10-07-2012 14:56 In a campaign speech Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an animated President Obama praised his administration's Affordable Care Act, recently upheld by the Supreme Court. He assured supporters that despite repeal efforts from the House, "We're not going to re-fight political battles from two years ago, or three years ago."
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans pushed an election-year vote Wednesday to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, casting it as not only a rejection of an unpopular law but a surefire way to block a tax on the middle class.
"The intent of the president's health care law was to lower costs and help create jobs. One congressional leader promised it would create 400,000 jobs," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Instead, it is making our economy worse, driving up costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire."
The House has voted more than 30 times to scrap, defund or undercut the law since Obama signed it in March 2010, political moves that went nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The House GOP leadership staged another symbolic repeal vote with a fresh argument courtesy of the Supreme Court.
Two weeks ago, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion that the law was constitutional because it imposes a tax not a penalty on people who refuse to buy insurance. Republicans who repeatedly pressed for repeal said a "yes" vote would not only overturn the law but spare some 20 million Americans from an unnecessary tax.
Democrats mocked Republicans for insisting on repeal without offering a replacement.
Standing on the House floor, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, held the 2,700-plus page bill in one hand and said he had the GOP alternative in his other hand. He waved an empty right hand.
"Empirical evidence against the invisible evidence," Green said.
The Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature domestic achievement, would extend coverage to about 30 million of the estimated 50 million uninsured. But two years after its enactment, polling shows that it remains unpopular and highly divisive among the American people. The law contributed to the defeat of many House Democrats in the 2010 elections and the party's loss of majority control.
Still, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi dismissed the election-year implications.
"The politics be damned. We came here to do a job," Pelosi told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference in which various individuals, including some with illnesses, offered their gratitude for the law.
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HIGH POINT, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cornerstone Health Care announced that it will participate with Aetna (AET) in the health benefits company's national Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program.
The program recognizes primary care physicians who more actively coordinate and manage their patients' care across the health care system. By strengthening the role of primary care doctors, the PCMH program aims to improve patient health outcomes.
"We are pleased to receive this opportunity to collaborate with Aetna," said Grace E. Terrell, M.D., president and CEO of Cornerstone. "Each of our 29 primary care practices has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. The Aetna program acknowledges that these practices are enhancing care and decreasing costs as a result of this designation."
"Aetna believes strongly in the value of patient-centered care," said Elizabeth Curran, head of National Network Strategy and Program Development for Aetna. "Our PCMH program rewards physicians who focus on the patients' entire health needs, not just on a single condition. The program is one more way we are moving to a system that rewards quality outcomes, and away from a system that rewards quantity."
Aetna believes the PCMH approach may help its members experience better health, fewer hospitalizations, improvements in transitions of care, and greater engagement, Curran added.
Cornerstone's NCQA-recognized PCMH practices are recognized for providing a number of enhanced services, including improved access to care, proactive and planned preventive care, coordination of care with nurses and other members of the treatment team.
The Cornerstone practices recognized by the NCQA as Patient-Centered Medical Homes include: Advance Pediatrics, Brookview Hills Internal Medicine, Carolina Primary Medicine, Cornerstone Family Medicine at Archdale, Cornerstone Family Medicine at Trinity, Cornerstone Family Practice at Summerfield, Cornerstone Internal Medicine at Jamestown, Cornerstone Internal Medicine at Premier, Cornerstone Internal Medicine at Westchester, Cornerstone Pediatric Associates at Kernersville, Cornerstone Pediatrics at Premier, Cornerstone Pediatrics at Westchester, Cornerstone Premier Care, Deep River Family Medicine, Deep River Health and Wellness, Emerywood Medical Specialties, Family and Community Medicine of Asheboro, Ford, Simpson, Lively & Rice Pediatrics, High Point Family Practice, Lucas Pediatrics, Piedmont Centre Family and Sports Medicine, Piedmont Internal Medicine, Thomasville Family Practice Associates, and Total Family Care of Winston-Salem, Medical Arts Clinic, Springs Road Family Practice, Generations Family Medicine and Aesthetics, Conover Family Practice, and Granite Falls Primary Care Physicians.
About Cornerstone Health Care
Cornerstone Health Care is a group of more than 300 physicians and mid-level health professionals representing a wide range of specialties. The physician-owned and managed multi-disciplinary practice has over 80 locations in communities throughout central North Carolina. One of the fastest growing physician groups in the Southeast, Cornerstone is transitioning from the traditional "fee-for-service" model to a patient-centered medical home system providing expanded access, increased coordination of care, enhanced patient education for prevention and treatment of chronic disease, and sophisticated technological support. For more information visit http://www.cornerstonehealth.com.
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Cornerstone Health Care Will Participate in Aetna’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Program
MINNEAPOLIS, MN--(Marketwire -07/11/12)- Children's HeartLink, a nonprofit organization partnering with health care centers in underserved regions of the world to promote sustainable cardiac care for children with heart disease, today announced the awarding of a $230,000 grant from the Medtronic Foundation for growing and improving cardiac programs in their partner sites in India over the next two years.
"With the increased global momentum around non-communicable diseases (NCDs), our work of expanding and improving pediatric cardiac services in India relates directly to both the United Nations' new focus on NCDs and their Millennium Development Goals, specifically reducing child mortality," said Elizabeth Perlich Sweeney, Children's HeartLink president. "We are especially grateful to the Medtronic Foundation for their continued support and allowing us to carry on working with our four partner sites in India for the next two years."
"The world has turned its attention to NCDs such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes... diseases that collectively kill more people each year than any other cause of death. India is not immune to this ever-growing threat," says Dr. Jacob Gayle, vice president Medtronic Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Medtronic Foundation. "By supporting the important work of organizations such as Children's HeartLink, we at Medtronic hope to improve access to crucial diagnosis and treatment options, in India and elsewhere."
The Medtronic Foundation grant enables Children's HeartLink to continue to focus in three areas, all aimed at strengthening the system of care for children with heart disease. Children's HeartLink will collaborate with public and private stakeholders in India to:
In India, a country of more than 1 billion people, it is estimated that less than 5 percent of the children in need of treatment for cardiac disease actually receive optimal care(1). This is due to a shortage of trained professionals in the field and limited numbers of centers able to provide treatment, as well as lack of government and public awareness around congenital and acquired heart disease. Some estimates show that approximately 10 percent of present infant mortality in India can be attributed to congenital heart defects(2).
Children's HeartLink's work in India addresses challenges in accessing pediatric cardiac care due to the limited numbers of health professionals specializing in the field, inadequate public and government support, and a lack of awareness around congenital and acquired heart disease. Children's HeartLink addresses these barriers by providing training, education and mentoring programs for medical professionals specializing in pediatric cardiac care. Additionally, by working with large health centers that provide a great deal of charity care, Children's HeartLink is helping to reach the below-poverty-line population and expanding access to pediatric cardiac care. Finally, Children's HeartLink reaches outside the walls of individual health care centers and works with the broader health care community to begin to address the issues in a more systemic way.
About Children's HeartLinkFounded in 1969, Children's HeartLink is a nonprofit organization partnering with health care centers in underserved regions of the world to strengthen their ability to diagnose and treat heart disease in children. Nearly 90 percent of newborns with congenital heart disease are in areas of the world where appropriate medical care is inadequate or unavailable. Children's HeartLink currently supports partner hospitals and programs in the following countries: Brazil, China, Ecuador, India, Malaysia, Ukraine and Vietnam. For more information on Children's HeartLink, please visit http://www.childrensheartlink.org, with additional information found on our Facebook (www.facebook.com/childrensheartlink), Twitter (www.twitter.com/cheartlink) and blog (www.childrensheartlink.wordpress.com).
About MedtronicMedtronic, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology -- alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people worldwide.
The Medtronic Foundation is committed to improving the lives of people around the world living with chronic disease. Its grant making is focused in three areas: health, education and community.
(1) Saxena, A., Congenital cardiac surgery in the less privileged regions of the world. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2009 Dec;7(12):1621-9.
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Medtronic Foundation Awards Grant to Children's HeartLink for Pediatric Cardiac Care in India
U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor joins a Republican news conference Tuesday to discuss repeal of the health care law.
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Washington (CNN) -- House Republicans launched an all-out assault Tuesday against President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law, holding a series of committee hearings and other events ahead of a planned vote Wednesday on repealing the measure.
The vote will be the latest of more than 30 House GOP efforts to undermine the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including previous Republican-led moves to repeal the measure or cut funding for various provisions.
Any House repeal effort is sure to die in the Democratic-led Senate, and the White House made clear Obama would veto such a measure.
At news conferences, in media interviews and before congressional panels on Tuesday, GOP opponents of the health care law depicted it as an unwarranted government intrusion in health decisions that would reduce patients to commodities treated on a cost basis.
"This is all about the government. It is Washington knows best, and it is wrong," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Michigan, in floor debate ahead of the Wednesday vote.
Republicans also complained that the bill known as Obamacare would fail to control spiraling health care costs, and that it included new taxes and fees despite the president's promise not to raise middle-class taxes.
To Democrats, the entire exercise was an unnecessary repetition of past political posturing on a settled issue, now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law's constitutionality.
"This repeal vote is a waste of time and tax dollars," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina, while Rep. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, noted, "We've had this debate so many times that it really sounds like we just keep repeating the same thing."
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WASHINGTON (AP) They're young, healthy and flat broke and now the government says they have to buy thousands of dollars' worth of medical insurance. What should tapped-out twentysomethings do?
Well, some may just do nothing. The annual fine for shrugging off the new federal insurance requirement, which is to begin in 2014, starts out at a relatively low $95, depending on income. That would be far cheaper than paying premiums.
But that doesn't necessarily make blowing off the mandate a good idea for the fit and frugal. Millions of young people will qualify for good deals on health care if they take time to sort through the complicated law.
Many will get Medicaid coverage at virtually no cost. Others will qualify for private insurance at a fraction of the full premiums. And health plans offered under the law will limit individuals' out-of-pocket expenses to about $6,250 per year or less a bulwark against gigantic, unexpected medical bills.
"It doesn't have to be cancer or a heart attack or even a bad car accident," said Karen Pollitz, a health policy expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation whose own son needed $15,000 worth of surgery after he broke his wrist while skateboarding at age 20. "Once you show up in the ER, it starts to cost you some money."
The plans also will cover at no charge preventive care such as HIV tests, screening for depression or alcoholism, flu shots, hepatitis vaccine, contraception and pregnancy care. And insurers will no longer be able to exclude or charge extra for people who already have health problems.
"It's the 15 percent of young people who have chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes, and the young women looking to have a baby," said Aaron Smith, 30, co-founder of Young Invincibles, which advocates for young adults' health care. "That discrimination won't fly in 2014."
Young Americans are the least likely to be insured: almost three of 10 adults who are under 35 aren't covered. And they go to emergency rooms more than any other group except seniors.
It's still possible President Barack Obama's health care law won't be around in 2014, when the big changes are to kick in. Congressional Republicans and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney want to repeal "Obamacare" if they win the November elections. Still, with open enrollment for the law's new state-based insurance markets scheduled to begin in October of next year, it's prudent to start considering the options for getting covered.
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Nancy Pelosi Speaker John Boehner Jerrold Nadler
"Today, in upholding the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court has shown that, even at a time when Washington seems to have reached a new level of dysfunction, there remains a respect for the rule of law, for precedent, and for the ability of Congress to legislate on matters that affect the American people," Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "By not caving in to the most craven political calls, it appears the Court has stood by more than 70 years of legal precedent to ensure that: some 32 million Americans will have access to health insurance; we stop the unnecessary deaths of 42,000 Americans annually who die simply because they lack health insurance; insurers can no longer deny a child health care because of pre-existing conditions; millions of young adults receive coverage on their parents' plans until age 26; insurers can no longer impose lifetime limits on coverage; millions of Americans receive free preventive care; and, seniors save billions of dollars on prescription drugs. "The Affordable Care Act will now assume its rightful place, along with Social Security and Medicare, as powerful testimony to what our nation can achieve to benefit the lives of all Americans. Today's decision will, I truly hope, put to rest the partisan attacks from the Right against the law and many of its provisions. Republicans have threatened to continue their attempts to repeal these provisions, but let us all hope that they will respect the Court's ruling and put the health and wellbeing of the American people ahead of insurance companies."
"Today's decision makes one thing clear: Congress must act to repeal this misguided law," said Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. "Obamacare has not only limited choices and increased health care costs for American families, it has made it harder for American businesses to hire. Today's decision does nothing to diminish the fact that Obamacare's mandates, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts should be repealed and replaced with common sense reforms that lower costs and that the American people actually want. It is my hope that with new leadership in the White House and Senate, we can enact these step-by-step solutions and prevent further damage from this terrible law."
Republican Governors Association Chairman Bob McDonnell issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: "Today's ruling crystallizes all that's at stake in November's election. The only way to stop Barack Obama's budget-busting health care takeover is by electing a new president. Barack Obama's health care takeover encapsulates his Presidency: Obamacare increases taxes, grows the size of government and puts bureaucrats over patients while doing nothing to improve the economy. It's never been more important that we elect a President who understands the marketplace and will make job creation his top priority. By replacing Barack Obama with Mitt Romney, we will not only stop the federal government's healthcare takeover, but will also take a giant step towards a full economic recovery."
"Dr. Coburn will be reviewing the ruling and will respond with an updated plan to repeal and replace this unworkable law. The Court affirmed Congress' power to tax people if they don't eat their broccoli. Now it's up to the American people to decide whether they will tolerate this obscene abuse of individual liberty," said John Hart, a spokesman for Sen. Coburn.
"Today's Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election. Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare's budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new president," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. "Under President Obama's signature legislation, health care costs continue to skyrocket, and up to 20 million Americans could lose their employer-based coverage. A panel of unelected bureaucrats now has the unprecedented authority to come between elderly patients and their doctors. Meanwhile, the rules and regulations placed on job creators and small businesses make it nearly impossible to hire new workers at a time when Americans desperately need jobs. "We need market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less. The answer to rising health care costs is not, and will never be, Big Government. "We must elect a president who understands the economy, respects free enterprise, and can provide the leadership we now so desperately need. On Election Day, we must elect Mitt Romney and put America on the path toward a brighter economic future and successful health care reform."
Today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) released the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling on the President's health care law: "The Supreme Court's decision to uphold ObamaCare is a crushing blow to patients throughout the country. ObamaCare has failed to keep the President's basic promise of allowing those who like their health care to keep it, while increasing costs and reducing access to quality care for patients. In this tough economy, jobs and economic growth are on the minds of most Americans, but ObamaCare has increased uncertainty for small businessmen and women and forced them to put their hiring decisions on hold. "During the week of July 9th, the House will once again repeal ObamaCare, clearing the way for patient-centered reforms that lower costs and increase choice. We support an approach that offers simpler, more affordable and more accessible health care that allows people to keep the health care that they like. "The Court's decision brings into focus the choice the American people have about the direction of our country. The President and his party believe in massive government intrusions that increase costs and take decisions away from patients. In contrast, Republicans believe in patient-centered, affordable care where health care decisions are made by patients, their families and their doctors, not by the federal government."
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act: "Our highest court has weighed in, and its decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a victory for all Americans who have ever worried about being able to access or afford the care they need. Democrats are proud to have worked hard to pass this landmark legislation in 2010 and of our efforts to make sure it is implemented in a way that continues to yield new benefits for patients, employers, and care providers. "The Affordable Care Act made it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against patients on the basis of pre-existing conditions, allowed young people to remain on their parents' plans until age 26, and prohibited insurance companies from charging women higher premiums than men. The Medicare Part D 'donut hole' is closing, and seniors on Medicare now have access to free preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies. Moreover, the Affordable Care Act provides deficit savings of more than $1 trillion over the next two decades. The Affordable Care Act further brought peace of mind to the 30 million uninsured Americans who will finally be able to access affordable coverage once the law is fully implemented. "Republicans have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act since the day it was enacted, and they have been eagerly awaiting today's ruling. But they must now accept that the Affordable Care Act will remain in place and that the time for litigation and partisan posturing on this issue ought to come to an end. Republicans now have a responsibility to work with Democrats to implement the Affordable Care Act, and I call on them to do so in order to make care affordable and accessible to Americans."
Following the Supreme Court's decision affirming the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, former Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine today released the following statement: "The Affordable Care Act is an important first step in curbing discriminatory insurance company practices and increasing access to health care, but more needs to be done to bring down costs. Our government, businesses, and citizens cannot continue to spend more than any other nation on health care while getting second-rate results. As Senator, I am committed to working with all stakeholders to find additional improvements to the Affordable Care Act that give all Americans affordable access to high quality services. "While there is more work to do, it is worth noting what has already been accomplished under the Affordable Care Act. Nearly 63,000 more young people in Virginia have health coverage, more than 800,000 Virginia seniors have received free preventive care, millions of small businesses are now eligible for tax credits, and twenty million American women have access to cancer screenings and contraception without co-pays. And we've put an end to the egregious abuses by insurance companies that denied coverage to children with preexisting conditions, charged women higher premiums for the same coverage, and dropped folks when they got sick. "My opponent regularly calls for a full repeal of this law, despite the positive results it's already delivering for Virginia. In the decade encompassing George Allen's six years as a U.S. Senator, the average insurance premium for families more than doubled and over 12 million more Americans were uninsured. Clearly, inaction was not a solution, and neither are continued calls for repeal. Instead we must work together to strengthen this existing program and improve cost controls."
"In passing health reform, we made history for our nation and progress for the American people. We completed the unfinished business of our society and strengthened the character of our country. We ensured health care would be a right for all, not a privilege for the few. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed our progress and protected that right, securing a future of health and economic security for the middle class and for every American."
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10-07-2012 14:39 While Mitt Romney was in the hot seat this week, President Obama has been there before. Here's a look back at some pivots the presidential contenders have made when it comes to health care policy.
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POSTED: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 2:00am
UPDATED: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 2:14am
WASHINGTON (CNN) House Republicans continue their all-out assault on President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law Wednesday, with a planned vote to repeal the measure.
The vote will be the latest of more than 30 House GOP efforts to undermine the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including previous Republican-led moves to repeal the measure or cut funding for various provisions.
Any House repeal effort is sure to die in the Democratic-led Senate, and the White House made clear Obama would veto such a measure.
At news conferences, in media interviews and before congressional panels on Tuesday, GOP opponents of the health care law depicted it as an unwarranted government intrusion in health decisions that would reduce patients to commodities treated on a cost basis.
"This is all about the government. It is Washington knows best, and it is wrong," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Michigan, in floor debate ahead of the Wednesday vote.
Republicans also complained that the bill known as Obamacare would fail to control spiraling health care costs, and that it included new taxes and fees despite the president's promise not to raise middle-class taxes.
To Democrats, the entire exercise was an unnecessary repetition of past political posturing on a settled issue, now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law's constitutionality.
"This repeal vote is a waste of time and tax dollars," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina.
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By Roxana Tiron and James Rowley - 2012-07-11T04:01:00Z
U.S. House Republicans, united in opposition to President Barack Obamas health care overhaul, used to pledge to repeal and replace it.
Now, as they prepare to vote as soon as today to kill the law they call Obamacare -- their 33rd effort to undo all or parts of it -- Republican leaders have dropped the word replace from their promise.
The omission is the result of an election-year calculation: They figure they stand to gain from public distaste for the 2010 measures central provision, the requirement that most Americans buy health insurance, and will lose if they start providing details about what they would do instead.
They dont care to replace it, Ross Baker, a professor of American politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said in a telephone interview. They want to revert to the status quo. Whatever plan they have is going to end up alienating somebody, especially during a presidential campaign.
Renewing the debate over how to provide wider coverage while containing health costs would divert attention from the stagnant economy, which Republicans say is their winning issue. Also, it runs the risk of emphasizing a patchwork of Republican proposals that wouldnt provide universal protection or retain such popular features of the 2010 law as requiring insurance policies to cover pre-existing conditions.
The best legislative approach is step by step while going after the problems that we can solve, Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, said in an interview. House Republicans havent scheduled further votes or hearings on health care proposals.
Achieving universal coverage is going to be very difficult, Cole said. Even so, you do it more through incentives than you do through penalties and this bill is full of penalties and not incentives.
The House wont pursue legislation before the November election because the big thing is going to be the election, Representative Wally Herger, a California Republican who leads the health subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, said in an interview. Everybody is looking to the election, everything is second fiddle to November.
Unless Republicans win the presidency and control the Senate majority next session, their attempts to repeal the law will go no further than the House.
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US lawmakers will vote Wednesday to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, as Republicans unleash a barrage of attacks aimed at inspiring support for wiping out the landmark reforms.
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The world needs more doctors, nurses and other health care workers - 3.5 million of them, to be exact.
The poor state of human resources in the health care system came under the spotlight at a session at the People's Health Assembly, a five-day international meeting currently underway at the University of the Western Cape campus in Bellville.
"Human resources are at the heart of a good health system," said Bridget Lloyd from the People's Health Movement (PHM), who chaired the meeting. "But in Africa we face great challenges with human resources in the health sector."
One of the greatest issues is doctors and nurses trained in Africa being lured to Europe and the UK that offer better pay and working conditions. "African doctors are 'stolen' by countries in the global north," said Thomas Schwarz from Members of Medicus Mundi (MMI). "And that makes it a political issue that needs a political solution."
He explained that the World Health Organisation developed a code of conduct on the international recruitment of health personnel, which was adopted by member states at the 63rd World Health Assembly in 2010. However, the code, which serves as an ethical framework in the recruitment of health workers, is largely being ignored by the global community who continues to recruit health care staff from low-resource countries. "The code is nothing more than a piece of paper," said Schwarz.
Dr Uta Lehmann from the University of the Western Cape's School of Public Health highlighted other human resource challenges plaguing the health care systems of South Africa and other developing countries.
The first, and probably also the greatest challenge is the lack of trained health care staff. The limited available human resources are also not equally distributed between metropolitan and rural and areas, with a higher concentration of staff in and around cities, but very few staff serving rural communities.
Adding to that, many South African doctors also choose to work in the private sector where they earn more money and work under better circumstances than doctors serving the public sector.
Other major challenges Lehmann highlighted were poor management and leadership in the health sector - which often leads to misappropriation of funds, medicine stock outs, and generally poor working conditions for staff - and insufficient training of health care workers.
Copyright 2012 Health-e. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
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09-07-2012 15:45 Tennessee Voter Marion France: "We Need Health Care Because a Lot of People Don't Have It" For more on Vote 2012: Do you read or write a language other than English? Help the NewsHour translate the election:
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'We Need Health Care Because a Lot of People Don't Have It' - Video
09-07-2012 12:18 Gov. Rick Perry confirms he is pushing back against the president's health care reform plan.
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Health Care Reform by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio
July 10, 2012
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ST. PAUL, Minn. There's a lot of jockeying for position in the health care market as medical centers prepare to implement the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act.
The debate over the law has created a lot of uncertainty in the market, and many health care providers are responding by linking with each other to manage the risk.
The relationships range from outright mergers and acquisitions to more flexible relationships, called affiliations. Rochester-based Mayo Clinic has increasingly affiliated with smaller medical centers in and out of state through its Mayo Clinic Care Network.
"I've done more merger affiliations in the last 24 months than previously done in 23 years" as a consultant, said James Berarducci, a health care consultant in Minnesota for global management firm Kurt Salmon, who has done work for Mayo. "The issue now is, this isn't all about merging assets or being acquired; there are newer, different relationships that are being created."
Berarducci's firm has about 100 health care clients. He said Mayo Clinic's Care Network is a prime example of the newer relationships.
For a negotiated fee, or what Mayo officials call a subscription, affiliates receive direct access to Mayo's research and expertise in how to best care for patients. For example, Mayo doctors can render second opinions within about two days for an affiliate's particularly complex cases.
The network has six affiliates including Altru Health System and Coburn Cancer Center in Minnesota. It also has affiliates in Arizona, Michigan and Missouri.
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09-07-2012 20:11 Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser looks at a new health care trend called concierge medicine that involves offering specialized care for those who can afford the price tag.
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OKLAHOMA CITY and BELLEVUE, Wash., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- INTEGRIS Health, Oklahoma's largest health care system, recently implemented Amalga from Caradigm, a Microsoft Corp. and GE Healthcare company, to improve quality of care through enhanced care coordination and patient engagement. Amalga is a health intelligence platform that integrates patient health information stored across multiple care settings, allowing clinicians to more rapidly gain critical insights about patients and identify opportunities to improve care.
As health care providers shift from episodic care to ongoing management of patient populations, new requirements have emerged for integrated care processes, greater insight and engaging patient experiences. These delivery system reforms require health care providers to address gaps and integrate data across silos of care delivery to help enable better care coordination and patient engagement.
"INTEGRIS, like many health systems across the country, implements initiatives that increase quality, remove costs, eliminate procedural duplication and establish vehicles through which patients can more easily engage with their health records," said Bruce Lawrence, president and chief executive officer of INTEGRIS Health. "Amalga augments our already advanced technology capabilities and makes it possible for us to empower physicians, other clinicians and patients themselves with greater information accessibility."
INTEGRIS Health launched Amalga, which allows caregivers to view and analyze consolidated health information for individual patients and patient populations, through its acclaimed Advanced Cardiac Care program; implementation across the INTEGRIS system will follow in the coming months. Amalga also powers INTEGRIS' newly implemented advanced readmissions management program to help INTEGRIS reduce the number of preventable patient re-hospitalizations within 30 days of discharge. Amalga allows physicians to more easily identify those patients at highest risk of readmission and implement care plans upon discharge designed to reduce that risk.
INTEGRIS will also engage Amalga's connectivity with Microsoft HealthVault, a personal health application platform, to offer patients the ability to store personal medical information generated during visits to INTEGRIS hospitals or clinics. Accessible from any Internet-connected device, patients may copy their medical data to the myintegris.com personal health record (powered by HealthVault and Get Real Consulting's InstantPHR patient engagement platform) and share it with caregivers as desired.
"Health care reform requires health systems to do more than ever with less," said Michael Simpson, Caradigm chief executive officer. "INTEGRIS is a leader in the use of advanced technology; we're excited to demonstrate the power of our solutions to help INTEGRIS enhance care coordination and patient engagement."
About INTEGRIS
INTEGRIS Health is Oklahoma's largest health system and one of Oklahoma's largest employers with nearly 8,500 employees. INTEGRIS operates 11 hospitals, nearly 100 clinics, rehabilitation centers, mental health facilities, independent living centers and home health agencies throughout the state. Six of every 10 Oklahomans live within 30 miles of an INTEGRIS facility or physician.
For more information, visit http://www.integrisOK.com.
About Caradigm
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INTEGRIS Implements Amalga To Improve Care Coordination, Patient Engagement And Care Quality
AUSTIN (AP) Proposed cuts to the health care provided to Texas prisoners could make the system unconstitutionally inadequate, experts warned lawmakers Monday.
The Legislature has reduced funding for prison health care, prompting providers to cut clinic hours, vaccinations and spending on medical equipment while not raising employee salaries to keep up with the private sector, experts told the Senate Finance committee. The Texas prison service currently incarcerates 158,000 people.
Gov. Rick Perry last month asked state agencies to prepare budget proposals to cut spending by an additional 10 percent next year. Dr. Denise Deshields, the health director of Texas Tech Universitys prison health care system, said the new cut could lead to an unconstitutionally low level of care.
I dont know how we would possibly handle an additional 10 percent reduction in appropriations. We are really cut down to the bone as it is, she said.
The vice president for offender health services at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Owen Murray, said that because of staffing cuts guards are now expected to help make medical decisions that nurses and doctors once made.
Lawmakers expressed concern that the state could face lawsuits if it does not provide adequate care to the prisoners. Californias prison health care system was declared unconstitutional and is under federal receivership. California now spends about $13,300 per prisoner, compared to the more than $3,100 spent by Texas.
The Texas committee is exploring new ways of providing and paying for prisoner health care.
The state is considering contracting with private companies to provide the health care and looking into whether the state can collect federal funds to help pay for it. University medical programs and state funds currently are used for inmate health care.
Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, pointed out that the state is spending millions of dollars each year on terminally ill, bedridden inmates who pose no threat to society. He recommended passing legislation that would allow the release of those prisoners so they would be eligible for federal Medicaid funding for their health care.
Texas lawmakers are holding hearings on a variety of topics to be ready in January, when the Legislature will meet again and begin passing laws. ( Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Health Care Reform by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio
July 10, 2012
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ST. PAUL, Minn. There's a lot of jockeying for position in the health care market as medical centers prepare to implement the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act.
The debate over the law has created a lot of uncertainty in the market, and many health care providers are responding by linking with each other to manage the risk.
The relationships range from outright mergers and acquisitions to more flexible relationships, called affiliations. Rochester-based Mayo Clinic has increasingly affiliated with smaller medical centers in and out of state through its Mayo Clinic Care Network.
"I've done more merger affiliations in the last 24 months than previously done in 23 years" as a consultant, said James Berarducci, a health care consultant in Minnesota for global management firm Kurt Salmon, who has done work for Mayo. "The issue now is, this isn't all about merging assets or being acquired; there are newer, different relationships that are being created."
Berarducci's firm has about 100 health care clients. He said Mayo Clinic's Care Network is a prime example of the newer relationships.
For a negotiated fee, or what Mayo officials call a subscription, affiliates receive direct access to Mayo's research and expertise in how to best care for patients. For example, Mayo doctors can render second opinions within about two days for an affiliate's particularly complex cases.
The network has six affiliates including Altru Health System and Coburn Cancer Center in Minnesota. It also has affiliates in Arizona, Michigan and Missouri.
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Can the Internal Revenue Service police President Barack Obama's health care mandate while simultaneously collecting all the taxes for running the federal government?
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