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			    <title>Social Security Benefits News | SocialSecurity.com</title> 
				<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/</link> 
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			<title>Take Time for 3-Step Benefits Checkup</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/take-time-for-3step-benefits-checkup</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Online tools make it easy to check your Social Security and Medicare benefits.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>National Women’s Health Week: The Dangers of Using Tobacco Products</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/national-women’s-health-week-the-dangers-of-using-tobacco-products</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
By: Lawrence R. Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D. Crosspost from FDA Voice
The health of every American is of the utmost importance to the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products.  Our Center for Tobacco Products works to improve public health, with the goal of making sure that tobacco-related death and disease is part of America’s past, not its future.National Women’s Health Week, May 13-19, provides an opportunity for us to reach out and remind the women in our lives about the dangers of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke — which claims the lives of nearly 200,000 women every year.
Never starting to use tobacco products and quitting tobacco use – for those who do use tobacco – is proven to lead to longer and healthier lives for everyone.
There is no question that tobacco use is dangerous to women. Just consider a few of the facts:

An estimated 173,940 women die every year due to cigarette smoking
An estimated 18,000 non-smoking women die every year from exposure to second-hand smoke
Smoking causes almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women
Smoking causes cervical cancer and eight other cancers
Smoking causes infertility and poor pregnancy outcomes
Smoking causes low bone density and hip fractures in women

National Women’s Health Week is the perfect time for you — or one of the important women in your life — to break a dangerous addiction to tobacco, and for those who do not use tobacco, it is a time to be empowered to never start. Need help? Here are some great resources:

Resources for Women to Help Quit Smoking
Women.SmokeFree.gov
1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669)
For the hearing impaired: TTY 1-800-332-8615
CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers Campaign
FDA Center for Tobacco Products

When we spend countless hours taking care of our families and friends, it’s far too easy to forget to look after our own health. This coming week, make an investment in yourself and the women who are close to you by committing to a life that’s free of tobacco-related disease and death.
Lawrence R. Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D., is the Director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products

Filed under: Uncategorized         ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>VA Knows Women Veterans</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/va-knows-women-veterans</link>
			<description><![CDATA[This is National Women’s Health week. VA knows women Vets and is best-equipped to meet their needs. Good health is a commitment you make to yourself. Let VA help you keep this commitment this week and beyond.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 08:00:05 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Checking Your Social Security Benefits Online</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/checking-your-social-security-benefits-online</link>
			<description><![CDATA[You can now check your annual Social Security statement online, if you pass the identity verification process.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Are Older Workers Taking Jobs From the Young?</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/are-older-workers-taking-jobs-from-the-young</link>
			<description><![CDATA[High employment levels among older workers make them a target for generational attacks.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>15 Decisions to Achieve Retirement Readiness</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/15-decisions-to-achieve-retirement-readiness</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Here is a list of tasks you need to undertake to position yourself for a successful retirement.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:04 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Is It Time to Rethink 401(k)s?</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/is-it-time-to-rethink-401ks</link>
			<description><![CDATA[A slew of recent studies have raised serious issues about self-directed plans.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Protect yourself from Hepatitis B</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/protect-yourself-from-hepatitis-b</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Are you at risk for getting Hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. Approximately 2,000–4,000 people die every year from Hepatitis B-related liver disease.
The Hepatitis B virus spreads through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person. People can also get infected by coming in contact with a contami­nated object, where the virus can live for up to 7 days. Hepatitis B can range from being a mild illness, lasting a few weeks (acute), to a serious long-term illness (chronic) that can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
The best way to prevent Hepatitis B is by getting the Hepatitis B vaccine, which is usually given as 3 shots over a 6-month period. You need to get all 3 shots for complete protection.
Medicare covers a series of shots for free if you’re at medium or high risk for Hepatitis B. Your risk increases if you have hemophilia (a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn’t clot normally), End-Stage Renal Disease, or certain other conditions. You may also be at a higher risk if you live with someone who has Hepatitis B or if you’re a healthcare worker and have frequent contact with blood or body fluids. Ask your doctor if these shots are right for you.
May is Hepatitis Awareness month. To find out more about preventing and treating Hepatitis B, visit the Centers for Disease Control.
Also, watch our short YouTube video about Medicare’s efforts to prevent and treat hepatitis.
Filed under: Uncategorized         ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:03 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Veterans: Do You Have High Blood Pressure?</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/veterans-do-you-have-high-blood-pressure</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Many Veterans don’t realize they have high blood pressure. It often has no warning signs or symptoms. That’s why it’s important for Vets to get their blood pressure checked regularly.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:03 CDT</pubDate>
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			<title>Colon Cancer And Economic Theory  In Health Care</title>
			<link>http://www.socialsecuritybenefits.ca/social-security-benefits-news/news/colon-cancer-and-economic-theory-in-health-care</link>
			<description><![CDATA[A study of 7,424 privately insured colon cancer patients found that managed care presence in the market and hospital competition increased the likelihood laparoscopic surgery to treat colon cancer lowered costs, a national team of researchers led by a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services reported in the journal Cancer...]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:02 CDT</pubDate>
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