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Category Archives: Health Care

Is Broccoli Like Health Insurance? – Video

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09-04-2012 10:26 180+ Fox News Bias videos at When the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of the health care reform law that Congress passed in 2010 (sometimes called "Obamacare"), some pundits (Jeffrey Toobin, Megyn Kelly) and fake pundits (Stephen Colbert) were quick to make dire predictions about the law based just on the questions from the justices on issues like broccoli, but those predictions may be premature as Dahlia Lithwick, President Obama, and I show in this video. The clips I use of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelley come from a longer segment of Fox News' March 27, 2012, broadcast of "America Live" which I have not found available online. The clip I use of Jeffrey Toobin comes from a longer segment of CNN's March 27, 2012, broadcast of "CNN Newsroom" available online at The clips I use of Stephen Colbert and Emily Bazelon come from longer segments of Comedy Central's March 28, 2012, broadcast of "The Colbert Report" available online at and at The clips I use of Rachel Maddow and Dahlia Lithwick come from longer segments of MSNBC's March 27, 2012, broadcast of "The Rachel Maddow Show" available online at and at The clips I use of President Barack Obama come from the public domain video of his April 2, 2012 talk at n Associated Press luncheon, available on YouTube at The image I use of the US Supreme Court's page for downloading audio of its March 27, 2012, oral arguments is available at ...

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Is Broccoli Like Health Insurance? - Video

Health Care Reform: The ACA and Beyond – Video

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11-04-2012 09:51 The US Supreme Court recently heard arguments both for and against President Obama's health care reform initiative, known as the Affordable Care Act. The provision at the center of the legal debate, known as the "individual mandate," requires all adults to buy health insurance, either through their employers or by buying it themselves. Knowledge@Wharton talked with Wharton professor Scott Harrington about the possible outcomes of the court case; the potential implications for businesses and consumers, and ongoing questions about how to improve the country's health care system.

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Health Care Reform: The ACA and Beyond - Video

Department of Health and Human Services: Minority Health Blogger Townhall – Video

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24-04-2012 17:25 The Department of Health and Human Services holds an townhall to highlight what the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is doing to improve the health of racial and ethnic minorities, and help achieve health equity for all Americans.

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Department of Health and Human Services: Minority Health Blogger Townhall - Video

Providence Health Care’s Vision Statement – Video

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25-04-2012 12:48 New Vision Statement Reflective of PHC's Growth and Future Path Providence Health Care has a new Vision statement -- one that builds on our rich 118-year history of compassionate care, and looks to the future with boldness, inspiration and urgent desire to improve the lives of British Columbians. The new Vision states: "Driven by compassion and social justice, we are at the forefront of exceptional care and innovation." It replaces the older Vision statement, which had stated: "We will continue to grow as a community, regional and academic health science enterprise that is a recognized leader, and major player, in the provision of health care within British Columbia. We will be respected for our care and services, known for our Mission and Values, acknowledged for the contributions of our teachers and researchers. We will actualize our Vision by being an organization of "caring hearts, creative souls, and resourceful actions." Dianne Doyle, President & CEO, says the new Vision was required to reflect PHC's evolving strategic aspirations and goals for continuing to make leadership contributions in health care delivery, teaching and research. "To me the new Vision acknowledges and symbolizes the excellence and deep commitment each of our staff, caregivers, physicians and researchers have to patients, residents, communities and to enhancing human knowledge," says Doyle. "It's saying 'This is who we are and where we come from -- a strong values- and faith-based organization ...

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Providence Health Care's Vision Statement - Video

PHC Vision Statement (short version) – Video

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27-04-2012 11:27 New Vision Statement Reflective of PHC's Growth and Future Path Providence Health Care has a new Vision statement -- one that builds on our rich 118-year history of compassionate care, and looks to the future with boldness, inspiration and urgent desire to improve the lives of British Columbians. The new Vision states: "Driven by compassion and social justice, we are at the forefront of exceptional care and innovation." It replaces the older Vision statement, which had stated: "We will continue to grow as a community, regional and academic health science enterprise that is a recognized leader, and major player, in the provision of health care within British Columbia. We will be respected for our care and services, known for our Mission and Values, acknowledged for the contributions of our teachers and researchers. We will actualize our Vision by being an organization of "caring hearts, creative souls, and resourceful actions." Dianne Doyle, President & CEO, says the new Vision was required to reflect PHC's evolving strategic aspirations and goals for continuing to make leadership contributions in health care delivery, teaching and research. "To me the new Vision acknowledges and symbolizes the excellence and deep commitment each of our staff, caregivers, physicians and researchers have to patients, residents, communities and to enhancing human knowledge," says Doyle. "It's saying 'This is who we are and where we come from -- a strong values- and faith-based organization ...

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PHC Vision Statement (short version) - Video

County committee to look at area health care

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County officials on Tuesday ratified the formation of an ad hoc committee that is charged with providing a status report to the Board of Commissioners concerning health care access within the county and the feasibility of re-establishing urgent/emergency room care. The Cheboygan County Health Access Advisory Committee was the suggestion of Board of Commissioners Chair Linda Socha, who also proposed the appointment of seven members to the committee. Those members include Cheboygan County Administrator Jeff Lawson, who will serve as chair, as well as Cheboygan County Commissioner and registered nurse, Sue Allor; District Health Department No. 4 Administrator John Bruning; District Health Department and Northwest Michigan Health Department Medical Director Joshua Meyerson; Cheboygan County Medical Director and former Medical Control director Donald Ramsay; Cheboygan City Manager Dale Stewart; and Charlevoix-Cheboygan-Emmet Office of Emergency Management Director Gregory Williams. Socha requested the ratification at the beginning of Tuesdays regular meeting. She noted that the announcement made at Mondays rally outside Cheboygan Memorial Hospital regarding an agreement between McLaren and CMS sounded positive, but reminded the Board of Commissioners that nothing has been finalized. At this time, I would request that the Board ratify the team/committee so that if the scheduled bankruptcy proceedings on April 30 do not result in resolution of health care access, especially emergency room critical care, that this group (already researching and contacting) can immediately move into study of a systemized, rational and factional basis for recommendations to this Board for action, Socha said. She explained that the April 3 immediate closing of Cheboygan Memorial Hospital has affected everyone in the county and surrounding region. Socha said she has been continually involved and updated, along with Lawson, by various entities and offices as the situation has developed. The failure of the organization and the subsequent bankruptcy proceedings is not something the County Board is directly legally involved in, Socha said. We are, have been, and will continue to monitor day-to-day events, offer communication and contact who and when we can at all other levels of government. Socha noted that the Board of Commissioners was never officially approached by administration of the hospital at any time during the bankruptcy proceedings. Government does not typically, nor should it, intervene in the private sector legal issues, Socha said. We are not a creditor. However, Socha said that after no course of action was forthcoming in notifying those involved regarding the removal, storage and distribution of patient records in a timely manner, she decided to gather a team. Monitoring that situation when a course of action was not implemented and a very serious crisis had developed, I exercised my authority to address that issue, Socha said. My action, working quickly with Mr. Lawson, Greg Williams and Bryan Graham, was to put together a team including county and city administration and those with county-associated health background. I chose carefully so as to not appoint persons with connections to creditors, hospital past or present board members or administration or special groups, Socha said. Immediate contacts and questioning helped with the resolution of the immediate records crisis and there is now, although not ideal, at least a process for distribution. Socha said by officially forming the committee, it will require compliance of the Open Meetings Act as well as clerking of the meetings and civil counsel involvement. This will ensure that the committee meetings are open to the public and that the public can be involved. Audience members spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and asked the Board to consider including additional representation on the committee. Leonard Page suggested employees of the hospital or members of the general public be included, and Ron Wallin noted that he hoped for a nurse or patient advocate to serve. Lori Trestain, a nurse who lost her job due to the Cheboygan Memorial Hospital closing, said much of her family was employed by the facility and was impacted greatly. Another individual, Roger Gauthier, said he was encouraged by Mondays announcement and by Tuesdays action by the Board of Commissioners. He agreed that the county should fill the role of facilitating that public concerns are heard, and should evaluate the needs of the community in order to develop options to address them. He also suggested the county could eventually create an authority to run the hospital if bankruptcy proceedings were to fail.

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County committee to look at area health care

Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality

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HARRISBURG, Pa., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Capital BlueCross is hosting community forums in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley to help the business community better address the rising cost of health care. Nationally known author, filmmaker and reporter T.R. Reid is the keynote speaker and will discuss his latest documentary: "U.S. Health Care: The Good News," which examines how some communities around America -- from big cities to rural communities -- have found ways to manage health care costs while still providing high-quality care.

Open for registration to the public, these forums will take place 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on May 2 at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, and then from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on May 3 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey.

An enlightening health care panel discussion will follow T.R. Reid's keynote address at both locations, featuring local business leaders:

Bethlehem

Hershey

"Everyone who is interested in learning how to better manage their health care costs will want to attend one of these forums and hear how the national and local experts are already doing it," said Bill Lehr, Capital BlueCross Chairman & CEO. "We have assembled a keynote speaker and a cast of panelists who are experiencing the challenges of trending costs, yet have creatively figured out how to still successfully run a business, keep employees happy and stay financially strong."

Capital BlueCross has a long history of bringing innovative programs and resources, like these forums, to its members and the community to help reduce cost, increase quality and improve satisfaction. These two forums are part of a series that have been offered to the community for the past three years.

Anyone interested in registering for one of the forums can do so by going to http://www.tfec.org and typing "health care forum" into the search feature.

The following companies have partnered with Capital BlueCross and are forum sponsors: Central Penn Business Journal, CVS Caremark, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Magellan Health Services, McKesson, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, M&T Bank, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, PinnacleHealth, Sacred Heart Hospital, Saul Ewing, WITF and WLVT.

Capital BlueCross is the leading health insurer in its region, providing health insurance coverage to residents in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

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Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality

The next health care overhaul? Look to employers

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(04-24) 00:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

If the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama's health care law, employers and insurance companies not the government will be the main drivers of change over the next decade and maybe even longer.

They'll borrow some ideas from Obamacare, and push harder to cut costs.

Business can't and won't take care of America's 50 million uninsured, but for the majority with coverage, here's what experts say to expect:

_ Workers will bear more of their own medical costs as job coverage shifts to plans with higher deductibles, the amount you pay out of pocket each year before insurance kicks in. Traditional workplace insurance will lose ground to high-deductible plans with tax-free accounts for routine medical expenses, to which employers can contribute.

_ Increasingly, smokers will face financial penalties if they don't at least seriously try to quit. Employees with a weight problem and high cholesterol are next. They may get tagged as health risks and nudged into diet programs.

_ Some companies will keep the health care law's most popular benefit so far, coverage for adult children until they turn 26. Others will cut it to save money.

_ Workers and family members will be steered to hospitals and doctors that can prove to insurers and employers that they deliver quality care. These networks of medical providers would earn part of their fees for keeping patients as healthy as possible, similar to the "accountable care organizations" in the health care law.

_ Some workers will pick their health plans from a private insurance exchange, another similarity to Obama's law. They'll get fixed payments from their employers to choose from four levels of coverage: platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Those who pick rich benefits would pay more. It's an approach that Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the GOP budget leader, also wants to try with Medicare.

"Employers had been the major force driving health care change in this country up until the passage of health reform," said Tom Billet, a senior benefits consultant with Towers Watson, which advises major companies. "If Obamacare disappears ... we go back to square one. We still have a major problem in this country with very expensive health care."

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The next health care overhaul? Look to employers

Medical Centers Lead Workplace Wellness Effort

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CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The CEOs of national hospitals and health care centers are leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently accredited Scottsdale Healthcare (www.shc.org) of Scottsdale, Arizona and Northern Westchester Hospital (www.nwhc.net) of Mt. Kisco, New York, as CEO Cancer Gold Standard employers, recognizing their efforts to reduce the risk of cancer for their employees and covered family members by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

Christopher A. Viehbacher, chief executive officer of Sanofi, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs who created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, many of its designated cancer centers, and leading health non-profit organizations and professionals. Today, more 3 million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of the more than 120 employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.

We are pleased to recognize the efforts of these leading medical centers, said Viehbacher. Health care CEOs see firsthand the benefit that improved workplace health and wellness can have in cancer prevention and improved overall health. I hope their commitment will encourage other employers across all industries and geographies to become Gold Standard accredited.

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.

In addition to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), twelve NCI-designated cancer centers and more than 30 other hospitals and medical centers have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from across industries are keenly aware of the tremendous impact they can have in improving health, controlling health care costs and making a difference beyond their organizations walls in the fight against cancer and other chronic diseases. Other Gold Standard employers include insurers like Aetna, Cigna, State Farm and several Blue Cross affiliates; law firms, such as Hogan Lovells and Jenner + Block; technology companies such as Dell and SAS Institute; institutes of higher education and a range of leading employers including American Century Investments, Johnson & Johnson and Lowes.

About The CEO Roundtable on Cancer

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard which calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard and the web-based accreditation process and support, please visit http://www.CancerGoldStandard.org.

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Medical Centers Lead Workplace Wellness Effort


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