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Pace of health insurance enrollment picks up as Affordable Care Act deadline nears

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The Obama administration announced Monday that more than 5 million people have signed up for new insurance plans under the health-care law, suggesting new momentum as the March 31 deadline for coverage this year approaches. Reported by Washington Post 6 hours ago.

New Health Exchanges Reach 5 Million Enrollees

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The Obama administration said Monday that five million people had signed up for private health insurance on exchanges as of this weekend, signaling an uptick in enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. Reported by Wall Street Journal 5 hours ago.

Health insurance exchange opens temporary store on 16th Street Mall

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With two weeks left in open enrollment for health insurance, the state marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, has opened a store on the 16th Street Mall where consumers can purchase coverage and apply for tax credits. Reported by Denver Post 5 hours ago.

Former official involved with Cover Oregon may sue

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A former state technology manager involved in building the software behind Oregon's troubled health insurance exchange has notified the state that she may file a defamation lawsuit. Reported by Miami Herald 3 hours ago.

Running a Successful Health Care Business With Medical Billing Services

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Many people often face health problems due to various factors and many face difficulties in getting high quality treatments because of high expenses.In order to solve healthcare problem, health insurance companies offer different types of plans for patients for overcoming risks to a wider extent. A medical bill plays a key role in processing the transactions between a health care provider and the insurance company. It also involves preparing and submitting claims to health insurance companies.

Medical billers work with physicians, hospitals, state and federal governments for running a successful health care business. However, medical billing needs extensive knowledge in order to avoid complex issues. The primary responsibilities of medical billers include calculating charges and reminding payments regularly to insurance companies.

Reducing errors in medical billing

Medical billing is really a challenging work and one need to focus on avoiding errors. This will help for reducing legal issues to a wider extent.

1. Nowadays, medical billing companies prefer experienced persons for minimizing complications when creating the reports. Medical billing experts make feasible ways for maintaining error free reports to grow business in the markets.

2. They also provide ideas for generating high revenues to reach high levels. Several companies outsource medical billing work to other countries for saving money in all departments.

3. In addition, billing firms can be able to complete the tasks quickly with outsourcing services by meeting exact requirements. On the other hand, it is really a tough task for identifying billing experts and need proper guidelines.

Finding efficient medical billing professionals

There are several sources which are available for finding medical billing professionals for choosing services from them.

1. Online also helps in this process by giving information about medical billing business companies for those who want to select services depending on the projects.

2. Details about medical billing experts can be gathered from them for meeting exact requirements in the recruiting process.

3. Another advantage is that they help to eliminate the mistakes in the billing reports for claiming amounts from insurance companies without any difficulties.

Company Contact Information
Medical Billing Services
Bristolhs

News and Press Release Distribution From I-Newswire.com Reported by i-Newswire.com 4 hours ago.

Knowing Best Medico Legal Firms from the Markets

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Medico Legal Services is becoming more popular among healthcare industry. They delivered results in right amount of time.Nowadays, healthcare centers provide different types of services and treatments for patients with different health conditions. However, it is an essential one to get accreditation from health care departments and government agencies before starting the operations.

A medico legal service mainly involves hospital infrastructure auditing, detecting fraudulent activities of patients and representing cases the courtrooms. Today health insurance companies offer various types of plans for those who want to get high quality treatments at the hospitals and clinics.

At the same time, many face difficulties in confirming the details of patients when claiming the amounts. This results in several problems which cannot be resolved easily. Medico legal firms play a key role in this process by fulfilling the needs of insurance companies.

Verifying the records of patients

The primary objective of a medico legal service is to prevent the misuse of insurance amounts by the patients.

• It is essential to cross check the details of insurers while claiming money from insurance sectors.

• In some cases, hospitals will raise the bills when the patients are not at all admitted. Many insurance companies seek support from a medico legal services firm for investigating the cases.

• Trained teams from these firms make visits to hospitals for confirming the hospitalization of a patient. They also verify whether the information provided by a patient is correct or not.

• The details of the visits will be forwarded to insurance companies on a daily basis to control the malpractice. They provide precise, quality and professional services by the medical experts.

Company Contact Information
Best Medico Legal Services
18946 Vickie Ave # 227, Cerritos, CA 90703.
90703
800-253-7320

News and Press Release Distribution From I-Newswire.com Reported by i-Newswire.com 4 hours ago.

Illinois GOP Senate Primary Could Show Political Potency of Obamacare

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Illinois GOP Senate Primary Could Show Political Potency of Obamacare A long-shot challenger in the Illinois GOP senate primary has based his candidacy against a moderate Republican almost entirely on Obamacare repeal, and the results in Tuesday's election could speak to voter intensity on the subject.

Political newcomer Doug Truax is, according to the polls, far behind state senator Jim Oberweis, which political analysts largely attribute to name recognition. But Truax is trying to draw a last-minute contrast with Oberweis on healthcare and a surprisingly good showing from him may underscore the potency of the push.

Meanwhile, Oberweis, who is so confident in the election results he traveled to Florida this past week, actually supports parts of Obamacare, according to a spokesperson.

"Jim believes there are a few good parts of Obamacare, such as staying on your parents' insurance until you are 26. He also believe that insuring individuals with pre-existing conditions and creating a competitive environment by allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines are good," an Oberweis spokesperson told Breitbart News Monday.

Truax and Oberweis are vying to become a long-shot challenger to face Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in November's general election.

Though Mark Kirk's victory in 2010 gave Illinois one Republican in the Senate, the state has not been represented in that body by two Republicans at the same time since 1970.

The most recent poll released by the Chicago Tribune on March 9 gave Oberweis a significant 52 percent to 18 percent lead over Truax, little changed from a February poll in which his lead was 52 percent to 15 percent.

While Oberweis was in Florida Thursday, the Tribune reported that "the contrast [between the two campaigns] was highlighted when Truax’s spokesman, Dan Curry, was struck in the head by falling ice in downtown Chicago while on his way to a radio appearance. Curry was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released."

Though a 34 percent deficit may be more than Truax can overcome in less than two weeks, the poll showed that one fourth of likely Republican primary voters were still undecided. In addition, as a 43-year-old newcomer, Truax offers a marked contrast to the 67-year-old Oberweis, who has lost two previous tries for the United States Senate, one try for Governor, and one try for Congress.

Besides the issues, Truax has one big advantage over Oberweis–in-depth professional knowledge of healthcare. A graduate of West Point, Truax has built a small business that makes $2 million a year in revenue by providing advice to companies on how to manage their health care costs.

Truax is using that expertise to build his entire campaign around his opposition to Obamacare.

That strategy worked for David Jolly (R-FL), who recently won a special election in Florida's 13th Congressional District over a much better-funded and well known Democrat, Alex Sink.

Truax is betting his singular attacks on Obamacare will help his under-financed campaign beat Oberweis's in Tuesday's Republican primary and Durbin in the November general election.

In an exclusive interview, Truax told Breitbart News Thursday that "the tipping point" in his decision to enter the political arena "was Christmas Eve 2009 when the Senate came up with their version of Obamacare."

"Health care is what I do for a living," he said. "Because I understand it, I knew we had to redo everything [they did in that bill], because it just wouldn't work." For Truax, the debacle of the Obamacare launch and its current disarray continues to prove his point every day.

When Truax first told his friends he wanted to take on Dick Durbin, they were not encouraging. "Last time he trounced the other guy by a mile. Why would you take that on?" they asked.

"I was saying shortly after Obamacare passed this is going to be horrible," Truax said.

Truax acknowledges that Oberweis is still considered the favorite. "Oberweis has a chain of ice cream stores [and] 90-percent name recognition. When I started this race, my name recognition was zero."

"On March 5, the Chicago Tribune endorsed me. Congressman Aaron Shock (R-IL) and former Speaker Newt Gingrich have endorsed me," Truax told Breitbart.

"I've been all over the state to Lincoln Day dinners. We have ten coordinators around the state. Fourteen of the eighteen townships in the collar [the conservative communities surrounding Chicago] have endorsed me. Their committee men are walking our literature door to door. Two-hundred-thousand walking cards have gone out the door,” he said.

Truax acknowledged "we didn't have the luxury of knocking on all [the primary voter] doors."

Truax said that the big variable for the primary election on Tuesday will be how voters respond to his opponent Oberweis's being in Florida for much of the week before the election. A spokesperson for the Oberweis campaign told Breitbart News the trip to Florida will have no impact on Tuesday's election. 

"He's coasting on name identification. He's ducked out on all the debates," Truax said of Oberweis.

Truax predicted, "I think I am going to beat him just barely."

Then, he says, he will turn his sights on Durbin.

"I believe we're in for a wave election," Truax said. "This is a unique time with the economy and Obamacare. Because it's a midterm there will be one million fewer voters, most of whom are Democrats."

"I can nationalize the election around Obamacare since I'm a health insurance expert," Truax concluded. "Obamacare is the demonstration of top-down government control, then you add on the IRS and the NSA and all these things that are coming out of DC, and voters are fed up with it," he said.

A spokeperson for the Oberweis campaign told Breitbart News on Monday that State Senator Oberweis will also focus on opposition to Obamacare, but offered his praise for certain parts of the law as noted above.

The spokesperson added that "[State Senator Oberweis] favors repeal and replacing it with something that works."

If he wins the primary on Tuesday, Oberweis will also attack Senator Durbin for his support of Obamacare. According to the spokesperson, "Dick Durbin said on the floor if you like your healthcare you can keep it, and that was a lie to the American public."

Tuesday's Republican Senate primary election in Illinois may be an early indicator of the intensity with which voters oppose Obamacare. In many respects, the outcome will be a canary in the coal mine for Obamacare.

If Oberweis wins by a comfortable margin, as the polls predict, it will be an indication that a complete rejection of every element of Obamacare, without sufficient financial resources, may not be sufficient to win elections in 2014. However, if Truax comes close or pulls off a huge upset, it may be a second recent sign from the voters of a coming anti-Obamacare electoral tidal wave.

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 4 hours ago.

Hawaii Health Connector pushing enrollment before March 31, individuals to face penalty

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The  Hawaii Health Connector is working to push last minute enrollment before the March 31 deadline, with its latest effort targeting women in partnership with  Planned Parenthood of Hawaii. The online health insurance exchange's marketplace assisters, or kokua, will go to Planned Parenthood centers during a series of events to help women through the enrollment process. The first event will be held on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Planned Parenthood’s 1350 S. King St. location in the Honolulu… Reported by bizjournals 4 hours ago.

Choosing the right health plan for your family

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How do you select the health insurance plan that is best for you? To sort through the many variables within health insurance policies, it is wise to work with a navigator or insurance broker to evaluate plans that will best meet your needs. Reported by KansasCity.com 2 hours ago.

State dropping contractor that created troubled health insurance website

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Massachusetts is dropping the contractor that created the state’s dysfunctional online health insurance marketplace, seeking to end a troubled partnership that has left thousands of consumers frustrated and many without coverage for months.
 
 
 
  Reported by Boston.com 9 minutes ago.

How many have signed up for insurance through Obamacare locally and nationally?

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The deadline to sign up for insurance through the federal and state exchanges is coming up on March 31. The Obama administration said yesterday that more than 5 million people have enrolled in private health insurance through Healthcare.gov, since it was launched Oct. 1.  Healthcare.gov is a federal government-run health insurance marketplace, brought on by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — nicknamed Obamacare. It serves residents in states like Indiana, which have not set up… Reported by bizjournals 11 hours ago.

Chris Christie calls ObamaCare a 'failed federal program'

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At issue was the administration's efforts to connect residents to health insurance coverage. Reported by NJ.com 10 hours ago.

What President Obama's Hilarious Appearance On Between Two Ferns Teaches Us About Obamacare

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Submitted by Omid Malekan via OmidMalekan.com,

Present Obama’s viral interview on Zack Galifianakis “Between Two Ferns” was both funny and informative, thus deserving the buzz it generated. *To his credit the President has consistently shown an ability to engage his electorate at their own level via their preferred media*, a nice change from his predecessors who would complain about the lack of engagement in politics but not do anything about it. Both the content of the interview, and the fact that the President felt it was needed in the first place, can *teach us about the current state of Obamacare and the problems it continues to have.*

*Critics of the interview have focused on the President’s line that young people  ”can get coverage all for what it costs you to pay your cell phone bill.”* This line, which the President often uses, is hard to substantiate. It contradicts the Obama administration’s own figures that “a 27-year-old with income of $25,000 will be able to get such coverage for $145 a month.” Verizon is generally believed to be the costliest wireless provider, and a single line plan with unlimited voice and texting and 2GB of data costs $75 a month (a figure that generally lines up with national cell phone billing data). If you want to do your own research, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a handy calculator that lets you enter your age, state and income level, and get an estimate for the monthly cost of enrollment. Play around with it and you’ll see the President’s math is hard to justify.

*The point here isn’t to nitpick the numbers or get into a semantic argument, but to show one of the key shortcomings of this appearance and the President’s other attempts at getting young people to sign up: if you are promoting something that has shaky credibility, and you use dubious arguments that your target audience will realize might not be true, you end up hurting your cause.*

Even more revealing than the content of the interview is the fact that the Administration felt a need for it in the first place. As you have probably heard, Obamacare has not enrolled enough young people. That is why the President has dispatched his wife to promote it on Jimmy Fallon, enrolled celebrities that appeal to young people (including a former member of N’Sync) and made appearances such as ‘Between Two Ferns’. The question nobody asks is why young people haven’t signed up.

*Nobody needs to tell young people to buy a cell phone, or to go to college, despite the hefty cost. *So why do we need to keep trying to convince them to sign up for Obamacare? The answer, which virtually all of the supporters of the ACA have admitted at one point or another, is because Obamacare is a bad deal for young people. We know that because the system was designed to force young and healthy people, who seldom seek medical treatment, to sign up or face penalties.  If something is a good deal, like having an iPhone or getting a college degree, young people spend their money on it voluntarily. You only need a  a penalty for not buying something when its a bad deal.

*But don’t take my word for it, just look at the arguments made by the law’s proponents.* The whole idea of insurance is that a group of people put money into a pool, and those that need it take it out. If a specific group is expected to put in more than they’ll take out, that insurance is a bad deal for them.

*Google “Obamacare needs young people” and you’ll see 90 million results, including all sorts of smart people effectively admitting that Obamacare is a bad deal for the young and healthy. *You’ll find reports like this one on CNN explaining how Obamacare needs all these young people to put money in then not take any out. You’ll even find Bill Clinton (with Barack Obama at his side) saying “this only works..if young people show up..we gotta have them in the pools.” Even the President himself,  during the interview with Galifianakis, says this about young people: ”if they get that health insurance they can really make a big difference.” *You buying insurance “making a difference” for someone else means its a bad deal for you, as you are both taking money out of the same pool.*

*Some argue that young people should sign up anyway, because if something catastrophic happens to them then the insurance will save them lots of money. Again here Obamacare defeats itself.* Since the President keeps telling young people that they can still sign up for Obamacare even if they have a pre-existing condition, then they might as well not sign up today while they are still healthy and wait until after something goes wrong.

*To summarize the problem in the same lingo that the President and Galifianakis bantered in, lets say you are the kind of person that always takes beers to a party. Lets also say that a bunch of people really want you to go to a specific party, but you find out that the only reason they invited you in the first place is because you bring more beer than you drink, and if you don’t show up the guys that drink lots of beer but don’t bring any won’t have as much fun. Might you then decide not to go to this party, and just stay home and watch Funny or Die videos by your favorite comedian?* Reported by Zero Hedge 10 hours ago.

WATCH: Christie Gets in Heated Town Hall Battle with Obamacare Advocate

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WATCH: Christie Gets in Heated Town Hall Battle with Obamacare Advocate Governor *Chris Christie* found himself in an extended, contentious exchange with an advocate for the Affordable Care Act Tuesday during a town hall event in South River, New Jersey. *Maura Collinsgru* of New Jersey Citizen Action, which bills itself as the state's "largest citizen watchdog coalition," accused the governor of failing to facilitate the Medicaid expansion that is meant to help cover those who cannot afford health insurance. Reported by Mediaite 8 hours ago.

The Onion Seems To Be Boosting Obamacare Sign-Ups In Illinois

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CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois officials hope that using humor can give the state's health insurance enrollment numbers the same kind of bump that the federal site saw after President Barack Obama bantered about the law with actor Zach Galifianakis.

Obama's appearance on the comedy website Funny or Die last week in a bid to reach young people resulted in 32,000 users clicking through to the federal insurance enrollment site within 12 hours. In Illinois, officials are tracking the effectiveness of satirical ads placed with the mock newspaper The Onion, music service Pandora and BuzzFeed, the website known for its lists and quizzes. So far, the results look encouraging to officials overseeing a $33 million marketing campaign to promote health coverage.

The targeted efforts drove 41,300 new users to the Get Covered Illinois website during a recent four-week period, said Jennifer Koehler, executive director of the state's enrollment site. "We know humor works for the 18- to 34-year-old demographic," Koehler said.

The most recent ads play with the idea that getting insured can prevent financial ruin and humiliation. In one, a bearded young man dances in a pizza costume near a busy street. But instead of attracting customers, he gets scornful laughter from two young women. A voiceover says: "Without health insurance, you could face fines and big medical bills. And then you'll have to dress up like a pizza."

The ads stress the March 31 deadline for buying private health insurance and avoiding a tax penalty. Procrastinators may be starting to pay attention.

"We were averaging about 10,000 visitors a day in February. That became 20,000 a day in March and we're closer to about 25,000 a day now," Koehler said.

Getting more young adults to sign up is considered crucial to the health law's success. Their premiums are needed to offset the cost of medical care for older, sicker people and keep costs from spiking in future years. Health policy experts suggest 40 percent of the overall enrollees need to be ages 18 to 34 to keep prices down. So far, in Illinois, only 25 percent of those enrolled are in that target age group.

Are the ads driving young adults to buy insurance? That's unclear. Koehler said state officials "haven't drilled down to that level yet."

The ads appear during TV shows with young audiences such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and in GameStop retail game stores. "Hard Choices: Pizza" has been viewed nearly 30,000 times on YouTube.

"We like to think of ourselves as trendsetters in this area," Koehler said. "We're the first state to partner with The Onion. We think ultimately it's going to work."

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AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/CarlaKJohnson Reported by Huffington Post 8 hours ago.

Ex-CIO of troubled health insurance site built by Oracle may sue, cites 'cover-up'

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The former CIO for Oregon's troubled health care insurance website is alleging that state officials engaged in a "substantial cover-up" meant to deflect blame away from themselves and onto herself and the project's contractor, Oracle. Reported by Computerworld 8 hours ago.

Fitch Affirms Kaiser's IFS Ratings at 'A+'; Outlook Stable

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CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (KFHP) and its subsidiaries at 'A+'. The Rating Outlooks are Stable. A full list of ratings follows at the end of this release. KEY RATING DRIVERS Key strengths supporting KFHP's and its subsidiaries' ratings include the organization's unique business model and leading health insurance market share in California; smaller but still meaningful competitive positi Reported by Business Wire 9 hours ago.

Mistrust and perceived discrimination cloud Latino health care satisfaction in Oregon

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Health care providers might need to improve their “cultural competency,” so that more Latinos feel comfortable accessing health care, according to an Oregon State University survey.  The majority of the 387 young adult Latinos surveyed, or 73 percent, reported being moderately or very satisfied with their health care. Among those who were not, medical mistrust and perceived discrimination were identified as factors. Other factors, such as age and health insurance, did not affect satisfaction.  Patient… Reported by bizjournals 9 hours ago.

Young People Are Falling Into A Health Insurance Subsidy Gap

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Young people on the upper range of income eligible for subsidies are finding that they don't always qualify. That could influence the number of young adults who enroll. Reported by NPR 8 hours ago.

Ex-head of troubled health insurance site developed by Oracle may sue, citing 'cover-up'

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The former CIO for Oregon’s troubled health care insurance website is alleging that state officials engaged in a “substantial cover-up” meant to deflect blame away from themselves and onto herself and the project’s contractor, Oracle.

Carolyn Lawson, who was forced to resign in December, this week filed a tort claim notice, which is a required precursor to filing a lawsuit against the state.

Lawson oversaw the initial development of Cover Oregon, the state-level exchange created in connection with President Barack Obama’s national health care policy reforms. The site was supposed to go live Oct. 1 but has been racked with problems, with no clear resolution to all its issues in sight.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Reported by PC World 8 hours ago.
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