Professor Marc Spindelman testifies during the Clyde Hearings on women’s health care. – Video

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Professor Marc Spindelman testifies during the Clyde Hearings on women #39;s health care.
Today at the Ohio Statehouse, six witnesses provided testimony on the anti-women budget. Rep. Kathleen Clyde convened the hearing: "Ohioans are still reeling...

By: Gabriel Mann

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Professor Marc Spindelman testifies during the Clyde Hearings on women's health care. - Video

Vorys Health Care Advisors and Truven Health Analytics Co-Author SAMHSA’s “Medicaid Handbook: Interface with …

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COLUMBUS, Ohio & ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Maureen Corcoran, president of Vorys Health Care Advisors (VHCA), and Daphne Saneholtz, senior advisor with VHCA, partnered with John Easterday, Ph.D. and Truven Health Analytics to author a Medicaid handbook for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The handbook, titled Medicaid Handbook: Interface with Behavioral Health Services, provides readers with an understanding of the Medicaid program and how it relates to services and programs for individuals with behavioral health needs.

The handbook is a great resource for policy makers, consumers and behavioral health services providers trying to better understand the Medicaid program, which is the single largest funder of behavioral health services in the United States, said Corcoran. While the Handbook is written with a behavioral health focus, it will also prove to be an invaluable resource to anyone interested in the fundamentals of Medicaid.

In addition to basic information about Medicaid and behavioral health services, the handbook covers a variety of topics, including care coordination initiatives, structure and reimbursement methodologies, and the relationship between Medicaid and Medicare.

With the Affordable Care Act set to enact the largest expansion of Medicaid in history, the shared understanding between State Medicaid and behavioral health authorities is fundamental to designing efficiently coordinated care, said John Easterday, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager/Center for Financing Reform and Innovations at Truven Health Analytics and co-author of the handbook. We believe this handbook will prove invaluable in helping a wide range of parties involved with behavioral healthcare coordination to better understand the new landscape in which they will be navigating.

The handbook is available electronically on the SAMHSA website.

About Vorys Health Care Advisors:

Vorys Health Care Advisors (VHCA) provides health care consulting services designed to help providers, consumer organizations, associations and other stakeholders meet the challenges of a complex, rapidly changing state and federal health care environment. VHCA has expertise in Medicaid policy, health care service delivery and payment systems in the context of states unique considerations, services for children, behavioral health care, developmental disabilities, aging and community-based services. With a unique combination of Medicaid, public policy, financial and clinical experience, we are able to deliver smart, effective solutions in a number of areas: the Affordable Care Act, including Medicaid policy and reimbursement implications; managed care and other care coordination strategies, including integration models involving mental health and substance use disorder services; EPSDT (early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment) requirements and issues associated with services and benefit design for children and youth with special needs; and evaluating organizational options, partnerships or other changes in service delivery. VHCA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. For more information, visit voryshcadvisors.com.

About Truven Health Analytics:

Truven Health Analytics delivers unbiased information, analytic tools, benchmarks and services to the healthcare industry. Hospitals, government agencies, employers, health plans, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies have relied on its solutions for over 30 years. Truven Health Analytics combines deep clinical, financial and healthcare management expertise with innovative technology platforms and information assets to make healthcare better, collaborating with customers to uncover and realize opportunities for improving quality, efficiency, and outcomes. Truven Health Analytics employs approximately 2,000 people worldwide and has its principal offices in Ann Arbor, MI; Chicago; and Denver. For more information, visit http://www.truvenhealth.com.

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Vorys Health Care Advisors and Truven Health Analytics Co-Author SAMHSA’s “Medicaid Handbook: Interface with ...

Health Care Exchanges Go Online October 1

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The next phase of the Affordable Care Act kicks in this fall, bringing big changes to the nation's health care system. Beginning on October 1, 2013 new, federally-mandated health insurance exchange. Covered California here in this state go online, offering one-stop shopping for individuals and small businesses looking for coverage. If you're not covered by your company's insurance plan, and you don't have adequate private insurance, you need to sign up in 2014. If you don't, you might have to pay a fine when you file your 2014 federal tax forms.

There's a lot to know about the health insurance law change. Many local cities and organizations are offering workshops to help make sense of the plan and the insurance marketplaces. Call your local politicians and Congressmen to see what is set up in your area. In the meantime, here are some key points and resources to help get you started.

Affordable Care Act

Covered California

Resources:

Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.healthcare.gov

Covered California: http://www.coveredca.com

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Health Care Exchanges Go Online October 1

GuideSpark Brings Clarity on Health Care Reform to Employees

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MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

GuideSpark, a digital employee communications company, has launched a solution for explaining benefits and the complex implications of health care reform (HCR). This Health Care Reform Video Series gives customers on-demand, customized communication tools to engage and educate employees on HCR. The video series can help busy human resource executives reach employees with vital information and empower them to become smarter consumers of their benefits.

As the first of October approaches, employers have an opportunity to help employees understand how HCR will impact their individual benefits plans. At the same time, employees are becoming increasingly accustomed to accessing information especially short-form videos on their smartphones, laptops and tablets both at home and at work. GuideSparks solution delivers clear and concise information in a straightforward and engaging way through video technology giving HR professionals an alternative approach to traditional paper-based communication that have limited impact.

GuideSpark offers a Health Care Reform Video Series that is broken down into easy-to-digest pieces, including videos that focus on:

Additional videos are available that cover related topics, such as how to be a better consumer of benefits in a post-HCR world and overall health and wellness information.

The web has changed the way people consume information, and employees are no exception. Our customers see demand increasing for new ways to take complex content like HCR and deliver it in a way that is rich in nature but easy to digest, said GuideSpark CEO Keith Kitani. Engaging employees through on-demand, customized video not only can save money and reduce HR support calls, but it also can increase enrollment in important benefit programs and improve the employer/employee relationship.

We faced a significant challenge in communicating health care reform as it created confusion for our managers and employees, said Paige Claus, Sr. Director, Benefits with 7-Eleven, Inc. Implementing customized, simple content from GuideSparks Health Care Reform Video Series has given our organization a way to effectively communicate to our dispersed population and an easy way to encourage employees to understand their options and get more involved in their care.

About GuideSpark

GuideSpark provides a customized and engaging digital employee communications solution for educating employees on complex topics such as benefits, health care reform and compensation programs .Our videos simplify complex HR topics, and transform employees into informed, engaged, and intelligent consumers of company benefits. As a result, GuideSparks clients are able to improve overall employee satisfaction and retention and save HR time and money. For more information, visit http://www.guidespark.com.

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GuideSpark Brings Clarity on Health Care Reform to Employees

Geography, Income Determine Health Care in U.S., Report Says

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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income Americans' access to health care and the quality of care they receive vary widely based on where they live, according to a new report.

Compared to wealthier people, low-income Americans lose more teeth, have more asthma flare-ups and miss out on vaccinations and cancer screenings. They also are less likely to have health insurance, finds the report, which was released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund, a health policy think tank.

The report provides a state-by-state comparison of health care for the 39 percent of people with incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $47,000 for a family of four and $23,000 for an individual.

"We found repeated evidence that we are often two Americas, divided by income and geography when it comes to opportunities to lead long and healthy lives," report lead author Cathy Schoen, Commonwealth Fund senior vice president, said in an organization news release. "These are more than numbers."

Low-income people account for at least one-quarter of total state populations, and almost half in some states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico, according to the report.

The report authors also compared the quality of health care received by people with low incomes and higher incomes -- more than 400 percent of the poverty level, or $94,000 for a family of four -- and found major disparities by income in each state.

Higher-income people in states with low health care scores are often worse off than low-income people in states with high health care ratings, the report says. For example, low-income elderly Medicare beneficiaries in Connecticut and Wisconsin are less likely to receive high-risk medications than high-income elderly people in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

The report ranks states on 30 indicators, including access to affordable health care, preventive care and quality, potentially avoidable hospital use, and health outcomes.

Hawaii and states in the upper Midwest and Northeast had the best scores, while Southern and South Central states often lagged. Among low-income people, there were two- to five-fold differences in their health care and health outcomes scores, depending on where they lived.

Among the other findings:

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Geography, Income Determine Health Care in U.S., Report Says

Health Care Costs Are Projected To Outpace Economic Growth

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Increased use of generic drugs caused a slight drop in the price of prescription drugs in 2012.

Increased use of generic drugs caused a slight drop in the price of prescription drugs in 2012.

The nation's health spending will bump up next year as the Affordable Care Act expands insurance coverage to more Americans, and then will grow by an average of 6.2 percent a year over the next decade, according to projections by government actuaries.

That estimate is lower than the typical annual increases before the recession hit. Still, the actuaries forecast that in a decade the health care segment of the nation's economy will be larger than it is today, amounting to a fifth of the gross domestic product in 2022.

They attributed that to the rising number of baby boomers moving into Medicare and the expectation that the economy will improve, according to a study published online in the journal Health Affairs.

The actuaries were not persuaded that cost-cutting experiments in the health law will have an impact. Neither were they convinced that new insurer procedures that change the way doctors, hospitals and others provide services will help. They assumed "modest" savings from those changes from the law.

"It's a little early to tell how substantial those savings will be in the longer term," Gigi Cuckler, an actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and lead author of the report, told reporters Wednesday.

Still, the Obama administration enthusiastically greeted the report. "We are on the right track to controlling health care costs, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act," CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a statement. "More Americans will have the ability to get the health care they need, and that is a good thing. We have identified several areas where our reforms to control costs are making progress and we must build on those efforts in the years ahead."

But not everyone agrees. "I think it's quite clear from the study that the notion that the health care law fundamentally bends costs is just totally unsupported by facts," James Capretta, a budget adviser to President George W. Bush, said in an interview. "Something more fundamental needs to be done to slow costs than what is in the health law."

And Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton economist who supports overhauling the health system said, "I also believe the ACA had basically nothing to do with the bending of the cost curve in the last few years." But he said he was more optimistic that health spending will not resume its old path of sharp increases. "I do believe there is a mood among the payers for harder push back on prices," he added in a podcast discussion about the report recorded by Health Affairs.

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Health Care Costs Are Projected To Outpace Economic Growth

Health Care Costs Projected To Outpace Economic Growth

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Increased use of generic drugs caused a slight drop in the price of prescription drugs in 2012.

Increased use of generic drugs caused a slight drop in the price of prescription drugs in 2012.

The nation's health spending will bump up next year as the Affordable Care Act expands insurance coverage to more Americans, and then will grow by an average of 6.2 percent a year over the next decade, according to projections by government actuaries.

That estimate is lower than the typical annual increases before the recession hit. Still, the actuaries forecast that in a decade the health care segment of the nation's economy will be larger than it is today, amounting to a fifth of the gross domestic product in 2022.

They attributed that to the rising number of baby boomers moving into Medicare and the expectation that the economy will improve, according to a study published online in the journal Health Affairs.

The actuaries were not persuaded that cost-cutting experiments in the health law will have an impact. Neither were they convinced that new insurer procedures that change the way doctors, hospitals and others provide services will help. They assumed "modest" savings from those changes from the law.

"It's a little early to tell how substantial those savings will be in the longer term," Gigi Cuckler, an actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and lead author of the report, told reporters Wednesday.

Still, the Obama administration enthusiastically greeted the report. "We are on the right track to controlling health care costs, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act," CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a statement. "More Americans will have the ability to get the health care they need, and that is a good thing. We have identified several areas where our reforms to control costs are making progress and we must build on those efforts in the years ahead."

But not everyone agrees. "I think it's quite clear from the study that the notion that the health care law fundamentally bends costs is just totally unsupported by facts," James Capretta, a budget adviser to President George W. Bush, said in an interview. "Something more fundamental needs to be done to slow costs than what is in the health law."

And Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton economist who supports overhauling the health system said, "I also believe the ACA had basically nothing to do with the bending of the cost curve in the last few years." But he said he was more optimistic that health spending will not resume its old path of sharp increases. "I do believe there is a mood among the payers for harder push back on prices," he added in a podcast discussion about the report recorded by Health Affairs.

The rest is here:

Health Care Costs Projected To Outpace Economic Growth

Save The Last Dance For Me, Futurist Theatre, Scarborough, September 23-27

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Save The Last Dance For Me, Futurist Theatre, Scarborough, September 23-27

1:16pm Thursday 19th September 2013 in Theatre

DREAMBOATS & Petticoats meets Dirty Dancing in Laurence Marks and Maurice Grans new rocknroll musical Save The Last Dance For Me at the Futurist Theatre, Scarborough, from Monday to Saturday.

Directed by impresario Bill Kenwright, the shows story of two teenage sisters on a seaside holiday is built around the music of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Away from their parents for the first time, the sisters are full of high spirits and a sense of freedom when they meet a handsome young American who invites them to a dance at the local US Air Force base. Young love and holiday romance is never as simple as it sounds, however.

Performances start at 7.30pm plus Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Box office: 01723 365789/374500 or futuristtheatre.co.uk

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Save The Last Dance For Me, Futurist Theatre, Scarborough, September 23-27

Mandela Long Walk To Freedom UK Trailer 2014 (HD) – Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto – Video

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Mandela Long Walk To Freedom UK Trailer 2014 (HD) - Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto
Official Trailer for Mandela Long Walk To Freedom, starring Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto Subscribe to CineFix - http://goo.gl/9AGRm Release Date - ...

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Mandela Long Walk To Freedom UK Trailer 2014 (HD) - Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto - Video

Democracy, Human Rights and Religious Freedom in East Asia | 17th Forum 2000 Conference – Video

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Democracy, Human Rights and Religious Freedom in East Asia | 17th Forum 2000 Conference
In which East Asian countries are the most serious human rights violations taking place and which rights are most repressed? ——Which countries are making t...

By: forum2000foundation

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Democracy, Human Rights and Religious Freedom in East Asia | 17th Forum 2000 Conference - Video