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Category Archives: Health Care

Romney Accuses Obama of ‘Fundamental Dishonesty’ on Health Care

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Former Republican presidential nominee says the President lied to Americans when he told them they could keep their existing health-insurance plans

Days after President Barack Obama visited Massachusetts to trump his signature health care law, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, the architect of the Massachusetts health care law that served as a model for the national bill, accused the President of lying when he told Americans that they could keep their existing health-insurance plans.

I think that fundamental dishonesty has put in peril the entire basis for his second term, Romney said Sunday on NBCsMeet the Press.Insurers are canceling plans that dont meet the Affordable Care Acts standards, forcing those on the individual market with those plans to search for a new plan that meets the laws criteria.

In the interview with David Gregory, Romney pushed back on some of the revelations in a new book on last years presidential campaign, Double Down: Game Change 2012.No one could have worked harder than myself and my family did for the campaign, Romney said, responding to claims he didnt want to win the White House. We were all in 100%.

(MORE: Obama Says Romneys Example Shows Health Care Reform Will Work)

Romney also defended New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from revelations in the book that he did not fully cooperate with the candidates team of lawyers who were vetting the outspoken governor as a potential vice-presidential pick.Theres nothing they found that wasnt part of the record, Romney said. Theres nothing new there.

They dont come better than Chris Christie, he added.Thats the kind of popularity and track record the GOP needs if were going to take back the White House.

Asked about the 2016 crop of Republican contenders, Romney said the front-runners for the GOP nod areChristie, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former vice-presidential nominee Representative Paul Ryan. Romney said the party will bevery anxious to choose someone in 2016 who has the best prospect of actually winning. When asked specifically about Tea Party favorite Senator Ted Cruz, Romney said he didnt wish to disqualify anyone, but already made his prediction.

MORE: The Hunt for Pufferfish

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Romney Accuses Obama of ‘Fundamental Dishonesty’ on Health Care

Health care costs for inmates on rise in W.Va.

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CHARLESTON West Virginias spending on prisoner health care shot up 38 percent between 2001 and 2008, but the state still ranks 36th out of 44 states included in a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Charleston Daily Mail reports West Virginias health care costs rose from $15.7 million to $21.7 million during the period.

But many other states reported much sharper increases. New Hampshire, for example, saw a 379 percent increase, from $5.4 million to $25.8 million. Californias costs doubled to about $1.98 billion.

Researchers identified three main reasons for the nationwide increase in prison health care costs: growing prison populations, aging prisoners and the overall rise in health care costs. The number of prisoners 55 or older nationwide increased 94 percent from 2001 to 2008.

Like older Americans outside prison, older inmates are more likely to have physical and mental illnesses, said Maria Schiff, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts project. Thats forcing some states to increase training requirements for staff, increase medical services or even build special housing units.

West Virginia Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein said about 12 percent of West Virginias 6,800 prisoners are 55 or older up from 7 percent a decade ago.

But he says West Virginias rising costs are mainly attributable to the growing volume of inmates. Overcrowding of the states prisons and jails has long been a problem for the West Virginia legislators and corrections officials.

In 2001, state prisons held 4,106 inmates. By 2008, they held 6,097.

With the opening of a new 388-bed facility in Salem, a converted juvenile detention center, Rubenstein said hell likely have to ask lawmakers for more medical services funding next year.

But even as overall costs rose during 2001-2008, Rubenstein said per-inmate expenses dropped slightly, by about $200 per inmate, because of collaboration with prison health care contractor Wexford Health Services.

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Health care costs for inmates on rise in W.Va.

Affordable Care Act: Agencies warn of health care scams

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George Gonzalez, a certified navigator for Enroll El Paso waits to assist people with applications for the Affordable Health Care Act on Friday at the Memorial Park Library. (Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)

El Pasoans who want to sign up for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act do not have to pay for help with the application process, experts said.

The Better Business Bureau, among others, is warning people to be on the lookout for any scams associated with the law.

"We've heard from Enroll El Paso that there are scammers out there who are trying to charge fees to help people with the enrollment process, and who may be collecting credit card numbers, health information and Social Security numbers for dubious purposes," said Margo Lepe, spokeswoman for the El Paso Better Business Bureau.

"We encourage anyone who has encountered this to contact the Better Business Bureau, so we can document such consumer complaints and issue public warnings," Lepe said.

"According to the Federal Trade Commission, the ink was barely dry on the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act before scammers were picking up the phone and pretending to be from the government," the national Better Business Bureau reported.

The FTC, which also looks into complaints related to the health care act, said con artists may have the routing number to a bank and use that information to get people to reveal their account numbers.

Jennifer Buschick, spokeswoman for Enroll El Paso, said her office has received anecdotal accounts about people going to houses to offer to enroll people in a health care plan for a fee or misrepresenting themselves as "navigators" for the program.

Others received unsolicited telephone calls offering services to help people explore and select plans while collecting personal health and financial information that could be misused by third parties.

Enroll El Paso, led by United Way of El Paso County, is a coalition of organizations in the community, including hospitals, with people who are trained and certified to help the public understand health coverage options and enroll in a plan.

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Affordable Care Act: Agencies warn of health care scams

What's up with Obamacare and my health care?

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- As the politicians fuss and fight over the merits of the biggest overhaul of the health insurance system in this country, you may be wondering, "What does this all mean to me?" Here's what we know so far about what's up with your health care.

1. It's all about me

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it is now commonly known, went into effect in 2010 and was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, despite the 42 times the House Republicans tried to repeal it.

It will have the most dramatic impact on the 48 million Americans who don't or haven't been able to get insurance. By 2014, everyone -- with a few exceptions -- has to have insurance or face a penalty.

2. I get insurance through work. Why should I care?

More than half of Americans get health insurance through work. For those keeping score at home, that's 55.1% of the population, or about 149 million non-elderly people, according to U.S. Census data.

If that's you, news about Obamacare marketplace computer problems and people getting letters saying they're losing their coverage -- that doesn't affect you.

What you do have to worry about is that e-mail reminder your company sends you this time every year telling you about open enrollment season.

You may notice that information packet is a lot easier to read and the different plans are a lot easier to compare. You've got Obamacare to thank for that, since it is now mandatory that these companies communicate clearly about what they have to offer.

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What's up with Obamacare and my health care?

"If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." Barack Obama Supercut – Video

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"If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." Barack Obama Supercut
Obama has said you can keep your insurance plan. A lot. Source: http://videos.nymag.com/video/If-You-Like-Your-Plan-Supercut#c=J63WKQ1LRXWQ03RL t=%22If%20You...

By: bydesign001

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"If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." Barack Obama Supercut - Video

FULL Speech: President Obama Defends Rocky Rollout of Health Care Reform in Boston 10/30/2013 – Video

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FULL Speech: President Obama Defends Rocky Rollout of Health Care Reform in Boston 10/30/2013
"I tried to grow a beard, but Michelle, she wasn #39;t having it," the president said in Boston on Wednesday, remarking on Red Sox #39; illustrious and feared World ...

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FULL Speech: President Obama Defends Rocky Rollout of Health Care Reform in Boston 10/30/2013 - Video

Barack Obama FULL Health Care Speech in Boston, More Excuses and Reasoning – (October 30, 2013) – Video

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Barack Obama FULL Health Care Speech in Boston, More Excuses and Reasoning - (October 30, 2013)
October 30, 2013 - President Obama Delivers Remarks on Health Care: President Obama travels to Boston, Massachusetts, to talk about health care. The Affordab...

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Barack Obama FULL Health Care Speech in Boston, More Excuses and Reasoning - (October 30, 2013) - Video

READER SUBMITTED: Journalist Steven Brill Tells Quinnipiac Panel 'Health Care Is Overpaying Its Leaders'

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The health care industry is overpaying its leaders, according to Steven Brill, author of the Time Magazine special report, "The Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us." Brill was among the speakers taking part in the panel discussion, "Drowning in Health Care Costs: All Hands on Deck," on Monday, Oct. 28, in the auditorium at the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on Quinnipiac University's North Haven Campus.

Patrick Charmel, president and CEO of Griffin Hospital, of Derby, and State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who represented the perspective of the state employee plan that is experimenting with ways to reduce health care costs, joined Brill in an animated conversation aimed at answering the question: "How do we reduce health care costs and who will lead the charge?" Author and columnist Susan Campbell moderated the discussion.

Because the consumer pays the same co-pay at each provider, Charmel asserted, the current health insurance system offers no incentive to patients to seek out other health care providers that offer comparable care at less cost.

Lembo stated that there is a need to incentivize preventative care among patients and health care providers. But he raised the question: "When one hospital facility charges three times more than another hospital for the exact same artificial hip, we must ask 'what is layered into those costs to make them so different?'"

All three panelists agreed that there is a need for much more transparency about health care costs and effectiveness. Consumers should be able to better understand which providers have good outcomes and what the costs for service are.

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READER SUBMITTED: Journalist Steven Brill Tells Quinnipiac Panel 'Health Care Is Overpaying Its Leaders'

Flu shot requirement upheld for health care workers

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For some health care workers in the province the choice between being vaccinated against the flu and wearing a surgical mask at work is no choice at all.

Debbie Hodges is a psychiatric nurse at Powell River General Hospital. She risks severe allergic reaction if she comes into contact with the flu vaccine and may not be able to do her job if she is required to wear a mask while on shift.

She is one of many health care workers who took their concerns to the union, Health Sciences Association of British Columbia (HSABC), last year when the ministry of healths policy was announced last fall. It states that health care workers who do not want to take the flu vaccine must wear a surgical mask while performing duties that bring them into contact with patients during flu season, which could run from late November to March. The policy outlines progressive levels of discipline for employees who do not comply with the policy, including dismissal.

HSABC filed a grievance against the provincial policy. However, last week Robert Diebold, a BC Labour Relations Board-appointed arbitrator, ruled that the policy is a reasonable and valid exercise of the employers management rights.

Health care workers do not have to immunize; they have a choice to immunize or mask during the influenza season, wrote Diebold in his decision handed down Wednesday, October 23.

Hodges said she is not against vaccinationsjust the ones shes allergic to.

She is, however, aware that there are people who are concerned that the evidence around the flu shot is very shaky, she said.

She added shes disappointed with the ruling because it puts her into a difficult position. I work in acute psychiatry and a lot of our job is communicating and wearing a mask prohibits that, she said. Its not allowing me to be able to de-escalate situations so it could put me or other people at risk. Its just not an ideal situation.

Hodges said circumstances in her job vary and in some cases wearing a mask, while perhaps reducing her effectiveness, may work, while in others it may not. If she needs to visit the medical floor of the hospital to assess an elderly patients level of dementia she said she would wear a mask and explain to the patient why she needed to wear the mask. However, she questions how she would be able to do her job wearing a mask if a psychotic person is brought into the hospital in handcuffs.

Ive got to go down there to build rapporthow can I do that wearing a face mask? she asked. I just dont think this is good for me or my patients if I have to wear a mask. I dont think I can do my job effectively wearing a mask.

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Flu shot requirement upheld for health care workers

Barack Obama: "If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan, period." – Video

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Barack Obama: "If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan, period."
Obama had clearly stated, "If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan, period." "If you like your doctor, you keep your doctor, Period...

By: ReformedMediadotNet

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Barack Obama: "If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan, period." - Video


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