Obama's health care plan benefited tens of millions in 2011
- 54 million people benefited from the Affordable Care Act in 2011 source
» Approximately one-sixth of Americans received one or more additional preventive care services in 2011, as a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, according to a newly released report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Over 20 million adult women received an additional service, as well as 14 million children, and just under 20 million adult men. Of the 50 states, Wyoming had the fewest patients (102,000) receive a new service while California took the cake with more than 6 million patients, over 2 million more than 2nd place Texas, receiving at least one new preventive service last year.
“We ask that you share with us your specific rationale and the scientific data you relied on for the decision to overrule the FDA recommendation [to increase access to Plan B].”
—Fourteen Democratic Senators • In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who last week overruled an FDA recommendation that Plan B, the emergency contraception, be available without prescription to minors. In the words of Greg Sargent, who reported the story, “it isn’t every day that 14 Senators aggressively call out their own party’s Health and Human Services Secretary.” Then again, a lot of Senate Democrats are up for re-election next year, so there is an element of realpolitik at play. source (via • follow)
Serving Size Control
Healthy Tip of the Week: Follow those serving size guidelines
This week’s healthy tip is short and sweet: When you raid your pantry for your next snack, be conscious of the serving size listed on the nutrition label. This information is on the label for a reason, so why not abide? By measuring your servings you avoid overeating and being completely unaware of the amount you are consuming.
The Health and Human Services department gives a wonderful overview of the difference between portion and serving size which is worth reading.
So the next time you reach for that Swiss Miss Trail Mix (my personal favorite), only scoop yourself 3 Tbsp which is equal to one serving size.
with new beginnings come new responsibilities
this new position I have taken on with Health and Human Services is one step closer to my realization of a global citizen; an internationally sensitive version of myself that can and will help people around the world, one person at a time.
here’s to the future Marc. Make it happen.
Up to $49 billion unpaid by uninsured for hospitalizations
usatoday.comOn average, uninsured families can pay only about 12% of their hospital bills in full. Families with incomes above 400% of the poverty level, or about $88,000 a year for a family of four, pay about 37% of their hospital bills in full, according to the Department of Health and Human Services study.
“This report shows that even higher-income, uninsured families are struggling to meet the high costs of health care,” Sherry Glied, assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “No family should bear the burden of being one illness or accident away from bankruptcy.”
Researchers also found that most uninsured people have “virtually no” savings and that about a third have no financial assets.
Single-Payer, “Medicare For All” would not only fix Medicare’s problems, but would fix the economic problems created by the uninsured and under-insured - medical debt the rest of the citizens wind up paying, one way or another.
Planned Parenthood Wins First Victory Against Defunding Laws
huffingtonpost.comFour states have passed legislation defunding Planned Parenthood so far this year, but the family planning provider is not going down without a fight. A federal judge in Indiana sided with Planned Parenthood against the defunding law on Friday, blocking its implementation, and now the legal battle is moving to Kansas.
After a month of court hearings, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt decided to grant a preliminary injunction against a new law that blocks Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) from participating in the Medicaid program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services already denounced the defunding law in a letter issued earlier this month because the proposed change violates federal Medicaid rules by denying Medicaid patients the freedom to choose a qualified provider.
Pratt said the Health Department’s disapproval of the new law, which could jeopardize all $4 million of Indiana’s federal planning money, weighed heavily on her decision.
“Denying the injunction could pit the federal government against the State of Indiana in a high-stakes political impasse,” she told the court. “And if dogma trumps pragmatism and neither side budges, Indiana’s most vulnerable citizens could end up paying the price as the collateral damage of a partisan battle. With this backdrop in mind, along with the reasons discussed above, the Court believes the most prudent course of action is to enjoin the defunding provision while the judicial process runs its course.”
What Are The Standarized Health Insurance Definitions
tibbits2.wordpress.com
There are many benefits in the PPACA that have been heavily promoted by supporters of the law.
This post discusses Section 2715. In it is an explanation of another level of government red tape that all consumers are supposed to get in 2012 that has not been as heavily advertised.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. It just adds another 4 pages of printed material to an already confusing system. Some people will find it helpful. Some people will find it clutter.
Minorities get worse health care, but government aims for change
usatoday.comWASHINGTON (AP) — From cradle to grave, minority populations tend to suffer poorer health and get poorer health care than white Americans. In a first-of-its-kind report, the government is recommending steps to reduce those disparities.
The plan being released Friday runs the gamut from improving dental care for poor children to tapping “promotoras,” savvy community health workers who can help guide their Spanish-speaking neighbors in seeking treatment.
But it acknowledges that giving everyone an equal shot at living a healthy life depends on far more than what happens inside a doctor’s office — or steps that federal health officials can take.
“It’s also a product of where people live, labor, learn, play and pray,” Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, told The Associated Press. “We really need a full commitment from the country to achieve these goals.” […]
Vern Traversie’s Case Draws Attorney General’s Attention
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.comIn a new blog post by Care2.com, Vern Traversie the blind and elderly Lakota elder who alleges he was a victim of branding while in the care of the Rapid City Regional Hospital for open-heart surgery is finally being heard.
According to the blog, Marty Jackley, South Dakota Attorney General, spoke with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council and took evidence from them on June 6. Indian Country Today Media Network has confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Dakota Attorney General’s office, and Health and Human Services have commenced an investigation into the alleged attacks.
plan b won't hit drugstore shelves after all.
This really bugs me. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has decided that despite the approval of the FDA, plan B should not be allowed to hit drug store shelves and effectively be available to women of all ages.
She worries that young women will not be able to fully understand how to use it. I disagree and I can’t help but feel her decision comes from a differnet place.
Young teenage girls are not going to suddenly start having more sex because they can get plan B. And the side effects of plan B? ” The most common include: include changes in your period, nausea, lower abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, dizziness, and breast tenderness.”
I think if someone can figure out how to have sex, they can figure out how to take an oral emergency contraceptive. How can we continue to peg teenage pregnancy as an epidemic if we’re unwilling to eradicate the causes?
Patient Rights and Safety Secured by HIPAA
Safety compliance is important in every industry, but in hospitals, upholding these standards becomes even more critical, because the dangers resulting from negligence can severely impact patient care as well as patient health. The Department of Health and Human Services is the branch of federal government that monitors medical facilities to ensure that a high level of service is being offered to patients in every office in the country. One piece of legislation is especially critical for hospitals to adhere to in these modern times: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA sets standards specifically relating to patient healthcare information. To help medical facilities meet these standards, a growing professional sector in hospitals lies in health informatics, the people who create, implement and monitor information systems. While the HIPAA covers a wide range of patient rights, among which is the Privacy Rule, which outlines protected health information, in regards to a patient’s current health status, the services they’ve been provided, and patient payment histories, among other concerns.
Hand in hand with the Privacy Rule is the Security Rule, which narrows the definition of protected health information to exclusively cover electronic patient records. These standards ensure that facilities protect patient information through careful security provisions that safeguard the sensitive digital environments that the patient information is stored in. It lays out specific safeguards for different types of ways that facilities interact with patient information to ensure that all the information is protected to the best of the facilities’ abilities.
This is not just an issue of patient rights but also of patient safety, because of the dangers of lost or misplaced documents that could delay patient treatment. Health informatics careers work to meet the guidelines established by both the HIPAA, the Department of Health and Human Services and the hospital’s management.
Obama Administration: States Will Not Receive Full Federal Funding For Partial Medicaid Expansions | ThinkProgress
thinkprogress.orgAlthough the Supreme Court upheld the bulk of the landmark health reform law last summer, Obamacare’s proposed Medicaid expansion was scaled back when the court ruled that states should be able to decide whether or not to expand their programs. Since then, GOP governors have been digging in their heels against reform, refusing to expand their states’ Medicaid pools to extend affordable insurance to millions of low-income Americans. That’s led lawmakers in several GOP-run states, such as Texas and Louisiana, to toy with the idea of partially expanding Medicaid in individual counties as a way of overcoming their governors’ continued obstruction.
But Sebelius has confirmed that pursuing that option will make states ineligible for the matching funds that the federal government will offer to the states that choose to fully expand Medicaid:
[W]e explain how Exchanges and Medicaid administrative costs will be funded and how we will continue exploring opportunities to provide States additional support for the administrative costs of eligibility changes. We clarify in our new guidance that states have the flexibility in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to provide premium assistance for Exchange plans as well as to adopt “bridge plans” that offer coverage through both Medicaid and Exchanges – keeping individuals and families together when they cross the line between Exchanges and Medicaid. And, while the law does not create an option for enhanced match for a partial or phased-in Medicaid expansion to 133 percent of poverty, we will consider waivers at the regular matching rate now and, in 2017 when the 100 percent federal funding for the expansion group is slightly reduced, broad-based State Innovation Waivers.
We hope states will take advantage of the substantial resources available to help them insure more of their residents. As an independent report highlighted, “Accounting for factors that reduce costs, states as a whole are likely to see net savings from the Medicaid expansion.”
