Health care administrator looks at alternatives to Obamacare

Posted on by

James Hamilton is convinced that health care can be better and less costly, but the Affordable Care Act won't get America to that promising future.

Hamilton, 63, is the executive director of a physician group in northeast Indiana, and he's worked in health-care administration for nearly 30 years. Those bright prospects he sees for the future of health care are centered on individualized medicine; its proponents believe it will allow doctors to thwart many diseases by acting on individual genes in patients' bodies.

The ACA, also known as Obamacare, really was nothing more than insurance reform, said Hamilton, who lives near Leo-Cedarville. He's not looking to today's Republican Party to offer an alternative, either. Republicans are on the same playing field as the ACA, he said. Just insurance reform.

To help make his case, Hamilton has a written a book, A Short Treatise on a Common Sense Framework for Health Care Reform, published late in 2013. It's a thin book, only 48 pages long, but it's enough room for Hamilton to pack in an intelligently sketched outline of an alternative course for health care.

This is the foundation: Make the same kind of commitment to understanding the human genome that we made to landing astronauts on the moon. The human genome was mapped a decade ago, and now is the time to pay for years of additional research so that doctors can routinely block the action of genes and avert or reverse medical problems.

It presses the edge of my understanding, but some of the work is just phenomenal, Hamilton says of the emerging techniques of genetic intervention in medicine. Experts in the field typically forecast that benefits of gene therapies could be available in 10-20 years, Hamilton said.

Naturally, bringing this vision of radically better medical treatments to pass won't be simple.

The research needed in a crash use-the-genome project would be expensive, expensive enough that Hamilton has not seen an estimate and doesn't offer one himself. But he does note that actually averting the onset of costly diseases could cut costs fundamentally, instead of reconfiguring or capping payments or taxes used to fund the ACA.

And there's another significant hurdle: America has to start peeling costs out of the current health-care system during this decade or two of transition to individualized medicine that relies on genetic testing and treatment.

Decades in health-care administration have given Hamilton many ideas on that front, which he includes in his book, such as:

See the rest here:

Health care administrator looks at alternatives to Obamacare

Health Care Changes to Watch for in 2014

Posted on by

Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Starting Wednesday, the Affordable Care Act was in full force, as millions of uninsured Americans either now have health coverage or will get it this year.

But experts say that's just one of many changes to watch for in 2014, including how the law will affect elections, what the states will decide about Medicaid expansion, and what insurers will do to react to their quickly changing demographics.

Already, at least 1.1 million people have gained coverage through the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov, and the federal and state exchanges stand to enroll millions more through the cut-off date at the end of March. Beginning Jan. 1, insurers may no longer preclude people from buying insurance because of pre-existing conditions; they may not charge older people much-higher premiums than younger people; they may not charge women more than men; and they must share pricing and benefits information to their consumers in an apples-to-apples way.

Beyond the law's new requirements, analysts and industry officials say they anticipate a series of related changes to affect health care in 2014, including:

Private exchanges. Insurers will bring more private exchanges to the workplace, and people will begin to understand they have to control their own health costs instead of relying on benefit-heavy insurance plans to do that for them, said Alan Cohen, chief strategy officer for Liazon, a company that provides private exchanges.

"I think we're going to see dramatic, dramatic increases in people who use private exchanges," Cohen said. "There was a big increase this year, but it will pale in comparison to next year." Employer mandate. Employers will also start making changes to prepare for the requirement that companies with more than 50 employees provide health insurance for their employees, said Hector De La Torre, executive director of the Transamerica Center for Health Studies. That requirement was supposed to start Jan. 1 but was delayed a year by the Obama administration.

"Employers are really going to be on the clock for 2015 for their mandate kicking in," De La Torre said. "That will be interesting throughout the year as regulations come into play."

More employers and insurers will also start offering wellness discounts, which are meant to encourage employees to take better care of themselves in order to get lower premiums, he said.

Pricing transparency. Regardless of the political storms surrounding the law, the health industry is proceeding with the assumption it is here for good, said Ceci Connolly, managing director of PWC's Health Research Institute.

Read more here:

Health Care Changes to Watch for in 2014

Justice blocks birth control mandate in health care law

Posted on by

Washington The Supreme Court has thrown a hitch into President Barack Obamas new health care law by blocking a requirement that some religion-affiliated organizations provide health insurance that includes birth control.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor late Tuesday night decided to block implementation of the contraceptive coverage requirement, only hours before the laws insurance coverage went into effect on New Years Day.

Her decision, which came after federal court filings by Catholic-affiliated groups from around the nation in hopes of delaying the requirements, throws a part of the presidents signature law into temporary disarray.

At least one federal appeals court agreed with Sotomayor, issuing its own stay against part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The White House on Wednesday issued a statement saying that the administration is confident that its rules strike the balance of providing women with free contraceptive coverage while preventing non-profit religious organizations with religious objections to contraceptive coverage from having to contract, arrange, pay, or refer for such coverage.

Sotomayor acted on a request from an organization of Catholic nuns in Denver, the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged. Its request for an emergency stay had been denied earlier in the day by a federal appeals court.

The government is temporarily enjoined from enforcing against applicants the contraceptive coverage requirements imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Sotomayor said in the order.

Sotomayor, who was in New York Tuesday night to lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of the Times Square New Years Eve ball, gave government officials until 10 a.m. EST Friday to respond to her order.

A decision on whether to make the temporary injunction permanent or dissolve it likely wont be made before then.

The government has lots of ways to deliver contraceptives to people, said Mark Rienzi, a lawyer for the nuns. It doesnt need to force nuns to participate.

See more here:

Justice blocks birth control mandate in health care law

Neighborhood Health Care patients scramble to find new services

Posted on by

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

Financial problems have forced a chain of clinics to close their doors for good. Neighborhood Health Care patients will now have to scramble to find health care somewhere else.

There's a letter to patients taped inside the door at the Neighborhood Health Center in Norwood, explaining that they'll have to find their health care services elsewhere.

The letter is the only notice many patients received.

Lorren Ratley of Anderson Township learned of the closure only days ago. She's been coming to Neighborhood Health care for years with her family.

"My husband and the kids - because he doesn't make anything. So because premiums for his coverage at work are expensive, he was coming here and paying, you know. It's not free," explains Ratley.

Gary Phillips says he's had a hard tome getting information about the closure.

"I've tried eight or twelve times and let it ring 30 to 40 times," says Phillips. "No one has picked up the phone."

Plans to merge the Neighborhood Health Care with the Kentucky-based HealthPoint drew strong opposition from the Cincinnati Health Department and other health car providers.

"All of these providers raised questions about HealthPoint's ability to provide services," explains Rocky Merz of the Cincinnati Health Department. "Do they have the capacity to do what they say they're going to do? Can they operate in an urban environment?"

Originally posted here:

Neighborhood Health Care patients scramble to find new services

Steampunk fashion will gear you up for a reimagined past

Posted on by

While most fashion aficionados are currently looking to CBGB and the 1970s for style inspiration, a different set of punks are eyeing H.G. Wells and the 1870s. Theyre called steampunks, a term coined some 20 years ago by science-fiction author K.W. Jeter to describe a cult aesthetic movement inspired by 19th century sci-fi and fantasy that envisioned what a modern world would look like if steam power fueled technology. Think Sherlock Holmes, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Will Smiths 1999 camp classic Wild Wild West all squeezed into one kooky corset.

In Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurism, author Katherine Gleason dissects the fantastical subculture and its subscribers people from all walks of life who create elaborate characters and costumes, made up of topcoats, lace and other Victorian trappings paired with goggles, gadgets and mechanical bits.

But everyday steampunks arent the only ones captivated by the likes of Captain Nemo. From Alexander McQueen to Olivier Theyskens, fashion designers have long flooded high-end runways with top hats, voluminous gowns and swashbuckling styles that have trickled down to highly wearable retail versions. Even Marc Jacobs went Victorian vamp for spring, sending models across a post-apocalyptic landscape in embroidered lace gowns and appliqud jackets sure to earn a steampunk hashtag on Pinterest.

The style subculture is DIY by nature, and as Gleason emphasizes, there are no set rules or limitations to the look. Out of the shock of the old explodes the rebellion of the new, writes New York-based steampunk speaker Diana M. Pho in the books introduction. All you need is an inventive spirit and a little punk spunk.

Rule the Seven Seas in a seasonal style blooming with feminine detail. Helene Berman wool-blend peplum military coat, $370 at julesb.com

No corset? No problem. A trompe loeil tee will do just fine. Love Moschino printed cotton T-shirt, $134 at farfetch.com

Protect you most important thingamajig so your life runs like clockwork. Steampunk cog iPhone 5 case, $24.50 at cafepress.com

Link:

Steampunk fashion will gear you up for a reimagined past

Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag: Freedom Cry PC Gameplay Walkthrough Mission 2 – A Common Enemy – Video

Posted on by


Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag: Freedom Cry PC Gameplay Walkthrough Mission 2 - A Common Enemy
Lets Play Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry DLC 100% Sync PC PS4 Gameplay Walkthrough played by gamer4ever ====================================== Assa...

By: gamer4ever

Read more:

Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag: Freedom Cry PC Gameplay Walkthrough Mission 2 - A Common Enemy - Video

Freedom pass cuts a ‘done deal’

Posted on by

KENT County Council has been accused of a lack of transparency over a decision to cut back on free travel for youngsters.

Only six councillors voted against the planned modifications to the Freedom Pass at a highways committee meeting on December 13. Seven Tories voted in favour, passing the motion.

Green cllr Martin Whybrow criticised not only the decision but the way in which the council works.

He said: This slashing of the Freedom Pass was presented as a done deal, as is often the case at KCC, with no information about how the rationale was arrived at and no alternative options. This is something Im finding is happening quite regularly. Decisions are made in committees and councillors like myself dont get all of the workings as it were.

AS A NEW YEAR GIFT WE ARE OFFERING 10% OFF ALL BLINDS & SHUTTERS FOR JANUARY 2014

Terms: PRINT AND BRING THIS OFFER WHEN YOU CALL IN FOR AN ESTIMATE

Contact: 01227 208230

Valid until: Friday, January 31 2014

With the Freedom Pass we were given one option only. We dont know how the cost savings were calculated or if there were other decisions. There is a complete lack of transparency at KCC. We were given four pages of information for this, no additional information.

KCC has stated itself that kids who were driven to and from school now use the bus because of the Freedom Pass. On the one hand it is being bullish about its achievements but now dramatically reducing its effectiveness.

See the original post here:

Freedom pass cuts a 'done deal'

Dana K9 & Bed-Bugs.co.uk – Hotel Bed Bug Monitoring System

Posted on by

West Haverstraw, NY (PRWEB) December 31, 2013

Widely used throughout the United Kingdom during the past five years with great success, the Hotel Bed Bug Monitoring System is a proactive early warning system for the detection and control of bed bug infestations in hotels, dorms, healthcare facilities, and group homes. This system combines patented passive monitoring technology with highly developed, eco-friendly processes, so that the user can rapidly detect and eradicate bed begs the moment they enter an environment.

The monitor itself, a small, rectangular device, features an electrostatically charged detection skirt that wraps around the outside of the device. This skirt captures and holds cast skins and fecal traces left behind by the new bed bug intruder. When bed bugs enter an environment, they immediately look for safe nesting areas to avoid threats, digest meals, mate, and lay eggs. The Hotel Bed Bug Monitoring System provides perfect lodging for the naturally cautious bed bug. Once installed on the box spring at the head of each bed, the monitor takes only seconds to check each week. Its the perfect way to detect these pests when they first appear.

David Cain of Bed-Bugs.co.uk and Kristine Effaldana of Dana K9 Scent Detection both believe that wherever possible, non-chemical methods should be used to treat bed bugs. The benefits are twofold: clients, as well as their families and pets, are safe from chemical exposure, and potential environmental damage is avoided. Together, Kristine and David hope to inspire business and homeowners everywhere to search for a chemical-free means of eradicating these pests. The Hotel Bed Bug Monitoring System, among several other types of detection and treatment plans, is a leader in chemical- and toxin-free bed bug extermination.

David Cains main focus is researching bed bug infestations, and educating people about how to deal with them. David notes: There is clearly a need for this system in other areas, and we are delighted to be able to offer the benefits to the North American market. There is a growing demand for bed bug solutions which avoid the need for chemical treatment methods, and this was one of the aspects of the system which made it particularly attractive to Dana K9 Scent Detection and R. Dana Pest Control. Kristine Effaldana, President and owner of Dana K9 Scent Detection, adds: This is a fantastic system and will be a major step forward in our fight against bed bugs. We are not offering empty promises to the hotel industry or its commercial markets; with this system we offer solutions to detect bed bug at their earliest appearance in a given environment. I am finally excited to offer a product that I can put my name and reputation behind.

About Dana K9 Scent Detection

Dana K9 specializes in Bed Bug and Termite detection and removal, and they utilize IAOCPI trained and certified K9 inspectors, along with state-of-the-art technology. Their mission is to provide their clients with the most affordable and accurate means by which they can confirm or disprove the existence of Bed Bugs or Termites within the confines of their home, office, business, school, elder-care facility, hotel, motel, or luggage after a trip. The professionals at Dana K9 aim to educate their customers about Bed Bugs and Termites, including ways to best defend themselves from infestation, and what to do in the event of detecting pests. For more information, contact Kristine Effaldana at 1 (877) 9K9-NOSE, kdana(at)danapestcontrol(dot)com, or visit http://www.danak9.com.

The rest is here:

Dana K9 & Bed-Bugs.co.uk – Hotel Bed Bug Monitoring System