More than $70 million in public money will be spent in Illinois to promote new opportunities for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, according to an Associated Press analysis. That places the state at the forefront of a campaign the Obama administration and many states are launching this summer to get the word out before enrollment for new benefits begins in October.
Reported by KansasCity.com 9 hours ago.
In Illinois, $70M blitz to promote health overhaul
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Atlantic Information Services’ Health Plan Week Reaches Milestone with 1000th Issue
Originally published as Managed Care Week, the newsletter has been covering the gamut of health insurance and health policy news for more than twenty years.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Atlantic Information Services’s (AIS) industry-leading newsletter Health Plan Week (HPW) recently reached a milestone with the publication of its 1000th issue on July 22, 2013. Since its inaugural issue on May 22, 1991, the newsletter has been covering the gamut of health insurance and health policy news for more than twenty years. As the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, HPW will continue to chronicle the impact on health insurers, employers, providers and other stakeholders.
Of the time of HPW’s first issue, AIS publisher and founder Rick Biehl recalls, “We were in the midst of a national debate over health care reform. Managed care had revolutionized health care financing, and presidential hopeful Bill Clinton was campaigning on a proposal to overhaul the U.S. health care system. It was a great opportunity for a company with health business reporting expertise.”
The first issue examined then-experimental HMOs and PPOs, and also surveyed the prospect of a national health plan. A few weeks later, HPW covered Health Net, Inc.’s conversion to a publicly traded company, and noted that the median base salary for managed care organization CEOs was $170,000, plus annual incentive payments equal to 38% of salary. By contrast, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley collected $13.9 million in total pay in 2012, according to the June 24 issue of HPW.
Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/health-plan-week to read the 1000th issue in its entirety, which includes articles on the impact of underground hacker markets on HHS data breach rules, five states’ CMS-approved initiatives to manage Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibles, Medicare Pioneer accountable care organizations and an interview with Bruce Henderson, head of integrated solutions at Aetna Inc.’s Accountable Care Solutions.
About Health Plan Week
Published since 1991, the 8-page weekly newsletter Health Plan Week provides timely, objective business, financial and regulatory news of the health insurance industry. Coverage includes new benefit designs and underwriting practices, new products and marketing strategies, mergers and alliances, financial performance and results, Medicare and Medicaid opportunities, disease management, and the flood of reform-driven regulatory initiatives including medical loss ratios, exchanges, ACOs and myriad benefit design changes that are mandated.
About Atlantic Information Services
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://www.AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Atlantic Information Services’s (AIS) industry-leading newsletter Health Plan Week (HPW) recently reached a milestone with the publication of its 1000th issue on July 22, 2013. Since its inaugural issue on May 22, 1991, the newsletter has been covering the gamut of health insurance and health policy news for more than twenty years. As the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, HPW will continue to chronicle the impact on health insurers, employers, providers and other stakeholders.
Of the time of HPW’s first issue, AIS publisher and founder Rick Biehl recalls, “We were in the midst of a national debate over health care reform. Managed care had revolutionized health care financing, and presidential hopeful Bill Clinton was campaigning on a proposal to overhaul the U.S. health care system. It was a great opportunity for a company with health business reporting expertise.”
The first issue examined then-experimental HMOs and PPOs, and also surveyed the prospect of a national health plan. A few weeks later, HPW covered Health Net, Inc.’s conversion to a publicly traded company, and noted that the median base salary for managed care organization CEOs was $170,000, plus annual incentive payments equal to 38% of salary. By contrast, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Hemsley collected $13.9 million in total pay in 2012, according to the June 24 issue of HPW.
Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/health-plan-week to read the 1000th issue in its entirety, which includes articles on the impact of underground hacker markets on HHS data breach rules, five states’ CMS-approved initiatives to manage Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibles, Medicare Pioneer accountable care organizations and an interview with Bruce Henderson, head of integrated solutions at Aetna Inc.’s Accountable Care Solutions.
About Health Plan Week
Published since 1991, the 8-page weekly newsletter Health Plan Week provides timely, objective business, financial and regulatory news of the health insurance industry. Coverage includes new benefit designs and underwriting practices, new products and marketing strategies, mergers and alliances, financial performance and results, Medicare and Medicaid opportunities, disease management, and the flood of reform-driven regulatory initiatives including medical loss ratios, exchanges, ACOs and myriad benefit design changes that are mandated.
About Atlantic Information Services
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://www.AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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Partnership Brings Health Plan, Community Organizations Together to Improve Population Health
CDPHP teams up with local human services agencies to help Medicaid recipients reach their health and wellness goals.
Albany, NY (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
CDPHP® is partnering with Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region and the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) to bring “The Community Health Project” to CDPHP members in Albany and Troy.
Through this unique collaboration, trained community health workers from Trinity Alliance and CEO are reaching out to CDPHP members who have been identified as not maximizing their health benefits. The goal of this initiative is to educate and empower individuals and families to help them identify and achieve their health goals.
This free service will provide information on caring for children with asthma, eating well on a budget, managing chronic diseases and more. In addition, community health workers can assist individuals with accessing medical care through a primary care doctor.
“Our partnership with Trinity Alliance and CEO allows us to contact members who we may otherwise not be able to reach,” said Dr. Liza Whalen, medical director, CDPHP. “The community health workers are a trusted source, providing the outreach needed to keep our members healthy.”
“Part of Trinity Alliance’s mission is to promote health and well-being. We are proud to combine our know-how and expertise with CDPHP and CEO in order to enhance individuals’ and families’ access to health care information and resources,” said Trinity Alliance CEO Harris Oberlander.
“CEO is proud to announce our partnership with CDPHP in The Community Health Project to offer Rensselaer County’s CDPHP members support and guidance,” said Selina Dobbs, Community Health Worker for CEO. “Our trained community health workers will focus on assessing and engaging identified CDPHP members to find solutions in securing and maintaining proper health care. Together with CDPHP, we look forward to contributing to the health and well-being of our community as a whole.”
To learn more about this initiative and to speak with representatives from each organization, please call Deanna Amore, CDPHP, (518) 698-2934; Adrian Hill, Trinity Alliance, (518) 449-5155; or Selina Dobbs, CEO, (518) 272-6012.
About CDPHP
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan that offers high-quality affordable health insurance plans to members in 24 counties throughout New York. CDPHP is also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Trinity Alliance
Trinity Alliance is a 101-year-old agency providing advocacy and empowerment services and programs to individuals and families across the age spectrum. The agency’s mission is to improve the neighborhood as a setting for family life, contributing to health and well-being, and promoting education and employment as a means of self-development.
About CEO
The Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) is a human services agency that provides the overall leadership, policy guidance, coordination, and support necessary to successfully deliver a wide range of programs and services. The agency’s mission is to preserve and advance the self-sufficiency, well-being, and growth of individuals, children, and families through education, guidance, and resources. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
Albany, NY (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
CDPHP® is partnering with Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region and the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) to bring “The Community Health Project” to CDPHP members in Albany and Troy.
Through this unique collaboration, trained community health workers from Trinity Alliance and CEO are reaching out to CDPHP members who have been identified as not maximizing their health benefits. The goal of this initiative is to educate and empower individuals and families to help them identify and achieve their health goals.
This free service will provide information on caring for children with asthma, eating well on a budget, managing chronic diseases and more. In addition, community health workers can assist individuals with accessing medical care through a primary care doctor.
“Our partnership with Trinity Alliance and CEO allows us to contact members who we may otherwise not be able to reach,” said Dr. Liza Whalen, medical director, CDPHP. “The community health workers are a trusted source, providing the outreach needed to keep our members healthy.”
“Part of Trinity Alliance’s mission is to promote health and well-being. We are proud to combine our know-how and expertise with CDPHP and CEO in order to enhance individuals’ and families’ access to health care information and resources,” said Trinity Alliance CEO Harris Oberlander.
“CEO is proud to announce our partnership with CDPHP in The Community Health Project to offer Rensselaer County’s CDPHP members support and guidance,” said Selina Dobbs, Community Health Worker for CEO. “Our trained community health workers will focus on assessing and engaging identified CDPHP members to find solutions in securing and maintaining proper health care. Together with CDPHP, we look forward to contributing to the health and well-being of our community as a whole.”
To learn more about this initiative and to speak with representatives from each organization, please call Deanna Amore, CDPHP, (518) 698-2934; Adrian Hill, Trinity Alliance, (518) 449-5155; or Selina Dobbs, CEO, (518) 272-6012.
About CDPHP
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan that offers high-quality affordable health insurance plans to members in 24 counties throughout New York. CDPHP is also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Trinity Alliance
Trinity Alliance is a 101-year-old agency providing advocacy and empowerment services and programs to individuals and families across the age spectrum. The agency’s mission is to improve the neighborhood as a setting for family life, contributing to health and well-being, and promoting education and employment as a means of self-development.
About CEO
The Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) is a human services agency that provides the overall leadership, policy guidance, coordination, and support necessary to successfully deliver a wide range of programs and services. The agency’s mission is to preserve and advance the self-sufficiency, well-being, and growth of individuals, children, and families through education, guidance, and resources. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
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Pitching Obamacare: Health Insurance as Wheaties?
CHICAGO—It will make you stronger. It will give you peace of mind and make you feel like a winner. Health insurance is what the whole country has been talking about, so don’t be left out.Sound like a sales pitch?
…
The post Pitching Obamacare: Health Insurance as Wheaties? appeared first on The Epoch Times. Reported by Epoch Times 4 hours ago.
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Health Care Reform is Nearly a Done Deal, Analysis Indicates
Heavy Behind-The-Scenes Work in 20 States Shows New System Well Underway, Says HealthCoverageAssist.com
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Extensive, often unheralded governmental work in more than 20 states is making it clear that health care reform, also known as Obamacare, will be ready to replace the current system for individuals by 2014, according to an analysis by HealthCoverageAssist.com, a website covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
“We expect pockets of chaos and confusion in October, but significant progress, along a variety of fronts, shows that health care for individuals will be entirely overhauled before the end of the year in almost every state,” said Ed Van Herik, content manager for HealthCoverageAssist.com.
“Even if there are major problems in a state or two, healthcare reform is nearly a done deal,” Van Herik added. “Bumps in the road aren’t going to stop the rollout, which will continue throughout 2014. Those hoping that the new system will simply collapse are living in a fantasy world.”
The Affordable Care Act requires Americans to have health insurance by 2014. Under the act, states are required to set up two online health exchanges, one for individuals and one for small business, which will serve as marketplaces where insurers will offer plans that can be compared side-by-side. As part of the effort to extend health insurance to more citizens, Medicaid is being expanded in many states and subsidies will be offered throughout the nation to ensure that health insurance remains affordable.
Van Herik cited a number of key indicators, including official state reports, news stories, attendance at dozens of workshops in many states, and the letting of government contracts for support services that point to growing momentum in the health system redesign.
Still, some states will lag in implementing SNAP, the health exchange for small businesses, said Van Herik, but current activity indicates that millions of Americans who are not covered by health insurance now will be in January.
Most states are already routinely putting out information, though the federal government, which will set up health care exchanges in 26 states, has said very little. Still, the federal government has indicated that it has received proposals from approximately 125 insurers to provide plans in the states where it will run the health exchanges.
Polls show that many Americans remain unaware of the requirement that they have health insurance by 2014, though that will begin to change by the end of summer, according to the website’s analysis.
“Health care reform information will dominate the nation’s attention in the fourth quarter, and millions of dollars are being allocated to finance one of the largest media educational campaigns the United States has ever seen,” Van Herik said.
The overall proposal for all states creates four tiers of plans that will be offered to individuals: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, from the highest to the lowest premiums, with the costlier plans covering a greater percentage of all bills.
The plans all must offer some basic services. These include:
· Pre-existing conditions are covered with no waiting period; plan members will be entitled to the same treatment as anyone else.
· Preventive and wellness exams at no extra charge.
· Universal acceptance – applicants cannot be declined for any reason.
· Plan members will not have limits imposed on lifetime coverage or annual limits on essential healthcare services.
· Plan members can’t have their coverage cut off for any reason.
· Plan members can’t be denied coverage due to technical errors made on applications.
· Members’ children can stay on their parent’s plan until age 26.
About HealthCoverageAssist.com
HealthCoverageAssist.com is an online resource monitoring the development and implementation of the Affordable Care Act throughout the nation. The site is not sponsored by any state or federal government and is designed to provide clear explanations of the new law, including state-by-state information, to provide consumers with specific information about how to assess their needs, pick the appropriate insurance and enroll before Jan. 1, 2014. For specific situations, please contact the appropriate state or federal agency for assistance. For more information, go to http://www.healthcoverageassist.com. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Extensive, often unheralded governmental work in more than 20 states is making it clear that health care reform, also known as Obamacare, will be ready to replace the current system for individuals by 2014, according to an analysis by HealthCoverageAssist.com, a website covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
“We expect pockets of chaos and confusion in October, but significant progress, along a variety of fronts, shows that health care for individuals will be entirely overhauled before the end of the year in almost every state,” said Ed Van Herik, content manager for HealthCoverageAssist.com.
“Even if there are major problems in a state or two, healthcare reform is nearly a done deal,” Van Herik added. “Bumps in the road aren’t going to stop the rollout, which will continue throughout 2014. Those hoping that the new system will simply collapse are living in a fantasy world.”
The Affordable Care Act requires Americans to have health insurance by 2014. Under the act, states are required to set up two online health exchanges, one for individuals and one for small business, which will serve as marketplaces where insurers will offer plans that can be compared side-by-side. As part of the effort to extend health insurance to more citizens, Medicaid is being expanded in many states and subsidies will be offered throughout the nation to ensure that health insurance remains affordable.
Van Herik cited a number of key indicators, including official state reports, news stories, attendance at dozens of workshops in many states, and the letting of government contracts for support services that point to growing momentum in the health system redesign.
Still, some states will lag in implementing SNAP, the health exchange for small businesses, said Van Herik, but current activity indicates that millions of Americans who are not covered by health insurance now will be in January.
Most states are already routinely putting out information, though the federal government, which will set up health care exchanges in 26 states, has said very little. Still, the federal government has indicated that it has received proposals from approximately 125 insurers to provide plans in the states where it will run the health exchanges.
Polls show that many Americans remain unaware of the requirement that they have health insurance by 2014, though that will begin to change by the end of summer, according to the website’s analysis.
“Health care reform information will dominate the nation’s attention in the fourth quarter, and millions of dollars are being allocated to finance one of the largest media educational campaigns the United States has ever seen,” Van Herik said.
The overall proposal for all states creates four tiers of plans that will be offered to individuals: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, from the highest to the lowest premiums, with the costlier plans covering a greater percentage of all bills.
The plans all must offer some basic services. These include:
· Pre-existing conditions are covered with no waiting period; plan members will be entitled to the same treatment as anyone else.
· Preventive and wellness exams at no extra charge.
· Universal acceptance – applicants cannot be declined for any reason.
· Plan members will not have limits imposed on lifetime coverage or annual limits on essential healthcare services.
· Plan members can’t have their coverage cut off for any reason.
· Plan members can’t be denied coverage due to technical errors made on applications.
· Members’ children can stay on their parent’s plan until age 26.
About HealthCoverageAssist.com
HealthCoverageAssist.com is an online resource monitoring the development and implementation of the Affordable Care Act throughout the nation. The site is not sponsored by any state or federal government and is designed to provide clear explanations of the new law, including state-by-state information, to provide consumers with specific information about how to assess their needs, pick the appropriate insurance and enroll before Jan. 1, 2014. For specific situations, please contact the appropriate state or federal agency for assistance. For more information, go to http://www.healthcoverageassist.com. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
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MN's health exchange marketing plan: First, say absolutely nothing. Then call the athletes
MNSure, the state-run health insurance exchange, plans to talk about its services someday. But until it launches its marketing campaign, it's asking Minnesota officials to keep its secrets. The Star Tribune reports on the effort by April Todd-Malmlov, the executive director of the MNsure exchange, to gain a reprieve from publishing the program's tagline, colors, images and related materials until the campaign is underway. Normally, state laws would make publicly funded programs share that information,…
Reported by bizjournals 2 hours ago.
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Infogix and HealthScape Advisors Partner to Announce a Hosted Edge Server Solution
The New Solution Covers the End-to-End Process of Reporting Data to HHS in Support of Reinsurance and Risk Adjustment Payment Calculations
Naperville, IL (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Infogix Inc., a leading developer of software that helps businesses automate multiple processes, and HealthScape Advisors, a management consulting firm focused on the healthcare industry and Health Reform readiness, are pleased to announce a new hosted solution further enabling health insurance carriers to comply with and successfully navigate the complex rules of the Affordable Care Act (aka Heath Reform law). Leveraging both Firms’ collective experience and expertise, the companies have created the most sophisticated tools and analytics needed for success in the post-reform markets.
Hosted Solution Offering:
The new solution provides insurance carriers with an end-to-end solution for reporting claims and membership data to HHS. Key features of the solution include:
· Hosted and managed Edge Server and HHS Edge Server software
· Data extracted from all core data sources, including third parties
· XML data created and stored for HHS Edge Server software
· File preparation for HHS using mandated complex business rules, such as
* Enrollment masking
* Void and replacement claim identification
* Identification of potential rejection records (e.g. duplicate claims) prior to submission
· Control file development to mirror HHS accepted records and help identify when claims need to be updated * Prioritization and distribution of error records to appropriate party based upon error type
· Extensive data integrity and reconciliation checks to mitigate compliance risk, as well as avoid potential underpayments
In addition, the new solution integrates with HealthScape Advisors’ Pareto Intelligence™ software, which provides Health Plans with an analytical platform that delivers real time insight, management reports, and information output to support risk and value optimization processes and decisions, including:
· Identification and closure of coding gaps
· Optimization of risk scores
· Monitoring of 3R program financial performance
Insurance carriers that utilize Infogix and HealthScape Advisors for this new solution will ensure data integrity through multiple built in capabilities including the ability to balance and reconcile all membership, claim, and 3rd party data from the source system all the way through the HHS extract. The solution also provides the ability to report periodic and ad-hoc reconciliation results and/or discrepancies and can match and track reports and acknowledgements from the Edge Server.
What are the Benefits of a Hosted Solution?
A hosted solution offers insurance carriers multiple options and benefits not necessarily available when purchasing and building their own. From predictable and easy–to-budget monthly costs to more flexibility to size and scope based on specific needs, the hosted solution is a top choice. It allows insurers access to premium service without having to deploy their own systems, which takes valuable resources away from other critical projects at a time when IT resources are extremely scarce. The hosted solution is fully HIPAA/HITECH compliant thus eliminating the need for expensive review of compliance requirements. The end-to-end nature of the solution covering hosting, capturing of the data from various sources, creating the appropriate XML and reports for submission to HHS and providing analysis on this data, truly makes this a complete solution to the health insurance carriers’ needs around the Edge Server.
About HealthScape Advisors
HealthScape Advisors is a management consulting firm led by a team of healthcare experts who have worked together for over two decades. The Firm is focused on assisting healthcare organizations on a variety of their most important initiatives including health reform preparation, identification and entry into new markets, payer/provider collaboration strategies, mergers and acquisitions, operational and performance improvement, data analytics, and regulatory and compliance issues. HealthScape Advisors has been engaged over the last two years to help clients strategically prepare for the transition to a community rated risk-adjusted market and build the analytical tools needed to effectively navigate the new market. For more information, visit http://www.healthscapeadvisors.com or call 312.256.8617 to speak with one of HealthScape Advisors’ professionals.
About Infogix Inc.
Many of the world’s largest enterprises depend on Infogix to transform their operations. Through the use of Infogix solutions, customers are able to control, analyze, and improve their operations by realizing the full value of the Infogix Business Operations Management solution. Since 1982, Infogix has been providing Infogix Controls Solutions to Global 2000 enterprises. Millions of Infogix Controls continuously monitor and assure the integrity of information in hundreds of enterprises each day. For more information, call +1.630.649.6800 (U.S, Canada, and International), or visit http://www.infogix.com today.
Quotes
Together, Infogix and HealthScape Advisors provide the technology, data analytics, and business knowledge needed for a successful Edge Server solution. As Arjun Aggarwal of HealthScape Advisors explains, “Given the complex financial and operational workload, coupled with the compliance risk, health insurance carriers will need a sophisticated technology solution that is carefully crafted and which incorporates the associated business implications. HealthScape Advisors and Infogix have joined forces to provide our clients with just that.”
“Our alliance with HealthScape Advisors provides an “out-of-the-box” solution that gives health insurance carriers the opportunity to truly leverage their Edge Server investments by eliminating complexity, reducing cost and ensuring information integrity. Together, our two companies bring over five decades of expertise in health care and information management. It is a powerful value proposition as companies ready their operations to support the Affordable Care Act,” said Sumit Nijhawan, CEO of Infogix. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
Naperville, IL (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Infogix Inc., a leading developer of software that helps businesses automate multiple processes, and HealthScape Advisors, a management consulting firm focused on the healthcare industry and Health Reform readiness, are pleased to announce a new hosted solution further enabling health insurance carriers to comply with and successfully navigate the complex rules of the Affordable Care Act (aka Heath Reform law). Leveraging both Firms’ collective experience and expertise, the companies have created the most sophisticated tools and analytics needed for success in the post-reform markets.
Hosted Solution Offering:
The new solution provides insurance carriers with an end-to-end solution for reporting claims and membership data to HHS. Key features of the solution include:
· Hosted and managed Edge Server and HHS Edge Server software
· Data extracted from all core data sources, including third parties
· XML data created and stored for HHS Edge Server software
· File preparation for HHS using mandated complex business rules, such as
* Enrollment masking
* Void and replacement claim identification
* Identification of potential rejection records (e.g. duplicate claims) prior to submission
· Control file development to mirror HHS accepted records and help identify when claims need to be updated * Prioritization and distribution of error records to appropriate party based upon error type
· Extensive data integrity and reconciliation checks to mitigate compliance risk, as well as avoid potential underpayments
In addition, the new solution integrates with HealthScape Advisors’ Pareto Intelligence™ software, which provides Health Plans with an analytical platform that delivers real time insight, management reports, and information output to support risk and value optimization processes and decisions, including:
· Identification and closure of coding gaps
· Optimization of risk scores
· Monitoring of 3R program financial performance
Insurance carriers that utilize Infogix and HealthScape Advisors for this new solution will ensure data integrity through multiple built in capabilities including the ability to balance and reconcile all membership, claim, and 3rd party data from the source system all the way through the HHS extract. The solution also provides the ability to report periodic and ad-hoc reconciliation results and/or discrepancies and can match and track reports and acknowledgements from the Edge Server.
What are the Benefits of a Hosted Solution?
A hosted solution offers insurance carriers multiple options and benefits not necessarily available when purchasing and building their own. From predictable and easy–to-budget monthly costs to more flexibility to size and scope based on specific needs, the hosted solution is a top choice. It allows insurers access to premium service without having to deploy their own systems, which takes valuable resources away from other critical projects at a time when IT resources are extremely scarce. The hosted solution is fully HIPAA/HITECH compliant thus eliminating the need for expensive review of compliance requirements. The end-to-end nature of the solution covering hosting, capturing of the data from various sources, creating the appropriate XML and reports for submission to HHS and providing analysis on this data, truly makes this a complete solution to the health insurance carriers’ needs around the Edge Server.
About HealthScape Advisors
HealthScape Advisors is a management consulting firm led by a team of healthcare experts who have worked together for over two decades. The Firm is focused on assisting healthcare organizations on a variety of their most important initiatives including health reform preparation, identification and entry into new markets, payer/provider collaboration strategies, mergers and acquisitions, operational and performance improvement, data analytics, and regulatory and compliance issues. HealthScape Advisors has been engaged over the last two years to help clients strategically prepare for the transition to a community rated risk-adjusted market and build the analytical tools needed to effectively navigate the new market. For more information, visit http://www.healthscapeadvisors.com or call 312.256.8617 to speak with one of HealthScape Advisors’ professionals.
About Infogix Inc.
Many of the world’s largest enterprises depend on Infogix to transform their operations. Through the use of Infogix solutions, customers are able to control, analyze, and improve their operations by realizing the full value of the Infogix Business Operations Management solution. Since 1982, Infogix has been providing Infogix Controls Solutions to Global 2000 enterprises. Millions of Infogix Controls continuously monitor and assure the integrity of information in hundreds of enterprises each day. For more information, call +1.630.649.6800 (U.S, Canada, and International), or visit http://www.infogix.com today.
Quotes
Together, Infogix and HealthScape Advisors provide the technology, data analytics, and business knowledge needed for a successful Edge Server solution. As Arjun Aggarwal of HealthScape Advisors explains, “Given the complex financial and operational workload, coupled with the compliance risk, health insurance carriers will need a sophisticated technology solution that is carefully crafted and which incorporates the associated business implications. HealthScape Advisors and Infogix have joined forces to provide our clients with just that.”
“Our alliance with HealthScape Advisors provides an “out-of-the-box” solution that gives health insurance carriers the opportunity to truly leverage their Edge Server investments by eliminating complexity, reducing cost and ensuring information integrity. Together, our two companies bring over five decades of expertise in health care and information management. It is a powerful value proposition as companies ready their operations to support the Affordable Care Act,” said Sumit Nijhawan, CEO of Infogix. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
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Popular Chain Considers Hiring ONLY Part-Time Workers In Future
Many businesses that don't offer health insurance to all their employees breathed a sigh of relief earlier this month when they learned they'd have an extra year to comply with the new health care law or face stiff penalties.
Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
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Republicans Ready Obamacare Challenge With Eye On 2014
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - With the Obama administration poised for a huge public education campaign on healthcare reform, Republicans and their allies are mobilizing a counter-offensive including town hall meetings, protests and media promotions to dissuade uninsured Americans from obtaining health coverage.
Party officials, political analysts and lobbyists say the coming showdown will mark a new phase in the years-old battle over healthcare reform by shifting the focus from political ideology to specific examples of how "Obamacare" allegedly falls short, just as the administration presses the public on its benefits.
President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy is the first major social program to face a highly organized and well-financed opposition years after enactment. The forces arrayed against it could undermine the aim of extending health coverage to millions of uninsured people at affordable rates, if not enough younger adults sign up to make it economically viable.
Political analysts say Republicans hope to use the healthcare issue to win a bigger majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and gain control of the Senate in the 2014 mid-term elections, by leveraging the law's unpopularity to send voters to the polls in key swing states.
"The best way to get the juices of that right-wing electorate and activist group going is to attack Obamacare - make everything that happens look awful and voters will rebel against it," said Norman Ornstein, an expert on congressional politics at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
"It's a belief that if they highlight this, and sabotage it as much as they can, and if it's disruptive, that that will work for them in the mid-terms."
The White House and Department of Health and Human Services are well aware of their opponents' political maneuvers.
"There are folks out there who are actively working to make this law fail," Obama said in a speech on Wednesday, condemning the opponents' effort as "a politically motivated misinformation campaign."
The administration, reform advocates and companies including health insurers are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on an education campaign to reach an estimated 7 million people, including 2.7 million young adults aged 18 to 35 who are expected to sign up for subsidized coverage next year.
A new political playbook for Republicans in the House encourages lawmakers who have voted nearly 40 times to repeal or defund the law to showcase their concerns at town hall meetings and special forums with like-minded young adults, healthcare providers and employers.
"Make sure the participants will be 100 percent on message," the House Republican Conference's August planning kit advises for events with businesses. "While they do not have to be Republicans, they need to be able to discuss the negative effects of Obamacare on their employees."
Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is also due for public attack at town halls featuring Democratic lawmakers, where Tea Party activists plan to air their opposition under an initiative by FreedomWorks, the Washington-based grassroots lobby that helped found the movement.
The planned campaign against the law promises to accelerate an already ugly partisan battle, analysts say. Until now, the opponents' message has amounted to unanswered Republican advertising painting the healthcare law as bad for the country.
"You'll start to see that change, because Democrats won't be able to overlook it anymore," said Elizabeth Wilner, who monitors political advertising at Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group.
WHAT IF THEY LIKE IT?
Political analysts say the Republican onslaught could prove short-lived. Beginning on Oct. 1, Obama's health reform will help millions of uninsured people buy subsidized health insurance for the first time. Should enough people sign up by the time enrollment ends in March, the law's value as an election issue may run dry.
"The fear is that the law will start to work and people will like it. They'll like having insurance, a safety net if you lose your job. Then Republicans are stuck with it," Ornstein said.
One Republican ploy is to target the law's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to have insurance in 2014, or pay a penalty. It is the only lever the government has to require the participation, but it is also unpopular with voters. Republicans have sought to stoke discontent since the administration delayed a separate requirement that larger employers provide insurance coverage for workers.
"They'll start to feel impacts that are completely in contrast to what they were told when the bill was passed. That's what we're seeing in internal polling from districts that will determine control of the House - Obamacare becoming more unpopular," said Daniel Scarpinato, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Republicans need a net pickup of six seats to win control of the Senate next year, and their most likely path is to focus on Democratic-held seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, according to the Cook Political Report. All are Republican-led states that went to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 and most have done little or nothing to help implement the healthcare law.
"The Republican strategy is to focus on messages that this is not working in states where the law is still unpopular with voters and where there are really going to be competitive races," said Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health.
FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative issue group financed by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, known for funding conservative causes, are planning separate media and grassroots campaigns aimed at adults in their 20s and 30s - the very people Obama needs to have sign up for healthcare coverage in new online insurance exchanges if his reforms are to succeed.
"We're trying to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange," said Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks, which boasts 6 million supporters. The group is designing a symbolic "Obamacare card" that college students can burn during campus protests.
Americans for Prosperity launched a $1 million TV ad campaign against the healthcare law this summer to test its message in swing states of Virginia and Ohio. The 30-second ad presents a young pregnant mother who asks questions that suggest the law will raise premiums, reduce paychecks, prevent people from picking their own doctors and leave her family's healthcare to "the folks in Washington."
The group plans a bigger push on TV and social media to persuade young people, especially men under 30, to see the healthcare law as a high-cost liability directed at them.
"This is a good time to be out there explaining what the law means to people," said the group's president, Tim Phillips.
Crossroads GPS, the political group co-founded by former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, is designing a fall push aimed at elderly voters angered by Republican allegations that the Medicare program for senior citizens is being used to pay for the healthcare law.
"As people who previously didn't believe they would be affected by it are finding out that they will be affected by it, there may be some traction to repeal the worst parts of the law and eventually repeal the law entirely," said Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Fred Barbash and Mohammad Zargham) Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - With the Obama administration poised for a huge public education campaign on healthcare reform, Republicans and their allies are mobilizing a counter-offensive including town hall meetings, protests and media promotions to dissuade uninsured Americans from obtaining health coverage.
Party officials, political analysts and lobbyists say the coming showdown will mark a new phase in the years-old battle over healthcare reform by shifting the focus from political ideology to specific examples of how "Obamacare" allegedly falls short, just as the administration presses the public on its benefits.
President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy is the first major social program to face a highly organized and well-financed opposition years after enactment. The forces arrayed against it could undermine the aim of extending health coverage to millions of uninsured people at affordable rates, if not enough younger adults sign up to make it economically viable.
Political analysts say Republicans hope to use the healthcare issue to win a bigger majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and gain control of the Senate in the 2014 mid-term elections, by leveraging the law's unpopularity to send voters to the polls in key swing states.
"The best way to get the juices of that right-wing electorate and activist group going is to attack Obamacare - make everything that happens look awful and voters will rebel against it," said Norman Ornstein, an expert on congressional politics at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
"It's a belief that if they highlight this, and sabotage it as much as they can, and if it's disruptive, that that will work for them in the mid-terms."
The White House and Department of Health and Human Services are well aware of their opponents' political maneuvers.
"There are folks out there who are actively working to make this law fail," Obama said in a speech on Wednesday, condemning the opponents' effort as "a politically motivated misinformation campaign."
The administration, reform advocates and companies including health insurers are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on an education campaign to reach an estimated 7 million people, including 2.7 million young adults aged 18 to 35 who are expected to sign up for subsidized coverage next year.
A new political playbook for Republicans in the House encourages lawmakers who have voted nearly 40 times to repeal or defund the law to showcase their concerns at town hall meetings and special forums with like-minded young adults, healthcare providers and employers.
"Make sure the participants will be 100 percent on message," the House Republican Conference's August planning kit advises for events with businesses. "While they do not have to be Republicans, they need to be able to discuss the negative effects of Obamacare on their employees."
Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is also due for public attack at town halls featuring Democratic lawmakers, where Tea Party activists plan to air their opposition under an initiative by FreedomWorks, the Washington-based grassroots lobby that helped found the movement.
The planned campaign against the law promises to accelerate an already ugly partisan battle, analysts say. Until now, the opponents' message has amounted to unanswered Republican advertising painting the healthcare law as bad for the country.
"You'll start to see that change, because Democrats won't be able to overlook it anymore," said Elizabeth Wilner, who monitors political advertising at Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group.
WHAT IF THEY LIKE IT?
Political analysts say the Republican onslaught could prove short-lived. Beginning on Oct. 1, Obama's health reform will help millions of uninsured people buy subsidized health insurance for the first time. Should enough people sign up by the time enrollment ends in March, the law's value as an election issue may run dry.
"The fear is that the law will start to work and people will like it. They'll like having insurance, a safety net if you lose your job. Then Republicans are stuck with it," Ornstein said.
One Republican ploy is to target the law's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to have insurance in 2014, or pay a penalty. It is the only lever the government has to require the participation, but it is also unpopular with voters. Republicans have sought to stoke discontent since the administration delayed a separate requirement that larger employers provide insurance coverage for workers.
"They'll start to feel impacts that are completely in contrast to what they were told when the bill was passed. That's what we're seeing in internal polling from districts that will determine control of the House - Obamacare becoming more unpopular," said Daniel Scarpinato, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Republicans need a net pickup of six seats to win control of the Senate next year, and their most likely path is to focus on Democratic-held seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, according to the Cook Political Report. All are Republican-led states that went to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 and most have done little or nothing to help implement the healthcare law.
"The Republican strategy is to focus on messages that this is not working in states where the law is still unpopular with voters and where there are really going to be competitive races," said Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health.
FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative issue group financed by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, known for funding conservative causes, are planning separate media and grassroots campaigns aimed at adults in their 20s and 30s - the very people Obama needs to have sign up for healthcare coverage in new online insurance exchanges if his reforms are to succeed.
"We're trying to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange," said Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks, which boasts 6 million supporters. The group is designing a symbolic "Obamacare card" that college students can burn during campus protests.
Americans for Prosperity launched a $1 million TV ad campaign against the healthcare law this summer to test its message in swing states of Virginia and Ohio. The 30-second ad presents a young pregnant mother who asks questions that suggest the law will raise premiums, reduce paychecks, prevent people from picking their own doctors and leave her family's healthcare to "the folks in Washington."
The group plans a bigger push on TV and social media to persuade young people, especially men under 30, to see the healthcare law as a high-cost liability directed at them.
"This is a good time to be out there explaining what the law means to people," said the group's president, Tim Phillips.
Crossroads GPS, the political group co-founded by former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, is designing a fall push aimed at elderly voters angered by Republican allegations that the Medicare program for senior citizens is being used to pay for the healthcare law.
"As people who previously didn't believe they would be affected by it are finding out that they will be affected by it, there may be some traction to repeal the worst parts of the law and eventually repeal the law entirely," said Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Fred Barbash and Mohammad Zargham) Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
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Our Passivity Surplus
AP Images/A.M. Ahad
Once in a while, disparate news events make visible a thematic convergence, something wonderful or disturbing that had been coursing unseen through the culture. Since the mass murder of 26 children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the nation’s attention has frequently been riveted by events that call into question what we owe to one another and what we owe to ourselves. Can we, like the inspiring, relentless parents of those dead kids, rouse ourselves to care about our fate?
Recently, two terrible yet at least partially hopeful episodes occurred: one in a familiar American city, the other thousands of miles from the U.S. We were horrified to learn of the kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault of three girls (now women) over a ten-year period by Ariel Castro, a middle-aged man seemingly as nondescript as his house in Cleveland. Charles Ramsey, a generous, charismatic neighbor in a down-on-its-heels neighborhood, heard a cry for help and helped kick in a door. (Yes, Ramsey has his own record of domestic abuse, but let’s praise him for what he did here and hope he is a better man than he once was.)
Many have remarked on the explicit, unmediated wit Ramsey displayed in media interviews and even in his call to 911, blasting through protocol to communicate the necessary details. At the end, the operator asked Ramsey whether Amanda Berry, one of the missing girls, needed an ambulance. Ramsey replied, “She needs everything. She’s in a panic, bro. I think she’s been kidnapped, so, you know, put yourself in her shoes.”
Put yourself in her shoes: With that resonant phrase, Ramsey, a black man rescuing a white woman, demonstrated a kind of social empathy that too often does not exist in American life. I have had debates with people who oppose a program of universal health insurance who will say, bluntly, “I’m not interested in what strangers have or don’t have. All I care about is myself and my family.” Because these people have tax-deductible employer--provided health care, they are members of what Paul Starr has called “the protected public” a phrase that applies, in the wealthiest country in the world, to the majority of Americans. Even following a massive recession, most of us have enough of the essentials of life to get by.
To be protected, or to imagine oneself protected, is comforting. Some conservative thinkers believe that such passivity is the paradoxical symptom of a healthy political culture. George Will has argued that a smaller voting turnout indicates that the electorate is content. In a profoundly balkanized nation, Ramsey put the lie to that cramped sentiment. Sometimes, contentment is not enough.
In Bangladesh, meanwhile, more than 1,100 workers died in the clothing--factory collapse near Dhaka that supplied retailers like Benetton, Primark, and Bonmarché. A corrupt owner had illegally added three extra floors to the top of the building, structurally weakening it. Pretty much everyone in North America and Western Europe is affluent by the standards of Bangladesh. We appreciate the efficiencies of the global supply chain that provide us with cheap clothing. Are we able to put ourselves in the shoes of the victims of this catastrophe? Does it matter if we do? Or is that merely a kind of moral vanity, easy for prosperous people to indulge in? Some activists have advocated boycotting the Western companies that subcontract substandard Bangladeshi garment factories. T.A. Frank in The New Republic has argued that our large retailers should adopt legally binding disclosures. Frank proposes that “Congress should require any business that places orders for more than $100,000 worth of goods from a foreign vendor hire labor monitors to monitor the factories involved and make the results of their findings available to the public online.” It’s a great idea that would make garment importers more accountable to American consumers. The real Western leverage, however, is coming from large international labor federations. Despite the decline of unions in the U.S. and much of the world, these federations have banked a still-substantial institutional social power, and they have been pressuring clothing retailers to take responsibility for working conditions in Bangladesh. (It should be noted that many of these unions aren’t even retail or clothing unions—labor solidarity, at its best, extends to workers of any kind anywhere in the world.)
While Westerners wonder what they should do, Bangladeshis have fiercely acted on their own behalf. As Vijay Prashad noted in The Guardian, unions and political organizing on the left have a strong history in Bangladesh dating to the nation’s founding in 1971. Even as Bangladesh became one of the top garment manufacturers in the world, heavily dependent on that export trade, its workers have sought higher wages and safer working conditions. In the past couple of years, garment-worker activism had been escalating in the wake of layoffs, not to mention the frequent fires and accidents that plague the industry. Unions and other organizations had led massive street demonstrations day after day. In the wake of the fire, responding to citizen pressure, the government has announced that garment workers will get a raise. (They currently are paid less than any other garment workers in the world.) It has also made legal the right of workers in the garment industry to organize unions without the permission of the owners of the garment factories. Feeling the heat from labor federations like UNI Global Union and IndustrialALL, Swedish retailer H&M has announced it will spearhead a fire-and-building-safety accord and seek the agreement of other major retailers. A horrific catastrophe, born of a lazy contempt for human life, is being met with a cry of resistance. State and private authorities, out of self-interested fear of unrest or more humane impulses, are responding. But American firms like Wal-Mart and the Gap are resisting signing the accord, and the activism of Bangladesh workers and their foreign union supporters will no doubt be needed for a long time. In late June, the Obama administration announced it would suspend trade to Bangladesh.
But there is another recent event about which Americans seem stirred neither to put themselves in another’s shoes nor march in their own. To some extent—somewhere between the Boston Marathon bombing and Bangladesh and Cleveland—the media lost sight of the West, Texas, fertilizer--factory explosion. Fourteen people died, and 200 were injured. Nearly 140 homes in the adjacent neighborhood were damaged, many decimated. Following the explosion, it was revealed that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the workplace safety regulatory agency, had not fully inspected the site in 28 years (a partial inspection occurred in 2011).
The reaction of those who work at West Fertilizer, live near it, and survived the harrowing experience of volunteering to rescue the trapped or tame the fire has been strikingly dissimilar to that of the Bangladeshis. A few scattered lawsuits are in motion, but nobody is in the streets demanding safer factories. Few seem to be blaming 83-year-old Donald Adair—owner of the factory since 2004 and a church elder and lifetime area resident described by locals in recent articles as “honest and good”—for storing more than 1,300 times the amount of ammonium nitrate required for such a facility to self-report to the Department of Homeland Security. Good man though he may be, Adair reportedly carried only $1 million in liability insurance, woefully inadequate to cover the explosion’s enormous damage.
A week after the explosion, The New York Times ran a long story about its aftermath. Texas is the U.S. state with the highest worker fatalities. It does not have a state fire code; neither does McLennan County have a county fire code, a requirement that experts say would vastly upgrade the safety of facilities like the one in West. “There has been nobody saying anything about more regulations,” the cousin of two brothers who were victims of the explosion told the Times reporter. A week after the explosion, the state legislature put a stop to a bill that would have provided $60 million in training and assistance for volunteer firefighters. “Businesses can come down here and do pretty much what they want to,” said the senior executive editor of Texas Monthly. “That is the Texas way.”
You might call the support that West, Texas, residents have generally given to the fertilizer factory owner its own kind of social empathy: people imagining that if they were the owner, they pretty much would have done what Adair had done. But despite our congenial associations with the word “neighbor”—from Mr. Rogers to The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders—we would be wise to remember that neighbors can be negligent, even dangerous.
Three weeks after the fire in West, Texas, a now former paramedic, who went to the scene of the explosion, was charged with carrying materials that could produce a pipe bomb. This arrest might tidily resolve the questions about what caused the explosion. Perhaps, however, at some point, the people of Texas will have to decide if they wish to demand something—anything—better than this from government and business.
You can put yourself in other people’s shoes. You can protest on the street in your own shoes, or rush to a locked doorway and scream for help. You can hope that the people with the biggest pair of shoes in town do the right thing. The question is, what happens when they don’t? What happens when Congress can’t bring itself to adopt the most minimal measures to mitigate gun violence? In Connecticut, grieving parents decided to use the power of their unthinkable experience to start down the long road of changing public policy. In Cleveland, a cry for help from a white woman—a solitary feat of survival—brought the support of a black man, a solitary act of social empathy. In Bangladesh, workers are insisting that their lives must not be tossed away like old T-shirts. We are lucky when we can view the world rather than act in it. But sometimes more is needed. Sometimes, no matter which side of it we’re standing on, we need to knock a door down. Reported by The American Prospect 1 hour ago.
Once in a while, disparate news events make visible a thematic convergence, something wonderful or disturbing that had been coursing unseen through the culture. Since the mass murder of 26 children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the nation’s attention has frequently been riveted by events that call into question what we owe to one another and what we owe to ourselves. Can we, like the inspiring, relentless parents of those dead kids, rouse ourselves to care about our fate?
Recently, two terrible yet at least partially hopeful episodes occurred: one in a familiar American city, the other thousands of miles from the U.S. We were horrified to learn of the kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault of three girls (now women) over a ten-year period by Ariel Castro, a middle-aged man seemingly as nondescript as his house in Cleveland. Charles Ramsey, a generous, charismatic neighbor in a down-on-its-heels neighborhood, heard a cry for help and helped kick in a door. (Yes, Ramsey has his own record of domestic abuse, but let’s praise him for what he did here and hope he is a better man than he once was.)
Many have remarked on the explicit, unmediated wit Ramsey displayed in media interviews and even in his call to 911, blasting through protocol to communicate the necessary details. At the end, the operator asked Ramsey whether Amanda Berry, one of the missing girls, needed an ambulance. Ramsey replied, “She needs everything. She’s in a panic, bro. I think she’s been kidnapped, so, you know, put yourself in her shoes.”
Put yourself in her shoes: With that resonant phrase, Ramsey, a black man rescuing a white woman, demonstrated a kind of social empathy that too often does not exist in American life. I have had debates with people who oppose a program of universal health insurance who will say, bluntly, “I’m not interested in what strangers have or don’t have. All I care about is myself and my family.” Because these people have tax-deductible employer--provided health care, they are members of what Paul Starr has called “the protected public” a phrase that applies, in the wealthiest country in the world, to the majority of Americans. Even following a massive recession, most of us have enough of the essentials of life to get by.
To be protected, or to imagine oneself protected, is comforting. Some conservative thinkers believe that such passivity is the paradoxical symptom of a healthy political culture. George Will has argued that a smaller voting turnout indicates that the electorate is content. In a profoundly balkanized nation, Ramsey put the lie to that cramped sentiment. Sometimes, contentment is not enough.
In Bangladesh, meanwhile, more than 1,100 workers died in the clothing--factory collapse near Dhaka that supplied retailers like Benetton, Primark, and Bonmarché. A corrupt owner had illegally added three extra floors to the top of the building, structurally weakening it. Pretty much everyone in North America and Western Europe is affluent by the standards of Bangladesh. We appreciate the efficiencies of the global supply chain that provide us with cheap clothing. Are we able to put ourselves in the shoes of the victims of this catastrophe? Does it matter if we do? Or is that merely a kind of moral vanity, easy for prosperous people to indulge in? Some activists have advocated boycotting the Western companies that subcontract substandard Bangladeshi garment factories. T.A. Frank in The New Republic has argued that our large retailers should adopt legally binding disclosures. Frank proposes that “Congress should require any business that places orders for more than $100,000 worth of goods from a foreign vendor hire labor monitors to monitor the factories involved and make the results of their findings available to the public online.” It’s a great idea that would make garment importers more accountable to American consumers. The real Western leverage, however, is coming from large international labor federations. Despite the decline of unions in the U.S. and much of the world, these federations have banked a still-substantial institutional social power, and they have been pressuring clothing retailers to take responsibility for working conditions in Bangladesh. (It should be noted that many of these unions aren’t even retail or clothing unions—labor solidarity, at its best, extends to workers of any kind anywhere in the world.)
While Westerners wonder what they should do, Bangladeshis have fiercely acted on their own behalf. As Vijay Prashad noted in The Guardian, unions and political organizing on the left have a strong history in Bangladesh dating to the nation’s founding in 1971. Even as Bangladesh became one of the top garment manufacturers in the world, heavily dependent on that export trade, its workers have sought higher wages and safer working conditions. In the past couple of years, garment-worker activism had been escalating in the wake of layoffs, not to mention the frequent fires and accidents that plague the industry. Unions and other organizations had led massive street demonstrations day after day. In the wake of the fire, responding to citizen pressure, the government has announced that garment workers will get a raise. (They currently are paid less than any other garment workers in the world.) It has also made legal the right of workers in the garment industry to organize unions without the permission of the owners of the garment factories. Feeling the heat from labor federations like UNI Global Union and IndustrialALL, Swedish retailer H&M has announced it will spearhead a fire-and-building-safety accord and seek the agreement of other major retailers. A horrific catastrophe, born of a lazy contempt for human life, is being met with a cry of resistance. State and private authorities, out of self-interested fear of unrest or more humane impulses, are responding. But American firms like Wal-Mart and the Gap are resisting signing the accord, and the activism of Bangladesh workers and their foreign union supporters will no doubt be needed for a long time. In late June, the Obama administration announced it would suspend trade to Bangladesh.
But there is another recent event about which Americans seem stirred neither to put themselves in another’s shoes nor march in their own. To some extent—somewhere between the Boston Marathon bombing and Bangladesh and Cleveland—the media lost sight of the West, Texas, fertilizer--factory explosion. Fourteen people died, and 200 were injured. Nearly 140 homes in the adjacent neighborhood were damaged, many decimated. Following the explosion, it was revealed that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the workplace safety regulatory agency, had not fully inspected the site in 28 years (a partial inspection occurred in 2011).
The reaction of those who work at West Fertilizer, live near it, and survived the harrowing experience of volunteering to rescue the trapped or tame the fire has been strikingly dissimilar to that of the Bangladeshis. A few scattered lawsuits are in motion, but nobody is in the streets demanding safer factories. Few seem to be blaming 83-year-old Donald Adair—owner of the factory since 2004 and a church elder and lifetime area resident described by locals in recent articles as “honest and good”—for storing more than 1,300 times the amount of ammonium nitrate required for such a facility to self-report to the Department of Homeland Security. Good man though he may be, Adair reportedly carried only $1 million in liability insurance, woefully inadequate to cover the explosion’s enormous damage.
A week after the explosion, The New York Times ran a long story about its aftermath. Texas is the U.S. state with the highest worker fatalities. It does not have a state fire code; neither does McLennan County have a county fire code, a requirement that experts say would vastly upgrade the safety of facilities like the one in West. “There has been nobody saying anything about more regulations,” the cousin of two brothers who were victims of the explosion told the Times reporter. A week after the explosion, the state legislature put a stop to a bill that would have provided $60 million in training and assistance for volunteer firefighters. “Businesses can come down here and do pretty much what they want to,” said the senior executive editor of Texas Monthly. “That is the Texas way.”
You might call the support that West, Texas, residents have generally given to the fertilizer factory owner its own kind of social empathy: people imagining that if they were the owner, they pretty much would have done what Adair had done. But despite our congenial associations with the word “neighbor”—from Mr. Rogers to The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders—we would be wise to remember that neighbors can be negligent, even dangerous.
Three weeks after the fire in West, Texas, a now former paramedic, who went to the scene of the explosion, was charged with carrying materials that could produce a pipe bomb. This arrest might tidily resolve the questions about what caused the explosion. Perhaps, however, at some point, the people of Texas will have to decide if they wish to demand something—anything—better than this from government and business.
You can put yourself in other people’s shoes. You can protest on the street in your own shoes, or rush to a locked doorway and scream for help. You can hope that the people with the biggest pair of shoes in town do the right thing. The question is, what happens when they don’t? What happens when Congress can’t bring itself to adopt the most minimal measures to mitigate gun violence? In Connecticut, grieving parents decided to use the power of their unthinkable experience to start down the long road of changing public policy. In Cleveland, a cry for help from a white woman—a solitary feat of survival—brought the support of a black man, a solitary act of social empathy. In Bangladesh, workers are insisting that their lives must not be tossed away like old T-shirts. We are lucky when we can view the world rather than act in it. But sometimes more is needed. Sometimes, no matter which side of it we’re standing on, we need to knock a door down. Reported by The American Prospect 1 hour ago.
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Record High Temperatures in California Has Dennis Collins Insurance Agency Urging Residents to Stay Safe in the Heat
Local insurance agency offers advice to residents for keeping healthy during extreme heat.
San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
The temperatures are hot and they are only getting hotter here in California! For many, the heat means a day spent at the beach and is welcomed – especially in California. However, since 1979, the CDC says, excessive heat exposure has caused over 8,000 deaths in the United States.
When bodies are unable to compensate for the heat and cool off – by sweating – a person’s temperature continues to rise rapidly. This can cause many heat-related conditions such as heat exhaustion and, more severely, heat stroke. It is important to note that when the humidity is high, these risks are greater. And with California experiencing some of the hottest summer temperatures yet, according to the National Weather Service on July 9, 2013, residents need to prepare.
At Dennis Collins Insurance Agency, protecting California residents is the passion of the agents. When it comes remaining in good health and the heat, the agency has some tips for residents.
First, remember that the greatest at risk for heat related illness are the elderly and the very young, as well as people with chronic diseases. Other conditions that relate to risk can include:
· Sunburn
· Alcohol
· Prescription medication use
· Obesity
· Fever
· Dehydration
To keep health protected and a priority during extreme heat, it is important to:
· Stay hydrated and always remember to drink plenty of water, regardless of activity level
· Wear sunscreen to avoid overexposure to the sun and sunburn, which can cause heat related illness
· Dress in loose fitting, light colored clothing to remain cool
· Keep the inside of homes cool. Remember, fans will not always prevent heat-related illness when the temperatures exceed 90 degrees, seeking shelter elsewhere is more important in those cases.
It is important to monitor those at high-risk and always educate children on the symptoms of heat-related illness and actions to take should they feel sick. Common sense always prevails, especially in these types of situations. Feeling ill from the heat is not something to be taken lightly. Always remember to remain calm, drink water and relax should you feel any symptoms – and always call a doctor if it is serious.
In California, Dennis Collins Insurance Agency is a reliable source of information for all health-related issues, including health insurance. Residents who want to learn more about affordable health insurance are encouraged to give the agency a call today – they are always happy to help!
About Dennis Collins Insurance Agency:
Since its beginning in 1977, Dennis Collins Insurance Agency has focused on the same thing: providing excellent customer service. When California residents turn to the agency for their insurance needs, personal attention and concern isn't just a promise, it’s a guarantee. Agents make it a point to get to know the needs of their clients on an individual level. This enables the agency to provide customized insurance solutions that manage risk, and protect everything important in the lives, families and businesses of California residents. Advisors, friends and trusted insurance agents are the foundation of Dennis Collins Insurance Agency for the last 35 years, and always will be. Reported by PRWeb 14 minutes ago.
San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
The temperatures are hot and they are only getting hotter here in California! For many, the heat means a day spent at the beach and is welcomed – especially in California. However, since 1979, the CDC says, excessive heat exposure has caused over 8,000 deaths in the United States.
When bodies are unable to compensate for the heat and cool off – by sweating – a person’s temperature continues to rise rapidly. This can cause many heat-related conditions such as heat exhaustion and, more severely, heat stroke. It is important to note that when the humidity is high, these risks are greater. And with California experiencing some of the hottest summer temperatures yet, according to the National Weather Service on July 9, 2013, residents need to prepare.
At Dennis Collins Insurance Agency, protecting California residents is the passion of the agents. When it comes remaining in good health and the heat, the agency has some tips for residents.
First, remember that the greatest at risk for heat related illness are the elderly and the very young, as well as people with chronic diseases. Other conditions that relate to risk can include:
· Sunburn
· Alcohol
· Prescription medication use
· Obesity
· Fever
· Dehydration
To keep health protected and a priority during extreme heat, it is important to:
· Stay hydrated and always remember to drink plenty of water, regardless of activity level
· Wear sunscreen to avoid overexposure to the sun and sunburn, which can cause heat related illness
· Dress in loose fitting, light colored clothing to remain cool
· Keep the inside of homes cool. Remember, fans will not always prevent heat-related illness when the temperatures exceed 90 degrees, seeking shelter elsewhere is more important in those cases.
It is important to monitor those at high-risk and always educate children on the symptoms of heat-related illness and actions to take should they feel sick. Common sense always prevails, especially in these types of situations. Feeling ill from the heat is not something to be taken lightly. Always remember to remain calm, drink water and relax should you feel any symptoms – and always call a doctor if it is serious.
In California, Dennis Collins Insurance Agency is a reliable source of information for all health-related issues, including health insurance. Residents who want to learn more about affordable health insurance are encouraged to give the agency a call today – they are always happy to help!
About Dennis Collins Insurance Agency:
Since its beginning in 1977, Dennis Collins Insurance Agency has focused on the same thing: providing excellent customer service. When California residents turn to the agency for their insurance needs, personal attention and concern isn't just a promise, it’s a guarantee. Agents make it a point to get to know the needs of their clients on an individual level. This enables the agency to provide customized insurance solutions that manage risk, and protect everything important in the lives, families and businesses of California residents. Advisors, friends and trusted insurance agents are the foundation of Dennis Collins Insurance Agency for the last 35 years, and always will be. Reported by PRWeb 14 minutes ago.
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Survey: NY Area Employers Say Hiring Not Affected By Health Reform
Businesses 4-to-1 also more open to self-insuring than dropping coverage in wake of Affordable Care Act SUNNYVALE, Calif. and TEANECK, N.J., July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new employer health insurance survey from HealthPocket and HealthCareReform.com finds that 87...
Reported by PR Newswire 10 minutes ago.
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Westhill Consulting Insurance - Nobel Prize Winner Sets Sights on Fixing U.S. Healthcare
Westhill Healthcare Consulting has a complete editorial freedom over the content on its pages since it was published.
Having heard Clay Christensen expound on disruptive innovation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that change always comes from outside of incumbent players. While health orgs are dooming their innovation to failure or dither by not taking any meaningful action, it’s notable that a Nobel Peace Prize winner sees an opportunity to fix a critical portion of the U.S. healthcare system. As any good entrepreneur would do, Yunus identified an unmet need and so Grameen created an offering tailored to their target customers.
This article is a section of a longer paper on Direct Primary Care (DPC) that was introduced in an earlier piece - Health Plan Rorschach Test: Direct Primary Care. The following excerpt from that article briefly explains DPC if it’s a new concept. Click through the previous link for additional context.
Despite its inclusion in Obamacare, Direct Primary Care (DPC, aka Concierge Medicine for the Masses), it’s surprising how few health insurance executives know about DPC. DPC is a model of paying for primary care outside of insurance. The individual or organization paying for healthcare pays a monthly fee (like a gym membership) for all primary care needs. Generally, DPC providers say they can address 80 or more of the top 100 most common diagnoses.
Grameen America Partners with DPC Provider to Low Income Patients
Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunus, is famous for creating the concept of microfinance which has brought thousands out of poverty via the Grameen Bank. Grameen America is their U.S. affiliate which has already lent $93 million to over 17,400 women impacting 70,000 people (each borrower averages a family of four). Their microfinance repayment rate is 99.4% in the U.S. which is even more impressive than they have achieved internationally. Grameen has partnered with Iora Health to offer primary care services to their borrowers in New York. They believe addressing healthcare is a key facet of bringing people out of poverty.
Grameen’s plan is to initially offer Iora’s services only to Grameen borrowers. After that, Grameen will extend Iora’s services to their family members (including children) and eventually more broadly. Like their microfinance program, it isn’t designed as charity. Rather, Grameen borrowers will pay $10 per week ($43/month) which they expect will be economically sustainable. The borrowers, many of whom are undocumented workers, fall outside of what Medicaid and Obamacare address so the rest of the healthcare system is quite happy to keep these individuals out of the ER or even Federally Qualified Health Centers. Grameen’s “competition” will be the ER and FQHC so they must demonstrate that higher level service and dealing with the same healthcare team provides distinct advantages over disjointed (though often free) care in the ER/FQHC.
This development will further debunk the myth that DPC isn’t applicable to the broad populous. Given the extremely high Net Promoter Scores Iora achieves (higher than Google GOOG +1.57% or Apple AAPL +1.56%), if there is a “two tier healthcare system” (a common criticism of retainer-based medicine) it is higher income people getting the short end of the primary care stick. Doctors call the flawed fee-for-service model “hamster wheel primary care” because it’s a nightmare for the doctor and delivers sub-optimal value for the consumer - i.e., rushed 7-minute appointments, insurance bureaucracy laden processes, and delays in getting to see a doctor, etc. Not unlike how mobile phone carriers have developed profitable offerings to serve low income immigrant populations, Grameen hopes to prove they can do the same in healthcare. It will be interesting to watch.
http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/westhill-consulting-nobel-prize-winner-sets-sights-on-fixing-u-s-healthcare/
Company Contact Information
Westhill Consulting Insurance
Rose McGowan
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav 3-4
Jakarta
10220
62 21 5735843
News and Press Release Distribution From I-Newswire.com Reported by i-Newswire.com 6 minutes ago.
Having heard Clay Christensen expound on disruptive innovation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that change always comes from outside of incumbent players. While health orgs are dooming their innovation to failure or dither by not taking any meaningful action, it’s notable that a Nobel Peace Prize winner sees an opportunity to fix a critical portion of the U.S. healthcare system. As any good entrepreneur would do, Yunus identified an unmet need and so Grameen created an offering tailored to their target customers.
This article is a section of a longer paper on Direct Primary Care (DPC) that was introduced in an earlier piece - Health Plan Rorschach Test: Direct Primary Care. The following excerpt from that article briefly explains DPC if it’s a new concept. Click through the previous link for additional context.
Despite its inclusion in Obamacare, Direct Primary Care (DPC, aka Concierge Medicine for the Masses), it’s surprising how few health insurance executives know about DPC. DPC is a model of paying for primary care outside of insurance. The individual or organization paying for healthcare pays a monthly fee (like a gym membership) for all primary care needs. Generally, DPC providers say they can address 80 or more of the top 100 most common diagnoses.
Grameen America Partners with DPC Provider to Low Income Patients
Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunus, is famous for creating the concept of microfinance which has brought thousands out of poverty via the Grameen Bank. Grameen America is their U.S. affiliate which has already lent $93 million to over 17,400 women impacting 70,000 people (each borrower averages a family of four). Their microfinance repayment rate is 99.4% in the U.S. which is even more impressive than they have achieved internationally. Grameen has partnered with Iora Health to offer primary care services to their borrowers in New York. They believe addressing healthcare is a key facet of bringing people out of poverty.
Grameen’s plan is to initially offer Iora’s services only to Grameen borrowers. After that, Grameen will extend Iora’s services to their family members (including children) and eventually more broadly. Like their microfinance program, it isn’t designed as charity. Rather, Grameen borrowers will pay $10 per week ($43/month) which they expect will be economically sustainable. The borrowers, many of whom are undocumented workers, fall outside of what Medicaid and Obamacare address so the rest of the healthcare system is quite happy to keep these individuals out of the ER or even Federally Qualified Health Centers. Grameen’s “competition” will be the ER and FQHC so they must demonstrate that higher level service and dealing with the same healthcare team provides distinct advantages over disjointed (though often free) care in the ER/FQHC.
This development will further debunk the myth that DPC isn’t applicable to the broad populous. Given the extremely high Net Promoter Scores Iora achieves (higher than Google GOOG +1.57% or Apple AAPL +1.56%), if there is a “two tier healthcare system” (a common criticism of retainer-based medicine) it is higher income people getting the short end of the primary care stick. Doctors call the flawed fee-for-service model “hamster wheel primary care” because it’s a nightmare for the doctor and delivers sub-optimal value for the consumer - i.e., rushed 7-minute appointments, insurance bureaucracy laden processes, and delays in getting to see a doctor, etc. Not unlike how mobile phone carriers have developed profitable offerings to serve low income immigrant populations, Grameen hopes to prove they can do the same in healthcare. It will be interesting to watch.
http://www.westhillinsuranceconsulting.com/blog/westhill-consulting-nobel-prize-winner-sets-sights-on-fixing-u-s-healthcare/
Company Contact Information
Westhill Consulting Insurance
Rose McGowan
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav 3-4
Jakarta
10220
62 21 5735843
News and Press Release Distribution From I-Newswire.com Reported by i-Newswire.com 6 minutes ago.
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New health insurance markets: Not like Travelocity
You may have heard that shopping for health insurance under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul will be like using Travelocity or Amazon.
Reported by Miami Herald 18 hours ago.
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White House Tries Star Power To Sell Health Insurance
The success of President Obama's health care law depends a lot on whether healthy 20- and 30-somethings end up buying insurance. At first the administration was hoping to recruit pro football stars in its PR push, but after a couple of Republicans sent the NFL a letter, that didn't happen. So now the White House is turning to celebrities — like Michael Cera, Jennifer Hudson and Amy Poehler.
Reported by NPR 15 hours ago.
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Enrollment First, Inc. & Ratliff Law Firm Partner to Bring WellMEC, the Seamless Compliance Solution to Health Care Reform & the Affordable Care Act, to the Marketplace
Enrollment First, Inc. and Ratliff Law Firm partner to create WellMEC, providing employers seamless compliance with health care reform and the Affordable Care Act.
Knoxville, Tennessee (PRWEB) July 26, 2013
WellMEC, the new solution to the Affordable Care Act, is now available to employers in all fifty states. Enrollment First, Inc. and Ratliff Law Firm ERISA and tax attorneys, Eric Ratliff and Alex Renfro, together have created the exclusive solution to health care reform that eliminates compliance challenges created by the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act continues to be in a state of flux, spawning a multitude of new rules and regulations that enterprises must comply with or face significant financial penalties. “We are excited to be able to pick up the pieces and exclusively bring the solution to the marketplace for business owners and corporations alike,” said Enrollment First Founder and President Hazen Mirts. “It’s been a long time coming, but after much evaluation and brainstorming between my team and the ERISA and tax attorneys, our solution is ready now and it eliminates the challenges of complying with the ACA now, in 2014, and beyond.”
WellMEC, officially available in July 2013, is a minimum essential coverage, self-insurance plan with reinsurance and covers all wellness and preventive services. The plan provides audit protection through automatic enrollment for new employees and includes a PPO Network. Employees can also elect to participate in WellMEC+, the minimum value plan that satisfies the unaffordable plan penalty, as well as a hospital indemnity plan.
WellMEC eliminates the challenges created by the ACA by providing employers with complete visibility and control over their health benefits while also managing the entire process for them, making it a total turn-key solution all under one roof. One of the most urgent challenges employers are facing is the fast-approaching October 1, 2013 deadline that requires by law written communication and education of their health plan and the existence of an exchange to all full time employees prior to October 1, 2013! The WellMEC compliance system manages exchange communications for employers, creating and delivering communications privately labeled to their business to all employees, all the while certifying plan documents to be compliant and taking care of benefit plan development, billing, eligibility, and enrollments.
“Employees can call and get answers to their health care questions from trained agents that are right here in the US,” said Mirts. “Not only that, but we also assist employees in filling out applications to the exchange to make sure they are completed properly – and to protect employers from steep excise taxes that are not tax deductible they would otherwise pay due to employees qualifying for subsidies.”
The penalties Mirts mentioned are steep, indeed. If an employer is subject to the penalty and fails to offer any full-time employee health coverage, and if any full-time employee enrolls in the exchange and receives a tax subsidy to purchase coverage, the employer is subject to a penalty equal to the number of the business’ full-time employees, minus 30, times $2,000 per year. If an employer offers its employees health insurance, but that coverage does not provide a “minimum value” as required by the law, or if the employee's contribution for self-only coverage is greater than 9.5% of the employee’s household income, the employee is eligible to receive a tax subsidy to purchase coverage through the exchange. The employer must pay a penalty tax of $3,000 per year for each of these employees.
“These regulations have not been employer-friendly,” said Renfro.
In addition to paying a steep price for employees that qualify for a subsidy, those employees automatically become whistle-blowers under OSHA protection. This means that if employers treat them any differently, they could face a class-action lawsuit. What’s worse is that employers won’t find out which employees qualify for subsidies until January 1, 2015.
“These taxes and mandates have been the driving force behind the creation of WellMEC,” said Mirts. “Renfro is right; none of these regulations have been beneficial for employers and ultimately our economy. Thankfully, we’ve built a solution that helps employers attract, retain and motivate employees to stay, and stay healthy.”
For more information on WellMEC or Enrollment First, Inc., visit http://www.wellmec.net or http://www.enroll1st.com.
WellMEC is protected by patent pending. ID 16202001. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
Knoxville, Tennessee (PRWEB) July 26, 2013
WellMEC, the new solution to the Affordable Care Act, is now available to employers in all fifty states. Enrollment First, Inc. and Ratliff Law Firm ERISA and tax attorneys, Eric Ratliff and Alex Renfro, together have created the exclusive solution to health care reform that eliminates compliance challenges created by the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act continues to be in a state of flux, spawning a multitude of new rules and regulations that enterprises must comply with or face significant financial penalties. “We are excited to be able to pick up the pieces and exclusively bring the solution to the marketplace for business owners and corporations alike,” said Enrollment First Founder and President Hazen Mirts. “It’s been a long time coming, but after much evaluation and brainstorming between my team and the ERISA and tax attorneys, our solution is ready now and it eliminates the challenges of complying with the ACA now, in 2014, and beyond.”
WellMEC, officially available in July 2013, is a minimum essential coverage, self-insurance plan with reinsurance and covers all wellness and preventive services. The plan provides audit protection through automatic enrollment for new employees and includes a PPO Network. Employees can also elect to participate in WellMEC+, the minimum value plan that satisfies the unaffordable plan penalty, as well as a hospital indemnity plan.
WellMEC eliminates the challenges created by the ACA by providing employers with complete visibility and control over their health benefits while also managing the entire process for them, making it a total turn-key solution all under one roof. One of the most urgent challenges employers are facing is the fast-approaching October 1, 2013 deadline that requires by law written communication and education of their health plan and the existence of an exchange to all full time employees prior to October 1, 2013! The WellMEC compliance system manages exchange communications for employers, creating and delivering communications privately labeled to their business to all employees, all the while certifying plan documents to be compliant and taking care of benefit plan development, billing, eligibility, and enrollments.
“Employees can call and get answers to their health care questions from trained agents that are right here in the US,” said Mirts. “Not only that, but we also assist employees in filling out applications to the exchange to make sure they are completed properly – and to protect employers from steep excise taxes that are not tax deductible they would otherwise pay due to employees qualifying for subsidies.”
The penalties Mirts mentioned are steep, indeed. If an employer is subject to the penalty and fails to offer any full-time employee health coverage, and if any full-time employee enrolls in the exchange and receives a tax subsidy to purchase coverage, the employer is subject to a penalty equal to the number of the business’ full-time employees, minus 30, times $2,000 per year. If an employer offers its employees health insurance, but that coverage does not provide a “minimum value” as required by the law, or if the employee's contribution for self-only coverage is greater than 9.5% of the employee’s household income, the employee is eligible to receive a tax subsidy to purchase coverage through the exchange. The employer must pay a penalty tax of $3,000 per year for each of these employees.
“These regulations have not been employer-friendly,” said Renfro.
In addition to paying a steep price for employees that qualify for a subsidy, those employees automatically become whistle-blowers under OSHA protection. This means that if employers treat them any differently, they could face a class-action lawsuit. What’s worse is that employers won’t find out which employees qualify for subsidies until January 1, 2015.
“These taxes and mandates have been the driving force behind the creation of WellMEC,” said Mirts. “Renfro is right; none of these regulations have been beneficial for employers and ultimately our economy. Thankfully, we’ve built a solution that helps employers attract, retain and motivate employees to stay, and stay healthy.”
For more information on WellMEC or Enrollment First, Inc., visit http://www.wellmec.net or http://www.enroll1st.com.
WellMEC is protected by patent pending. ID 16202001. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
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Pacific Prime Keeps Their Clients Informed With the Launch of Several Health Insurance Books
In order to help clients make the most informed decisions about their health insurance, Pacific Prime have launched several health insurance books that are available for free on their website.
(PRWEB) July 26, 2013
As part of Pacific Prime’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that the best insurance advice is given to all individuals, PPI have produced several health insurance books, which are available for free on their website. The four books, “The Basics”, “Choosing the Right Plan”, “Maternity”, and “Buying Medical Insurance in China”, will allow customers to make more informed decisions about their health insurance.
“The Basics” is the first book released, and it explains the fundamental importance of having medical insurance. The book also defines and clarifies some of the common terminology that often confuses people when they begin researching medical insurance, such as evacuation/repatriation, pre-existing medical conditions, excess/deductible, chronic conditions, as well as the different treatment levels available, like inpatient, outpatient, dental and maternity.
“Choosing the Right Plan” was written to help clients understand and differentiate the different types of plans on the market. The book explores some of the main factors that contribute to premium calculation, and it explains how a client’s personal situation can have an effect on the type of plan chosen. This book also takes a look at the claims process and explains how a broker can assist a client in finding the right type of insurance.
“Maternity” teaches clients all the major aspects regarding this very specific type of insurance, not only from the side of choosing the right plan, but also by giving important insight into what to look for when choosing the right facility to get treatment from.
“Buying Medical Insurance in China” has information about the different factors clients need to be aware of when choosing an insurance plan for China. The book explains the difference between offshore and onshore plans, and the advantages and disadvantages therein, such as the issuance of a Fapio (a local tax certificate that is needed if a company is paying from within China).
Helping clients make the most informed decisions is the very cornerstone of Pacific Prime’s ethos, and PPI believes that these health insurance books and other such resources of information can help the market stay educated. Reported by PRWeb 13 hours ago.
(PRWEB) July 26, 2013
As part of Pacific Prime’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that the best insurance advice is given to all individuals, PPI have produced several health insurance books, which are available for free on their website. The four books, “The Basics”, “Choosing the Right Plan”, “Maternity”, and “Buying Medical Insurance in China”, will allow customers to make more informed decisions about their health insurance.
“The Basics” is the first book released, and it explains the fundamental importance of having medical insurance. The book also defines and clarifies some of the common terminology that often confuses people when they begin researching medical insurance, such as evacuation/repatriation, pre-existing medical conditions, excess/deductible, chronic conditions, as well as the different treatment levels available, like inpatient, outpatient, dental and maternity.
“Choosing the Right Plan” was written to help clients understand and differentiate the different types of plans on the market. The book explores some of the main factors that contribute to premium calculation, and it explains how a client’s personal situation can have an effect on the type of plan chosen. This book also takes a look at the claims process and explains how a broker can assist a client in finding the right type of insurance.
“Maternity” teaches clients all the major aspects regarding this very specific type of insurance, not only from the side of choosing the right plan, but also by giving important insight into what to look for when choosing the right facility to get treatment from.
“Buying Medical Insurance in China” has information about the different factors clients need to be aware of when choosing an insurance plan for China. The book explains the difference between offshore and onshore plans, and the advantages and disadvantages therein, such as the issuance of a Fapio (a local tax certificate that is needed if a company is paying from within China).
Helping clients make the most informed decisions is the very cornerstone of Pacific Prime’s ethos, and PPI believes that these health insurance books and other such resources of information can help the market stay educated. Reported by PRWeb 13 hours ago.
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Obamacare's Foot Soldiers Train To Enroll The Masses
By Sharon Bernstein
LOS ANGELES, July 26 (Reuters) - Nahla Kayali is a foot soldier for Obamacare.
She is among the first wave of 2,000 community organizers in California getting trained to persuade more than 1 million uninsured people in the state to sign up for subsidized health coverage under President Barack Obama's reform law.
Kayali and her cohorts begin their mission next month, armed with flyers, pamphlets and a small army of volunteers who speak 13 languages.
"We're getting consumers and small businesses the tools to enroll, and trying to eliminate the barriers to enrolling," said Kayali, 55, who runs a non-profit that provides social services to Arab Christians and Muslims in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles. "We're going to break down the stigma - any barrier, whether it's a language barrier or a cultural barrier."
Among U.S. states, California will have the largest force deployed in a massive national outreach effort costing hundreds of millions of dollars. These thousands of foot soldiers will have to promote the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the face of widespread political opposition and public skepticism.
Their work is key to the success of the new law in its first year, when the Obama administration seeks to enroll as many as 7 million people, including 2.7 million young and healthy people who are cheaper to insure, for 2014.
Oregon and Vermont have already begun training their enrollment advisers, while Connecticut and Washington are just starting up and other states, including Illinois and New York, will commence later this summer.
The playbook for these ambassadors focuses on two main points: First, tell people how they will benefit from Obamacare; second, stay away from divisive political talk.
"There is a major effort ... to try to educate Americans," said Michael Sparer, head of American health policy and management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "There are extraordinary levels of confusion over what the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, does and does not do."
Opponents of the health reform law have criticized the public funds spent on mobilizing tens of thousands of people like Kayali into what they say is a highly politicized campaign. Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, says it may not work despite the expense.
"They're trying to sell millions of people something that they've already shown they don't want and they're trying to do it in a very confused and politically polarized atmosphere," he said. "They don't realize what they've got themselves into."
A CONCERN FOR EVERY COMMUNITY
The outreach advisers will counsel Americans on what kind of coverage they need, what kind of subsidies they may qualify for and how to sign up. Some are paid through federal grants or by private organizations, while others are volunteers. Hospital staff, already schooled in helping uninsured patients determine whether they are eligible for government programs like Medicaid, are expected to lend a hand.
California is spending $140 million on enrolling consumers and small business owners for the state's new healthcare exchange, including $86 million worth of advertising time, said Dana Howard, a spokesman for the Covered California exchange.
The ad campaign will roll out during the fall, Howard said, so the information is fresh in consumers' minds as enrollment begins in October. Along with television, newspaper and website ads, it will include social media campaigns on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, he said.
When they hit the streets, however, they may meet considerable obstacles, from the political to the personal.
Kayali expects to find resistance from Arab immigrants who fear government assistance could make them vulnerable to corrupt politicians - as they might have been in their home countries.
"They're afraid it might affect their legality, and they are afraid the government will want something from them in return," she said.
It was to learn how to deal with such skepticism - among other obstacles - that Kayali and several hundred other non-profit administrators sat in a medical center training office in a Los Angeles suburb last week.
"Never make any political representation in any presentation," trainer Laquetta Shamblee told the group. "We don't make political statements even if we have a political opinion."
JUST THE FACTS
Shamblee also admonished trainees to keep their groups' political materials - on immigration, Middle East policy or other issues - away from events where they promote the Affordable Care Act, along with any statements about the law or Obama.
"Everybody has a cell phone, and we don't want to be on '60 Minutes,'" she said.
Shamblee, who has a background in healthcare advocacy, said the state is not offering trainees lessons in how to counter potential opponents who might approach them at schools, churches or other places they set up tables. They are being advised not to engage in potentially inflammatory talk at all, but simply provide factual information about how to get health insurance through the exchange.
"Once people get the details, if it's something that benefits their families they will look into it," she said.
In Los Angeles County, Tina Wong will field a team of Spanish-speaking ambassadors going door-to-door to offer information to Latino consumers.
Like Kayali, she expects to find resistance: In Los Angeles County, 11 percent of the adult population is undocumented - ineligible to purchase insurance from the exchange and at risk of deportation if their status becomes known. That may prevent many families from signing up - even if some loved ones, including U.S.-born children, are eligible.
"Our biggest obstacle will be fear among parents who are undocumented to enroll their children," said Wong.
She is acutely aware of how divided American families may be about the law, as her husband, a Republican, staunchly opposes Obamacare and believes that the uninsured should not rely on the government for health coverage. (Additional reporting by Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Douglas Royalty) Reported by Huffington Post 12 hours ago.
LOS ANGELES, July 26 (Reuters) - Nahla Kayali is a foot soldier for Obamacare.
She is among the first wave of 2,000 community organizers in California getting trained to persuade more than 1 million uninsured people in the state to sign up for subsidized health coverage under President Barack Obama's reform law.
Kayali and her cohorts begin their mission next month, armed with flyers, pamphlets and a small army of volunteers who speak 13 languages.
"We're getting consumers and small businesses the tools to enroll, and trying to eliminate the barriers to enrolling," said Kayali, 55, who runs a non-profit that provides social services to Arab Christians and Muslims in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles. "We're going to break down the stigma - any barrier, whether it's a language barrier or a cultural barrier."
Among U.S. states, California will have the largest force deployed in a massive national outreach effort costing hundreds of millions of dollars. These thousands of foot soldiers will have to promote the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the face of widespread political opposition and public skepticism.
Their work is key to the success of the new law in its first year, when the Obama administration seeks to enroll as many as 7 million people, including 2.7 million young and healthy people who are cheaper to insure, for 2014.
Oregon and Vermont have already begun training their enrollment advisers, while Connecticut and Washington are just starting up and other states, including Illinois and New York, will commence later this summer.
The playbook for these ambassadors focuses on two main points: First, tell people how they will benefit from Obamacare; second, stay away from divisive political talk.
"There is a major effort ... to try to educate Americans," said Michael Sparer, head of American health policy and management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "There are extraordinary levels of confusion over what the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, does and does not do."
Opponents of the health reform law have criticized the public funds spent on mobilizing tens of thousands of people like Kayali into what they say is a highly politicized campaign. Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, says it may not work despite the expense.
"They're trying to sell millions of people something that they've already shown they don't want and they're trying to do it in a very confused and politically polarized atmosphere," he said. "They don't realize what they've got themselves into."
A CONCERN FOR EVERY COMMUNITY
The outreach advisers will counsel Americans on what kind of coverage they need, what kind of subsidies they may qualify for and how to sign up. Some are paid through federal grants or by private organizations, while others are volunteers. Hospital staff, already schooled in helping uninsured patients determine whether they are eligible for government programs like Medicaid, are expected to lend a hand.
California is spending $140 million on enrolling consumers and small business owners for the state's new healthcare exchange, including $86 million worth of advertising time, said Dana Howard, a spokesman for the Covered California exchange.
The ad campaign will roll out during the fall, Howard said, so the information is fresh in consumers' minds as enrollment begins in October. Along with television, newspaper and website ads, it will include social media campaigns on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, he said.
When they hit the streets, however, they may meet considerable obstacles, from the political to the personal.
Kayali expects to find resistance from Arab immigrants who fear government assistance could make them vulnerable to corrupt politicians - as they might have been in their home countries.
"They're afraid it might affect their legality, and they are afraid the government will want something from them in return," she said.
It was to learn how to deal with such skepticism - among other obstacles - that Kayali and several hundred other non-profit administrators sat in a medical center training office in a Los Angeles suburb last week.
"Never make any political representation in any presentation," trainer Laquetta Shamblee told the group. "We don't make political statements even if we have a political opinion."
JUST THE FACTS
Shamblee also admonished trainees to keep their groups' political materials - on immigration, Middle East policy or other issues - away from events where they promote the Affordable Care Act, along with any statements about the law or Obama.
"Everybody has a cell phone, and we don't want to be on '60 Minutes,'" she said.
Shamblee, who has a background in healthcare advocacy, said the state is not offering trainees lessons in how to counter potential opponents who might approach them at schools, churches or other places they set up tables. They are being advised not to engage in potentially inflammatory talk at all, but simply provide factual information about how to get health insurance through the exchange.
"Once people get the details, if it's something that benefits their families they will look into it," she said.
In Los Angeles County, Tina Wong will field a team of Spanish-speaking ambassadors going door-to-door to offer information to Latino consumers.
Like Kayali, she expects to find resistance: In Los Angeles County, 11 percent of the adult population is undocumented - ineligible to purchase insurance from the exchange and at risk of deportation if their status becomes known. That may prevent many families from signing up - even if some loved ones, including U.S.-born children, are eligible.
"Our biggest obstacle will be fear among parents who are undocumented to enroll their children," said Wong.
She is acutely aware of how divided American families may be about the law, as her husband, a Republican, staunchly opposes Obamacare and believes that the uninsured should not rely on the government for health coverage. (Additional reporting by Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Douglas Royalty) Reported by Huffington Post 12 hours ago.
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THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY PLATFORM
From http://www.lp.org/platform
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*LIBERTARIAN PARTY PLATFORM*
As adopted in Convention, May 2012, Las Vegas, Nevada
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*PREAMBLE*
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.
We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.
Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.
In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles.
These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.
*STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES*
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.
We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.
Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.
We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life -- accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action -- accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property -- accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.
Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.
1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.1 Expression and Communication
We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.
1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.
1.3 Personal Relationships
Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
1.4 Abortion
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.
1.5 Crime and Justice
Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution to the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.
1.6 Self-Defense
The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.
2.0 Economic Liberty
Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.
2.1 Property and Contract
Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.
2.2 Environment
We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. We realize that our planet's climate is constantly changing, but environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.
2.3 Energy and Resources
While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.
2.4 Government Finance and Spending
All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.
2.5 Money and Financial Markets
We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and unconstitutional legal tender laws.
2.6 Monopolies and Corporations
We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.
2.7 Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.
2.8 Education
Education is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Recognizing that the education of children is a parental responsibility, we would restore authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. Parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.
2.9 Health Care
We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want (if any), the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions. People should be free to purchase health insurance across state lines.
2.10 Retirement and Income Security
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm.
3.0 Securing Liberty
The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.
3.1 National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both avoid entangling alliances and abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.
3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights
The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.
3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.
3.4 Free Trade and Migration
We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a credible threat to security, health or property.
3.5 Rights and Discrimination
Libertarians embrace the concept that all people are born with certain inherent rights. We reject the idea that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others to fulfill that "right." We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should neither deny nor abridge any individual's human right based upon sex, wealth, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs. This statement shall not be construed to condone child abuse or neglect.
3.6 Representative Government
We support election systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives. We advocate initiative, referendum, recall and repeal when used as popular checks on government.
3.7 Self-Determination
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.
4.0 Omissions
Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.
Reported by Zero Hedge 11 hours ago.
* *
*LIBERTARIAN PARTY PLATFORM*
As adopted in Convention, May 2012, Las Vegas, Nevada
* *
*PREAMBLE*
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.
We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.
Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.
In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles.
These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.
*STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES*
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.
We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.
Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.
We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life -- accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action -- accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property -- accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.
Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.
1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.1 Expression and Communication
We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.
1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.
1.3 Personal Relationships
Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
1.4 Abortion
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.
1.5 Crime and Justice
Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution to the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.
1.6 Self-Defense
The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.
2.0 Economic Liberty
Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.
2.1 Property and Contract
Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.
2.2 Environment
We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. We realize that our planet's climate is constantly changing, but environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.
2.3 Energy and Resources
While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.
2.4 Government Finance and Spending
All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.
2.5 Money and Financial Markets
We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and unconstitutional legal tender laws.
2.6 Monopolies and Corporations
We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.
2.7 Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.
2.8 Education
Education is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Recognizing that the education of children is a parental responsibility, we would restore authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. Parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.
2.9 Health Care
We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want (if any), the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions. People should be free to purchase health insurance across state lines.
2.10 Retirement and Income Security
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become more charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm.
3.0 Securing Liberty
The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.
3.1 National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both avoid entangling alliances and abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.
3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights
The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.
3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.
3.4 Free Trade and Migration
We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a credible threat to security, health or property.
3.5 Rights and Discrimination
Libertarians embrace the concept that all people are born with certain inherent rights. We reject the idea that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others to fulfill that "right." We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should neither deny nor abridge any individual's human right based upon sex, wealth, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs. This statement shall not be construed to condone child abuse or neglect.
3.6 Representative Government
We support election systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives. We advocate initiative, referendum, recall and repeal when used as popular checks on government.
3.7 Self-Determination
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.
4.0 Omissions
Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.
Reported by Zero Hedge 11 hours ago.
↧
IRS Employees Union Is 'Very Concerned' About Being Required To Enroll In Obamacare's Health Insurance Exchanges
In the private sector, many workers are concerned about losing their employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, and being dumped into Obamacare’s subsidized insurance exchanges. Two weeks ago, representatives of three large labor unions fired off a harsh letter to Democratic leaders in Congress, complaining that Obamacare would “shatter…our hard-earned health benefits” and create “nightmare scenarios” for their members. Today, we learn that the National Treasury Employees Union—the union that includes employees of the Internal Revenue Service—is asking its members to write letters to their Congressmen, stating that they are “very concerned” about legislative efforts requiring IRS and Treasury employees to enroll in the Obamacare exchanges.
Reported by Forbes.com 10 hours ago.
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