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Dentist from Bosnia-Herzegovina Named Dental Director at Hampton Roads Dental Center

June 21, 2014, 12:06 am
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Woman, mom and dentist helps others at the Hampton Roads Dental Center.

Chesapeake, Virginia (PRWEB) June 21, 2014

It isn’t hard for Dr. Sladjana Skrba-Turkovic to understand how grateful her patients are for their dental care at the Hampton Roads Dental Center.

Many years ago and thousands of miles away, she grew up in a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina with limited access to serious medical care. Her younger sister needed a kidney transplant at age 10. For three years, they tried dialysis but couldn’t save her.

Although the loss of her sister was the greatest tragedy for Dr. Skrba-Turkovic, it was only the beginning of several hardships to come. After becoming a dentist, she lost everything in her war-torn country: her home, her practice and all her family photos. She fled to Zimbabwe, a country that appeared favorable to immigration, only to lose her practice and home again to economic and political turmoil.

Losing her sister, her homes and businesses all led Dr. Skrba-Turkovic to the United States in 2000 and eventually to the doors of the Hampton Roads Dental Center in 2012, where she recently became its first dental director. Dedicating herself to helping others, she has become an integral part of the nonprofit. Patients and staff lovingly nicknamed her “Dr. T.”

“I love to help people because people have helped me,” she said. “Here, patients feel respected when they come in. We never judge anyone.” Through the Hampton Roads Dental Center, Dr. Skrba-Turkovic and a team of over 30 volunteer dental professionals treated in 2013 more than 1,100 dental patients during more than 3,000 office visits. Their needs ranged from basic and complex dental hygiene care to emergency extractions, restorations and dentures. The dental center, which opened more than 20 years ago, was expanded in 2012, enabling it to help even more patients in the Hampton Roads area. The expansion was made possible by contributions from individuals and grants from corporations and foundations including the Virginia Health Care Foundation, which continues its support with funding for dental services and programs.

The center proudly serves as an on-site training facility for students attending the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry and Old Dominion University School of Dental Hygiene. The dental center is one of 29 dental clinics in Virginia treating those in need. It is part of the Chesapeake Care Clinic, a nonprofit that provides medical care to people who don’t have health insurance.

“Our patients just love Dr. T,” said Chesapeake Care Executive Director Cathy Revell. “Her passion to help others fits perfectly with our mission at the dental center and the clinic.”

At a recent open house for the dental center, many local dentists pledged to become part of its volunteer network. Dr. Skrba-Turkovic couldn’t be more thrilled. “We’re changing lives here,” she said. “It’s hard for people to find a job and get hired when they have serious dental health problems. It is an honor to help people smile with confidence.”

About Chesapeake Care Clinic and Hampton Roads Dental Center
Chesapeake Care, Inc. is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 to provide medical and dental care services to low-income, uninsured individuals within Chesapeake, Virginia. Chesapeake Care, Inc. is composed of two entities, the medical clinic that serves eligible residents in Chesapeake and the Hampton Roads Dental Center which serves eligible residents within Hampton Roads. In fiscal year 2013, Chesapeake Care, Inc. through its network of volunteers and an operating budget of $1.2 million provided $10.2 million in health care services for 2,102 patients. http://www.chesapeakecare.org Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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Health Insurance Agent Offers Advice for Purchasing Long-term Care Insurance in San Luis Obispo

June 21, 2014, 12:06 am
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Susan Polk, a San Luis Obispo health insurance agent, helps clients find the right policy at the right time in their lives. http://susanpolk.com/

San Luis Obispo, CA (PRWEB) June 21, 2014

Oftentimes, the need for long-term care insurance is not discussed until an individual is faced with an injury or illness, according to San Luis Obispo health insurance agent, Susan Polk. With the costs of care directly impacting families, it is essential to consider long-term care insurance long before these life events occur. To help better educate her clients and others throughout San Luis Obispo County, Polk has added a wealth of information on the topic of long-term care insurance to her website, http://www.susanpolk.com.

“I have the heart of an educator,” says Polk, “and I like to help people decide what will work best for their situation based on their family health history and their family situation. The need for long-term care assistance may come about because of an illness, disability, injury, or a terminal condition so it is important to be prepared with the proper insurance before these occur.”

Long-term care becomes more of a reality as a person ages. According to data compiled by the Social Security Administration shows the average life expectancies in the United States today are: a man reaching age 65 can expect to live until he is 84 and a woman turning age 65 can expect to live until she is 86. Outside these averages, the data further shows that approximately one in four of these individuals will live past age 90, and one in 10 will live past 95.

In order to assure a higher chance of eligibility and lower-cost premiums, the best time to buy long-term care insurance, according to the AARP, is likely when an individual is entering middle-age and is still in relatively good health. Planning ahead can also result in lessening the dependence on friends and family at a later date.

“Many people do not realize just how prevalent the need for long-term care is,” says Polk, who has been writing long-term care policies for 25+ years. “I want to bring awareness to the need for ensuring coverage sooner rather than later. The most ideal time to start a program is when a person is in their 50s; many financial advisors say by age 60.”

Some of the average costs in the United States for long-term care such as nursing and medical assistance, according to longtermcare.gov, include:·     $205 per day or $6,235 per month for a semi-private room in a nursing home
·     $229 per day or $6,965 per month for a private room in a nursing home
·     $3,293 per month for care in a one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility
·     $21 per hour for a home health aide
·     $19 per hour for homemaker services
·     $67 per day for services in an adult day health care center

Long-term care insurance includes coverage for in-home assistance, visiting nurses, community programs, adult day care, nursing home care, hospice, board and care facilities, and assisted living services in a residential community.

The experienced and dedicated team at Susan Polk is committed to helping their clients feel safe and secure about their future and work to find the best choices for their future needs. Many plan options qualify for the California Partnership for Long-term Care program that allows policy holders to maintain a higher level of assets in their estate, even if they eventually need Medi-Cal to cover costs.

To assist new and existing clients, Susan Polk offers no-cost, personalized assessments for those seeking answers to their questions on San Luis Obispo long-term care insurance at her San Luis Obispo office. Contact her at (805) 544-6454, or go to http://www.susanpolk.com to learn more. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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4 Reasons You'll Spend More Money After Early Retirement

June 21, 2014, 3:23 am
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4 Reasons You'll Spend More Money After Early Retirement Filed under: Family Money, Personal Finance, Early Retirement, Social Security, Financial Education

*Getty Images*

By Joe Udo

One retirement rule of thumb is that retirees spend about 80 percent of their after-tax income in retirement. Generally, this doesn't work for early retirees because they save more aggressively. If you save 30 to 50 percent of your income, it makes more sense to use your expenses rather than your income to extrapolate your after-retirement spending.

If you saved aggressively and accumulated 25 times your annual expenses, then you are very close to financial independence, which means early retirement is an option. If you use the 4 percent withdrawal rule your retirement portfolio is likely to last the rest of your life. Most early retirees think their expenses will stay the same after they quit working, but that's not a safe assumption. Here's why you'll probably spend more after taking an early retirement:

*Travel.* Many of us want to travel more when we retire. With more time, it's possible to visit a country for two months instead of two weeks. That amount of time allows you to explore a destination in depth rather than the quick gloss vacationers usually do. Most of us have a bucket list of countries to visit, but traveling can be an expensive hobby. Travel will most likely increase your expenses after retirement unless you're committed to traveling cheaply.

It's possible to travel frugally, but you have to be more creative. In our working years, we value time more, so we don't mind paying extra for convenience. With more time, you can optimize travel financially instead. For example, airline tickets with more stopovers are usually cheaper. In retirement, direct flights don't need to be a huge priority. You can even use creative options like booking a repositioning cruise instead of flying.

*Hobbies and projects.* When we're working full time, a lot of things are put on the back burner. In retirement you will have time to remodel the kitchen, take a photography class, learn to play an instrument and buy the Harley you've always wanted. Yet, all these activities that you've been waiting to do will cost money. Sure, do-it-yourself projects around the house will increase the property value, but home improvements will cost plenty of money in the short term. Your retirement budget should account for a variety of potential hobby activities.*Health care.* It's essential for early retirees to budget for health insurance coverage after leaving their employment. Medicare is available at 65, but if you retire early health care is your responsibility. COBRA is one option, but it only lasts up to 18 months and the price can be very expensive. Another option for early retirees is the health insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Some early retirees might even qualify for tax credits with their lower level of income. It's extremely likely that you will use more health care services and have to pay more for health care as you get older, so you need to factor likely health care costs into your retirement budget.

*Too much free time.* Many retirees choose to keep busy, but it can take a few years to figure out what to do with your time. When we're working, we usually spend money in our idle time. This habit can carry into retirement when there is a lot more idle time available. If you spend your weekends shopping, eating out and going to shows, then you probably need to learn how to entertain yourself with cheap or free events.

Most early retirees are good with their finances and that's why they can retire early. However, they should realize that spending will probably increase after retirement and take that into account. But this uptick in spending isn't an insurmountable barrier for early retirees. They can work part time to cover recreational expenses or explore a hobby that doubles as an income stream. Early retirees are often resourceful and can adjust their course accordingly.

While the level of spending often increases initially upon retirement, it will usually decrease as people get older and do fewer activities. Health care expenses may increase in the later years, but travel and recreation expenses will usually go down. At some point, Medicare and Social Security benefits will kick in, and it will give you a little more breathing room to have that extra cash and benefits coming in later on in retirement.

Joe Udo blogs at Retire By 40 where he writes about passive income, frugal living, retirement investing and the challenges of early retirement. He recently left his corporate job to be a stay at home dad and blogger and is having the time of his life.
 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments Reported by DailyFinance 2 hours ago.
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GovBeat: Vermont is the best state in America

June 21, 2014, 6:13 am
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A lifetime of good health starts in childhood. Health insurance, access to health care and regular exercise make for fit kids with long life expectancies. And nowhere in America are kids healthier than in Vermont. Reported by Washington Post 1 day ago.
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Five Reasons Employees Love Premium Reimbursement

June 21, 2014, 6:03 am
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Zane Benefits Announces Using Premium Reimbursements can Save on Healthcare Costs

Park City, UT (PRWEB) June 21, 2014

Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published a primer on the benefits of premium reimbursement arrangements for employees.

According to Zane Benefits’ blog post, more and more, small and medium-sized businesses are canceling group health insurance and setting up formal Premium Reimbursement Programs to reimburse employees for individual health insurance premiums. This strategy saves the business 20% to 60% on healthcare costs, and is a health benefit that helps recruit and retain key employees.

Employees love the premium reimbursement strategy because it allows the employees to choose their own health insurance and it gives them access to Health Insurance Tax Credits. For example, employees can use their health insurance allowance to purchase policies from the new health insurance marketplaces. This gives employees access to federal health insurance tax credits to lower the cost of their premium.

Click here to read the full article.

About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.
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Obama's Transgender Rights Campaign Gets Little Attention

June 21, 2014, 7:51 am
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Barack Obama, who established his bona fides as a gay and lesbian rights champion when he endorsed same-sex marriage, has steadily extended his administration's advocacy to the smallest and least accepted band of the LGBT rainbow: transgender Americans.

With little of the fanfare or criticism that marked his evolution into the leader Newsweek nicknamed "the first gay president," Obama became the first chief executive to say "transgender" in a speech, to name transgender political appointees and to prohibit job bias against transgender government workers. Also in his first term, he signed hate crime legislation that became the first federal civil rights protections for transgender people in U.S. history. Since then, the administration has quietly applied the power of the executive branch to make it easier for transgender people to update their passports, obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, get treatment at Veteran's Administration facilities and seek access to public school restrooms and sports programs — just a few of the transgender-specific policy shifts of Obama's presidency.

"He has been the best president for transgender rights, and nobody else is in second place," Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said of Obama, who is the only president to invite transgender children to participate in the annual Easter egg roll at the White House.

Religious conservative groups quick to criticize the president for his gay rights advocacy have been much slower to respond to the administration's actions. The leader of the Traditional Values Coalition says there is little recourse because the changes come through executive orders and federal agencies rather than Congress.

The latest wins came this month, when the Office of Personnel Management announced that government-contracted health insurers could start covering the cost of gender reassignment surgeries for federal employees, retirees and their survivors, ending a 40-year prohibition. Two weeks earlier, a decades-old rule preventing Medicare from financing such procedures was overturned within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Unlike Obama's support for same-sex marriage and lifting the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay troops, the White House's work to promote transgender rights has happened mostly out of the spotlight.

Some advances have gone unnoticed because they also benefited the much larger gay, lesbian and bisexual communities. That was the case Monday when the White House announced that Obama plans to sign an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In other instances, transgender rights groups and the administration have agreed on a low-key approach, both to skirt resistance and to send the message that changes are not a big deal, said Barbara Siperstein, who in 2009 became the first transgender person elected to the Democratic National Committee.

"It's quiet by design, because the louder you are in Washington, the more the drama," said Siperstein, who helped organize the first meeting between White House aides and transgender rights advocates without the participation of gay rights leaders.

The 2011 meeting came 34 years after Jimmy Carter's administration made history by meeting with gay rights groups. Obama's Cabinet and federal agencies have followed up with actions significantly expanding transgender rights without congressional approval.

For instance, Health and Human Services said in 2012 that it would apply the non-discrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act to investigate federally funded health plans and care providers that refused to serve transgender individuals.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Education Department informed public schools that under its reading of Title IX, the 1972 law that bans gender discrimination in education, transgender students are entitled to federal civil rights protections. The information was included in a memo on schools' obligations to respond to student-on-student sexual violence.

Obama has made clear the guidance has potentially broad implications.

"Title IX is a very powerful tool," he said last week. "The fact that we are applying it to transgender students means that they are going to be in a position to assert their rights if and when they see that they are being discriminated on their college campuses."

Meanwhile, religious conservative groups' opposition to transgender advocacy has trickled in.

The Traditional Values Coalition has lobbied against a bill that would provide federal workplace protections for gay and transgender people by warning that it would require schools to permit teachers to remain on the job amid gender transitions. Group President Andrea Lafferty said no one should mistake the absence of vocal opposition for acquiescence.

"There are other people who are concerned about these things, definitely. I think America is just overwhelmed right now," she said. "Everybody is going to have to take a step back, and that step back is going to be this November."

The stage was set for Obama to become a champion of transgender rights when the LGBT community split over an earlier version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that Lafferty's group is fighting.

In fall 2007, openly gay Rep. Barney Frank pursued, with the blessing of the nation's largest gay rights group, legislation prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians, but not transgender people. As Frank put it plainly, there were not enough Democratic votes to get a "trans-inclusive" law through the House.

Transgender advocates who had lobbied for legal recognition of same-sex relationships were livid and persuaded more than 100 civil rights groups to oppose a bill that left transgender rights for another day.

"The community was forced to decide: Where are you going to stand?" recalled Diego Sanchez, who was the first openly transgender person appointed to the DNC's platform committee and later became the first transgender staff member on Capitol Hill as Frank's top senior policy adviser.

At the 2008 Democratic convention where Obama was nominated, 28 years after the party pledged to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation, language was added to accomplish the same for gender identity.

As president, Obama has embraced the task of putting that pledge into practice, said Sanchez, now national policy director at Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

"It's easier for voices to be heard once you are already in the room," he said. "What has changed is who is listening."

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Follow Lisa Leff on Twitter at http://twitter.com/scoopscout Reported by Huffington Post 22 hours ago.
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No Urgency for Knee Surgery as Newly Designed Dr Allen’s Device for Knee Treatment Relieves Pain Naturally, Highlights Fine Treatment

June 21, 2014, 9:14 am
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Knee problems can result from a blow or twist of the knee, torn ligaments or tendons, which happens with many football players, but the most common knee pain caused by osteoarthritis is associated with aging. Despite of the reason of knee pain, there is no need to rush to do a surgery but better to try newly designed safe and cost-effective Dr. Allen’s Device for Knee Treatment, states Fine Treatment.

London, GB (PRWEB) June 21, 2014

Knee pain, which is commonly related to injuries to the collateral ligaments, often occur during the football matches as we can watch at FIFA World Cup this year, however, age is a major risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knee. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, people shouldn’t rush to get a knee surgery but try alternative therapies in the first place and natural Dr. Allen’s Device for Knee Treatment is one of them, Fine Treatment reveals.

The article in the Chicago Tribune ‘Explore alternatives before opting for joint replacement surgery,’ dated June 18, 2014, warns, "before you embark on knee surgery, there are other, less invasive therapies you can try. Joint replacement surgery is a big step, and it carries risks like infection, nerve injury, and loosening of the implant. It can take anywhere from eight to 12 weeks to fully recover from a joint replacement and if you don't have someone to help you during that time, you may need to go to a rehabilitation facility."

“The alternative treatment with Dr. Allen’s device relieves knee pain, side effects free and, moreover, is cost-effective,” notes Dr. Allen.

For instance, according to a recent article, ‘Take better care of your knees,’ in the Guardian, dated June 17, 2014, ‘With an average price tag of US$50,105, knee replacement surgeries are also among the most expensive, and the high price doesn’t guarantee better results. That’s just an average, though. Knee surgeries, like almost all hospital procedures, vary widely between states, counties and individual hospitals. Based on recently released Medicare data, the procedure can cost as little as $5,303 and as much as $223,373. Even if your health insurance covers part of it, that’s a bill you won’t want to pay—ever.’

“Runners, football players, other sportsmen and aging people are at risk of having knee problems, therefore they have to be aware about a natural therapy with Dr. Allen's Device for Knee Treatment, which can help them to avoid complications from the current treatment options,” says Dr. Simon Allen. “Dr. Allen's Device provides natural chronic knee pain relief by improving blood circulation in the affected knee, for as little as $155.”

For details, please visit Fine Treatment at http://finetreatment.com/knee-osteoarthritis-knee-pain-treatment/.

About Dr. Simon Allen and Fine Treatment:
Dr. Simon Allen, MD, PhD, Academician, member of the ATA, is a highly experienced medical professional. His specialty is in internal medicine. He has treated a wide range of chronic diseases, including patients after a heart attack, stroke, with kidneys problems, including kidney stones disease, prostate and spine conditions, as well as metabolic disorders. Fine Treatment ensures international availability of Dr. Allen’s Devices for the treatment of chronic prostatitis and BPH, coronary heart disease, for dissolving kidney stones, for a powerful relief of upper and lower back pain and sciatica, as well as for natural brain function support. Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.
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Surprise: Pay Less for Medicine by Not Using Health Insurance

June 21, 2014, 9:56 am
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You may be paying more for your prescriptions than you need to. Reported by Motley Fool 20 hours ago.
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How to Destroy Oligopoly

June 21, 2014, 10:40 am
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More and more studies are showing that the wealthy and corporations exert disproportionate influence over the U.S. political system. This viewpoint has been well documented by scholars Larry Bartels, Martin Gilens and Kay Lehman Schlozman among others.

Recently, Benjamin Page and Gilens disturbed many Americans with their finding that "average citizens' preferences have little or no independent impact on policy." Their data suggest that the wealthy have 15 times the influence of the middle class.

As remarkable as this conclusion is, many of the reporters discussing the study failed to read it carefully and missed other important findings. For example, Page and Gilens found that the preferences of elites actually correlate fairly well to the preferences of the average citizen (with a coefficient of 0.78, with 1.flodd0 indicating exact alignment and -1.0 reflecting inverse correlation), whereas business groups have preferences that are far more divergent (-0.10). Public interest groups, such as unions and the American Association of Retired Persons, correlate slightly better with the interests of the average voter (0.12). However, pro-business groups, whose interests  largely conflict with the average voter's, have about nine times the influence as typical voters.

In an e-mail, Page noted that the U.S. might get some "democracy by coincidence" -- meaning that the preferences of the affluent for the most part align with those of the middle class -- but such luck rarely occurs with the preferences of business groups. He also said that while his work with Gilens focuses on the top 10 percent of income earners, the top 1 percent and the top 0.1 percent may have even more influence and more divergent preferences as well. In a paper with Jason Seawright and Larry Bartels, Gilens showed that the top 1 percent have far different preferences and are far more likely to be politically active. This means that reformers must curb the influence of the superwealthy and corporate lobbying (see chart: a higher number indicates strong correlation with the preferences of the middle class and strong influence on policy, a negative number indicates divergence with the preferences of the middle class and weak influence on policy).Source: Author's Calculations, Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page, "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens."*Floodgates of Money*

As disconcerting as these findings are, the problem has been made worse by recent Supreme Court decisions -- namely, Citizens United and McCutcheon -- that opened the floodgates of money flowing from the superrich to politicians and super PACs (See chart.) If the wealthy and business groups had disproportionate influence from 1981 to 2002, when these studies were conducted, imagine their power now that the system is inundated with money. For instance, in the 2012 election cycle, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson gave more money to influence elections than the total individual contributions of the residents of 12 states.

Source: Center for Responsive PoliticsWhat, then, is to be done?

To fix these oligopolistic trends, we must turn to the states for ideas. Patrick Flavin, an assistant professor of political science at Baylor University, may have some answers on this score. He has been using methods similar (although not entirely comparable) to those used by Gilens, Bartels and Page to test which states are most responsive to the interests of citizens. "One nice thing about federalism is that the 50 states serve as laboratories of democracy," he said. "So we can examine different laws and institutional arrangements in the states to see what might promote more egalitarian patterns of political representation." What he finds should give reformers hope: There are policies to strengthen the voice of middle class voters.

Flavin has used his metric of political representation to see what state-level policies correlate strongly with high levels of equality of political representation. Below is a table with the raw ratings. A higher number means that a state is more responsive to citizens across the income scale, while a low score means that only the ideological views of the wealthier citizens is represented in policy.
Source: "Lobbying Regulations and Political Equality in the American States," Patrick FlavinThe table shows that voters are best represented in Montana, Minnesota and Oregon and poorly represented in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. In a working paper available online, Flavin shows that states with stringent lobbying regulations better weigh the interests of citizens across the income spectrum. This shouldn't be too surprising; lobbying provides benefits for wealthy corporations and not necessarily for taxpayers. Business lobbyists are known not for considering the social, moral or environmental consequences of the policies they pushing for but for promoting the the narrow interests of the groups they represent. For example, most Americans support stronger gun regulations, but the National Rifle Association has ensured that gun regulations across the country remain lax.

*No Common Sense*

The big question is what happens when we get money out of politics. Corporations and special interest groups don't generally donate only to one party: Their goal is not usually to elect ideologically similar candidates but to win the sympathies of legislators to their pet issues. The hope is that once the money influence is removed, policies will align more closely with the preferences of voters. There is also the possibility that cleaner elections will lead to more voter participation by decreasing voter cynicism.

Another of Flavin's studies measures how policies to get money out of politics affects voter interests. He uses data on state spending priorities from 1962 to 2008. He also rates the states for each year on the basis of six factors: disclosure, limits on individuals, limits on organizations, provision of public funds for governors, provision of public funds for legislatures and clean elections. He finds that states with laws to keep money out of politics dedicate more money to redistributive programs.

Finally, states have experimented with various policies to increase voter turnout, thereby reducing the turnout gap between the rich and poor. Elizabeth Rigby and Melanie J. Springer examined what reforms affected voting inequality at the state level. They find that in states with high registration inequality, the motor voter law (a law that requires states to allow voters to register when applying for or renewing a driver's license) had a modest effect on decreasing voting inequality and that same-day registration had a strong impact. Sadly, many efforts have been focused on getting out the vote; the far more important reform is boosting registration among lower-income voters. These findings are important because a recent study using 30 years of state-level data by William Franko, Nathan J. Kelly and Christopher Witko found "that where the poor exercise their voice more in the voting booth relative to higher income groups, inequality is lower." Franko found that states with wider turnout gaps between the rich and poor are less likely to pass minimum-wage increases, have weaker anti-predatory-lending polices and have less generous health insurance programs for children in low-income families. Policies to increase low-income voter registration could help increase their voice in the political process and lead to policies that benefit them.

These important findings suggest two things. First, there are common-sense ways to get money out of politics and take back our democracy. Second, reformers should work to implement more state-level reforms. In a federal system such as ours, states play an important role in shaping the distribution of income. We need to implement corporate lobbying reform, donor disclosure, public financing of elections and same-day registration. The influence of money in our political system isn't inescapable, and we should look to the states to find effective measures to curb the power of money. However, as Fredrick Douglass noted, "Power cedes nothing without demand." Simply knowing what works isn't enough. We need to put these policies into action.

This post was originally featured on Al Jazeera. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.
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South Dakota Republican Party Passes Resolution Calling For Obama's Impeachment

June 21, 2014, 1:24 pm
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The South Dakota Republican Party passed a resolution on Saturday calling for the impeachment of President Barack Obama.

Delegates at the party's annual convention in Rapid City voted 191-176 in favor of the measure, which claims that the president has "violated his oath of office in numerous ways," according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Specifically, the resolution cited the trade of five Taliban detainees for U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, as well as Obama's much-maligned campaign promise that people would be able to keep their existing health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and a recent EPA proposal that would curb emissions from coal power plants.

"Therefore, be it resolved that the South Dakota Republican Party calls on our U.S. Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States," the resolution reads, according to the Argus Leader.

Allen Unruh, the delegate who sponsored the resolution, said he had a "thick book on impeachable offenses of the president." He called on South Dakota to "send a symbolic message that liberty shall be the law of the land."

Talk of impeaching the president even made a return to Capitol Hill this week, when, after a discussion about immigration reform, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Penn.) claimed that the House could "probably" impeach Obama if the matter was brought to the floor.

"You know, the problem is, you know, what do you do for those that say, 'Impeach him for breaking the laws or bypassing the laws'?" Barletta said in a June 16 interview. "You know, could that pass in the House? It probably could. Is the majority of the American people in favor of impeaching the president? I'm not sure." Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
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Mike Pence Hints at 2016 Run, Talking Federalism and Major Reforms

June 21, 2014, 7:11 pm
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Mike Pence Hints at 2016 Run, Talking Federalism and Major Reforms“I think we have to recognize that to renew our land, it will not be enough for renewed Republicans majorities in Washington, D.C., simply to cut government spending,” Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN) told the Indianapolis chapter of the Federalist Society last week. 

“We must demand that renewed Republican leadership… permanently reduce the size and scope of the federal government by restoring to the states and to the people those resources and responsibilities that are rightfully theirs under the Constitution of the United States,” he stated.

That was the main theme of Pence’s speech to a gathering in the capital city of the Crossroads of America. Pence offered thoughts on a range of policy issues from the perspective of having served in both the federal and the state levels.

Pence poked fun at his former job in the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. “If I had just 12 years left to live, I would like to live it as a member of Congress, because that was the longest 12 years of my life,” he joked.

But his speech to this gathering of conservative lawyers in Indiana was serious. He proposed:

The principles of federalism, which I think were punctuated maybe with an exclamation mark in the Tenth Amendment, were alive and well at the time of our nation’s founding. It’s impossible to read the Constitution of the United States without understanding it as a document of a limited federal government that contemplates that there would be those responsibilities and resources—and those functions of government—many of which would be best administered at the state level.

The governor drew a sharp contrast between his philosophy and President Barack Obama's, continuing:

Federalism explains a great deal of American exceptionalism and the extraordinary progress of economic growth and influence of our nation over the past 200 years. I believe that reinvigorating federalism in this country is essential to restoring the fortunes of our nation.

Pence said America needs “solutions conservatives,” instead of just voting for Republicans. He talked about the “hard choices” regarding taxes and spending he and his predecessor, Mitch Daniels, have made, possibly swinging at Hillary Clinton, who just released a book by that title.

The son of a Midwestern town, he said of the strategy driving those policy choices: “Because of this, we’ll close out the end of this fiscal year with more than $100 million in an annual surplus, $2 billion in reserves, and a AAA bond rating from all three major credit rating [agencies] in the United States of America.”

The Hoosier State’s governor also trumpeted Indiana’s conservative achievements. He spoke of fundamental tax reform and amending the Indiana Constitution to ensure those reforms would be permanent. He lowered tax rates as governor, and—evidently understanding that taxes on businesses are always passed on to consumers—highlighted that Indiana now has the second-lowest corporate tax rate in the country.

He also held up Indiana’s 2012 right-to-work law as a model for the nation and discussed the national business organizations that ranked Indiana as “one of the best places in America to start a business, grow a business, or get a job.” Tweaking a likely 2016 rival, Pence added that when Indiana bumped Texas off one of those lists, “I tweeted that because Rick Perry follows me on Twitter.”

The governor also went after Obamacare, touting that he was one of the Republicans who led the opposition to the Affordable Care Act in Congress, and blasting Obama’s promise that if you like your healthcare, you can keep your healthcare. “Turns out that wasn’t so much the case,” Pence quipped.

Cautioning Republicans to show what they’re for, not just what they’re against, Pence insisted, “Obamacare should be repealed lock, stock, and barrel. I think it is a principle of personal freedom and personal choice. But any sensible repeal of Obamacare should be accompanied by market-based reforms that expand access to affordable health insurance for every American.”

In that vein, Pence spoke in detail on one of his most significant initiatives, a form of jujitsu on Obamacare. Some Republican governors like John Kasich, Chris Christie, and Rick Scott have completely joined Obamacare by going with its Medicaid expansion, which almost doubles the number of Americans on pure government-run healthcare.

By contrast, in addition to refusing to set up an Obamacare insurance exchange, “from the very moment I became your governor, we [also] ruled out expanding traditional Medicaid. I think Medicaid is a deeply flawed system that disserves people who are enrolled in it.”

The problem expanding Medicaid is “many physicians… can attest to the fact that a lot of doctors are not taking Medicaid patients anymore because of the [low] compensation rates and because of the red tape.”

Instead of refusing Medicaid funds outright, Pence is in the final stages of negotiating a deal with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to take all the expanded Medicaid money and put it into HSAs (personal healthcare savings accounts) for all Hoosiers joining the program, called the Healthy Indiana Plan.

Pence explained that he is enthusiastic about this policy because:

I truly believe consumer-driven healthcare is the future of healthcare in this country. There are really only two futures ahead of us in healthcare: government-driven healthcare and consumer-driven healthcare… We’re going to create what we call POWER Accounts—most people know them as health savings accounts—where people make a contribution and take greater ownership of their own health choices. They have incentives to participate in preventive medicine and wellness. They move from emergency room care to primary care.

He explained that this system is already in place for 95 percent of Indiana’s employees and that some estimates show it reduces healthcare costs by up to 25 percent.

Pence is also seeking to add as a feature to the program, “for the first time ever, if given the opportunity, a premium assistance program for working Hoosiers who would have the opportunity to access these resources to purchase health insurance through their own employer.

He then pivoted back to his main theme. “Federalism was Reagan’s unfinished work,” Pence said, quoting President Reagan saying, “It’s my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal government.”

The governor added that voters should not settle for a president who promises to run the federal government like a state. Instead, voters must demand a candidate who says, “Send me to Washington, D.C., and I’ll make it more possible for the next person running my state to run it with more freedom and more flexibility, to solve the problems facing their people with solutions that are designed by their people.”

Pence promised that this will not be easy to pry power away from Congress or federal agencies, because it’s the “first impulse” of government “to hang on to what you’ve got.” But it sounds like Mike Pence is preparing to ask the American people to give him the chance to fight for it.

Ken Klukowski is senior legal analyst for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @kenklukowski. Reported by Breitbart 11 hours ago.
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US Healthcare Snapshot: Most Expensive Yet Worst In The Developed World

June 22, 2014, 4:45 am
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US Healthcare Snapshot: Most Expensive Yet Worst In The Developed World One month ago we showed that when it comes to the cost of basic (and not so basic) health insurance, the US is by far the most expensive country in the world and certainly among its "wealthy-nation"peers (in a world in which indebtedness is somehow equivalent to wealth), which in the context of the irreversible socialization of American healthcare, was in line with expectations. 

It would be logical then to think that as a result of this premium - the biggest in the world - the quality of the healthcare offered in the US among the best, if not the best, in the world. *Unfortunately, that would be wrong and, in fact, the reality is the complete opposite*: as a recent study by the Commonweath Fund, looking at how the US healthcare system compares internationally, finds, "*the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last or near last on dimensions of access, efficiency, and equity*." In other words: most expensive, yet worst in the developed world.

From the report:

*The United States health care system is the most expensive in the world*, but this report and prior editions consistently show the U.S. underperforms relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. Among the 11 nations studied in this report—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last, as it did in the 2010, 2007, 2006, and 2004 editions of Mirror, Mirror. *Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last or near last on dimensions of access, efficiency, and equity. In this edition of Mirror, Mirror, the United Kingdom ranks first, followed closely by Switzerland *(Exhibit ES-1).

Expanding from the seven countries included in 2010, the 2014 edition includes data from 11 countries. It incorporates patients’ and physicians’ survey results on care experiences and ratings on various dimensions of care. It includes information from the most recent three Commonwealth Fund international surveys of patients and primary care physicians about medical practices and views of their countries’ health systems (2011–2013). It also includes information on health care outcomes featured in The Commonwealth Fund’s most recent (2011) national health system scorecard, and from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The most notable way the U.S. differs from other industrialized countries is the absence of universal health insurance coverage. Other nations ensure the accessibility of care through universal health systems and through better ties between patients and the physician practices that serve as their medical homes. The Affordable Care Act is increasing the number of Americans with coverage and improving access to care, though the data in this report are from years prior to the full implementation of the law. Thus, it is not surprising that the U.S. underperforms on measures of access and equity between populations with above- average and below-average incomes.

*The U.S. also ranks behind most countries on many measures of health outcomes, quality, and efficiency. U.S. physicians face particular difficulties receiving timely information, coordinating care, and dealing with administrative hassles.* Other countries have led in the adoption of modern health information systems, but U.S. physicians and hospitals are catching up as they respond to significant financial incentives to adopt and make meaningful use of health information technology systems. Additional provisions in the Affordable Care Act will further encourage the efficient organization and delivery of health care, as well as investment in important preventive and population health measures.

For all countries, responses indicate room for improvement. *Yet, the other 10 countries spend considerably less on health care per person and as a percent of gross domestic product than does the United States. *These findings indicate that, from the perspectives of both physicians and patients, *the U.S. health care system could do much better in achieving value for the nation’s substantial investment in health.*

*Major Findings*

· *Quality*: The indicators of quality were grouped into four categories: effective care, safe care, coordinated care, and patient-centered care. Compared with the other 10 countries, the U.S. fares best on provision and receipt of preventive and patient-centered care. While there has been some improvement in recent years, lower scores on safe and coordinated care pull the overall U.S. quality score down. Continued adoption of health information technology should enhance the ability of U.S. physicians to identify, monitor, and coordinate care for their patients, particularly those with chronic conditions.
· *Access*: Not surprisingly—given the absence of universal coverage—people in the U.S. go without needed health care because of cost more often than people do in the other countries. Americans were the most likely to say they had access problems related to cost. Patients in the U.S. have rapid access to specialized health care services; however, they are less likely to report rapid access to primary care than people in leading countries in the study. In other countries, like Canada, patients have little to no financial burden, but experience wait times for such specialized services. There is a frequent misperception that trade-offs between universal coverage and timely access to specialized services are inevitable; however, the Netherlands, U.K., and Germany provide universal coverage with low out-of-pocket costs while maintaining quick access to specialty services.
· *Efficiency*: On indicators of efficiency, the U.S. ranks last among the 11 countries, with the U.K. and Sweden ranking first and second, respectively. The U.S. has poor performance on measures of national health expenditures and administrative costs as well as on measures of administrative hassles, avoidable emergency room use, and duplicative medical testing. Sicker survey respondents in the U.K. and France are less likely to visit the emergency room for a condition that could have been treated by a regular doctor, had one been available.
· *Equity*: The U.S. ranks a clear last on measures of equity. Americans with below-average incomes were much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick; not getting a recommended test, treatment, or follow-up care; or not filling a prescription or skipping doses when needed because of costs. On each of these indicators, one-third or more lower-income adults in the U.S. said they went without needed care because of costs in the past year.
· *Healthy lives*: The U.S. ranks last overall with poor scores on all three indicators of healthy lives—mortality amenable to medical care, infant mortality, and healthy life expectancy at age 60. The U.S. and U.K. had much higher death rates in 2007 from conditions amenable to medical care than some of the other countries, e.g., rates 25 percent to 50 percent higher than Australia and Sweden. Overall, France, Sweden, and Switzerland rank highest on healthy lives.

*Summary*

*The U.S. ranks last of 11 nations overall. Findings in this report confirm many of those in the earlier four editions of Mirror, Mirror, with the U.S. still ranking last on indicators of efficiency, equity, and outcomes. *The U.K. continues to demonstrate strong performance and ranked first overall, though lagging notably on health outcomes. Switzerland, which was included for the first time in this edition, ranked second overall. In the subcategories, the U.S. ranks higher on preventive care, and is strong on waiting times for specialist care, but weak on access to needed services and ability to obtain prompt attention from primary care physicians. Any attempt to assess the relative performance of countries has inherent limitations. These rankings summarize evidence on measures of high performance based on national mortality data and the perceptions and experiences of patients and physicians. They do not capture important dimensions of effectiveness or efficiency that might be obtained from medical records or administrative data. Patients’ and physicians’ assessments might be affected by their experiences and expectations, which could differ by country and culture.

Disparities in access to services signal the need to expand insurance to cover the uninsured and to ensure that all Americans have an accessible medical home. Under the Affordable Care Act, low- to moderate-income families are now eligible for financial assistance in obtaining coverage. Meanwhile, the U.S. has significantly accelerated the adoption of health information technology following the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and is beginning to close the gap with other countries that have led on adoption of health information technology. Significant incentives now encourage U.S. providers to utilize integrated medical records and information systems that are accessible to providers and patients. Those efforts will likely help clinicians deliver more effective and efficient care.

Many U.S. hospitals and health systems are dedicated to improving the process of care to achieve better safety and quality, but the U.S. can also learn from innovations in other countries—including public reporting of quality data, payment systems that reward high-quality care, and a team approach to management of chronic conditions. Based on these patient and physician reports, and with the enactment of health reform, the United States *should *be able to make significant strides in improving the delivery, coordination, and equity of the health care system in coming years.

* * *

It should, although if the government is in charge of it, as it now appears to be, it won't. Reported by Zero Hedge 1 hour ago.
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Foreign Corpses Strain Texas County Budget

June 22, 2014, 9:53 am
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Foreign Corpses Strain Texas County Budget FALFURRIAS, Texas—The remnants of a mass grave--where the remains of unidentified illegal immigrants were recently exhumed--revealed that more bodies had been buried in the graves than had previously been reported. For more than 20 years this cemetery has been the final resting place for many illegal immigrants who die in the hot desolate ranch lands that must be traversed in their journey from the Rio Grande Valley to the human trafficking hub of Houston. Now, the numbers have grown so large the county faces a budgetary crisis on top of the humanitarian crisis.

The small South Texas town of Falfurrias is not located near the U.S./Mexico border. In fact it is close to seventy-five miles away. Yet, the deaths of these illegal immigrants has placed a financial burden on the county that leaves the citizens of this large county virtually unprotected by local law enforcement.

Breitbart Texas spoke with Brooks County Deputy Sheriff Luis Reyes, a five year veteran of the local department. Reyes revealed the cost to the citizens of his county for each immigrant death is approximately $2,500. During last year’s “peak season” (June through October) the intense heat claimed the lives of about 120 immigrants, many of whom were women and children. The places the burial cost to the county at about $300,000.

According to Deputy Reyes, the $2,500 cost is split three ways: $1,500 for medical examiner costs, $500 for the funeral home’s services and $500 for the cemetery costs. 

Because of the county’s distance from the border, it does not receive many of the federal funds from programs that are available to border counties. Furthermore, Brooks County is one of the few South Texas counties that does not have significant tax revenue from the oil and gas industry. “The $300,000 financial impact hits the county very hard,” Reyes stated.

Deputy Reyes explained the because of pay cuts and lack of health insurance from the county, many deputies have quit the department in search of greener paychecks. The department which services almost 1,000 square miles (nearly the size of Rhode Island) is now patrolled by four deputies. On most nights that means one sheriff’s deputy per shift. Reyes performs his duties for a now reduced salary of $25,000 per year, with no health insurance.

He explained the immigrants are dropped off by the human smugglers at the southern end of the county--below the Border Patrol checkpoint on I-69--and forced to take what can be up to a three day trek to be picked up, if they make it, on a road north of the checkpoint. Reyes said a television crew tried this hike a few weeks ago using known smuggling routes. The journey took three days.

Most immigrants are dropped off with one gallon of water and very little food. Reyes explained the coyotes want their human cargo to travel light. As they are paid in advance for their services, coyotes are motivated by speed of travel and not by how many immigrants complete the journey. Reyes said that as soon as one of them falls behind because of dehydration, weakness or injury, they are abandoned and left to die.

To complicate matters, in some parts of the county, the soil becomes a very soft sandy mixture. The sand is so soft many of the department’s four-wheel drive vehicles get stuck while driving in this region. This makes the hike by the immigrants slower and much more strenuous.

Reyes said he was out on patrol last week with a television news crew. While on patrol, they received a call for service from a rancher who had found the body of a 20-year-old woman on his land. She had no visible wounds indicating assault. “It appears she just fell behind and died from dehydration,” Reyes said. “Often times, the immigrants are not dressed properly for the long hike. We regularly find bodies wearing regular street shoes or tennis shoes with no ankle support.”

Reyes said the 120 bodies found by ranchers or border patrol in the open fields is a small percentage of the estimated number of actual deaths in the county. “We think that one out of ten are actually found,” Reyes said. “Often, the ones that are found have been out in the sun so long, the bones are picked clean and bleached white.” This means there could be as many as 1,200 deaths in this one county alone.

From a law enforcement perspective, Reyes said their situation is so desperate that many local police officers perform volunteer extra-duty shifts to supplement the four paid deputies. These “free officers” come from the local school district police or some of the city police departments in the county.

In addition to deaths from exposure and hiking injuries, the human trafficking victims also face deadly danger from bandits that roam the area preying for these groups. “When the bandits find the trafficking victims,” Reyes explained, “they rob the men and often rape the women.”

Local residents are also faced with the dangers from the smugglers. Police chases often end with the trafficker crashing his vehicle through a rancher’s fence. “The vehicle’s occupants and driver then scatter in every direction,” he said. “Replacing the fences is expensive to the ranchers and, if cattle escape onto the roadways, residents are put in danger.”

One glimmer of hope for the county’s budget recently surfaced in the form of a traffic stop that resulted in the arrest of an alleged cartel member from Chicago who was hauling $450,000 in cash back to Mexico. “The deputy who made the stop,” Reyes explained, “might not have conducted the search and made the find were it not for the fact he had one of the ‘volunteer’ deputies as a backup. The extra help gave him a little extra time for interrogation during the traffic stop.”

Reyes said the suspect’s answers about an old style “big box CRT” television became suspiciously vague and contradictory. Reyes explained smugglers are known to use the CRT televisions because the cabinet lining used to shield RF radiation, also shields the contents from x-ray inspection. The deputy plugged the TV into an AC/DC power converter and it would not power on. When the suspected responded that he purchased the TV for a dollar at a flea market, the deputy became more suspicious. A more detailed search revealed the cash stashed inside the CRT tube.

If the county’s forfeiture charges on the money are sustained, some of the money might go to help pay the deputies’ health insurance and restore their pay to its original levels. Reyes explained the forfeited money would be split with the local district attorney’s office.

Some of the ranchers in the county have also made donations of four-wheel drive patrol vehicles to help the county through its financial woes.

In the meantime, the bodies continue to pile up in Brooks County as new discoveries are made nearly every week. Every body found represents more than a month’s salary of a deputy who could be on patrol defending these Texas citizens.

Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX. Reported by Breitbart 20 hours ago.
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A Little Spice After a Career in Health Insurance

June 22, 2014, 2:26 pm
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When Jill Foucré retired, she researched what types of food-related businesses had the highest success rates. Then she started one herself. Reported by Wall Street Journal 16 hours ago.
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Best Auto Insurance Discounts for Florida Drivers Added to Real Time Quote System at Insurer Portal

June 22, 2014, 6:10 pm
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Best auto insurance discounts for Florida drivers are now included in the quotes tool from the QuotesPros.com website. New real time insurer rates are viewed at http://quotespros.com/auto-insurance.html.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) June 22, 2014

Drivers in the state of Florida can often pay higher premiums for personal insurance protection when operating a motor vehicle, according to released statewide data. The Quotes Pros company is now compiling some of the best auto insurance discounts for Florida drivers into its quotation tool at http://quotespros.com/auto-insurance.html.

Motorists will now have a completely private method of locating agencies offering selected insurance plans at affordable prices. The standard add-on PIP protection can be quoted easily as well as new forms of coverage like non owner and broad form. The liability and full coverage packages popular in Florida are also included.

"Florida is one of the states that currently requires a personal insurance protection policy included with the average policy that motorists carry for coverage," said a Quotes Pros source.

The real time quoting of insurance agency prices is one way that the QuotesPros.com website is offering alternatives to American drivers. Because information is not collected during the initial price regulation process, any driver is free to explore rates and coverage options by using a zip code.

"The exact prices for different policies are immediately displayed when entering our database to allow any driver to make a decision to buy insurance online or find another company," said the source.

The Quotes Pros company has added life, renters, auto, health and homeowners policies to its national finder for Florida residents to review this year. The secondary groups of insurers can be accessed from http://autoprosusa.com/health-insurance.html on the company website.

About QuotesPros.com

The QuotesPros.com company offers state level resources for locating vehicle insurance pricing on the Internet. The different tools that have been added to the consumer research platform on the Internet has widened the options the public has when evaluating insurer costs. The QuotesPros.com company now promotes quotations from top companies offering life, homeowners, renters, health and other protection products that are available in the American insurance industry. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
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Wisconsin gubernatorial race spotlights Medicaid issue

June 22, 2014, 8:33 pm
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A Republican governor, Tommy Thompson, started Wisconsin's BadgerCare health insurance for low-income families in 1999. A Democratic governor, Jim Doyle, expanded it in 2008. Reported by TwinCities.com 10 hours ago.
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A Twenty-Something’s Guide to Health Insurance

June 23, 2014, 12:07 am
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ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions provides guidance to help new graduates navigate through their health insurance option.

Bedford Park, IL (PRWEB) June 23, 2014

With the Affordable Care Act, twenty-somethings now have the opportunity to remain on their parents’ plan until they reach the age of 26. While this is good news for the struggling grad-students, this also means that some of you (or most of you) will choose to remain uninformed about health insurance options until it’s absolutely necessary. If you want to be prepared, the list below outlines the options available for individuals between the ages of 18 and 29.

1) Student Health Insurance Plans
Most colleges and universities offer student health insurance plans that you can keep throughout your time as a student. These plans typically end when your time as a student does, so if you've recently graduated, make sure you find out until when this coverage will last.

2) Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Plans
If you've recently graduated and started a new job, congratulations! If you are a full-time employee, your employer may offer group health insurance coverage that you can enroll in at your time of hire. If you have questions about the company’s plan offerings and your eligibility, follow up with a Company HR Representative. Under the Affordable Care Act, waiting periods for these plans cannot last longer than 90 days. If you need a plan for the 90-day waiting period, however, see if you can stay on your parents’ plan for a few months or check out option 4 (Short-Term Plans).

3) Marketplace Plans
The new health insurance marketplace offers a one-stop shop for various types of major medical insurance. If you lose other coverage (e.g. you turn 26 and your parents’ plan finally kicks you off, your full-time job becomes a part-time job, etc.), you become eligible for a 60-day special enrollment period for plans offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace in your state of residence. To compare the premium (monthly cost), deductible and coinsurance (cost for health services) and benefits (health services that are covered by the plan), you can work with an agent (like the ones who work at ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions). They can even tell you about the special high-deductible Catastrophic Plan available for people under 30. These plans usually have lower monthly premiums, but cover you comprehensively only in the event of a medical crisis.

4) Short-Term Plans
Although Short-Term Plans are not considered minimum-essential health coverage, these plans can provide medical coverage for health events that might come up between coverage periods (e.g. your parents’ plan ends on July 1st and your employer plan doesn't begin until October 1st). As the name suggests, these plans cover you for a short period of time and are typically not renewable after they expire.

If you are confused about your options and want to know more, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions has a staff of licensed and certified agents who can walk you through plan comparison on the Marketplace, explain complex terms like deductibles and coinsurance, and even send you quotes for short-term plans. Once you choose a plan, you can work with your agent and new insurance carrier to ensure you are using your plan in a way that meets your personal needs.

Who is ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions?· ACAMES is a licensed, certified and multi-lingual national enrollment firm that specializes in the Health Insurance Marketplace and individual insurance products.
· ACAMES is not affiliated with any governmental agency. As a Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment provider, we are here to assist individuals and families secure health insurance. ACAMES is compensated by the insurance carrier and there is no cost to the potential customer or enrollee.
· ACAMES agents certified on the Marketplace Exchange possess extensive knowledge on the enrollment process. These certified agents can help calculate subsidies and explain how deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and copayments work under the Affordable Care Act.
· ACAMES represents national and regional health insurance carriers across the country that offers products both on and off the Health Insurance Marketplace, including a variety of ancillary products. Visit our website at http://www.acaenroll.com or call us at (800) 342-0631 to get more information. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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Fournier: Obama Lies as Bad as Bush

June 23, 2014, 2:29 am
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Fournier: Obama Lies as Bad as Bush In a review of a new book by a journalist who claims George Bush lied to the country in the run up to the Iraq war, National Journal columnist Ron Fournier insists that Obama has been just as bad as Bush with his constant stream of lies to the country.

The book Fournier was reviewing claims that Bush told 935 lies about the US involvement in Iraq. But Fournier notes that Obama has continued that legacy of lies.

"After promising the most transparent and ethical administration in history," Fournier wrote in his June 22 book review, "Obama picked up where Bush left off--further eroding the public's faith in the presidency. In his first term, Obama secretly expanded Bush's anti-terror policies and, during his re-election campaign, he assured Americans that their existing health insurance would not be threatened by Obamacare."

Despite his assessment of the President, Fournier is still a reliable left-winger and the sort of journalist who writes mostly for left-wing outlets. In fact, he's so reliably left-wing that he never once notes that, Charles Lewis, the author of the book he praises so heartily in his review, is the man who founded the left-wing Center For Public Integrity--a group that is heavily funded by extreme leftists like George Soros.

As more proof of his liberalism, far back as 2008, Fournier was a big fan of the "accountability journalism" initiated by the Associated Press, a style he claimed would "liberate" journalists to "write the truth," but was a policy that really just liberated them from writing news and gave them the green light to inject more liberal opinion into the "news."

But over the last few years especially, Fournier has soured considerably on President Obama. Just to name a few examples of his turn, this year he got sick of defending Obamacare, he has also written about the many Democrats who are quitting on Obama, and in November he flat out wrote that Obama is a liar.

Fournier’s turn has continued. In his review he slammed President Obama and his failed administration by listing a series of Obama's lies.

For the Obama administration, the book should be a lesson in the consequences of shading the truth for short-term gain. A video caused the Benghazi attack … If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor … The website works for a vast majority of people … Not even a smidgen of corruption occurred at the IRS … Oops, we lost Lois Lerner's emails … Veterans don't wait long for health care … Watchdog journalism isn't a crime … Our administration protects whistleblowers … NSA doesn't collect any type of data hundreds of millions of Americans--at least not wittingly.

As he warmed to his conclusion, Fournier was more direct writing, "Too often, the Obama administration has peddled bad information--knowingly (a lie) and unknowingly (incompetence and recklessness), because the president and his team have determined that, in Washington's toxic environment, the unmitigated truth is a vulnerability. They couldn't be more wrong. "

At least for this left-winger, Obama has failed him and the country. Reported by Breitbart 4 hours ago.
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Advantages of Reimbursing Employees for Individual Health Insurance

June 23, 2014, 6:07 am
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Zane Benefits Announces The Three Big Advantages to Premium Reimbursement

(PRWEB) June 23, 2014

Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published a primer on the benefits of premium reimbursement arrangements for small businesses.

According to the blog post, small and medium-sized businesses are looking for more affordable ways to offer employee health benefits. As such, they are setting up formal plans to reimburse employees for individual health insurance.

The concept is simple. Don't offer group health insurance. Instead, offer employees a monthly healthcare allowance to use on individual health insurance. Employees purchase their own health plan, and are reimbursed up to the amount available in their balance.

Click here to read the full article.

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About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 13 minutes ago.
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U.S. Courts Struggle to Provide Court-Certified Interpreters Due to Cost & Availability—Stratus Video Increases Court Access and Profits With Economical VRI Interpreting

June 23, 2014, 6:07 am
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Stratus Video Interpreting has responded to the demand for improved language services with an affordable solution that connects court systems with court-certified interpreters at the push of a button.

Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) June 23, 2014

As the country’s Limited English Proficient (LEP) population grows, the ability of U.S. court systems to supply qualified interpreters has become increasingly difficult and more expensive than many jurisdictions can handle—a fact which some say has caused less-than-qualified interpreters to be used in court proceedings and has subsequently led to overturned convictions due to claims of poor language services. But Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) company Stratus Video Interpreting offers a solution: VRI interpreting connects courts with a cloud-based network of certified spoken language interpreters with the ability to translate over 175 different spoken and sign languages, providing court systems nationwide with the right technology to improve equal access to language services while also turning an inherent cost center into a profit center.

The U.S. LEP population has increased by 81 percent since 1990, from nearly 14 million to about 25 million in 2011—and of the 25.3 million LEP individuals in the United States in 2011, 23.8 million (94 percent) resided in core urban areas or surrounding counties. (1) According to Stratus CEO Sean Belanger, court systems within those urban counties struggle continuously with providing interpreters to those who need them. While Florida is one state which recently approved amendments designed to improve language services in its state courts, the need for court-certified interpreters is a nationwide issue; a California judge recently admitted that when the court can’t find an interpreter in cases that require the court provide one, cases get delayed while they look for someone who speaks the language: “It’s terrible and it’s expensive,” San Bernardino’s Presiding Judge Marsha Slough said. (2)

Although criminal cases typically demand that the court provide an interpreter, some counties generally don’t provide them for cases such as arraignments, simple pleas and family court issues—cases which Belanger says comprise the vast majority of proceedings involving LEP persons. But expanding interpreting services would also mean expanding budgets for interpreters, which many small courts cannot afford, per Belanger: “In order to use a court-certified interpreter, many smaller courts would need to bring an interpreter from some distance away and pay mileage, in addition to the interpreter’s hourly rate,” said Belanger. “The cost of a sign language proceeding in a rural Florida jurisdiction, for example, has been known to run thousands of dollars for what would cost far less in a more populous area—so while cost is a primary reason that non-certified interpreters are used, there is technology available that simplifies the entire process.”

Belanger states that VRI interpreting not only cuts interpreters’ travel costs, but also increases access to language services and ensures that every citizen, regardless of the language they speak, has equal access to justice. Belanger cites a report from a court system as evidence of VRI’s effectiveness:

●One Florida court reported that prior to introducing VRI, their staff interpreters spent approximately 20 percent of their time each day interpreting; the rest was spent traveling to and from courtrooms, jails and other venues and waiting for proceedings to begin. Once the court adopted video interpreting, their staff interpreter efficiency jumped to over 60 percent, and travel costs and delays were eliminated.

In addition to the cost benefits, Belanger says that courts which adopt VRI interpreting will begin turning a profit by allowing other courts access to the technology and certified interpreters.

“VRI expands the range of court-certified interpreters so they can serve a far larger geographic area, meaning that a court’s pool of certified interpreters can serve the entire state if VRI is used,” said Belanger.

Stratus’ interpreting service is an application that can be loaded onto any PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet; the technology can even be applied to Polycom and Cisco systems. Through a virtual private network, an encrypted call is placed to one of Stratus’ 33 video call centers across the U.S., and the next available interpreter in that language is found and connected.

Stratus specializes in the medical field and court interpreting, but the company’s technology is applicable to every industry. Stratus employs experienced, highly-qualified, certified interpreters who can either be used to supplement an existing interpreting infrastructure or to replace live and over-the-phone interpreters altogether with their VRI system.

In its effort to assist hospitals in maintaining compliance while also reducing malpractice suits due to interpreting errors, Stratus upholds the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for protecting sensitive patient data by ensuring that all essential security measures are in place.

For more information about Stratus and its services, visit http://www.stratusvideo.com.

About Stratus Video Interpreting:

Stratus Video Interpreting provides on-demand interpreter services by using technology to connect clients with interpreters in over 175 spoken and signed languages in less than 30 seconds. Stratus’ cloud-based video solution delivers an array of unique features to virtually any Internet-enabled PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. Stratus clients use the technology to connect with their own staff interpreters, as well as with Stratus interpreters, who have years of healthcare and courtroom experience and hold multiple certifications. With Stratus, state-of-the-art video remote interpreting is made available with virtually no capital investment. Stratus averages 65,000 video calls a day, up from 40,000 in mid-2013. Stratus Video is the sister company of The Z® (CSDVRS, LLC, dba ZVRS), which was established in 2006 and developed by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, setting the industry standard as the nation’s premier Video Relay Service Provider and the first VRS Provider to receive a 5-Year certification from the FCC. For more information, visit http://www.stratusvideo.com.

1.Whatley, Monica, and Jeanne Batalova. “Limited English Proficient Population of the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org. N.p., 25 July 2013. Web. 3 June 2014. migrationpolicy.org/article/limited-english-proficient-population-united-states.

2.Palta, Rina. “Lack of Interpreters among the Barriers to Justice in California.” Scpr.org. N.p., 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 3 June 2014. scpr.org/news/2014/03/04/42602/lack-of-interpreters-among-the-barriers-to-justice/. Reported by PRWeb 13 minutes ago.
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