Market-sensitive information vitally important to health-insurance companies has once again reached Wall Street before the public, and this time it appears to have come from the government itself.
Reported by Wall Street Journal 4 hours ago.
A Government Call, and Stocks Fall
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Community Care Alliance of Illinois Launches New Health Care Network for Medicaid Recipients in Chicago
Groundbreaking model will provide comprehensive, person-centered health care for people with disabilities and seniors.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
The Community Care Alliance of Illinois (CCAI) today announced its entry into the Chicago area to provide comprehensive health care and wellness services to people with disabilities and seniors covered by Medicaid. CCAI is a nonprofit Managed Care Community Network. Voluntary enrollment for seniors and persons with disabilities under Medicaid began in February.
CCAI was one of seven health plans approved by the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) to provide integrated care for people with disabilities covered by Medicaid. Under the Integrated Care Plan (ICP), the state of Illinois has set a goal to have 50 percent of all Medicaid recipients enrolled in care coordination by 2015, as required by law. CCAI is the only nonprofit managed care organization participating in the Integrated Care Program. CCAI assumes the risk in providing quality health outcomes. CCAI has also been approved as a Medicare Advantage plan.
“The Community Care Alliance of Illinois is thrilled to announce our entry into the Chicago market. We are excited about providing a new level of consumer-responsive care to people with disabilities and seniors in Chicago,” said CCAI President Greg Alexander.
CCAI launched its health plan in the Rockford area in June and today covers 1,500 Enrollees there. The CCAI provider network has 39 hospitals, 1,200 Primary care physicians and 4,500 specialists in Chicago.
The CCAI Model of Care uses a system of Anchor Health Homes to provide wrap-around care, coordination and support for Enrollees. CCAI employs a provider office accessibility check list to ensure all network sites are fully accessible for people with disabilities, and training to ensure providers have the competency needed to treat and relate to them. CCAI Anchor Health Homes in Chicago include:· Mt. Sinai Hospital
· Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital
· Swedish Covenant Hospital
· Aviva Women’s Health
· Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
· St. Bernard Hospital and Health Center
· PrimeCare Community Health
· Lawndale Christian Health Center
Achieving positive health outcomes and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities requires attention to the entire spectrum of need. The CCAI Model of Care encompasses six domains of care and support, including long-term care:· Medical
· Functional (e.g. mobility, activities of daily living, memory, problem solving)
· Environmental (housing, community, transportation)
· Financial (basic and medical needs)
· Social Support (Friends, family, social groups)
· Psychological (Stress management, mental illness)
CCAI employs disability-competent interdisciplinary-care teams to manage each Enrollee’s care, including a primary-care physician and nurse practitioner, a registered nurse care coordinator available 24/7, a long-term services and supports coordinator, medical specialists and rehabilitation services. CCAI also engages Peer Navigators, people with disabilities themselves who understand the challenges faced by their peers and can offer solutions that help achieve greater independence and quality of life.
A new CCAI video about the model of care, Making Person-Centered Care a Reality can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ6Rq8N3xK4
CCAI has served 1,500 Enrollees in the Rockford area since July 2013. CCAI offices are located at its Anchor Health Home at Rockford Health System. The on-site interdisciplinary team includes a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Care Coordinator, Nurse Practitioner, and a Long-term Services and Supports Coordinator.
“Being an Anchor Health Home in the CCAI network enhances our mission of Superior Care. Every Day. For All Our Patients," said Michele Lippert, Rockford Health Physicians Chief Operating Officer. “We are excited about bringing a new level of care to people with disabilities and seniors on Medicaid in the Rockford area.”
Community Care Alliance of Illinois was formed by a group of concerned parties committed to improving the way health care is managed and provided to people with disabilities, including Access Living, an Independent Living Center for people with disabilities, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Schwab Rehabilitation Center, the Health and Policy Research Group, and the Family Health Network, which has provided managed care for enrollees in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for 18 years.
Family Health Network (FHN), founded in 1995 to bring quality health insurance to those who need it the most, is the parent company of CCAI. FHN has been the only not-for-profit managed care community network serving Chicago and Cook County, and is directed by local health care providers. Through years of steady growth, FHN has become a leader in government-sponsored (Medicaid) managed care programs, serving members with excellent providers and hospitals, including psychiatric and children's facilities. FHN has remained successful while other provider sponsored and for-profit plans have come and gone.
“We think we have proven the effectiveness of the not-for-profit, community network and provider- governed model for achieving better health-care results and life quality for beneficiaries. CCAI is the next step for better care and support for people with disabilities,” said FHN CEO Keith Kudla.
Consumer control is a central part of the CCAI model. Two representatives with disabilities serve on the board of directors, and CCAI has formed a groundbreaking Disability Community Stakeholders Forum in addition to the state-required consumer advisory council. Both are part of the ongoing planning and implementation of services.
### Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
The Community Care Alliance of Illinois (CCAI) today announced its entry into the Chicago area to provide comprehensive health care and wellness services to people with disabilities and seniors covered by Medicaid. CCAI is a nonprofit Managed Care Community Network. Voluntary enrollment for seniors and persons with disabilities under Medicaid began in February.
CCAI was one of seven health plans approved by the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) to provide integrated care for people with disabilities covered by Medicaid. Under the Integrated Care Plan (ICP), the state of Illinois has set a goal to have 50 percent of all Medicaid recipients enrolled in care coordination by 2015, as required by law. CCAI is the only nonprofit managed care organization participating in the Integrated Care Program. CCAI assumes the risk in providing quality health outcomes. CCAI has also been approved as a Medicare Advantage plan.
“The Community Care Alliance of Illinois is thrilled to announce our entry into the Chicago market. We are excited about providing a new level of consumer-responsive care to people with disabilities and seniors in Chicago,” said CCAI President Greg Alexander.
CCAI launched its health plan in the Rockford area in June and today covers 1,500 Enrollees there. The CCAI provider network has 39 hospitals, 1,200 Primary care physicians and 4,500 specialists in Chicago.
The CCAI Model of Care uses a system of Anchor Health Homes to provide wrap-around care, coordination and support for Enrollees. CCAI employs a provider office accessibility check list to ensure all network sites are fully accessible for people with disabilities, and training to ensure providers have the competency needed to treat and relate to them. CCAI Anchor Health Homes in Chicago include:· Mt. Sinai Hospital
· Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital
· Swedish Covenant Hospital
· Aviva Women’s Health
· Mercy Hospital and Medical Center
· St. Bernard Hospital and Health Center
· PrimeCare Community Health
· Lawndale Christian Health Center
Achieving positive health outcomes and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities requires attention to the entire spectrum of need. The CCAI Model of Care encompasses six domains of care and support, including long-term care:· Medical
· Functional (e.g. mobility, activities of daily living, memory, problem solving)
· Environmental (housing, community, transportation)
· Financial (basic and medical needs)
· Social Support (Friends, family, social groups)
· Psychological (Stress management, mental illness)
CCAI employs disability-competent interdisciplinary-care teams to manage each Enrollee’s care, including a primary-care physician and nurse practitioner, a registered nurse care coordinator available 24/7, a long-term services and supports coordinator, medical specialists and rehabilitation services. CCAI also engages Peer Navigators, people with disabilities themselves who understand the challenges faced by their peers and can offer solutions that help achieve greater independence and quality of life.
A new CCAI video about the model of care, Making Person-Centered Care a Reality can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ6Rq8N3xK4
CCAI has served 1,500 Enrollees in the Rockford area since July 2013. CCAI offices are located at its Anchor Health Home at Rockford Health System. The on-site interdisciplinary team includes a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Care Coordinator, Nurse Practitioner, and a Long-term Services and Supports Coordinator.
“Being an Anchor Health Home in the CCAI network enhances our mission of Superior Care. Every Day. For All Our Patients," said Michele Lippert, Rockford Health Physicians Chief Operating Officer. “We are excited about bringing a new level of care to people with disabilities and seniors on Medicaid in the Rockford area.”
Community Care Alliance of Illinois was formed by a group of concerned parties committed to improving the way health care is managed and provided to people with disabilities, including Access Living, an Independent Living Center for people with disabilities, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Schwab Rehabilitation Center, the Health and Policy Research Group, and the Family Health Network, which has provided managed care for enrollees in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for 18 years.
Family Health Network (FHN), founded in 1995 to bring quality health insurance to those who need it the most, is the parent company of CCAI. FHN has been the only not-for-profit managed care community network serving Chicago and Cook County, and is directed by local health care providers. Through years of steady growth, FHN has become a leader in government-sponsored (Medicaid) managed care programs, serving members with excellent providers and hospitals, including psychiatric and children's facilities. FHN has remained successful while other provider sponsored and for-profit plans have come and gone.
“We think we have proven the effectiveness of the not-for-profit, community network and provider- governed model for achieving better health-care results and life quality for beneficiaries. CCAI is the next step for better care and support for people with disabilities,” said FHN CEO Keith Kudla.
Consumer control is a central part of the CCAI model. Two representatives with disabilities serve on the board of directors, and CCAI has formed a groundbreaking Disability Community Stakeholders Forum in addition to the state-required consumer advisory council. Both are part of the ongoing planning and implementation of services.
### Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
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May 6 Virtual Conference: Execs, Top Consultants from Milliman, Deloitte, eHealth and Others Will Offer Lessons Learned from Exchange Launch
Speakers for Atlantic Information Services’s May 6 virtual conference include health plan executives and top consultants from high-profile companies such as Milliman, Deloitte, Leavitt Partners, Connect for Health Colorado, eHealth, Molina Healthcare, Independence Blue Cross, Venable and Medica.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is pleased to announce the speakers for its upcoming virtual conference, “Public Exchanges: Translating Lessons Learned Into Insurer Strategies for 2015.” During this May 6 program, many of the nation’s top thought leaders from high-profile companies such as Milliman, Deloitte, Leavitt Partners, Connect for Health Colorado, eHealth, Molina Healthcare, Independence Blue Cross, Venable and Medica will offer a “big picture” assessment of recent events and the resulting strategies that could be implemented for next year, discuss why Web-broker entities are poised to be a game changer for health insurers participating on public exchanges, examine how carriers are designing, pricing and promoting their exchange-based products for 2015, and assess how the “3Rs” are working and what’s likely to change.
The speakers are:· Victoria Boyarsky, consulting actuary at Milliman,
· Dannette Coleman, vice president and general manager for individual business at Medica,
· Christopher Condeluci, Of Counsel at the law firm Venable LLP,
· Rosemarie Day, president of Day Health Strategies,
· Don Garlitz, director of bswift’s Exchange Solutions division,
· Sam Gibbs, senior vice president at eHealth, Inc.,
· Kamran Hashim, associate vice president of strategy, policy and implementation for health insurance exchanges at Molina Healthcare, Inc.,
· Lindy Hinman, chief operating officer at Connect for Health Colorado insurance exchange,
· Patrick Howard, director of Deloitte's Public Sector State Health Care Practice,
· John Janney, senior vice president of health care reform implementation and transformation consultant at Independence Blue Cross,
· Hans Leida, Ph.D., consulting actuary and principal at Milliman
· David Liner, consulting actuary at Milliman, and
· Daniel Schuyler, director at Leavitt Partners.
This comprehensive program will be split into four sessions, each session concluding with generous time allocated to answering individual questions.
AIS’s virtual conference allows participants to attend a live conference without having to travel to a meeting site. Plus, the registration fee includes a free On-Demand recording of each session, so any agenda items can be reviewed at a later time.
For more information, including a full agenda, speaker biographies and how to register, visit http://aishealth.com/public-exchanges.
About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is pleased to announce the speakers for its upcoming virtual conference, “Public Exchanges: Translating Lessons Learned Into Insurer Strategies for 2015.” During this May 6 program, many of the nation’s top thought leaders from high-profile companies such as Milliman, Deloitte, Leavitt Partners, Connect for Health Colorado, eHealth, Molina Healthcare, Independence Blue Cross, Venable and Medica will offer a “big picture” assessment of recent events and the resulting strategies that could be implemented for next year, discuss why Web-broker entities are poised to be a game changer for health insurers participating on public exchanges, examine how carriers are designing, pricing and promoting their exchange-based products for 2015, and assess how the “3Rs” are working and what’s likely to change.
The speakers are:· Victoria Boyarsky, consulting actuary at Milliman,
· Dannette Coleman, vice president and general manager for individual business at Medica,
· Christopher Condeluci, Of Counsel at the law firm Venable LLP,
· Rosemarie Day, president of Day Health Strategies,
· Don Garlitz, director of bswift’s Exchange Solutions division,
· Sam Gibbs, senior vice president at eHealth, Inc.,
· Kamran Hashim, associate vice president of strategy, policy and implementation for health insurance exchanges at Molina Healthcare, Inc.,
· Lindy Hinman, chief operating officer at Connect for Health Colorado insurance exchange,
· Patrick Howard, director of Deloitte's Public Sector State Health Care Practice,
· John Janney, senior vice president of health care reform implementation and transformation consultant at Independence Blue Cross,
· Hans Leida, Ph.D., consulting actuary and principal at Milliman
· David Liner, consulting actuary at Milliman, and
· Daniel Schuyler, director at Leavitt Partners.
This comprehensive program will be split into four sessions, each session concluding with generous time allocated to answering individual questions.
AIS’s virtual conference allows participants to attend a live conference without having to travel to a meeting site. Plus, the registration fee includes a free On-Demand recording of each session, so any agenda items can be reviewed at a later time.
For more information, including a full agenda, speaker biographies and how to register, visit http://aishealth.com/public-exchanges.
About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
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Sick Leave: Kathleen Sebelius' Five Worst Moments
Hours before she announced her resignation, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius got one last chance to announce a triumph: She personally delivered the news that 7.5 million people had signed up for health insurance on the troubled new exchanges.
Reported by msnbc.com 18 hours ago.
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Can Obamacare Help You Save Money on Your Car Insurance?
Obamacare, the law that could save you 2 percent or more on car insurance? A study released Wednesday by the Rand Corporation finds that as more people gain health insurance, the costs of other types
Reported by ajc.com 17 hours ago.
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Sebelius Resignation A Nightmare for Democrats
On Thursday, less than two weeks after telling the press she was going to "stick around," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced her resignation from the Obama Administration. The announcement caught Washington by surprise, as the chattering class had only recently convinced itself that the troubles for the health care law were in the rear-view mirror. The resignation, though, now triggers two words that could prove a nightmare for Democrats and their hope to stave off disaster in November: "Confirmation Hearing". When the Sebelius resignation was announced, the White House indicated it would nominate OMB Director Sylvia Burwell to be the next HHS Secretary. Burwell seems a relatively competent technocrat, having held senior positions in the Clinton Administration and in the private sector at McKinsey and the Bill Gates and Wal-Mart foundations. Senators may question her, however, about her role in ordering parks and monuments closed during the government shutdown last year.
The real drama of the hearings, however, is the opportunity it affords Republicans to focus attention back on ObamaCare, just months before the midterm elections. Hearings on Burwell's confirmation are likely to be held this summer, just as the campaigns are entering the final stretch to November. The hearings will give the GOP a chance to resume its attacks on the sweeping health care law.
Despite Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's use of the "nuclear option" to let nominees pass with only a bare-majority vote -- meaning no Republicans will be needed to confirm Burwell -- the hearings will still provide a spotlight on the health care law that vulnerable Democrats have cause to fear.
Worse for Democrats, however, is the fact that the confirmation hearings could come at a time that significant problems with ObamaCare are emerging. Two new studies, by the Rand Corporation and pharmaceutical-benefits manager ExpressScripts, cast doubt on the White House's recent victory lap over the health care law.
There are two enormous unknown variables about the current state of ObamaCare. The first uncertainty is the number of enrollees who are paying their premiums. The numbers reported by the Obama Administration include only those who have signed up for coverage, not those who have actually received it by paying premiums.
The biggest unknown, however, is the proportion of young, relatively healthy, individuals who have enrolled. ObamaCare only "works" if lots of people who rarely need health care pay into the larger risk pool. If they don't, and the risk pools in the exchanges are disproportionately older and sicker, than premiums will necessarily skyrocket.
The Administration claims it doesn't have information on these questions. This is absurd, since the government has to individually verify every enrollee's eligibility for possible premium subsidies. Setting that aside, the true picture of ObamaCare enrollees will eventually emerge over the coming months.
Insurers will have to evaluate the risk pools in the exchanges to set premium rates for next year. This will likely also effect premiums for existing employer-provided health insurance. If either of the currently unknown variables fail to meet the expectations of the law, insurers will have to impose significant premium increases.
These premium increases will be announced later this year, around the summer. Just as confirmation hearings in the Senate on Sebelius' replacement get underway. Democrats are approaching the "long dark, tea-time of the soul." Reported by Breitbart 17 hours ago.
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Obama Announces Sebelius Resignation, Successor
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama praised outgoing Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for helping to steer his health care law's comeback after a rocky rollout, even as he nominated a successor aimed at helping the White House move past the political damage.
"Under Kathleen's leadership, her team at HHS turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done," Obama said in a Rose Garden ceremony Friday morning. "And the final score speaks for itself." About 7.5 million people have signed up for health insurance through the new law, exceeding expectations after website woes stymied sign-ups for week when enrollment opened last fall.
Obama nominated his budget chief, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to replace Sebelius, calling her "a proven manager" who knows how to get results. The nomination of Burwell, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate for her current post last year, appeared aimed at avoiding an election-year confirmation fight.
"Last time, she was confirmed unanimously," Obama said. "I'm assuming not much has changed since that time."
Sebelius, who has served as Obama's health and human services chief for five years, was instrumental in steering the sweeping health law through Congress in 2010. But her tenure was marred by widespread technical problems that crippled the sign-up website for weeks, sparking calls from Republicans for Sebelius' resignation.
While Obama stood by Sebelius publicly throughout the troubled rollout, it became clear that her close relationship with the White House had frayed. West Wing officials said they felt blindsided by the extent of the technical problems and installed a longtime Obama adviser to oversee fixes.
As she announced her resignation Friday, Sebelius called her work on the health law the "cause of my life."
"We are at the front lines of a long-overdue national change," she said. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
"Under Kathleen's leadership, her team at HHS turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done," Obama said in a Rose Garden ceremony Friday morning. "And the final score speaks for itself." About 7.5 million people have signed up for health insurance through the new law, exceeding expectations after website woes stymied sign-ups for week when enrollment opened last fall.
Obama nominated his budget chief, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to replace Sebelius, calling her "a proven manager" who knows how to get results. The nomination of Burwell, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate for her current post last year, appeared aimed at avoiding an election-year confirmation fight.
"Last time, she was confirmed unanimously," Obama said. "I'm assuming not much has changed since that time."
Sebelius, who has served as Obama's health and human services chief for five years, was instrumental in steering the sweeping health law through Congress in 2010. But her tenure was marred by widespread technical problems that crippled the sign-up website for weeks, sparking calls from Republicans for Sebelius' resignation.
While Obama stood by Sebelius publicly throughout the troubled rollout, it became clear that her close relationship with the White House had frayed. West Wing officials said they felt blindsided by the extent of the technical problems and installed a longtime Obama adviser to oversee fixes.
As she announced her resignation Friday, Sebelius called her work on the health law the "cause of my life."
"We are at the front lines of a long-overdue national change," she said. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
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Obama nominates new HHS secretary to fix Obamacare
[caption id="attachment_403567" align="alignnone" width="614"]President Obama stands next to Sylvia Mathews Burwell while nominating her to become director of the White House Office of Management and Budget March 4, 2013.
Credit: Reuters[/caption] President Barack Obama said on Friday he will promote his budget director, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to be health secretary, presiding over the next difficult phase of implementing his healthcare law during the lead-up to the midterm elections. Burwell, who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, will replace Kathleen Sebelius, who was blamed for the disastrous rollout of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. [related tag="obamacare" limit=5]Sebelius's departure removes one lightning rod for critics as Obama and nervous Democrats try to retain control of the U.S. Senate in November midterm elections, but Republicans continue to see problems with the ACA as a winning issue. "If the Obama people thought this was going to calm the waters, I think they misread it. I think it's just going to embolden Republicans," said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. The October 1 launch of new Obamacare health insurance marketplaces, which was plagued by computer problems that stymied access for millions of people, has been condemned by Republicans as a step toward socialized medicine. Burwell is relatively unknown outside the Beltway, and has a "tall order" to fix all the detailed issues with the law, and improve its standing among voters, Yepsen said. Polls show Obamacare remains unpopular. In March, 46 percent of people said they had an unfavorable view of the law, while 38 percent said they liked it, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
*"HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE"*
Sebelius, 65, became the public face for the problem-plagued start to the enrollment period for Obamacare, which was meant to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance and cut into massive U.S. healthcare costs. When enrollment opened in October, the federal HealthCare.gov website used by consumers in 36 states failed to work for weeks. The White House called in a team of management and technology experts to fix the site, which began working more or less smoothly by December. Even as she took responsibility for the failures, Obama stuck by Sebelius, brushing aside pressure to fire her. "Hold me accountable for the debacle. I'm responsible," Sebelius said at an October 30 hearing. The enrollment period was ultimately successful, surpassing the 7 million figure the Obama administration had predicted. But Sebelius, a former governor of Kansas, told Obama in early March she wanted to leave the administration, a White House official said. "She believed that once open enrollment ended it would be the right time to transition the department to new leadership," the official said.
*MANAGEMENT CREDENTIALS*
Burwell, 48, is no stranger to top-level administrative positions, having served as deputy White House chief of staff during the Clinton administration and in top roles at the Treasury Department and the National Economic Council. She served at the Office of Management and Budget twice, as deputy director under Jack Lew from 1998 to 2001, and took over as director about a year ago. She helped the administration manage its response to a shutdown of the federal government brought on by a budget battle with Republicans in October. In the intervening years, she worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as head of the Wal-Mart Foundation. Burwell "seems to have a strong background in management, and that's what we need now," said Timothy Jost, a healthcare expert who teaches at Washington and Lee University. "We're over some of the biggest hurdles now, and what we need is somebody who can stay the course." Her nomination into the contentious position will likely be eased by a Senate rule change last year known as the "nuclear option," which lowers the vote threshold needed to overcome procedural hurdles for confirmation of presidential nominees. Instead of the previous 60 votes required to override a senator's objection to a nominee, only 51 votes are needed to advance to a final vote under the changes made by Senate Democrats, who currently control the Senate 55 votes to 45. One of the first challenges for Burwell will be to work with health insurers in the coming months as they set prices for Obamacare plans in 2015. Industry executives have warned that many states could see double-digit increases in monthly premiums as they try to account for the higher proportion of older policyholders who often cost more to cover. Such price hikes would provide fodder for Republican opponents of the law who say it creates financial burdens for individuals and businesses. She will also be challenged to improve the health insurance exchanges before the next enrollment period begins in November, and with the Treasury Department, implement new penalties for Americans who did not buy health insurance. Democrats facing tough races in November are pushing for politically palatable changes to the law, while Republicans will push to get rid of it. "Secretary Sebelius may be gone, but the problems with this law and the impact it's having on our constituents aren't," said Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate. "Obamacare has to go, too," McConnell said in a statement.
*BUTT OF LATE-NIGHT JOKES*
Sebelius's resignation caps a series of departures by lower-profile officials responsible for implementing the law. Sebelius testified to Congress about the law as recently as Thursday, giving no sign that she was about to step down. In an interview with the New York Times, Sebelius said she wished she could take "all the animosity" toward Obamacare with her when she departs. "If that could just leave with me, and we could get to a new chapter, that would be terrific," she said. Lawmakers from both parties gave Sebelius credit on Thursday for persevering through what Republican Senator Orrin Hatch called "one of the toughest jobs in Washington." Analysts said Sebelius's career as secretary hit a low point soon after the October 1 launch, when she continued to travel the country to promote enrollment, including an embarrassing appearance on "The Daily Show," a cable television comedy program, and regular skewering on "Saturday Night Live." Republicans including her fellow Kansan Senator Pat Roberts called for her to step down for what he called "gross incompetence", and administration insiders said relations with the White House grew increasingly tense thereafter. "You won't find a piece of paper saying she was fired. But it had to be uncomfortable, and not having a change in personnel after the disastrous rollout must have rubbed the administration's Democratic supporters the wrong way," said Joe Antos of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
The post Obama nominates new HHS secretary to fix Obamacare appeared first on Metro.us. Reported by metronews 17 hours ago.
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Study: More NM kids insured; nearly half rely on public coverage
The percentage of New Mexico children without health insurance dropped by nearly 5 percentage points between 2008 and 2012, and the entire decrease is due to enrollment in public health insurance plans, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2012, 8.6 percent of the state’s children were uninsured, down from 13.4 percent in 2008, the study said. The percentage of children with public insurance coverage such as Medicaid increased to 45.1 percent from 39.2 percent during…
Reported by bizjournals 17 hours ago.
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Sebelius: Work at HHS is the 'cause of my life'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seh-BEEL'-yuhs) says the government is making "tremendous progress" toward fixing what she called a broken health system. [...] the administration rebounded and exceeded expectations by getting more than 7 million people to sign up for health insurance.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 17 hours ago.
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Here are the biggest problems for Obamacare’s next leader
If Sylvia Mathews Burwell is confirmed as the next secretary of Health and Human Services, it puts her in charge of a sprawling health-care overhaul that's still gaining its footing and is under constant attack from opponents. The Obama administration is celebrating the more than 7.5 million people who have signed up for coverage in Obamacare health insurance marketplaces, but there are big implementation challenges for the next HHS leader.
Reported by Washington Post 16 hours ago.
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Valerie Jarrett Cannot Rule Out Future ‘Glitches’ with Obamacare Implementation
Valerie Jarrett said that neither she nor the president could guarantee that the implementation of the ACA would be perfect moving forward, but that it was an important task to improve Americans' access to health insurance.
Reported by Mediaite 16 hours ago.
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How healthy are the newly insured in the exchanges?
Early data released by the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager provides a snapshot of the health of the individuals who have so far enrolled in the health insurance exchanges that are part of the Affordable Care Act. For the months of January and February, individuals in the exchanges used more medications prescribed to treat pain, seizures, HIV and antidepressants compared with individuals enrolled in commercial health insurance plans. However, the enrollees in the exchanges used fewer…
Reported by bizjournals 16 hours ago.
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White House Retweets Ezra Klein: Sebelius Resignation a Sign 'Obamacare Won'
The announcement that Kathleen Sebelius would be stepping down as Health and Human Services Secretary spread far and wide before the White House acknowledged it. Instead of announcing it themselves, the White House Twitter account retweeted a Vox post by Ezra Klein, claiming the move meant that Obamacare had "won."Klein immediately heralded the news on his new platform, Vox, with the title "Kathleen Sebelius is resigning because Obamacare has won." His unorthodox take on why people resign argued that Sebelius was resigning because she "can," because her job in that position was done. "In other words, the law has won its survival. The Obama administration can exhale," Klein writes. Klein did not speculate that a massively flawed logistical operation like the HealthCare.gov situation could have prompted the change in leadership at the department. The White House, apparently, agrees, tweeting out a link to the article in lieu of a statement on the matter.
The Obama administration has been touting astronomical enrollment numbers of the Affordable Care Act after the enrollment website, HealthCare.gov, spent months in a state of near complete disarray and left millions unable to even attempt enrolling into a health insurance program. The numbers Democrats have used to claim the ACA's alleged success include Medicaid enrollments, which would have occurred without the ACA, and individuals who were forced to buy insurance in the federal marketplace because Obamacare prompted insurers to cancel their original plans. The particularly embarrassing CuidadodeSalud.gov, which many Latinos complained boasted grammatically incorrect and awkward Spanish, also receives little attention from those claiming Obamacare's succes.
During the initial days of the health care law rollout, Ezra Klein became one of the most outspoken critics of HealthCare.gov on the left. Klein described the original version of the website in October as "confusing" and "very bad." He accused the Obama administration specifically of doing a "terrible job" implementing the law. Klein distinguished his criticism of the website and logistics behind implementing the law from criticism of the law itself, however. Klein wrote favorably of the technical details of programs under the Affordable Care Act, describing the new premiums under the law as a "great success."
Secretary Sebelius is expected to step down immediately, to be replaced by Office of Management and Budget director Sylvia Burwell. The White House Twitter feed later supplemented Klein's retweet with comments from President Obama, who thanked Sebelius and noted that "Kathleen’s work over the past five years will benefit our families and our country for decades to come." Reported by Breitbart 15 hours ago.
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Kathleen Sebelius' LGBT legacy
Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius resigned yesterday, after leading President Obama's successful efforts to get 7.5 million Americans signed up for private health insurance since last fall. At least 3 million more have signed up for expanded Medicaid coverage. This is an amazing accomplishment. Many demographic groups are disproportionately benefiting from this expansion of insurance coverage and access to health care, including LGBT people and people living with HIV, who are much less likely to have health insurance.
Sebelius became a lightning rod for criticism by conservative opponents of the Affordable Care Act, especially after the botched roll-out of healthcare.gov last fall. However, despite these problems, overall, Secretary Sebelius' record is one of great accomplishment. As researchers, providers, and policy advocates for LGBT health and HIV issues, we here at The Fenway Institute are very grateful to Secretary Sebelius for her incredible leadership on our issues. We know many other members of our communities agree. Here are just a few things that happened under Secretary Sebelius' five years at the helm at HHS:
· *Healthy People 2020:* In our nation's blueprint for improving the health of Americans over the next decade, the federal government committed, for the first time, to ending LGBT health disparities, such as lower rates of Pap tests and mammography for lesbians. "Healthy People" addresses social determinants that affect the health of LGBT people, including "oppression and discrimination."
· *Institute of Medicine Report on LGBT Health:* This groundbreaking report reviewed the current state of LGBT health research, called for more data collection, and urged the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a research agenda for LGBT health. In 2013 the NIH released its initial plan to advance LGBT health research and is funding more work in this area.
· *Data collection:* As authorized by Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in 2011 Secretary Sebelius called for more data collection on LGBT health disparities. A sexual orientation question is now being asked on the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). HHS is also cognitively testing a gender identity question to be added to NHIS in the future. Sexual orientation questions are being added to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are more actively promoting sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI) questions for state behavioral risk factor surveys. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is also taking steps to promote SO/GI data collection in health-care settings through its "meaningful use" program for electronic health records.
· *The Affordable Care Act:* Same-sex couples are insured at rates much lower than heterosexual couples. Many single LGBT people are uninsured. In 2012 only 13 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S. had private insurance; 25 percent had no insurance at all. Lesbians and transgender people are less likely to seek preventive health care, partly due to lack of insurance and partly due to a dearth of culturally competent providers. The ACA eliminates the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, including HIV. It also eliminates annual and lifetime spending caps. ACA regulations outlaw discrimination against LGBT people through Qualified Health Plans offered on the state and federal insurance exchanges. While a number of issues still need to be addressed -- in particular high copays for antiretroviral medications -- by and large the ACA will benefit LGBT people and people living with HIV, more than half of whom are gay and bisexual men and transgender women.
· *Youth and elder advances:* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency is working with researcher Caitlin Ryan to promote family acceptance of LGBT youth as a resiliency factor that can reduce health risk behaviors and mental health issues. The Administration on Aging has authorized state elder agencies to designate LGBT elders as a population of "greatest social need," which can enable Older Americans Act funding for service provider training, targeted services such as congregate meals, and research on LGBT elder needs.
· *HIV/AIDS:* HHS has worked closely with other federal agencies to implement the nation's first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy. While we have seen improvements in linkage to care and viral suppression rates, new infections are still increasing among gay and bisexual men, especially black gay men. CDC has started gathering data on gender identity, and HRSA, the HIV care agency, has prioritized improving treatment outcomes among transgender women. Advances in biomedical prevention, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), have been rolled out in recent years and offer hope.
· *The HHS LGBT Issues Working Group:* This group, led by HHS Assistant Secretary Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greeley, Deputy General Counsel Ken Choe, and LGBT Outreach Director Dr. Matt Heinz, will continue to move forward the critical work Secretary Sebelius has led since 2009.
There are still many things that HHS could do to advance better health care for LGBT people. For example, designating LGBT people as a "medically underserved population" and as a "health professional shortage area population" could increase resources for training providers in LGBT health. But Secretary Sebelius' accomplishments on LGBT health, working closely with President Obama and other leaders throughout the federal government, are really quite remarkable. Thank you, Secretary Sebelius. Your legacy will be the improved health of all Americans, and especially LGBT Americans.
Sean Cahill is Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration at New York University's Wagner School. Reported by Huffington Post 15 hours ago.
Sebelius became a lightning rod for criticism by conservative opponents of the Affordable Care Act, especially after the botched roll-out of healthcare.gov last fall. However, despite these problems, overall, Secretary Sebelius' record is one of great accomplishment. As researchers, providers, and policy advocates for LGBT health and HIV issues, we here at The Fenway Institute are very grateful to Secretary Sebelius for her incredible leadership on our issues. We know many other members of our communities agree. Here are just a few things that happened under Secretary Sebelius' five years at the helm at HHS:
· *Healthy People 2020:* In our nation's blueprint for improving the health of Americans over the next decade, the federal government committed, for the first time, to ending LGBT health disparities, such as lower rates of Pap tests and mammography for lesbians. "Healthy People" addresses social determinants that affect the health of LGBT people, including "oppression and discrimination."
· *Institute of Medicine Report on LGBT Health:* This groundbreaking report reviewed the current state of LGBT health research, called for more data collection, and urged the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a research agenda for LGBT health. In 2013 the NIH released its initial plan to advance LGBT health research and is funding more work in this area.
· *Data collection:* As authorized by Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in 2011 Secretary Sebelius called for more data collection on LGBT health disparities. A sexual orientation question is now being asked on the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). HHS is also cognitively testing a gender identity question to be added to NHIS in the future. Sexual orientation questions are being added to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are more actively promoting sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI) questions for state behavioral risk factor surveys. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is also taking steps to promote SO/GI data collection in health-care settings through its "meaningful use" program for electronic health records.
· *The Affordable Care Act:* Same-sex couples are insured at rates much lower than heterosexual couples. Many single LGBT people are uninsured. In 2012 only 13 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S. had private insurance; 25 percent had no insurance at all. Lesbians and transgender people are less likely to seek preventive health care, partly due to lack of insurance and partly due to a dearth of culturally competent providers. The ACA eliminates the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, including HIV. It also eliminates annual and lifetime spending caps. ACA regulations outlaw discrimination against LGBT people through Qualified Health Plans offered on the state and federal insurance exchanges. While a number of issues still need to be addressed -- in particular high copays for antiretroviral medications -- by and large the ACA will benefit LGBT people and people living with HIV, more than half of whom are gay and bisexual men and transgender women.
· *Youth and elder advances:* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency is working with researcher Caitlin Ryan to promote family acceptance of LGBT youth as a resiliency factor that can reduce health risk behaviors and mental health issues. The Administration on Aging has authorized state elder agencies to designate LGBT elders as a population of "greatest social need," which can enable Older Americans Act funding for service provider training, targeted services such as congregate meals, and research on LGBT elder needs.
· *HIV/AIDS:* HHS has worked closely with other federal agencies to implement the nation's first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy. While we have seen improvements in linkage to care and viral suppression rates, new infections are still increasing among gay and bisexual men, especially black gay men. CDC has started gathering data on gender identity, and HRSA, the HIV care agency, has prioritized improving treatment outcomes among transgender women. Advances in biomedical prevention, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), have been rolled out in recent years and offer hope.
· *The HHS LGBT Issues Working Group:* This group, led by HHS Assistant Secretary Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greeley, Deputy General Counsel Ken Choe, and LGBT Outreach Director Dr. Matt Heinz, will continue to move forward the critical work Secretary Sebelius has led since 2009.
There are still many things that HHS could do to advance better health care for LGBT people. For example, designating LGBT people as a "medically underserved population" and as a "health professional shortage area population" could increase resources for training providers in LGBT health. But Secretary Sebelius' accomplishments on LGBT health, working closely with President Obama and other leaders throughout the federal government, are really quite remarkable. Thank you, Secretary Sebelius. Your legacy will be the improved health of all Americans, and especially LGBT Americans.
Sean Cahill is Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration at New York University's Wagner School. Reported by Huffington Post 15 hours ago.
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Where Did the Good Jobs Go?
Several days ago, the Labor Department released its most recent figures -- 192,000 new jobs were created in March. That's good news, right? Not necessarily. It's not just the quantity of jobs but the quality that matters, and the quality isn't there.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its own set of data, identifying the fastest growing and largest employment sectors this week. Its findings were sobering but unfortunately not unexpected. As of May 2013, the most recent date for which data is available, the lion's share of jobs are increasingly in low-wage industries such as food service (including fast food, food preparation and waiting tables), office administration, retail, and customer service. With the exception of nursing, average wages for the 10 most common occupations ranged from $18,800 to $34,000. In light of this new data, it's clear that we're overlooking an important angle. If our economy is in recovery, with new jobs being created and profits on the rise, why are wages declining? And how are these low-wage workers making ends meet?
If we look at the numbers, we can see that the answer is simple: They aren't. Heartland Alliance, the Midwest's leading anti-poverty organization, where I work, is based in Illinois, where the average yearly wage for a cashier is $21,250, or $10.22 an hour. This simply isn't a wage you can live off of and as these jobs have multiplied, so has the number of families relying on government programs such as food stamps to make ends meet. Today, one in seven Americans utilize this program -- in 2007 there were less than half as many.
With monthly benefits averaging $130 per person, these low-income workers must spend their food stamp dollars in the most economical possible manner or go hungry. Often, they end up shopping at local discount stores -- which rely largely on low-wage labor -- perpetuating the cycle. These families work hard but can't get by, they rely on benefits to close the gap but have no choice but to patronize the businesses that keep wages low in the first place. That's a cycle that's bad for families, bad for communities and bad for the economy.
We don't have to accept this as a give -- or pick between profitable businesses and well-paid workers. Costco is a great example of this -- it pays its employees an average of just over $20 per hour with pensions and health insurance available and its profits have grown 15 percent annually since 2009. By paying workers well, we also create a cycle -- one we want to encourage. Well-paid workers spend their increased income in their communities, helping to lift their families out of poverty and create thriving local businesses. As communities grow, they become more attractive to businesses looking to invest, bringing new job opportunities and furthering the cycle of growth, which can minimize ties to government programs and help balance our nation's budget. It's a cycle that leads to stability, rather than stagnation and poverty.
In America, short-sighted policy decisions are an issue we're faced with on a consistent basis. Poverty doesn't exist in a bubble; those who receive government benefits increasingly live in a household in which someone works full-time year-round. The problem isn't that there are too few jobs -- it's that there are too few jobs that pay a living wage. Let's take the long view on this. A higher minimum wage would reward work and decrease the need for government benefits and it needn't strip businesses of a healthy profit margin. It's time to decide where our priorities are and make the investment our workers deserve. Reported by Huffington Post 14 hours ago.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its own set of data, identifying the fastest growing and largest employment sectors this week. Its findings were sobering but unfortunately not unexpected. As of May 2013, the most recent date for which data is available, the lion's share of jobs are increasingly in low-wage industries such as food service (including fast food, food preparation and waiting tables), office administration, retail, and customer service. With the exception of nursing, average wages for the 10 most common occupations ranged from $18,800 to $34,000. In light of this new data, it's clear that we're overlooking an important angle. If our economy is in recovery, with new jobs being created and profits on the rise, why are wages declining? And how are these low-wage workers making ends meet?
If we look at the numbers, we can see that the answer is simple: They aren't. Heartland Alliance, the Midwest's leading anti-poverty organization, where I work, is based in Illinois, where the average yearly wage for a cashier is $21,250, or $10.22 an hour. This simply isn't a wage you can live off of and as these jobs have multiplied, so has the number of families relying on government programs such as food stamps to make ends meet. Today, one in seven Americans utilize this program -- in 2007 there were less than half as many.
With monthly benefits averaging $130 per person, these low-income workers must spend their food stamp dollars in the most economical possible manner or go hungry. Often, they end up shopping at local discount stores -- which rely largely on low-wage labor -- perpetuating the cycle. These families work hard but can't get by, they rely on benefits to close the gap but have no choice but to patronize the businesses that keep wages low in the first place. That's a cycle that's bad for families, bad for communities and bad for the economy.
We don't have to accept this as a give -- or pick between profitable businesses and well-paid workers. Costco is a great example of this -- it pays its employees an average of just over $20 per hour with pensions and health insurance available and its profits have grown 15 percent annually since 2009. By paying workers well, we also create a cycle -- one we want to encourage. Well-paid workers spend their increased income in their communities, helping to lift their families out of poverty and create thriving local businesses. As communities grow, they become more attractive to businesses looking to invest, bringing new job opportunities and furthering the cycle of growth, which can minimize ties to government programs and help balance our nation's budget. It's a cycle that leads to stability, rather than stagnation and poverty.
In America, short-sighted policy decisions are an issue we're faced with on a consistent basis. Poverty doesn't exist in a bubble; those who receive government benefits increasingly live in a household in which someone works full-time year-round. The problem isn't that there are too few jobs -- it's that there are too few jobs that pay a living wage. Let's take the long view on this. A higher minimum wage would reward work and decrease the need for government benefits and it needn't strip businesses of a healthy profit margin. It's time to decide where our priorities are and make the investment our workers deserve. Reported by Huffington Post 14 hours ago.
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As Sebelius Steps Down, Obama Taps Budget Director To Replace Her
President Obama bid farewell Friday to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, whose lengthy tenure was marred by the botched rollout of the government's health insurance website. Obama wants his budget director, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to replace Sebelius.
Reported by NPR 13 hours ago.
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HUFFPOLLSTER: Scott Brown Trails In New Hampshire Senate Race
Another new poll in New Hampshire finds Scott Brown still trailing Jeanne Shaheen. Gallup finds most attitudes on ACA unchanged, but fewer who expect long-term negative consequences for their families. And Pew Research looks at how America's demographics are changing shape -- literally. This is HuffPollster for Friday, April 11, 2014.
*NH: SHAHEEN LEADS BROWN IN YET ANOTHER POLL* - UNH/WMUR Granite State poll: "Senator Jeanne Shaheen continues to lead all Republican challengers, but her favorability ratings have slipped in recent months. Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is the strongest challenger, but is viewed unfavorably by Granite Staters….If the election were held today and Shaheen and Brown were the candidates, *45% of likely voters say they would vote for Shaheen, 39% would vote for Brown*, 2% support someone else, and 14% are undecided. One interesting thing to note about this matchup is that Brown leads in residents who have moved to the state from Massachusetts (50%-37%), while Shaheen has a slight edge in lifelong New Hampshire residents (44-42%) and a big lead among those who have moved here from other states (50%-31%)....Shaheen’s net favorability rating, the percentage who have a favorable opinion of her minus the percentage who have an unfavorable opinion, is +14%. This is a slight drop from her +16% net favorability in January and is her lowest rating in three years, but it is typical for candidates as they enter a re-election period." [UNH]
*Comparable to other polls* - Shaheen's 6-point lead in the poll is down from a 10-point advantage in January, but marks the eighth poll in a row to find her with an advantage of 5 points or more, including a PPP(D)/League of Conservation voters survey released just this week. HuffPost Pollster's tracking model gives Shaheen an average 8.6 point lead, with little to suggest that the race has become more competitive since Brown's entrance into the race. [HuffPollster]
*FEWER EXPECT PERSONAL NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS FROM ACA* - Jeffrey M. Jones: "With the open enrollment period for obtaining health insurance through a federal government exchange now over, Americans' views on the broader healthcare law remain more negative than positive. Currently, 43% approve and 54% disapprove of the law, commonly known as 'Obamacare.'…*The plurality, 42%, now expect the healthcare law will not make much difference to their healthcare situation either way.* That is up from prior surveys and suggests that as more of the law has taken effect, Americans are more likely to see that it is not affecting them -- and has not made their situation worse. These changes are a result of a shift in Republicans' views. Republicans are now more likely than in the prior survey to predict the law's long-term impact on their family will be negligible and less likely to believe it will be harmful. Perhaps with more of the law's provisions now in effect, and little evidence it has actually hurt their healthcare situation, Republicans' views may be more informed by their experience rather than their negative opinions about the law more generally." [Gallup]
*PEW'S 'INTERACTIVE ESSAY' MAPS GENERATIONAL SHIFTS* - Pew Research had previously posted results from a massive new report on the Millennial generation and a book, The Next America, on how demographics will reshape the United States in coming decades. On Thursday, they published a new "interactive essay" summarizing some of the same data. The new essay is "*a creative way to share our recent findings* about America’s two big demographic trends,” according to Sara Goo, Pew Research Center’s senior digital editor. “It’s the result of putting researchers, graphic designers and web developers together to see how we can tell data stories in a more compelling way.”
*A graph of age cohorts usually forms a pyramid* - One example from the new report: "Let’s start with what demographers call an “age pyramid.” Each bar represents a five year age cohort; with those ages 0-4 on the bottom and those ages 85 and older on the top. In every society since the start of history, whenever you broke down any population this way, you’d always get a pyramid. *But from 1960 to 2060, our pyramid will turn into a rectangle*. We'll have almost as many Americans over age 85 as under age 5." [Pew Research]
*HUFFPOLLSTER VIA EMAIL!* - You can receive this daily update every weekday via email! Just click here, enter your email address, and and click "sign up." That's all there is to it (and you can unsubscribe anytime).
*FRIDAY'S 'OUTLIERS'* - Links to the best of news at the intersection of polling, politics and political data:
-Slightly more parents have a positive than a negative impression of the Common Core education standards, but 37 percent don't know enough to say. [Gallup]
-Nate Silver thinks Jeb Bush's support for the common core may not be that controversial. [538]
-An internal poll conducted by a SuperPAC backing Thom Tillis for Senate in North Carolina finds him leading the Republican primary field. [WaPost]
-Kathy Frankovic conducts a public opinion "reputation audit" of Rand Paul. [YouGov]
-David Rothschild examines the results of a study that found less accuracy on non-probability samples. [WashPost]
-Charlie Cook reviews the latest survey from Democracy Corps (D) and Resurgent Republic (R). [National Journal]
-NPR reports on why people exaggerate religious behavior in surveys around the world. [NPR, via @JoshdelaRosa1]
-Jamelle Bouie wonders if the racial polarization of the Deep South could spread. [Slate]
-Abby Rapoport anticipates the ability to compare states' election performance across the years. [American Prospect]
-USA Today database editor Paul Overberg explains how to get the most out of the American Community Survey. [Source via Flowing Data] Reported by Huffington Post 12 hours ago.
*NH: SHAHEEN LEADS BROWN IN YET ANOTHER POLL* - UNH/WMUR Granite State poll: "Senator Jeanne Shaheen continues to lead all Republican challengers, but her favorability ratings have slipped in recent months. Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown is the strongest challenger, but is viewed unfavorably by Granite Staters….If the election were held today and Shaheen and Brown were the candidates, *45% of likely voters say they would vote for Shaheen, 39% would vote for Brown*, 2% support someone else, and 14% are undecided. One interesting thing to note about this matchup is that Brown leads in residents who have moved to the state from Massachusetts (50%-37%), while Shaheen has a slight edge in lifelong New Hampshire residents (44-42%) and a big lead among those who have moved here from other states (50%-31%)....Shaheen’s net favorability rating, the percentage who have a favorable opinion of her minus the percentage who have an unfavorable opinion, is +14%. This is a slight drop from her +16% net favorability in January and is her lowest rating in three years, but it is typical for candidates as they enter a re-election period." [UNH]
*Comparable to other polls* - Shaheen's 6-point lead in the poll is down from a 10-point advantage in January, but marks the eighth poll in a row to find her with an advantage of 5 points or more, including a PPP(D)/League of Conservation voters survey released just this week. HuffPost Pollster's tracking model gives Shaheen an average 8.6 point lead, with little to suggest that the race has become more competitive since Brown's entrance into the race. [HuffPollster]
*FEWER EXPECT PERSONAL NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS FROM ACA* - Jeffrey M. Jones: "With the open enrollment period for obtaining health insurance through a federal government exchange now over, Americans' views on the broader healthcare law remain more negative than positive. Currently, 43% approve and 54% disapprove of the law, commonly known as 'Obamacare.'…*The plurality, 42%, now expect the healthcare law will not make much difference to their healthcare situation either way.* That is up from prior surveys and suggests that as more of the law has taken effect, Americans are more likely to see that it is not affecting them -- and has not made their situation worse. These changes are a result of a shift in Republicans' views. Republicans are now more likely than in the prior survey to predict the law's long-term impact on their family will be negligible and less likely to believe it will be harmful. Perhaps with more of the law's provisions now in effect, and little evidence it has actually hurt their healthcare situation, Republicans' views may be more informed by their experience rather than their negative opinions about the law more generally." [Gallup]
*PEW'S 'INTERACTIVE ESSAY' MAPS GENERATIONAL SHIFTS* - Pew Research had previously posted results from a massive new report on the Millennial generation and a book, The Next America, on how demographics will reshape the United States in coming decades. On Thursday, they published a new "interactive essay" summarizing some of the same data. The new essay is "*a creative way to share our recent findings* about America’s two big demographic trends,” according to Sara Goo, Pew Research Center’s senior digital editor. “It’s the result of putting researchers, graphic designers and web developers together to see how we can tell data stories in a more compelling way.”
*A graph of age cohorts usually forms a pyramid* - One example from the new report: "Let’s start with what demographers call an “age pyramid.” Each bar represents a five year age cohort; with those ages 0-4 on the bottom and those ages 85 and older on the top. In every society since the start of history, whenever you broke down any population this way, you’d always get a pyramid. *But from 1960 to 2060, our pyramid will turn into a rectangle*. We'll have almost as many Americans over age 85 as under age 5." [Pew Research]
*HUFFPOLLSTER VIA EMAIL!* - You can receive this daily update every weekday via email! Just click here, enter your email address, and and click "sign up." That's all there is to it (and you can unsubscribe anytime).
*FRIDAY'S 'OUTLIERS'* - Links to the best of news at the intersection of polling, politics and political data:
-Slightly more parents have a positive than a negative impression of the Common Core education standards, but 37 percent don't know enough to say. [Gallup]
-Nate Silver thinks Jeb Bush's support for the common core may not be that controversial. [538]
-An internal poll conducted by a SuperPAC backing Thom Tillis for Senate in North Carolina finds him leading the Republican primary field. [WaPost]
-Kathy Frankovic conducts a public opinion "reputation audit" of Rand Paul. [YouGov]
-David Rothschild examines the results of a study that found less accuracy on non-probability samples. [WashPost]
-Charlie Cook reviews the latest survey from Democracy Corps (D) and Resurgent Republic (R). [National Journal]
-NPR reports on why people exaggerate religious behavior in surveys around the world. [NPR, via @JoshdelaRosa1]
-Jamelle Bouie wonders if the racial polarization of the Deep South could spread. [Slate]
-Abby Rapoport anticipates the ability to compare states' election performance across the years. [American Prospect]
-USA Today database editor Paul Overberg explains how to get the most out of the American Community Survey. [Source via Flowing Data] Reported by Huffington Post 12 hours ago.
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Organizing For Action Raises Almost $6 Million Since January
A nonprofit group backing President Barack Obama's policy and political priorities raised nearly $6 million during the first three months of 2014.
The group, Organizing for Action, was reorganized into an agenda-driving structure after the 2012 election. It said in a Friday press release that the overall average donation to the group was $38.68 and that it has received 124,637 contributions since January.
OFA's top donor during the quarter was New York billionaire businessman David Shaw, who gave $500,000.
The nonprofit raised $26.3 million in 2013.
Lately, OFA has focused on encouraging the uninsured to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. In February, it echoed Obama's call for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage, and last year it promoted campaign finance reform in New York.
The group doesn't take corporate donations and voluntarily discloses all donations over $250.
Republicans delighted in OFA's announcement Friday, saying that the haul represented an opportunity cost for other Democratic groups working to hold control of the Senate and take back the House of Representatives.
Tim Miller, Executive Director of America Rising, a Republican opposition research group, tweeted his thanks to OFA after an Associated Press reporter announced the fundraising total.
.@AP_Ken_Thomas that's $6 million not going to Dem groups involved in 2014 campaigns. Thanks @OFA @Messina2012
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) April 11, 2014 Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.
The group, Organizing for Action, was reorganized into an agenda-driving structure after the 2012 election. It said in a Friday press release that the overall average donation to the group was $38.68 and that it has received 124,637 contributions since January.
OFA's top donor during the quarter was New York billionaire businessman David Shaw, who gave $500,000.
The nonprofit raised $26.3 million in 2013.
Lately, OFA has focused on encouraging the uninsured to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. In February, it echoed Obama's call for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage, and last year it promoted campaign finance reform in New York.
The group doesn't take corporate donations and voluntarily discloses all donations over $250.
Republicans delighted in OFA's announcement Friday, saying that the haul represented an opportunity cost for other Democratic groups working to hold control of the Senate and take back the House of Representatives.
Tim Miller, Executive Director of America Rising, a Republican opposition research group, tweeted his thanks to OFA after an Associated Press reporter announced the fundraising total.
.@AP_Ken_Thomas that's $6 million not going to Dem groups involved in 2014 campaigns. Thanks @OFA @Messina2012
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) April 11, 2014 Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.
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New ObamaCare Chief Inspires Renewed ObamaCare Claim Specialist Programs from ERISAclaim.com
ERISAclaim.com announces today its renewed 2014 ObamaCare (PPACA) Claim Specialist Programs in the wake of today’s Obama nomination for new HHS Secretary after Sebelius’ resignation, in preparation of the increasing PPACA claims regulation enforcement and the Exchange enrollment.
Hanover Park, IL (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
ERISAclaim.com announces today its renewed 2014 ObamaCare (PPACA) Claim Specialist Program in the wake of today’s Obama nomination for a new HHS Secretary after Sebelius’ resignation, in preparation of the increasing PPACA claims regulation enforcement and PPACA Exchange Program enrollment. A new ObamaCare Chief is expected to fully implement ObamaCare claims regulations. PPACA adopted ERISA claims regulation in its entirety, a 39-year-old federal law, into ObamaCare claims regulations. Today ERISAclaim.com significantly updated and expanded its ObamaCare Claim Specialist Programs into six new categories after its successful ERISA Claim Specialist Programs for 14 years.
“Sebelius out, Obama nominates new health secretary: President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who currently directs the White House budget office, to be the next health secretary, the Cabinet official who's ultimately responsible for overseeing Obamacare.” according to a CNN news report, 1:17 PM EDT, Fri April 11, 2014, at http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/11/politics/burwell-hhs/
“Sebelius’ resignation today as the out-going ObamaCare chief is widely viewed as a result of failure or rocky start for ObamaCare Exchange Program enrollment through Healthcare.gov, with only 7.5 million people. PPACA claims regulation enforcement for 193 million people is the final test for ObamaCare success, while PPACA exchange enrollment is the first step for ObamaCare to begin with. Any successful ObamaCare enrollment without proper reimbursement for healthcare providers at the end of the healthcare delivery will be a universal premium only rather than a universal coverage program,” says Dr. Jin Zhou, president of ERISAclaim.com, a national expert on PPACA and ERISA compliance.
“Obama’s new nomination for ObamaCare chief is significant for all 7.5 million ObamaCare Exchange Program enrollees and more than 76% of 176 million insured workers and their families who paid for out-of-network coverage under all employer-sponsored health plans, as ObamaCare claims regulation will governs all of their claim disputes,” says Dr. Jin Zhou.
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2012/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2011/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2010/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
ERISAclaim.com officially upgraded and expanded its ObamaCare (PPACA) Claim Specialist Programs into six different categories:
1. PPACA & ERISA Claim Specialists, to be specialized on the claims denials & appeals for all delayed and denied PPACA & ERISA claims, alleged overpayment recoupment and offset denials;
2. PPACA Patient Rights Advocate Specialists, to advocate for patient PPACA rights, freedom of choice for in-network or out-of-network network providers;
3. PPACA & ERISA Corporate Compliance Specialists, Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Prevention, to advocate for optimum reimbursement through proactive compliance;
4. PPACA & ERISA Reimbursement under HSA, a special program for patients and healthcare providers to be reimbursed under a 10-year-old HAS (Health Savings Account) with $21 billion savings today, but little-known to healthcare providers, especially for increasingly popular high deductible health plans.
5. PPACA & ERISA Claims Litigation Support, a unique patient advocacy and compliance program to assist healthcare providers and their health care attorneys in exhausting administrative remedies and litigation strategies, in order to advocate for patient PPACA and ERISA rights and enforcement;
6. PPACA & ERISA Plan Assets Embezzlement Recovery Program, for self-insured ERISA plans, an ERISA plan fiduciary compliance assistance program, to recover plan assets from various TPAs with successful overpayment recovery and offset, in an estimated $80 billion healthcare overpayment market.
New ObamaCare Chief and PPACA compliance mandate inspired all of the ERISAclaim.com’s new comprehensive ERISA and PPACA Programs at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform/
ObamaCare adopted ERISA claim regulation in its entirety as minimum ObamaCare claims regulations:
“(i) Minimum internal claims and appeals standards. A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage must comply with all the requirements applicable to group health plans under 29 CFR 2560.503–1 …. with respect to health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan, the group health insurance issuer is subject to the requirements in 29 CFR 2560.503–1 to the same extent as the group health plan.” according to PPACA regulations for Internal Claims and Appeals and External Review. http://webapps.dol.gov/FederalRegister/PdfDisplay.aspx?DocId=24056
“Health Savings Accounts Exceed $20 Billion in January: According to the 7th semi-annual Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) survey and resulting research report conducted by Devenir, HSAs have grown to an estimated $19.3 billion in assets and 10.7 million accounts at year-end 2013 and have grown to well over $20 billion in assets during the month of January.” according to Press Releases, Devenir HSA Survey, February 12, 2014
http://www.devenir.com/health-savings-accounts-exceed-20-billion-january/
“According to IRS HSA official publication, you don’t use it, you get to keep it for life for your HSA account. For $21 billion today only for healthcare providers under HSA, it’s time to wake up for $21 billion truly on ‘First come, First served’ basis”, simplified by Dr. Zhou.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p969/ar02.html#en_US_2013_publink1000204020
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969.pdf
To find out more about PPACA Claims and Appeals Compliance Services from ERISAclaim.com:
http://www.erisaclaim.com/products.htm
Located in a Chicago suburb in Illinois, for over 14 years, ERISAclaim.com is the only ERISA & PPACA consulting, publishing and website resource for healthcare providers in the country. ERISAclaim.com offers free webinars, basic and advanced educational seminars and on-site claims specialist certification programs for doctors, hospitals and commercial companies, as well as numerous pending national ERISA class action litigation support. Dr. Jin Zhou is regarded as the industry “Godfather of ERISA claims” for healthcare providers.
For any questions, please contact Dr. Jin Zhou, president of ERISAclaim.com, at 630-808-7237. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
Hanover Park, IL (PRWEB) April 11, 2014
ERISAclaim.com announces today its renewed 2014 ObamaCare (PPACA) Claim Specialist Program in the wake of today’s Obama nomination for a new HHS Secretary after Sebelius’ resignation, in preparation of the increasing PPACA claims regulation enforcement and PPACA Exchange Program enrollment. A new ObamaCare Chief is expected to fully implement ObamaCare claims regulations. PPACA adopted ERISA claims regulation in its entirety, a 39-year-old federal law, into ObamaCare claims regulations. Today ERISAclaim.com significantly updated and expanded its ObamaCare Claim Specialist Programs into six new categories after its successful ERISA Claim Specialist Programs for 14 years.
“Sebelius out, Obama nominates new health secretary: President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who currently directs the White House budget office, to be the next health secretary, the Cabinet official who's ultimately responsible for overseeing Obamacare.” according to a CNN news report, 1:17 PM EDT, Fri April 11, 2014, at http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/11/politics/burwell-hhs/
“Sebelius’ resignation today as the out-going ObamaCare chief is widely viewed as a result of failure or rocky start for ObamaCare Exchange Program enrollment through Healthcare.gov, with only 7.5 million people. PPACA claims regulation enforcement for 193 million people is the final test for ObamaCare success, while PPACA exchange enrollment is the first step for ObamaCare to begin with. Any successful ObamaCare enrollment without proper reimbursement for healthcare providers at the end of the healthcare delivery will be a universal premium only rather than a universal coverage program,” says Dr. Jin Zhou, president of ERISAclaim.com, a national expert on PPACA and ERISA compliance.
“Obama’s new nomination for ObamaCare chief is significant for all 7.5 million ObamaCare Exchange Program enrollees and more than 76% of 176 million insured workers and their families who paid for out-of-network coverage under all employer-sponsored health plans, as ObamaCare claims regulation will governs all of their claim disputes,” says Dr. Jin Zhou.
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2012/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2011/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
http://stats.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/detailedprovisions/2010/ownership/private/table02a.pdf
ERISAclaim.com officially upgraded and expanded its ObamaCare (PPACA) Claim Specialist Programs into six different categories:
1. PPACA & ERISA Claim Specialists, to be specialized on the claims denials & appeals for all delayed and denied PPACA & ERISA claims, alleged overpayment recoupment and offset denials;
2. PPACA Patient Rights Advocate Specialists, to advocate for patient PPACA rights, freedom of choice for in-network or out-of-network network providers;
3. PPACA & ERISA Corporate Compliance Specialists, Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Prevention, to advocate for optimum reimbursement through proactive compliance;
4. PPACA & ERISA Reimbursement under HSA, a special program for patients and healthcare providers to be reimbursed under a 10-year-old HAS (Health Savings Account) with $21 billion savings today, but little-known to healthcare providers, especially for increasingly popular high deductible health plans.
5. PPACA & ERISA Claims Litigation Support, a unique patient advocacy and compliance program to assist healthcare providers and their health care attorneys in exhausting administrative remedies and litigation strategies, in order to advocate for patient PPACA and ERISA rights and enforcement;
6. PPACA & ERISA Plan Assets Embezzlement Recovery Program, for self-insured ERISA plans, an ERISA plan fiduciary compliance assistance program, to recover plan assets from various TPAs with successful overpayment recovery and offset, in an estimated $80 billion healthcare overpayment market.
New ObamaCare Chief and PPACA compliance mandate inspired all of the ERISAclaim.com’s new comprehensive ERISA and PPACA Programs at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform/
ObamaCare adopted ERISA claim regulation in its entirety as minimum ObamaCare claims regulations:
“(i) Minimum internal claims and appeals standards. A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage must comply with all the requirements applicable to group health plans under 29 CFR 2560.503–1 …. with respect to health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan, the group health insurance issuer is subject to the requirements in 29 CFR 2560.503–1 to the same extent as the group health plan.” according to PPACA regulations for Internal Claims and Appeals and External Review. http://webapps.dol.gov/FederalRegister/PdfDisplay.aspx?DocId=24056
“Health Savings Accounts Exceed $20 Billion in January: According to the 7th semi-annual Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) survey and resulting research report conducted by Devenir, HSAs have grown to an estimated $19.3 billion in assets and 10.7 million accounts at year-end 2013 and have grown to well over $20 billion in assets during the month of January.” according to Press Releases, Devenir HSA Survey, February 12, 2014
http://www.devenir.com/health-savings-accounts-exceed-20-billion-january/
“According to IRS HSA official publication, you don’t use it, you get to keep it for life for your HSA account. For $21 billion today only for healthcare providers under HSA, it’s time to wake up for $21 billion truly on ‘First come, First served’ basis”, simplified by Dr. Zhou.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p969/ar02.html#en_US_2013_publink1000204020
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969.pdf
To find out more about PPACA Claims and Appeals Compliance Services from ERISAclaim.com:
http://www.erisaclaim.com/products.htm
Located in a Chicago suburb in Illinois, for over 14 years, ERISAclaim.com is the only ERISA & PPACA consulting, publishing and website resource for healthcare providers in the country. ERISAclaim.com offers free webinars, basic and advanced educational seminars and on-site claims specialist certification programs for doctors, hospitals and commercial companies, as well as numerous pending national ERISA class action litigation support. Dr. Jin Zhou is regarded as the industry “Godfather of ERISA claims” for healthcare providers.
For any questions, please contact Dr. Jin Zhou, president of ERISAclaim.com, at 630-808-7237. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
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