavioral problems, breed-specific hereditary conditions or elective procedures. Treatment of congenital conditions (a condition your pet is born with) or hereditary conditions may have a limited benefit.

Reimbursement: What the insurance company will pay per treatment is explained in a benefits schedule. This list outlines how much by percentage of cost or dollar amount the company will pay for treatments. You may also be responsible for co-payments or deductibles. Make sure you understand how the policy makes payments. Some companies will pay the vet for services, but often you’ll be responsible for the full amount at the time of treatment and then the company will reimburse you for the covered amount.

Veterinarian Networks: Some pet health insurance policies will require you to use a specific network of vets. Check to make sure there is a vet in your area or that your family vet is in your network if you don’t want to change.

What to Consider and Questions to Ask

Begin by considering if you need pet health insurance. Add up the costs of the policy for the expected life of your animal. Take into consideration how much you could afford to pay for emergency treatment or a long illness.

Shop around, comparing the policy benefits, deductibles, limits and exclusions.

If you choose to purchase pet health insurance, take the time to read the terms and conditions including co-pays, deductibles, limits and exclusions, and double-check the amount of coverage shown in your insurance policy.

Questions to ask the insurance agent or company:

• Can I choose any vet?
• Does the policy cover annual wellness exams?
• Is there a dollar limit for vet office fees?
• Are prescription drugs covered?
• What about spaying or neutering charges?
• Does the policy have renewable benefits?
• Is there a waiting period before coverage becomes effective?
• Does my pet need a health exam to get the policy?
• If my pet has a pre-existing condition or chronic condition, how is that covered or excluded?
• How long do you take to pay claims?
• Does this plan cover advertising costs and rewards if my pet is lost or stolen?
• Does this plan have end of life benefits?

More Information

If you have questions about pet insurance available in your state, contact your insurance department.

Don’t be a victim of insurance fraud! Before you sign a contract or write a check for coverage, STOP. CALL your state insurance department and CONFIRM that the agent and company you are working with are licensed to do business in your state. You’ll find a link to your state department’s website at http://map.naic.org/.

About the NAIC: Formed in 1871, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a voluntary organization of the chief insurance regulatory officials of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. The NAIC has three offices: Executive Office, Washington, D.C.; Central Office, Kansas City, Mo.; and Securities Valuation Office, New York City. The NAIC serves the needs of consumers and the industry, with an overriding objective of supporting state insurance regulators as they protect consumers and maintain the financial stability of the insurance marketplace. For more consumer information, visit insureUonline.org.

Contract negotiations between Teamsters Local 727 and funeral industry giant Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) are set to resume Tuesday, June 29, 2010, with the possibility of labor disputes at 17 area funeral homes and facilities hanging in the balance.

The final two bargaining sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, and Wednesday, June 30 — the day the current three-year contract expires. If an agreement cannot be reached, the funeral directors and drivers will take a strike vote on Wednesday, June 30.

“This gigantic corporation brings its own outside agenda to the communities where our members have been working and living for decades,” said John Coli Jr., Local 727 Vice President.

Houston, Texas-based SCI is the largest provider of death-care products and services in North America, operating more than 2,000 funeral homes. Amid the dismal economic climate, SCI’s profits continue to grow. According to industry magazine American Funeral Director, SCI’s 2010 first-quarter funeral profit increased $500,000 (0.6 percent), putting the corporation’s first-quarter funeral profits at more than $83 million.

Despite remaining profitable, SCI wants to implement severe and unreasonable changes for its Chicago-area funeral directors and drivers. Management is proposing:

• A three-year wage freeze
• Wage cuts for its longest-tenured employees
• Elimination of employee pensions
• A 30 percent increase in co-pay for health and welfare benefitsTeamster representatives are seeking to maintain industry standards for its members’ wages and benefits.

“For the largest funeral corporation in the world to try to take away its employees’ pensions is unconscionable,” Coli said. “If SCI forces a labor dispute, our Teamster-represented funeral directors will not allow the company to hold families in their communities hostage. We are in the process of setting up a hotline and website to help direct families to funeral facilities that treat their employees with dignity.”

The following SCI-owned and operated facilities could be affected starting Thursday, July 1:

• Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W. 103rd St., Oak Lawn, IL
• Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 5015 Lincoln Ave., Lisle, IL
• Central Prep, 7347 N. Monticello Ave., Skokie, IL
• Chapel Hill West, 17W201 Roosevelt Road, Oak Brook Terrace, IL
• Chapel Hill Gardens South, 11333 S. Central Ave., Oak Lawn, IL
• Cypress Funeral Home, 1698 Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, IL
• Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL
• Funeraria de Angel Sagrado Corazon, 5219 S. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL
• Hennessy-Nowak Funeral Home, 400 Pulaski Road, Calumet City, IL
• Kenny Brothers Funeral Home, 3600 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park, IL
• Lloyd Mandel Levayah Funerals, 4750 W. Dempster St., Skokie, IL
• Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N. Cemetery Road, Gurnee, IL
• Malec Funeral Home, 6000 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL
• Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home, 6901 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL
• Piser Chapels, 9200 N. Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL
• Ridge Funeral Home, 6620 W. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL
• William H Scott Funeral Home, 1100 Greenleaf Ave., Wilmette, IL

Teamsters Local 727 is an affiliate of Teamsters Joint Council 25, which represents more than 100,000 men and women throughout Illinois and Indiana.

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center has joined with Safe Kids USA and more than 40 other organizations to remind parents and caregivers to Never Leave Your Child Alone in a vehicle, particularly on warm weather days. This is a great public service campaign for any business to promote to their communities as well.

Between 1998-2010 450 children died from hyperthermia caused by heat stroke because they were left unattended in vehicles that became too hot for them to survive.* In an effort to make 2010 the safest year in memory, experts and child advocates are reminding parents and caregivers to check for sleeping children before leaving a vehicle.

Carey Goltzman, M.D., Chief, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center reminds us, “A child’s body heats up 3-5 times faster than an adult’s and unattended children have no way of protecting themselves in a hot vehicle.”

More than 50 percent of the children who died from hyperthermia were “forgotten” by a caring adult who became distracted when they left the vehicle.* Thirty percent of affected kids gained entry into an unlocked vehicle, became trapped and were overcome by heat when they were unattended by an adult.* It takes only minutes for a child to be at risk of death and serious, permanent injury in a hot car. Drivers must keep car doors locked and their keys out of the reach of young children.

Dr. Goltzman explained that the “overall goal of the campaign is to prevent deaths caused by hyperthermia when children are left unattended on warm days. We want parents and caregivers to take the necessary precautions so this tragedy does not happen to them.”

Safe Kids USA urges all adults who transport children to take the following steps:

• Never leave children alone in a car — even for one minute.
• Set a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) reminder to ensure your child is dropped off at daycare.
• Set your computer calendar program to ask: “Did you drop off at daycare today?”
• Place a mobile phone, PDA, purse, briefcase, gym bag or whatever is to be carried from the car on the floor in front of the child in the back seat.  This forces the adult to open the back door and observe the child.
• Ask your child care provider to call you if your child does not arrive when expected.
• Keep keys and remote entry devices out of children’s reach.
• Lock all vehicles at all times.
• Check cars and trunks first if a child goes missing.

Dr. Goltzman discusses hyperthermia in an important podcast at www.WorldClassMedicine.com/Hyperthermia. For more information on the Never Leave Your Child Alone campaign, visit www.safekids.org/nlyca.

For more information on Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, please visit www.WorldClassMedicine.com/MFCH.

* According to Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles; www.ggweather.com/heat