0 Got a health-care spending account? Today may be your last chance to spend those dollars.

Still got some money stashed away in a health-care flexible spending account? If so, you might want to put a trip to the pharmacy on your day's to-do list, or at least check your plan's paperwork to see if you can take advantage of the IRS's optional grace period, to March 15, to spend those funds. Otherwise, after today you'll lose those savings for good. If you don't need a new pair of glasses and don't know how else to spend that money, here are some qualifying over-the-counter items listed on the Aetna Website that can be purchased without a prescription: BandagesEye-care products (contact lens solution, lubricant drops, patches)Family-planning...

0 Top sparkling wines for ringing in the New Year

Looking to purchase a bottle of bubbly for the night? You might not think of Consumer Reports when it comes to buying wine, but our industry experts have reviewed many of your favorite varietals, including Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Zinfandel, and many more. Our recent tests of sparkling wine include a recommended GH Mumm Cordon Rouge NV, and a very reasonably priced Gruet Blanc de Noirs NV. The first is a classic Champagne style bubbly that is intense and complex with ripe apple and yeasty/toasty notes, while the second has an attractive array of fruit that mixes nicely with slight yeasty flavors to make for a tasty...

0 Hospitals still order too many CT scans

Radiation exposure from a CT scan is about 350 times higher than from an ordinary chest X-ray. Yet some hospitals, including several large, well-known ones, continue to order too many of them, exposing patients to needless risk and expense, according our updated hospital Ratings. We focused on "double scans," or two scans ordered for the same patient, one with a contrast agent (which can make the image clearer), and another without. Such double scans are rarely necessary, and expose patients to 700 times as much radiation as from a standard chest X-ray. Such scans might increase the risk of cancer. Contrast agents add other risks, including...

0 Use those gift cards now

If you received gift cards this holiday season, you should get out and use them up now, before they get buried in a drawer, lose value, or expire. Federal rules for merchant and bank issued gift cards mean they can't expire within five years after they're issued, or in the case of reloadable gift cards, within five years after money was last added. But the rules don't apply to reloadable cards that aren't labeled or marketed as gift cards, including those awarded through loyalty, rebate, or promotional programs. Nor do the federal regulations apply to discount vouchers from such sites as Groupon or Living Social. Consumers Union,...

0 Ditch the fat-free salad dressing, and other tips for cooking healthier in 2013

New Year's Day is notable for resolutions. If a healthier diet is on your list, just choosing the right foods isn't enough; how you prepare your meals can be just as important as what you put in your shopping cart, according to Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutrition expert and author of "Read It Before You Eat It" (Plume, 2010). For example, cooking certain foods makes their nutrients more available, like the lycopene in tomatoes and the carotene in carrots. In other cases, common cooking practices can diminish the nutritional quality of your food or add unnecessary fat and sodium. That's true even for some habits you might think are good ones....

0 5 tips for easy returns of unwanted holiday gifts

The holidays were wonderful, but now that the wrapping paper has been discarded and the good dishes put away, it's time to take stockshould you keep, return, or re-gift some of the presents you got? If you choose to return any unwanted gifts, you can prep before making a trip to the store, and follow our tips to steer clear of typical gift-return hassles. Be sure before you open that box: Merchants can impose a restocking fee (often 15 percent of the product's cost), and many do for electronics items. Products such as computer software, CDs, and DVDs aren't generally returnable once they're opened. It might also be hard to return products...

0 Gift cards are great last-minute gifts, but purchase with care

Buying a gift card is easy, and while legislation has eliminated a number of the gotchas associated with these presents, some drawbacks remain. So do your homework before you spend any money on gift cards. Consumers will spend $28.8 billion on gift cards during the holiday season, according to an estimate by the National Retail Federation. But shoppers don't get all they paid forcertain store policies can erode the value. If you plan on giving a reloadable gift card or one that's not marketed as a gift card specifically, pay close attention to the card's terms and conditions to make sure the person you're giving it to doesn't get hit...

0 17 million expect to shop on Christmas Eve

With the days until Christmas dwindling, two-thirds of celebrants132 million Americansstill hadn't finished shopping, and 14 percent said they had yet to start, according to Consumer Reports' latest Holiday Poll, fielded Dec. 10-17. Still others push the limits of procrastination: Nine percent of shoppersan estimated 17 million peoplesaid they plan to shop in stores on Christmas Eve. Last-minute shoppers, in no position to be picky, are most likely to grab a gift card (the go-to present for 62 percent), give cash (27 percent), or a bottle of wine or liquor (15 percent). Other items likely to be bought in a pinch: lottery tickets and...

0 Inexpensive, last-minute gifts for food lovers

Got someone on your list who loves good food? Consider one of these products, all of which did well in our recent tests. Even better, they're inexpensive, ranging from $6 to $60. Trader Joe's California Estate olive oil. Just $6 for a 16.9-ounce bottle. It was excellent in our tests: strong, complex, and very fresh-tasting. It pairs especially well with bread and salad, our testers say. Columbia Crest Grand Estates cabernet sauvignon and Bogle chardonnay. Both scored Very Good in our tests by expert tasters and were just $10 per bottle. We assessed 2008 and 2009 vintages, respectively, though more recent vintages shouldn't differ very much....

0 Got too much milk?

Can kids drink too much milk? Maybe, according to a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It found that while getting enough is key for strong bones, excessive amounts might reduce the amount of iron in the blood, which is important for brain and psychomotor development. Toronto researchers asked the parents of 1,311 healthy children between the ages of two and five how much milk the kids drank daily. Those who drank more milk had higher levels of vitamin D but lower levels of iron. Two 8-ounce glasses a day seems to be the "just right" amount. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends approximately two cups of nonfat...

0 Make sure your holiday gifts arrive on time this year

Holiday shipping deadlines are fast approaching if you want your gifts to reach their destinations on time. If you're sending gifts and want them to arrive by Christmas, note the various dates below for shipping within the United States. U.S. Postal Service: (Check usps.com for shipping deadlines to other countries and military addresses.) Parcel Post, Dec. 14 First-Class Mail, Dec. 20 Priority Mail, Dec. 21 Most Express Mail, Dec. 22 FedEx: FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, Dec. 17 (Can vary depending on Zip Code) FedEx 2 Day, Dec. 20 FedEx Overnight, Dec. 22 UPS: UPS Ground, Dec. 21 UPS 2nd Day Air, Dec. 21 UPS Next Day Air,...

0 Buy an iPad for grandma and grandpa this year?

Got a relative with an age-related eye problem? If so, an iPad or other tablet with a backlit display might make a great gift. The contrast between background and text on those devices makes reading easier for people with macular degeneration and certain other vision problems, according to a new study. Researchers found that people with the worst vision liked reading on the iPad 2, which was the tablet used in the test, more than reading a regular book or using a standard e-book reader, like the Amazon Kindle, which doesn't have the same backlit display. Even people with normal vision read faster on the iPad 2, the study found. Increasing...

0 5 tips: Be a return-friendly shopper this holiday season

You may think you've bought the perfect gift for everyone on your list, but at least some of your recipients are likely to disagree. To help make the return process easier on your gift recipients, consider the following: Check store return policies: It helps to know whether your gift recipient can return something purchased at a store's website to the store's nearest location, instead of having to box it up and ship it off. Big-box stores usually specify on their websites whether you can return something purchased online in a local store. Look for restocking fees: Many retailers impose restocking fees, usually 15 percent of the product's...

0 Diabetic eye problems on the rise

One likely effect of the growing number of young people with type 2 diabetes is that more and more people in their 20s and 30s are developing serious eye problems not correctable with glasses. "We've all been aware that obesity and type 2 diabetes go hand in hand, but now there is added evidence of an increase in eye diseases," says Marvin M. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports chief medical adviser. "Unless we can stem the tide of obesity and defer the onset of diabetes, the younger population may be facing other diabetes complications as well." Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and elsewhere analyzed...

0 Crowds, packing on the pounds, aggressive parking lot drivers top list of holiday dreads

'Tis the season to be jolly, but for many Americans this time of year isn't all eggnog and mistletoe. In fact, for some, the holidays can be downright Grinch-worthy. In our latest Holiday Poll, a nationally representative survey of more than 1,100 adults, holiday shoppers shared what they dread most about the Yuletide season. Topping the list by a wide margin were crowds and long lines, cited by 58 percent of respondents, followed by weight gain (41 percent), and aggressive drivers thoughtlessly tooling around parking lots (40 percent). Other angst inducers included getting into debt, gift shopping, seasonal music, lousy presents, and...

0 When you're out of the hospital, are you out of the woods?

If you think leaving the hospital means you're home for good, think again. About twenty percent of heart attack and pneumonia patients, and a quarter of heart failure patients, find themselves back in the hospital within 30 days, according to our updated hospital Ratings. And our new analysis shows that those rates aren't getting better. The most recent data cover patients discharged between July 2008 and June 2011, which we compared against data from two years earlier, between July 2006 and June 2009. The information is from the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and shows an estimate of the likelihood that a heart...

0 Ultrasonic bug zappers don't help ward off bedbugs

It sure is tempting: Just plug in a device and let sound waves keep bedbugs and other creepy-crawlies away, without pesticides or expensive exterminator bills. Unfortunately, those ultrasonic bug repellent devices marketed on late-night TV and sold online don't work, according to a new study. Researchers at Northern Arizona University bought four pest repellent devices from Amazon.com. They then let a bunch of bedbugs loose and let them choose between one area filled with sound from the devices and the other silent. Turns out there was no real difference in the number of bedbugs that chose the noisy or quiet areas. The researchers weren't...

0 Consumer Reports Index: Sentiment among wealthier Americans drops sharply

A weak employment picture hit lower-income households the hardest this month, and the budget impasse in Washington created a drag on consumer outlook among the more affluent, according to the Consumer Reports Index, an overall measure of Americans' personal financial health. "Poor employment levels for the lower-income households and fears of fiscal uncertainty for more affluent households were the perfect storm to sink the significant gains seen last month," says Ed Farrell, director of consumer insight at the Consumer Reports National Research Center. More Americans are losing rather than starting jobs. The employment measure dropped...

0 Despite Black Friday shopping spree, most consumers concerned about holiday spending

Although two-thirds of adults shopped over Black Friday weekend, the latest Consumer Reports Holiday Poll reveals that 81 percent of shoppers remain at least somewhat concerned about racking up big bills. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed in our nationally representative poll plan to splurge less on gifts than they did last year (by comparison, only 5 percent said they intend to splurge more than they did in 2011), while 31 will be eying more practical presents this season (vs. 9 percent who say they'll go the opposite way). Charities are taking a hit, too. Nineteen percent say they'll donate less to the needy compared to 13 percent...

0 Has my generic Lipitor been recalled?

Check your prescription container to see if a manufacturer is listed on the label. If your bottle says "Ranbaxy," call or take it back to the pharmacy where you filled the prescription to find out if it's been recalled. The pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy announced recently that it was recalling 41 lots of generic Lipitor (atorvastatin) due to concerns that they might contain small glass particles. The Food and Drug Administration says the glass particles are so small they are unlikely to cause safety concerns, but the possibility of harm cannot be ruled out. Our medical advisers recommend that if your medication is included in the recall,...

0 CDC warns about bedbug pesticides

If you've got a bedbug infestation, you probably want to do whatever necessary to get rid of them, including spraying your home with pesticides. But earlier this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned about a steep rise in injuries from misuse of pesticides to control the bugs. Health effects ranged from mild to serious, including one death. Using pesticides that are designed for outdoor use indoors or using too much pesticide were often the cause. If you have to use pesticides to kill bedbugs, consider this advice from the CDC: Follow all label instructions to the letter. Don't use outdoor pesticides inside your...

0 Medicare open enrollment: Did Obamacare secretly increase Part B premiums?

Q. I heard that the Medicare Part B premium was going to go up to $120 in 2013 and $247 in 2014 as part of Obamacare, and that this was kept under wraps so as not to influence the outcome of the 2012 election. True or false? A. I've been sitting on this question for awhile awaiting the announcement of the 2013 Medicare Part B premium. Now it's time to answer. And the answer is that everything you heard was a fiction. Per a law that has been in effect now for 15 years and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Affordable Care Act, every fall Medicare sets the Part B premium for the coming calendar year at a level that will cover exactly...

0 FDA looking into safety of energy drinks

There's been a lot of buzz lately about the safety of energy drinks and shots. Following reports of harmful reactions and even deaths possibly associated with the products, two U.S. senators recently released a letter from the FDA stating that the agency is conducting a safety review of energy drinks and is considering requiring that labels disclose the amount of caffeine the products pack, limitations on use, and warnings about possible adverse effects. That makes sense, since our recent investigation found that the products sometimes have more caffeine than they claim. "We support the FDA's investigation into the health effects of...

0 FDA shuts down Sunland peanut butter plant with new enforcement authority

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has shuttered Sunland Inc.'s New Mexico plant after peanut butter made by the company was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella that sickened 41 people in 20 states. The FDA suspended Sunland's food facility registration, prohibiting the company from distributing any products. This was the FDA's first use of its registration suspension authority under the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was enacted in January of last year. Without the enforcement authority, the FDA would have had to take Sunland to court in order to halt production and distribution at the plant. In addition, according to the...

0 Time for a whooping cough booster?

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is rising sharply and a new study suggests that a contributing cause may be that the vaccine now used loses effectiveness over time. Which means it may be time for you to get a booster. The old vaccine, introduced in the late 1940s, dramatically reduced pertussis infections but was often associated with redness, swelling, pain at the injection site, and, in a few cases, serious complications. The current vaccine, which is called DTaP and also vaccinates against diphtheria and tetanus, was introduced in 1992 to reduce those risks. Infants are most likely to be hospitalized and die from pertussis,...

0 Stay safe online on Cyber Monday

Don't want to brave the lines, crowds, and general pandemonium of Black Friday? You could always stay home and shop online on Cyber Monday instead. Many online retailers will be offering substantial discounts, free shipping, and other attractive perqs to Web shoppers on the Monday after Black Fridaythat's November 26 this year. Here are some tips for safe online shopping:Never use the same password for multiple sites. Minimize the chance that a hacker who broke into one account can gain access to your other online accounts. Create and use separate e-mail addresses. Specific e-mail accounts for specific shopping sitessay, "MyAmazonAccount@gmail.com"will...

0 Meningitis cases from tainted steroids continue to rise

The outbreak of fungal meningitis due to a contaminated steroid has affected 490 people and caused 34 deaths, according to updated figures released earlier this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our medical advisers say the ongoing rise in cases means people who received a tainted injection and who feel fine should continue to watch for any signs of infection. It also underscores our advice to avoid using medication from compounding pharmacies if possible, and to turn to steroid injections for back pain only after trying other treatments. The fungal meningitis cases stem from three contaminated batches of the...

0 One-third of shoppers to hit the malls or keyboard on Black Friday

With just over a month until Christmas, 57 percent of consumers (and 65 percent of men) have yet to begin shopping, mostly because they think they have plenty of time, according to the latest Consumer Reports Holiday poll. However, in yet another reminder of ongoing tough times, 17 percent said they've delayed shopping because they just don't have enough money. Despite the economic upheaval of the past four years, most Americans are anxiously awaiting the holidays. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said they're looking forward to them; another 26 percent are really looking forward to celebrating the holidays. Nevertheless, there...

0 Hot cocoa makers recalled due to possible lead risk

Focus Products Group International, which owns the West Bend brand name, is recalling several hot cocoa drink makers today. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the small appliances have internal parts that may leach heavy metal lead while making hot cocoa. Although there have been no reported illnesses or deaths tied to the recall, safety experts warn that the lead-leaching can be dangerousespecially to young children. Exposure to heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, may bring irreversible health effects such as anemia, kidney damage, and brain damage. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had lowered...

0 Is it OK to use a compounding pharmacy? (And what is one anyway?)

A: Until other much-needed changes occur, you should only use a medication from a compounding pharmacy if no other FDA-approved product is available, say our medical advisers. Compounding pharmacies create individual, customized drugs. They can, for example, omit ingredients such as lactose or gluten for people with allergies, flavor drugs to make them easier to take, create lower doses for children, or prepare a liquid, dissolvable lozenge, or suppository for those who can't swallow a capsule. The national meningitis outbreak, which has sickened at least 451 people and claimed the lives of 32, has heightened concern about the safety...

0 Open enrollment: My income is really low. Can I get help paying for health care?

Q. I am 68 and have only Medicare Part A. My sole source of income is $1,062 a month from Social Security. I'm in good health but concerned about future medical needs. Are there any plans for lower-income people? A.Yes, and it's a shame more Medicare beneficiaries don't know about them. It's understandable why they don't, as these programs are complex, vary from state to state, and seem to have been designed so everything about them is as baffling as possible. But let's give it a shot anyway. We'll start with a program that helps lower-income Medicare beneficiaries pay premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Parts A and B. Its...

0 Medicare open enrollment: Sandy victims get an extension

Medicare beneficiaries whose lives have been upended by Hurricane Sandy will be allowed to sign up for Medicare health and drug plans after the open enrollment deadline of Dec. 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced. If you don't plan to change your Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D drug plan for 2013, you don't have to worry about the deadline at all as you will be automatically re-enrolled in you current plan. If you do want to make a change, CMS would still like you to hit the December 7 deadline if you possibly can. But if you can't because of the big storm, you can enroll as soon as you're able by calling...

0 iPhone, Droid smarter picks than BlackBerry for people with allergies

In case BlackBerry users needed another reason to upgrade to a newer smart phone, research released today suggests there could be a health benefit to doing so, at least for people with skin allergies. In a small study presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, researchers measured the levels of cobalt and nickeltwo metals that can cause itchy allergic reactions in susceptible peoplein 72 cell phones, including 25 iPhones, 17 Motorola Droids, 9 BlackBerries, and 21 older-style flip phones. None of the iPhones or Droids tested positive for either cobalt or nickel, compared with...

0 Hurricane and nor'easter dramatize role of flood insurance

The one-two punch of last week's Superstorm Sandy and yesterday's nameless nor'easter is likely to put flood insurance on many East Coast consumers' shopping lists, joining generators, bottled water, batteries, and plane tickets the heck outta here. Unfortunately, unlike those other items, flood coverage is generally subject to a 30-day waiting period, so a policy bought today typically won't provide protection until a month from now. (FloodSmart.gov, the website of the National Flood Insurance Program, describes the few exceptions to the 30-day rule, along with other details.) Still, if your home is in danger of flooding, a peril typically...

0 Popping a daily multivitamin doesn't prevent heart attacks, study finds

Do you think of taking a daily multivitamin as a form of "health insurance"? More evidence suggests that you may be wasting your money. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School gave either a multivitamin or a placebo to about 15,000 male physicians, from 1997 to 2011. Over that time, the men who took the vitamin had the same rate of heart attacks, strokes, and other forms of cardiovascular disease as those who took a placebo. The study was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study's authors worried that people who take daily multis may think that the vitamins...

0 Bypass surgery beats angioplasty for people with diabetes

For almost two decades research has suggested that people with diabetes and multiple clogged arteries live longer and have fewer heart attacks if they undergo bypass surgery instead of angioplasty. Yet many of those people continue to be treated by angioplasty, since many doctors remain unaware of the evidence, or unconvinced by it. Now a major new study, out this week in the New England Journal of Medicine should finally settle the matter in bypass's favor. In the new study, researchers divided 1,900 people with diabetes plus multiple clogged arteries into two groups. About half underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG),...

0 Tips for a smooth transition on Bank Transfer Day

Today is Bank Transfer Day, which encourages you to switch your money to a credit union or smaller bank if you are unhappy with your current bank. According to a Consumer Reports survey this past summer, nearly one-fifth of all consumers with checking accounts considered switching to a new financial institution over the previous 12 months. "Consumer frustration has only grown over the past year as bank fees have continued to rise," says Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney for Consumer Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports. "But many frustrated consumers end up staying with their bank because switching to a new financial institution...

0 Hurricane Sandy proves cash is still king in emergencies

The widespread and ongoing power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy not only left millions of people in the dark but reminded many of us of how useful it can be to have some good, old-fashioned cash on hand for an emergency. Many ATMs in Sandy's path were rendered useless by the storm. Those that remained in operation often had long lines, and some reportedly ran out of cash. Credit and debit cards weren't of much use either, dependent as they are on electronic store terminals. So, before the next big storm, it may make sense to round up a little extra cash. Some advice from our money experts: If you want to conceal cash in a safe...