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Man Rides Bike Across America for The Children’s Heart Foundation

“BIKE 4 CHF” Aims to Raise $100,000 for Congenital Heart Defect Research

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. – A congenital heart defect survivor is pedaling his bike across America, beginning June 8, 2010, to raise awareness about congenital heart defects, celebrate children impacted by heart defects, and raise $100,000 in new research dollars for the Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF).

“BIKE 4 CHF”—the journey of Nels Matson, 27, of Bradenton, Fla.—is the first fundraiser of its kind for the Children’s Heart Foundation, a national non-profit that funds the most promising research to learn more about congenital heart defects (CHDs), the number-one birth defect in America, which affects 40,000 births every year and one in every 100 newborns.

Matson will ride his road bike 3,709 miles, from Santa Monica, Calif., to New York, N.Y., from June 8 to July 20, 2010, averaging 100 miles per day. Along his route, Matson will meet up with and ride alongside Children’s Heart Foundation supporters of all ages in 15 states and encourage them to donate to CHF through his Web site, www.athletes4heart.com.

The Children’s Heart Foundation has named Matson its first ever “KID 4 CHF,” in honor of Matson’s service to congenital heart defect awareness and fundraising in his BIKE 4 CHF ride. CHF defines KIDS 4 CHF as children who have been diagnosed with a CHD and provide hope and inspiration to other kids and families facing a diagnosis. KIDS 4 CHF are also children who were diagnosed with a CHD at birth and have since passed away.

“Nels Matson’s story resonates with people across the country—particularly with children and families who have lived, or are living, with CHDs,” said Megan Van Pelt, president of the Children’s Heart Foundation. “He’s a walking, running and biking example of perseverance and proof that nothing is impossible for these kids.”

Matson was born in 1982, and thought to be a healthy baby. When a doctor listened to Matson’s heart at age three, he was concerned. After a series of immediate tests, Matson was diagnosed with an uncommon congenital heart defect (Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return with an Atrial Septal Defect).

Matson underwent surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill. His heart was repaired, and he received a clean bill of health at age five. He still has the heart he was born with and today is remarkably active. Matson wrestled for Iowa State University in college, and in 2009, he raised funds for the Children’s Heart Foundation—completing an Ironman 70.3 (a race consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run, which adds up to 70.3 miles of total racing) and his very first marathon.

“Whenever I tell people my story, and about how common congenital heart defects are, they are shocked,” said Matson. “The goal of BIKE 4 CHF is to turn that surprise into action. By supporting the Children’s Heart Foundation, donors are investing in research that will save little lives.”

There are 35 different types of CHDs, but little is known about the cause of them and there is not yet a cure for any of them. The Children’s Heart Foundation has funded 37 research projects and funded $3.6 million for research.

“We’re learning more about CHDs all the time,” said William Foley, executive director of the Children’s Heart Foundation. “But until children are no longer lost to congenital heart disease, the Children’s Heart Foundation will continue on. Nels Matson shares our passion, and we are so thrilled that he will be spreading this message on the road this summer.”

Matson will begin his ride in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 8, and end in New York, N.Y., on July 20, stopping in bike shops and parks across the country for early morning meet ups and quarter-mile ride-a-longs with Children’s Heart Foundation supporters. Along his eastward journey, he’ll pass through a host of small cities, as well as the following metropolitan areas:

  • Las Vegas, Nev.: June 11
  • Denver, Colo.: June 22
  • Omaha, Neb.: June 30
  • Davenport, Iowa: July 4
  • Chicago, Ill.: July 7
  • South Bend, Ind.: July 8
  • Columbus, Ohio: July 13
  • Pittsburgh, Pa.: July 15
  • Philadelphia, Pa.: July 19

In each of the cities listed above, Matson will dedicate segments of his journey to local children with congenital heart defects. He’ll also invite congenital heart defect survivors, and people who have lost a loved one to a heart defect, to autograph his road bike so they can “ride across the country with him.”

Sponsors for BIKE 4 CHF include Hilton Hotels, mix1 Protein Antioxidant Sports Drink, Myakka Technologies, Inc., WSLR 96.5 LPFM Sarasota Community Radio ‘Local Matters’, Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation, and families.

To follow BIKE 4 CHF, and to make a donation, visit www.athletes4heart.com. You also can find Matson and his journey on Facebook (Athletes4Heart) and on Twitter (@Athletes4Heart).

The Children’s Heart Foundation

Motivated by the needs of children, the goal of the Children’s Heart Foundation is to bring health, hope and happiness to children impacted by congenital heart defects, the number-one birth defect in the U.S. The CHF accomplishes this goal by funding the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital heart defects. For information on the CHF, visit www.childrensheartfoundation.org.

Posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

Shopping for Reasonable Quotes Is as Easy as Making a List and Checking It Twice

If you’re shopping online, it’s easy to get frustrated, unless you slow down and just take things one step at a time. Don’t be in a hurry to click and grab your information. Take the time to line up at least four quotes for what you need. Make a list before you start and write down the criteria you have to have to be comfortable enough to buy a health insurance policy.

On that list put down things like price, what kind of coverage, what exclusions are there and anything else that you may think of that is important for you to know. Now, get clicking and get those quotes. From there, you can whittle down your list to policies and companies that look like they may suit your needs – financial and health insurance wise. Just remember that although some policies may be really cheap, they may not be the best for what “you” need. This is why you will want to ask more questions.

To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com

Posted on Sunday, June 27th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

Don’t PAY for family Health Insurance Quotes

It takes time to find precisely what you want for family health insurance plans. However, if you take the time to do searching online, make some phone calls and ask some questions, you’ll find what you need in terms of health insurance quotes.

If you’re kind of hesitant to hunt for health insurance quotes, use a location designation.

For instance if you live in Reading, Pennsylvania, just add that name to your search request. For instance, “Reading, Pennsylvania family health insurance quotes.” All quotes of this nature are free, but it doesn’t hurt to type in the word “free” in front of your location. If you ever get asked to pay for health insurance quotes – run. There is no reason to be charged for quotes, so beware.

To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com

Posted on Saturday, June 26th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

New Bugs Defy Modern Medicine and Health Insurance Is Crucial

Once you have a handle on the price of your family health insurance quote, ask the insurance agent what exclusions apply. Why do you want to do this? You need to do this because the answers will tell you what is NOT covered in your family health insurance policy.

Knowing what isn’t covered is actually more important than knowing what IS covered, because if you don’t know what is covered you run the risk of getting an awful surprise later when you have medical treatment for something that “isn’t” covered when you thought that it was.

While you’re at it, you should also make it a point to find out what your individual coverage limits are. This means what the limits are on EACH policy item.This will tell you if you have enough protection for the family.

To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

Healthy New Health Reform Bill?

We are all aware that it took a lot of arm wrestling to get the Health Reform Bill passed, and along the way the President likely made himself some powerful enemies. Millions of Americans will soon, too soon for many, be faced with “having” to buy health insurance.

This means they will be “mandated” to have it. Whether this is healthy or not is the burning question of the day and the human rights issues involved in forcing people to buy something is another question entirely.

Some of the changes will kick-in sooner rather than later, only time will tell, but the interesting thing is this – the health care industry is forecasting that the new Bill will dramatically change the way health insurance companies deal with people needing coverage, and it will also make a difference in the way doctors treat them. Whether that will be a good change or not remains to be seen.

To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

What to Weed Out When Shopping for Health Insurance Quotes

There will be some things you will want to weed out when it comes to the kind of health insurance policy you want. In fact, sometimes the “want” isn’t as important as the true “need” when it comes to finally selecting an insurance policy. This is why you want to carefully vet all the quotes you get from your online insurance shopping spree.

You will want to compare oranges to oranges of course and be on the alert for things that don’t suit you. Sure, you might find a super duper policy, priced so attractively you have a hard time “not” diving in and buying it. But, and that’s a big but, weed out what you DO NOT have in the policy first before making and decision to buy based on financial considerations. While this may seem like a lot of work, it pays off in the long run with affordable health insurance.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

The Biggest Looming Question About Health Insurance Is the Price

The first question on many people’s lips when it comes to the mandatory health insurance is: “What’s it going to cost?” Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of answers swirling out in cyberspace or anywhere else for that matter. On one hand, if insurance companies can’t turn down anyone, they may ultimately lose money insuring health risks. On the other hand they may have a pool of really healthy people that won’t need much in the way of coverage and the whole thing may just balance out.

There’s an awful lot of speculation these days about the end result of these enormous changes to the health care system that are about to begin and have, in some cases, already started. For instance, if there is no universal coverage lifetime limits, will premiums go up for everyone to cover the eventuality? Only time will tell.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance, Life Insurance.

Instant Health Insurance Quotes Will Be a Favorite

Since the advent of instant health insurance quotes online, things got a whole lot easier for people who hated searching for health insurance information. Since mandatory health insurance is on its way into reality, this instant quote feature will be a big bonus for millions of Americans needing to buy health insurance.

If the last thing you want to do is try and figure out all the ins and outs of quoting and prices and exclusions and coverage and benefits, then stick with instant quotes online. You should aim to get up to four quotes for a good comparison. Just remember, that it’s not a good idea to buy health insurance based on price alone, as the policy may not cover your needs. Also keep in mind that what you want versus what you need are two different things, which is why you really need to know what is in the health insurance policy you want to buy.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

Find Affordable Health Insurance Quotes in Your Local Area

To get the best and most affordable health insurance quotes online, look for pricing information in your local area. This is the best way to get a deal for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that your local insurance broker KNOWS their market inside out and will give you tips on where the best doctors are, who pays their claims and who doesn’t, and what the best hospitals are in your area. This is insider information, and why not make it work for you?

Spend some time talking to the broker outlining what you need in terms of an affordable health insurance policy and then take it from there. Always ask questions because they expect you to ask questions. Anyone who doesn’t work in the insurance industry isn’t going to understand the jargon, the benefits, the exclusions, the coverage and the fine print – so ask, and you shall receive information to make an informed decision.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit http://www,benepath.com

Posted on Monday, June 14th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.

What to Know Before Forking over Money for a Family Health Insurance Policy

You need to know how expensive the policy will be because it has to fit into your budget plans. Interestingly enough many people take the first policy an agent recommends. While it could be a good recommendation, you should get more information.

The agent recommended policy may not be the right kind of family health insurance plan for you. Education is the big thing here. Compare at least three plans and remember that the cheapest isn’t always the best. Cheap does not always equate to good coverage. If you do want decent coverage, you may need to revise your budget a bit.

To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com

Posted on Thursday, June 10th, 2010. Filed under Health Insurance.