Brief screen for alcohol use in teens is well suited to primary care setting.
MIAMI -- A one-page instrument to screen and identify adolescents at risk for alcohol use can be easily implemented in a primary care setting, although reimbursement and additional counseling time are concerns, Dr. John Femino said at the annual conference of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. ...

Can you afford long-term care? (Economic Observer).
THE CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA and the American Council of Life Insurers have released a survey which reveals that more than 80% of American workers have no long-term disability insurance or are covered inadequately. Naturally, most of these workers concluded that a disability would affect their finances adversely if...

TIPS FOR THE NEW COLLEGE GRADUATE.
Thousands of new college graduates are heading out into the job market to begin lifelong careers. Although they may be well-prepared to tackle their new jobs, many will have graduated with substantial school debts and without having learned the financial facts of life. Here are some tips from the...

State & local government employees, take note! (Shrewd Moves).
If you are an employee of a state or local government or thinking of becoming one by taking a new job, there are some issues that you should consider. Employees of state or local governments are now exempt from some of the rules that govern private employers. At least...

NYFA WORKS TO BRING DANCERS ONE STEP CLOSER TO HEALTH.
"When you're young, you think you're immortal," said choreographer and teacher Alan Danielson. But in fact, dancers, many of whom can't afford health care, don't always get essential medical treatment or diagnoses--a reality that can cut short a career or even a life. And those who do get help...

Physician Evaluation Crucial to HIV Patient's Disability Claim.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The treating physician holds the most power in evaluations to determine if HIV-infected patients will receive disability benefits, Main S. McKeever, J.D., said at a symposium on AIDS management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. Whether patients are applying for new disability...

New Policies Would Put Young People with Disabilities in Workforce.
RICHARD V. BURKHAUSER, the Sarah Gibson Blanding Professor of Policy Analysis and chair of the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, told the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Social Security on July 13 in Washington, D.C., that more young people than ever are receiving disability payments in this...

FRINGE BENEFITS ARE KEY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
Every small-business owner is aware that attracting and retaining employees is difficult in today's tight labor market. Providing competitive fringe benefits, ranging from retirement plans to long-term care insurance, is one answer, several members of the Financial Planning Association, Denver, Colo., say. "Over the last few years,...

Planning for Unplanned Retirement.
"Life," someone once said, "is what happens when we are making other plans." MS can mean that the time may arrive when you need to adjust to a different life, one with less or no gainful employment. What steps can you take to ensure that this unavoidable...

Crash course: Social Security is crashing faster than you think.
POLITICIANS of both parties are finally fretting about the danger from soaring entitlement spending. Yet Congress and the Clinton Administration show no willingness to face, let alone act to avert, the coming ruin of the biggest entitlement of all. Without radical reform, Social Security threatens to cause a general...