CHICAGO, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --To help support expectant dads during the pre-natal process, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), operator of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, has launched Duty Calls, a mobile app that helps new dads stay engaged with their partner throughout pregnancy by providing detailed task lists and weekly development information, among other features, on baby and expectant mother.

Duty Calls is an extension to the company's 'Special Beginnings' maternity program that provides expectant members support and education, risk factor identification and ongoing communication/ monitoring from experienced program staff.

Research suggests that paternal support helps promote healthy prenatal behavior and may decrease the expectant mother's emotional stress, which has been linked to poor pregnancy outcomes. However, through HCSC's research, expectant fathers often admit that they are unsure of their role during the prenatal process. This app helps support the couple's pre-natal experience by providing state-of-the-art tools to help dads be more active during the pregnancy process.

"Through focus groups and research, we have found that dads were often confused during the prenatal process because they felt they lacked resources to understand how to participate," said Paul Nutting, senior director, electronic commerce, HCSC. "The Duty Calls app addresses this concern in a unique way. We're confident that Duty Calls will benefit expectant dads with the goal of enhancing the couple's pre-natal experience in a variety of ways."

Duty Calls, available exclusively on iTunes, is unique as it offers a robust set of features to assist expectant dads, including:

Additionally, as a way to help extend engagement to fathers after the prenatal process, HCSC recently launched another app, Tot Tracker, a free app that helps parents track and capture their child's growth and doctor's visits until the age of three. Features include a tracking tool for completed milestones, recommended vaccinations, and a growth tracking tool.

About Health Care Service CorporationHealth Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall, with more than 13 million members in its Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit http://www.HCSC.com, visit our Facebook page or follow us at http://www.twitter.com/HCSC.

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Health Care Service Corporation Launches Duty Calls, Unique Mobile App Geared Toward Expectant Dads

As many as 47 million American women will become eligible to get cost-free preventive health care services under provisions of Obamacare that took effect on Wednesday.

The provisions of the Affordable Care Act provide for such co-pay free service as well woman visits, which include an annual checkup to get illness prevention care plus additional visits to a physician if deemed necessary.

Murray

The additional womens health services were applauded in a Senate floor speech by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., whose first major Senate speech in 1993 dealt with a friends death from ovarian cancer and lack of attention to womens health.

Women, for the first time today, have the safety and security of knowing their health coverage cannot be taken away . . . It is a huge step forward for womens health, Murray told SeattlePI.com

But a dozen House Republicans used the services taking effect to denounce the Affordable Care Act. Its requirement that health insurance plans offer contraception services is being challenged by Catholic dioceses and colleges who have filled numerous lawsuits.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Penn., declared: I know in your mind, you can think of the times America was attacked. One is December 7, thats Pearl Harbor Day. The other is September 11, and thats the day the terrorists attacked. I want you to remember August 1, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom.

That is a day that will live in infamy, along with those other days.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, tweeted about the basics of what the health care reform law requires. Women deserve to have control over their health care, she said. Too often they have gone without preventive services, worrying about what even a $20 insurance co-pay would mean to their families budgets . . .

The Affordable Care Act provides for a variety of services designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies and diseases that strike women. These include:

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Preventive health care — a new Pearl Harbor?

New plans will be required to cover a wide range of early detection services Laurie Ure CNN August 01, 2012 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- New health care benefits kick in Wednesday requiring coverage of preventive services and screenings largely affecting women -- another facet of the Obama administration's controversial health care law.

Beginning August 1, all new and non-grandfathered insurance plans will be required to cover a wide range of early detection services, including mammograms and cervical cancer screenings, without co-payments or other cost sharing requirements.

"The top killers of women will now no longer go undetected," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, who spearheaded the push on Capitol Hill to include the requirement in the health care overhaul.

"We eliminate the barriers to care," Mikulski emphasized, arguing that the most important deterrent to women seeking medical attention has been the cost of insurance co-pays and deductibles.

While Americans remain sharply divided over the Affordable Care Act -- President Barack Obama's signature legislative accomplishment -- several specific provisions already in effect have proven to be popular with the public. Among other things, the law also allows children to remain on a parent's health plan until age 26. It also prohibits the denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, and eliminates the maximum lifetime dollar limit for an insured individual's care.

While insurance plans in effect before the law was enacted in March 2010 are not required to follow the new rules yet, policies used by 90% of the largest U.S. companies will lose their grandfathered status by 2014, according to Mikulski's office.

Most health insurance plans, however, already cover preventive care, industry representatives tell CNN. Some do not require any co-pay for these services.

"In fact, not only do health plans cover these services, they encourage policy holders to get recommended preventive care, such as preventive tests/screenings and immunizations," said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the national trade association representing the health insurance industry. "Promoting prevention and wellness has always been a top priority for health plans."

The new policy requires insurers to cover a comprehensive set of set of preventive services, including both prenatal and postnatal care, breastfeeding supplies, domestic violence counseling, and screening for gestational diabetes.

But by far the most controversial aspect of the new policy is its contraception coverage.

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New Health Care Benefits For Women Begin Wednesday

DENVER, August 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, announced today that it has selected Larry Wolk, M.D., an experienced health care leader, to be its chief executive officer (CEO). CORHIO is the state designated health information exchange (HIE) and has connected to its network 23 hospitals, 73 office-based providers, 18 long-term and post-acute care facilities and a large, regional clinical laboratory. CORHIO is also in the process of expanding its network of health care providers and is actively working to connect six more hospitals, over 900 office-based providers, five behavioral health centers and four long-term and post-acute care facilities that are under agreement.

In addition to being recognized as one of Colorado's most respected physicians, Dr. Wolk is a successful entrepreneur and has 15 years of leadership experience in various aspects of health care. He is the founder and executive director of the Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, a position he has held as a volunteer for nearly 20 years. The organization is one of the largest safety-net clinics in Colorado, providing more than 50,000 patients visits each year at over 40 clinic sites.

Dr. Wolk is also currently a clinical professor in the department of pediatrics with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and recently served nearly five years as president and chief operating officer at Correctional Healthcare Companies, which provides services to corrections agencies in 27 states and employs more than 2,500 staff. Dr. Wolk has also served as the senior medical director of both Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Colorado and Prudential Healthcare of Colorado, and served in a regional and national role as senior health care executive at CIGNA HealthCare. He was also the medical director of ambulatory pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center for five years.

Over the last two decades, Dr. Wolk has received many honors, including Colorado Pediatrician of the Year, National Philanthropy Day Volunteer of the Year, Denver Business Journal Healthcare Executive of the Year, a "Channel 7 Everyday Hero," and he is a recipient of the University of Vermont's Award for Service to Medicine and Community. Most recently, Dr. Wolk received the Lifetime Healthcare Achievement Award from the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Outstanding Clinical Faculty Community Service Award from the University of Colorado. Dr. Wolk also served as an officer on the board of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education.

"Dr. Wolk is not just a respected physician who has worked tirelessly to ensure individuals get access to high-quality health care, he is also an entrepreneur with a deep understanding of why health information exchanges like CORHIO are critical to improving the quality of care that is delivered," said CORHIO Board Chair James Shmerling, president and chief executive officer of Children's Hospital Colorado.

With his unique and varied expertise in the health care field, Dr. Wolk will help to accelerate the adoption of HIE among providers in Colorado and will ensure that CORHIO stays true to its mission of improving health care for all Coloradans.

"Working for CORHIO presents an exciting opportunity for me, advocating for and implementing health information exchange for health care providers and patients alike. I look forward to the day when CORHIO includes every health care entity in the state and gives the opportunity to every Colorado citizen to experience better health."

About CORHIO

CORHIO is dedicated to improving health care quality for all Coloradans through health information exchange (HIE). As the state designated entity for HIE, CORHIO collaborates with health care stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, clinics, public health, long-term care, laboratories, health plans and patients to improve care collaboration through secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information. CO-REC, a CORHIO initiative, assists primary care providers in adopting, implementing and becoming meaningful users of electronic health record (EHR) systems. CORHIO is a not-for-profit supported in large part by grants, including awards from the Colorado Health Foundation and from federal ARRA HITECH funds. CORHIO's technical infrastructure is built on industry-leading HIE technology developed and maintained by Medicity. For more information about CORHIO, please visit http://www.corhio.org.

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CORHIO Names Larry Wolk, M.D., Chief Executive Officer

Massachusetts lawmakers have given final approval to a bill designed to save up to $200 billion in health care costs over the next 15 years.

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Mass. lawmakers approve health care cost bill

Washington, D.C. - (AP) Forty-seven million women are getting greater control over their health care and access to eight new prevention-related health care services without paying more out of their own pocket beginning Aug. 1, 2012, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Wednesday.

Previously some insurance companies did not cover these preventive services for women at all under their health plans, while some women had to pay deductibles or copays for the care they needed to stay healthy. The new rules in the health care law requiring coverage of these services take effect at the next renewal date on or after Aug. 1, 2012for most health insurance plans. For the first time ever, women will have access to even more life-saving preventive care free of charge.

According to a new HHS report also released today, approximately 47 million women are in health plans that must cover these new preventive services at no charge. Women, not insurance companies, can now make health decisions that will keep them healthy, catch potentially serious conditions at an earlier state, and protect them and their families from crushing medical bills.

"President Obama is moving our country forward by giving women control over their health care," Secretary Sebelius said. "This law puts women and their doctors, not insurance companies or the government, in charge of health care decisions."

The eight new prevention-related services are:

The health care law has already helped women in private plans and Medicare for the first time gain access to potentially life-saving tests and services, such as mammograms, cholesterol screenings, and flu shots without coinsurance or deductibles. Today's announcement builds on these benefits, generally requiring insurance companies to offer, with no copay, additional vital screenings and tests to help keep women healthy throughout their lives.

These services are based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, which relied on independent physicians, nurses, scientists, and other experts as well as evidence-based research to develop its recommendations. These preventive services will be offered without cost sharing beginning today in all new health plans.

Group health plans and issuers that have maintained grandfathered status are not required to cover these services. In addition, certain nonprofit religious organizations, such as churches and schools, are not required to cover these services. The Obama administration will continue to work with all employers to give them the flexibility and resources they need to implement the health care law in a way that protects women's health while making common-sense accommodations for values like religious liberty.

For women who are pregnant or nursing, the new preventive services include gestational diabetes screening as well as breast-feeding support, counseling and supplies. Health services already provided under the health care law include folic acid supplements for women who may become pregnant, Hepatitis B screening for pregnant women, and anemia screening for pregnant women.

Women Medicare beneficiaries may already receive such preventive services as annual wellness visits, mammograms, and bone mass measurement for those at risk of osteoporosis and diabetes screening. Approximately 24.7 million women with Medicare used at least one free preventive service in 2011, including the new annual wellness visit.

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Health care law gives women control over their care