Mayor de Blasio and UFT Reach Preliminary Agreement on 9-year Contract
Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the City of New York and the United Federation of Teachers have reached a preliminary contract agreement. The 9-year agreement will implement a number...
By: NYC Mayor #39;s Office
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Mayor de Blasio and UFT Reach Preliminary Agreement on 9-year Contract - Video
Some Democrats are optimistic that the new health-care law is shifting from a political liability to more neutral ground in this years U.S. elections.
With enrollments in insurance plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rising and polls showing that most Americans want to keep the law, Democrats are increasingly encouraged that they have defused some of the criticism over the botched rollout of Obamacare last year.
The American people fundamentally reject the Republican argument that we should repeal the Affordable Care Act, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said yesterday on a conference call. We feel good about how well transact that argument.
The number of people signing up for private insurance under the law has surged, with 910,000 in the last month alone. In total, 8 million people bought coverage on federal marketplaces through April 19, the government said on May 1.
Republicans have repeatedly tried to repeal the law and have made it a central issue in the midterm elections. While the increased enrollments have failed to build a wave of support for Obamacare and many Democrats are avoiding the issue, the public wants to keep it largely intact.
Just 21 percent of Americans want Obamacare totally eliminated, while 40 percent said it needs minor modifications, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted April 23-27. At the same time, 46 percent said the law was a bad idea, compared with 49 percent the previous month. Thirty-six percent said it was a good idea.
In this years congressional elections, Democrats in at least four states are cautiously embracing the new law by highlighting the negative consequences if Republicans were to follow through on their promise to repeal it.
In Alaska, a spot by an outside group backing Democratic Senator Mark Begich features a breast cancer survivor running on frozen trails.
I now have health insurance again because of Mark Begich, says the woman in the commercial.
Representative Allyson Schwartz, a Pennsylvania Democrat running for governor, ran an ad highlighting her work on the health-care bill.
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Democrats More Optimistic on Politics of U.S. Health-Care Law
The number of patients visiting Riverside Countys safety-net hospital and its network of 10 clinics dropped about 11 percent after the Affordable Care Act kicked into full gear Jan. 1.
County officials believe people who previously relied on Riverside County Regional Medical Center for health care are exploring other options, and they hope theyll come back once they see the quality of care the Moreno Valley hospital provides.
In an email, county spokesman Ray Smith wrote that patient numbers have stabilized. Even with a severe December flu season behind us (meaning higher patient loads), the hospital is beginning to see an uptick in our volumes as some patients return and new patients come in, he wrote.
Still, the drop is bad news for the county hospital, which is struggling to make ends meet. The medical center has been projected to end the fiscal year June 30 with a $36 million shortfall.
If the hospital cant sustain itself, the county Board of Supervisors will be forced to make up the difference. That could mean less money for other needs, including new jail beds to prevent the early release of inmates.
The board already has taken steps to fix the hospitals finances. The management team was replaced and an interim CEO was brought in at a cost of $46,000 a month. Lowell Johnsons specialty is turning around troubled hospitals.
In addition, supervisors approved a contract worth up to $26 million last November with Huron Healthcare, a Chicago-based health care consulting firm. Huron experts are at the hospital exploring ways to raise revenue and cut costs.
About 9.3 million people nationwide have gotten health insurance since Sept. 2013, according to a report from the RAND Corp. In California, officials report 3.3 million now have private insurance or Medi-Cal, a state/federal insurance program for the poor.
The county hospital has traditionally been the only place indigent residents could go for treatment; patients are seen regardless of ability to pay. But that will change, senior county staff said, with Obamacare giving coverage to the previously uninsured.
To ensure the hospital continues to bring in patients and revenue, officials have said it needs to compete for health care dollars. Part of the strategy is to forge agreements with private insurers to steer their policy-holders to the hospital.
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HEALTH CARE: Fewer people seek treatment through Riverside County
MINOCQUA - You can now grab one of the most famous donuts in the Northwoods.
Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty in Minocqua opened its doors Friday morning.
The line for donuts had already started by 7 a.m. The manager tells us the most important part of opening is preparing its employees.
"It's a lot of work. We have to look at employment of course. We get a lot of returns and we get some new, fresh faces. [We have to] make sure they're all trained and ready to go," said Mike Tonne, Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty Manager.
If you're stopping by the 53 year-old business, you can expect to see new items in the gift shop.
After a long winter, Tonne believes business will be strong.
"We're seasonal so we do see a switch from people gearing up from winter and then having an opportunity to come in. They do come back in the summer and spend time with us," said Tonne. "I think it's going to be a good year. I really think that the tourism is [picking] up, the economy is turning around and I think it'll be good."
As for those famous donuts, Tonne shared the secret ingredient.
"They're made with a lot of love."
Breakfast at Paul Bunyan's starts at 7 a.m. with lunch following at noon. There is a second location in Wisconsin Dells.
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Marylanders share health care success stories
Marylanders share health care success stories.
By: ABC2 News | WMAR-TV Baltimore
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#NTVTake5: State of Uganda #39;s health care services
The health sector has been plagued by poorly managed hospitals, expired drugs, underpaid health workers to mention but a few. Hospitals are forced to functio...
By: NTV Uganda
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AONE Certificate Program in Health Care Finance for Nurse Executives - Jennifer Woods
Jennifer Woods discusses her experience with the AONE Certificate Program in Health Care Finance for Nurse Executives. For more information please visit: htt...
By: AONE Nurse Leaders
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AONE Certificate Program in Health Care Finance for Nurse Executives - Jennifer Woods - Video
The Philippines: Protecting Women and Girls After Haiyan
UNFPA is providing reproductive health care and working to prevent gender-based violence against women and girls who struggle to survive after Typhoon Haiyan.
By: unitednations
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The Philippines: Protecting Women and Girls After Haiyan - Video
Gov Rick Scott Confronts Ugly Obamacare Truth: Seniors Love It!
"Florida Gov. Rick Scott #39;s (R) hunt for Obamacare horror stories during a visit to a senior center on Tuesday didn #39;t go exactly as planned, as all but one resident expressed satisfaction with...
By: The Young Turks
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Gov Rick Scott Confronts Ugly Obamacare Truth: Seniors Love It! - Video
Special Babies with Special Needs - Part 1
A "special baby" needs more help from others -- more health care and services, sometimes even surgery. How are these babies identified and diagnosed early enough to make a difference? Dr....
By: UWTV
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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Analysts predict earnings will soar by 11% for health care companies, higher than the 7.2% increase by the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and faster than the average for the whole sector, Bloomberg reported. The forecast came after first-quarter earnings of major health care stocks surpassed analysts' expectations.
The S&P Health Care Index has risen by 4.8% for the year to date, and 23.9% over the past calendar year.
Hedging costs rose to an eight-year high despite merger announcements from the biggest health care stocks in the wake of the biotech sell-off late in March, Bloomberg reported. Implied volatility has peaked its highest in eight years, propelled by gains from M&As from Pfizer (PFE), Allergan (AGN), Forest Laboratories (FRX) and Eli Lilly (LLY).
Stocks have skyrocketed by as much as 84% since 2011 due to the $285 billion proposed mergers and acquisitions, Bloomberg reported. The article noted investors were keen on hedging because of the recent health care stocks rally and to avoid a possible downdraft from biotech, which suffered during the selloff.
The Nasdaq biotech index dipped by 20% late in March after peaking in February. Many analysts referred to the downdraft as a "bubble burst," while some analysts argue that a bubble is far from happening.
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Health Care Stocks Still Healthy Despite Higher Hedging Costs
What Are States Going to Do about Growing Health Care Costs?
Ray Scheppach, University of Virginia: Some states will probably raise taxes somewhat due to growing health care costs. Some spending will essentially come o...
By: Brookings Institution
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What Are States Going to Do about Growing Health Care Costs? - Video
Standard Poor #39;s U.S. Consumer, Retail, And Health Care Weekly Review (April 28)
In this segment of U.S. Consumer, Retail, and Health Care Weekly, Standard Poor #39;s Director Linda Phelps discusses the actions we recently took on Zimmer, Pilot Travel Centers, Stater Bros.,...
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Standard & Poor's U.S. Consumer, Retail, And Health Care Weekly Review (April 28) - Video
Group shares Affordable Health Care Act success stories
After plenty of criticism and fitful starts and stops getting the website going for the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, one health initiative is proclaiming...
By: WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore
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Group shares Affordable Health Care Act success stories - Video
Report: SXSW Conference and the Future of Health Care
By: Franklin Street
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Report: SXSW Conference and the Future of Health Care - Video
Nazarian Family Chiropractic - Los Angeles, CA - Health + Medical
Nazarian Family Chiropractic - Los Angeles Dr. Victor Nazarian has been in practice in Westwood at the same office for the past 19 years. He is a board certified Doctor of Chiropractic and...
By: SmartShoot Global
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Nazarian Family Chiropractic - Los Angeles, CA - Health + Medical - Video
College of DuPage: First Responders and Health Care Team Collaborative Simulation Exercise 2014
Students from six College of DuPage Health Sciences programs practiced their skills as they responded to a domestic violence simulation that recently was held on campus. The in-depth exercise...
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INDIANAPOLIS -
Indiana University is undergoing a sizeable effort to improve the quality of care for seniors who live in nursing homes and cut health care costs at the same time.
IU has placed an extra resource, registered nurse Betty Grady at Rosewalk on the east side of Indianapolis.
"I think this is what I was born to be, an optimistic research nurse. I love this. I feel like I can make a difference," Grady said.
She is one of 25 RNs or nurse practitioners with an extra set of eyes on 2,000 patients at 19 central Indiana nursing homes who helped identify an early infection in resident Ola Bluitt.
"I didn't know that I had pneumonia. I knew that I wasn't feeling well and I just couldn't understand what was going on with my body," the 80-year-old resident said.
With new "OPTIMISTIC" protocols, subtle changes in Ola's health were flagged and documented on a new "Stop and Watch" form, which led to more care.
"Because we started the antibiotic early, we were able to catch the pneumonia early and she was able to stay here at home," Grady said.
That's a better option than going to the hospital, where seniors like Ola are more vulnerable to infection and confusion.
"They have long waits when they go through the emergency room. They don't know anyone there, so there is also that fear factor," said Grady.
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Provincial health care professionals have voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action after failing to sign a contract with the health regions.
The president of the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan, Karen Wasylenko, said Thursday that 85 per cent of union members voted to support job action.
Health care employers have only themselves to blame for this situation. They presented a shameful contract proposal last month, which received strong negative reaction from the specialized health care professionals we represent, Wasylenko said in a media release.
Union members voted by mail over the last few weeks. Votes were tallied Wednesday night.
The union represents over 30 different groups and 3,000 workers including paramedics, hospital pharmacists and occupational therapists. They've struggled over the last month to reach a contract agreement with the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations.
Wasylenko said staffing levels are the biggest concern for her members.
"We see wait lists that are increasing, we see emergency care services that are becoming unsafe because of staffing," Wasylenko said.
The association's workers went on strike in 2011 during their last round of contract negotiations
Under new labour legislation, the union must take a number of additional steps before a strike notice can be served.
The threat of job action is always a last resort for our health care professionals, Wasylenko said.
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah enrollment in health care plans on the federal website greatly exceeded what the Obama administration expected, according to government figures released Thursday that show the final numbers the first year of the historic health care overhaul.
The 84,600 people who signed up represent a 48 percent increase from the administrations target of 57,000 for the state, the Department of Health and Human Services reported. That includes people allowed to sign up during a two-week extension in April after the March 31 deadline.
The figures indicate there was a huge surge as the deadline approached, with more than half of the total enrollees in Utah signing up during the final weeks.
Enrollment started slowly last fall on an online marketplace plagued by glitches, but it gradually increased with each month.
Nationally, more than 8 million people signed up on the new marketplace.
Utah is one of more than 30 states that left it to the federal government to run its online exchange for individuals to find coverage. The state runs its own exchange for small businesses, which it created in 2009.
A lot of people said Utah isnt going to go for this, but Utahns did, said Jason Stevenson, spokesman for the Utah Health Policy Project, a nonprofit group assisting with enrollment efforts in the state. They liked what they saw on healtcare.gov.
Utah was one of 31 states that met or exceeded enrollment targets set by the administration before the insurance exchanges opened, an Associated Press analysis found. Twenty of those states, including Utah, are led by Republican governors, many of whom were hostile to the program.
One of Utahs critics of the health care overhaul, Republican state Sen. Allen Christensen, said hes still not impressed.
When you dont have any other choice and you are threatened with a fine, most people are going to sign up, said Christensen, a pediatric dentist.
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