Florida's insurance officials are predicting that health insurance rates will rise 5 to 20 percent for small businesses and 30 to 40 percent in the individual market through the state's new exchange. Reported by Miami Herald 1 hour ago.

The N.C. Department of Insurance has approved plans that health insurers will offer through a federally administered Health Insurance Marketplace, but there are few details. Although the plans were approved, specifics about those plans are deemed “trade secrets,” so the DOI does not give out details. Insurers, including Chapel Hill-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, keep them secret as well, although they will be publicly posted online beginning Oct. 1. These plans are part… Reported by bizjournals 13 minutes ago.

Kevyn Orr, Detroit's emergency financial manager, will have complete control over the city's spending for 18 months. He can write the city's budget by himself. He can cut the pay of elected officials and rip up union contracts, forcing cops and firefighters to pay more for their health insurance.

But Orr can't do the only thing that will save Detroit: bring back the 1.1 million residents it has lost in the last 60 years.

As Michigan's treasurer from 2006 to 2010, I oversaw the state's emergency manager program. Emergency managers restored several small towns to solvency, but we never seriously considered placing one in Detroit, for several reasons. First of all, we only appointed emergency managers in cities where a local official requested one. Second of all, we wanted to avoid the political controversy Gov. Rick Snyder has stepped into, now that over 80 percent of Michigan's African-Americans live in cities run by an emergency manager. And finally, we didn't think an emergency manager could solve Detroit's problems, which are more a consequence of shrinking revenues than financial mismanagement.

Detroit began running budget deficits in 2004-05, and is now $326 million in the red. Partly, this is because the city's tax base is dwindling faster than its financial responsibilities. From its all-time high of 1.8 million in the 1950s, Detroit's population is down to 714,000. But the city is still the same size it was in the '50s. So the police still need to patrol 140 square miles of streets, the public works department needs to pave those streets, and the water system still needs to maintain the network of pipes underneath. To make matters worse, the Detroiters who remain are largely poor: Detroit has half the median income and more than triple the poverty rate of the nation at large. As a result, Detroit's per capita property tax value is $11,965. In suburban Oakland County, on the other side of 8 Mile Road, it's $40,690.

Detroit also got stiffed by the state, which promised revenue sharing if the city would cut its income tax from 3 percent to 2 percent. While Detroit kept up its end of the deal, the economic troubles of the 2000s, when Michigan was mired in a decade-long recession, prevented the state from making all of its agreed-on payments. Detroit has missed out on $200 million a year in state money and about $50 million a year in income taxes.

As treasurer, I encouraged mayors Kwame Kilpatrick and Dave Bing to submit realistic deficit-cutting plans. When the city didn't file quarterly reports on time, which was often, we withheld its revenue sharing money. When it did file reports, they contained plans for reducing salaries and laying off employees which the city never carried out. Both Kilpatrick and Bing were trying to avoid budget cuts that would have damaged the city's ability to provide public services.

An emergency manager can make those tough decisions, since he answers to the governor, not the local population. Flint's emergency manager fired 150 workers, cut wages by 20 percent for those who remained, and eliminated retiree health coverage. He also imposed a $143 annual fee for trash collection, a $62 special assessment for street lights and doubled water rates. The police force has been cut in half since 2008, which is a big reason Flint has the highest murder rate in the nation. Flint is closer to a balanced budget, but it's becoming so overtaxed and unlivable that anyone who can afford it will move to the suburbs, further reducing the tax base and requiring more cuts.

"Does anybody want to live there with service levels that are adjusted to the revenue levels?" former state budget director Bob Emerson told Bloomberg News. "Without sufficient revenue, it doesn't matter who's in charge."

Orr can reduce wages, force city workers to pay more for health care and pensions, and arrange for public-private partnerships, such as businesses adopting neglected parks. But he can't do anything to change the fact that Detroit is a city no longer capable of supporting itself. Reported by Huffington Post 32 seconds ago.

Health Partners America has recently come out with updates to their Private Exchange Broker Blueprint, a tool that better prepares insurance professionals to understand Obamacare, and prepare themselves to help individuals and employers secure the best health care plans quickly and easily using defined contributions and/or private exchanges.

Birmingham, Alabama (PRWEB) August 06, 2013

Health Partners America has recently come out with updates to their Private Exchange Broker Blueprint, a tool that better prepares insurance professionals to understand Obamacare, and prepare themselves to help individuals and employers secure the best health care plans quickly and easily using defined contributions and/or private exchanges.

With all the changes in the world of health insurance, America’s employers need highly educated agents to help them navigate the new hurdles and roadblocks being thrown in their direction. Health Partners America has provided a tool aimed at agents to do just that: the Private Exchange Broker Blueprint.

The new updates to the Private Exchange Broker Blueprint make this tool invaluable to those agents aiming to make a difference.

Suggestions and feedback received from current members were used to develop the updates. Login remains the same, but upon entering the members’ area, there is now access to an easy-to-understand roadmap for navigation through all Private Exchange Broker Blueprint materials. This roadmap helps members discover what they need and when they will need it.

There is also an added search option to find needed items more easily. There are new “Ready to Sell” and “Agent Education” pages with tutorials, and an archive to locate necessary materials. New selling materials such as flyers and presentations are available for brokers to help sell to employers.

Health Partners America plans to continue updating their materials to keep their agents ahead of their peers in the insurance industry.

ABOUT HEALTH PARTNERS AMERICA

In addition to pioneering Private Exchanges, Health Partners America delivers an end-to-end sales and benefits methodology with presentation and implementation tools that teach financial professionals how to understand and profit from the changes health reform brings. For more information, visit http://www.healthpartnersamerica.com.

### Reported by PRWeb 2 days ago.

Cigna, one of the world’s leading international health insurers, is excited to announce the launch of a brand new suite of international health insurance products including Silver, Gold and Platinum options.

Glasgow, UK (PRWEB UK) 6 August 2013

The Cigna Global product suite, which is targeted to expatriates and globally mobile individuals, has been expanded to create a new three-level international health insurance plan. Customers can now benefit from a wider range of plans and customize their cover around their specific healthcare needs and budget.

The new healthcare plans – which include Silver, Gold and Platinum cover levels – give customers more flexibility with modular cover options and a choice of cost share and deductible levels. The customer starts out with core International Medical Insurance, which provides cover for all inpatient, specialist and accommodation costs, as well as cover for cancer and psychiatric care. They then choose what is important to them, and add on additional module options which include Outpatient, Health & Wellbeing, Medical Evacuation and Vision & Dental options.

Phil Austin, Head of Global Individual Private Medical Insurance said: “The new plans have been developed in response to customer and broker demand for a wider range of products which span across different market segments. The new plans give us the ability to provide products which suit a greater footprint of customers, and with the added flexibility of teaming a modular approach with deductible and cost share options, it has become really easy for customers to build a plan which is matched to the their unique needs”.

The plans were developed after a period of customer and market research which identified a gap in the market for an affordable, high quality, high service healthcare plan. Austin added: “Our customers appreciated our existing high-service Global Health Options plan which performed well at the upper-end of the market. We identified an acute need for additional quality, affordable plans in the middle-market: for those individuals who are moving abroad but are paying for their plan themselves and want to contain costs but maintain high service levels. The new plans are about giving customers much more choice, so they can get all the cover they need without having to pay for cover they don’t need. After all, if you know you won’t need maternity care, why should you pay for a plan which includes it?”

Key features of the new plans:


· Choice of Silver, Gold or Platinum options
· International Medical Insurance core cover as standard, covering inpatient hospital stays, specialist consultants, cancer care etc., and also maternity care on Platinum and Gold plans
· Flexibility to build a unique plan with a range of additional optional modules, including Outpatient cover; Medical Evacuation; Health & Wellbeing; and Vision & Dental cover
· Manage premiums with deductible and cost share options on core and Outpatient
· Comprehensive cancer care as standard
· No maximum age restrictions
· Guaranteed renewability

The plans bring a high-service proposition to the mid-market. Customers get access to service levels usually only available on higher-end plans, including:

· Access to a team of professionals to help navigate the complexities of international health insurance 24/7/365
· A global network of over 1 million hospitals, physicians, clinics and health specialists located around the world
· Direct claims settlement with providers in most cases, or reimbursement within 5 days

About Cigna Global Health Options
Cigna is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. As an operating subsidiary, Cigna Global Health Options provides global international health care plans designed for customers who want the flexibility of having easy access to high quality health care around the world.

International Medical Insurance
International Outpatient
International Health and Well-being
International Vision and Dental
International Medical Evacuation

For more information on the new plans, view the Sales Brochure.

If you are a broker seeking more information, or wishing to offer the new plans, register at http://www.cignaglobal.com/intermediaries

For general information on Cigna Global Health Options, visit: http://www.cignaglobal.com

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has approximately 80 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit http://www.cigna.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 days ago.

ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CaliforniaChoice® Welcomes Covered California Into the Health Insurance Exchanges Market Reported by Business Wire 2 days ago.

Tennessee's federally run health insurance marketplace won't open for business until Oct. 1, but Tennesseans -- both individuals and small business owners -- interested in buying overage on the exchanges can begin the process today. The federal government has opened a portal, available at healthcare.gov, that allows individuals in the 34 states where it is operating exchanges to begin registering for enrollment. The questionnaire asks basics, including estimated annual income, household demographics… Reported by bizjournals 2 days ago.

Generally speaking, doctors stopped making house calls around the 1970s.

But mobile devices are helping doctors to make house- and anywhere-calls as never before possible — with better information, higher patient throughput, and often lower costs.

From the moment Apple demonstrated iPhone 3G-connected blood pressure and glucose monitors at its 2009 World Wide Developer Conference, the Web has been abuzz regarding the future of mobile medicine, or mHealth.

Advocates envision a future in which patients self-perform an EKG with the results automatically uploaded for physician review, where doctors administer comprehensive smartphone physicals, and ophthalmologists can capture high resolution photos of the inner eye without dilating pupils.

All these technologies exist today, thanks to the mobile revolution. The market is already sizeable and the market potential is enormous.

But how are medical professionals receiving the changes and will regulatory requirements hamper progress?

In a new report from BI Intelligence, we take a look at mobile medicine: the top applications, the perspectives from across the medical professional landscape, regulatory issues, and how the market will grow.

Click here for all the charts and data sets associated with this report in Excel »

Click here for the PDF version of this report »

· *Sizing the mobile medical market: *Specific estimates for market size vary, but the consensus is that mobile medical applications, devices, and services represent a multibillion dollar opportunity.
· *Patient self-management applications*: This is currently the key category. Sometimes the apps connect doctor and patient, sometimes they are simply used for self-evaluation.
· *Professional applications: *While lesser in number, apps are cropping up to help doctors and other medical professionals within the workplace.
· *Physician acceptance: *Medical professionals have generally been keen to embrace mobile health, but many doctors foresee slow adoption rates.
· *Regulatory issues: *The FDA is set to offer its final guidance on app regulation, but developers haven't seemed shaken by the regulatory uncertainty — development has continued undeterred.
· *The future:* The market’s next phase will seek to integrate numerous and disparate sources of data into a holistic view of both individual and group-level health.

*
*Note: this report will cover health apps made possible by smart devices, including smartphones and tablets. It will not cover traditional desktop or laptop-based medical work that has been replaced or augmented by smart devices.

*Sizing the Mobile Medical Market*

In the United States alone, total health care expenditures put the domestic health care industry somewhere around the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Mobile health care will account for a tiny slice of that amount — no one is advocating for smart devices to perform major surgeries. But the sheer size of the health care market suggests a large opportunity for mobile applications and customized, purpose-built devices.

The key to all the interest in mobile for medicine is that the U.S. health care industry is cost-obsessed. And rightly so: The country already spends more per-capita on health than any other country, and health costs continue to rise.

Policymakers, health providers, and insurers are all searching for ways to lower costs without compromising quality of care.

Research from MarketsandMarkets estimates that global revenues from the mobile health industry will eclipse $6 billion in 2013.

· The research firm also projects a compound annual growth rate exceeding 30% through 2018, when the market will reach a robust $23.5 billion.
· A separate report from research2guidance is slightly more aggressive, projecting the market will grow to reach $26 billion by 2017.

Less formal findings from PwC — based on what survey respondents would be willing to pay for mobile health services — brackets these figures.

PwC estimated the addressable market at $7.7 billion to $43 billion.

*Consumer Acceptance And Adoption*

App store-based mobile applications will drive some of the growth. There are already roughly 100,000 health applications available in major app stores, and the top 10 mobile health applications generate up to 4 million free and 300,000 paid daily downloads.

Consumer adoption of mobile health apps will proceed apace.

By 2017, research2guidance estimates that over 50% of mobile users will have downloaded at least one mobile health app.

A recent study suggested that 90% of chronic patients would readily accept a prescription for a mobile app compared to just 66% willing to accept a prescription for medication.

Hardware adoption has also been impressive. We estimate that we'll see 43 million unit shipments in fitness, health and activity monitoring devices in 2013, and 77 million in 2014.

Fitness devices such as the Fitbit, Jawbone UP bracelet, and the Nike+ FuelBand have seen respectable sales and mainstream consumer acceptance, as our recent report on wearable devices indicated. They have paved the way for more sophisticated medical use cases.

There is also a lot going on at the intersection of the business-to-business market with behavior modification and health.

One of the largest revenue opportunities for mobile health care may come from the enterprise sector.

That's particularly so in the U.S., where employers are at the center of health insurance schemes. Large U.S. employers constantly grapple with the high cost of health insurance premiums, employee absenteeism, and lost productivity linked to chronic health issues.

Companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have adopted a wearable device and companion app, Virgin Health Miles, to drive employee wellbeing and health. They're spurring participation by offering rewards to employees who achieve certain goals.

An April 2013 survey from Bloomberg West found that consumers chose medical devices as the category of wearables they were most interest in, over wristwear and smart eyeglasses. (See chart, above, at the top of this section.)

In Canada, 80% of patients would be comfortable using a device or app-facilitated monitoring service for a chronic condition, according to a PwC report.

*Mobile Platforms And App Stores*

What mobile operating systems support mobile health usage?

Anecdotal findings suggest that the top apps are being developed for both iOS and Android.

Separately, medical schools at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University conducted a survey to find what the most-favored apps were among students.

The collective findings yielded ten unique app names, all of them available on both major platforms.

The trend toward dual iOS and Android compatibility will likely continue for the major health apps (barring a significant change in platform development economics).

Developers of mobile health apps will aim to maximize their reach. Health problems cut across demographics and it's unlikely that an app helping patients manage any medical issue will capture its addressable market with a platform-specific strategy.

Are health apps paid or free? Unlike many app categories in which free apps dominate, a substantial minority of health apps are paid.

Here are some key stats on the health app market:

· Forty-two percent of apps rely on a paid business model, according to research2guidance.
· Only 15% of apps target health care professionals, and the balance aims at consumers.
· App download revenue accounts for only about 9% of total market revenue in the next five years, according to research2guidance.

Most revenue in mobile health will come from services and hardware, such as sensors.

*
Paging Doctor Self*

Estimates vary, but around 85% of apps are designed for primary use by the consumer or the patient. These perform a wide range of functions from simple to complex but may be broadly categorized as follows:

· Physical Fitness And Personal Health.
· Self-Measurement.
· Health Information Management.
· Self-Testing – Physical Specimen.
· Self-Testing – Sensors.

These apps may interface with or attach to sophisticated auxiliary medical equipment.

Or, they may simply rely on out-of-the-box device features (e.g., using the device’s accelerometer).

Typically, apps belonging to the fitness, measurement, and information management categories focus on empowering the individual to monitor or assess personal health, set and pursue fitness goals, or take measurements such as weight or temperature.

That is, they are a one-way street for self-evaluation.

On the other hand, the self-test categories normally establish a portal between patient and doctor or specialist. While the patient may self-perform a test, results are transmitted to qualified medical professionals for interpretation.

These apps sometimes require a prescription.

How do these apps connect with doctor's offices, and with the rest of the mobile ecosystem?

Many apps require auxiliary equipment, which typically connects to smartphones and tablets through one of two routes: wirelessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, or through a physical connection.

The more sophisticated apps, such as those requiring a doctor to analyze data and test samples submitted by patients, tend to rely on equipment that directly connects to the smart device.

An example of this is Mobisante’s ultrasound app, which is covered later in this report.

Other apps, such as AliveCor’s Heart Monitor, feature both forms of connectivity. The device, which allows users to capture their own ECG rhythms, records the results and then wirelessly transmits them for review.

*Streamlining the Medical Practice*

Doctors play a critical role, even in apps that patients administer themselves, as results must still be interpreted by professionals.

Remote monitoring can drive significant efficiency and cost-savings.

From the doctor’s perspective, these apps help prioritize patients — an uploaded EKG with only a slight irregularity can be circled as “needs follow up,” while a wild irregularity can be flagged for an immediate visit.

This means doctors can ensure that patients who are in the clinic or hospital need to be there, and avoid having to spend half of their day attending false alarms.

There are also apps aimed at helping doctors in terms of their own tasks, apart from their interactions with patients.

These may be broadly categorized as:

· *Equipment Supplementation And Replacement:* Smartphones and tablets either with built-in features or that are connected to auxiliary equipment to supplement or replace clinical equipment. An example is Mobisante’s smartphone- and tablet-enabled ultrasound. **
· *Equipment-Augmented: *When smartphones or tablets enhance existing medical device categories. An example is Welch Allyn’s iExaminer, which connects an ophthalmoscope to an iPhone to make use of its high-resolution display and camera capabilities. **
· *Professional Information Management: *Mobile apps aid professionals in diagnoses, treatment, and care. An example is ePocrates, an app for identifying drug doses and potential interactions. **
· *Administrative: *Apps that streamline workplace administrative processes, such as records-keeping or billing.

These apps will likely gain greater acceptance as they are proven in clinical settings, once they drive real results in terms of cost-cutting, and once younger tech-centric populations age into the workforce.

Already, we’re seeing major medical universities, such as the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins among others, issuing tablets to medical residents. Scholarly journals have begun to explore the issue of technology in the workplace.

A study conducted by the University of Chicago revealed that the use of tablets improved perceived and actual medical efficiency.

Studies with similar findings will help foster awareness and ultimately drive adoption.

*The Professional Response*

For all the efficiency gains, technological progress brings with it growing pains, especially when disrupting long-established professional practices.

But so far, the response in the medical professional community has been largely positive.

As recently as 2009, though, it wasn’t as positive. A survey conducted then by CTIA indicated that only about a quarter of doctors and specialists felt that patients would benefit from mobile services.

Fast-forward to 2013 and that number has jumped to more than 90%, according to a survey conducted by eClinicalWorks.

Eighty-nine percent of those physician respondents indicated they were likely to recommend a mobile app to a patient.

That represents a significant shift in mindset in only a few years’ time.

Most doctors believe mHealth is inevitable, but that adoption will come slowly.

Physicians have proven themselves to be relatively tech-savvy: research from nearly 2 years ago indicates 80% of physicians owned a smartphone and 58% owned an iPad or planned to buy one in the coming year.

Both figures are significantly higher than penetration rates in the broader population today.

We think doctors' openness to new mobile technology will breed familiarity and ultimately drive mobile app adoption rates higher. Doctors are data-driven in their professional outlook. Mobile health will find its way into their exam rooms and offices once the data corroborates improved patient engagement, clinical outcomes, and operational workflow.

*The Regulators*

The health care industry in the U.S. — and most of the world — is highly regulated with new medicines and devices often requiring an extensive screening and approval processes.

In 2011, the Food And Drug Administration issued draft guidance on mobile apps, indicating that it intended to regulate apps under its definition of a regulated device.

Per the guidance, this includes apps that function as extensions of existing medical devices, as well as apps that emulate the functions of those devices.

In that time, the FDA has reviewed and approved apps, including Mobisante (ultrasound) and iExaminer (the ophthalmoscope that can accommodate an iPhone).

According to Wired, the FDA has been generally positive and seems to support all the mobile health innovation taking place.

However, mobile health app developers would be wise to pay careful attention to the final regulations the FDA announces.

Another issue mHealth must face is app reliability and credibility.

Apple and other platform operators that run app stores develop hardware and software — not medicine. While apps will undergo customary review before hitting the marketplace, it's not the job of software or hardware companies to evaluate a health app’s efficacy.

Health is a sensitive area. Consumers may lead a backlash against mobile health apps if too many turn out to be quack solutions, or if mediocre apps make it into the main stores.

A third-party vetter of mobile apps might be one solution. Happtique is one such service. It publishes an app's credentials as part of a certification program health apps must undergo to be Happtique-listed.

This and similar efforts may serve as leading indicators for apps that will ultimately undergo FDA review.

At the very least, establishing clear credentials and standards will help doctors and patients in evaluating apps, and may help weed out any bad software that could give mobile health software a bad name.

*Looking Ahead*

We are still early in the mobile health revolution. If we look at mobile health adoption as proceeding in three stages, we can say we're just arriving at the second stage.

The first stage was led by consumer-friendly products — particularly those tied to fitness and general wellbeing (like the Jawbone UP band that syncs with a smartphone). They laid the foundation for mobile as a platform for personal health monitoring, and pointed to future directions for innovation. Google Glass, for example, has already been tested in surgical settings.

The second stage, which we have just entered, will see apps and mobile-connected devices permeate the medical field.

The most recent solutions are paving the way for remote mobile diagnoses and efficient communications between physician and patient. Other apps bordering on the stuff of science fiction — smart diapers that can detect viruses in babies for instance — are in the works.

The third stage will occur once these trends — mobile, wearables, and data-collection devices — mesh together and provide the backbone for optimization and customization of preventive health, medical treatment, and hospital processes.

Soon, we will find ourselves at the intersection of mHealth and big data. Big data and personalization still haven't shaped this market to the extent they no doubt will in the future.

Look for companies such as Open mHealth to compete as they try to integrate disparate and massive amounts of data to provide a holistic health view of individuals and populations.

At the individual level, this data will be collected by various sources: An active diabetic who is a running junkie may want to understand how his blood glucose levels vary with physical activity, and turn to the iBGStar glucose monitor and Nike+.

How will he fuse the two data sources?

The same user might add numbers from regular self-administered EKGs and other cardio data. An integrated snapshot and visualization of all these data streams will be possible, for viewing by medical professionals and patients. As venture capitalist and Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla said: “The fundamental change in health care is the transfer of power to the consumers, and helping them become the CEO of their own health.”

On the professional side, the sourcing of new and more continuous data, and its analysis at the macro level, may help doctors and researchers uncover new relationships between patients, drugs and the environment. These insights may lead to better and safer treatments, and perhaps new disease-curing discoveries.

*THE BOTTOM LINE*

· Market size estimates reveal a great deal of variance, but no matter how it’s cut, the mobile health market represents a multibillion dollar opportunity.
· The key to growth and investor interest in mobile health is that it affords the possibility of savings and greater efficiency to a cost-burdened medical industry.
· In the U.S., regulation has not yet proven to be a major obstacle — at least not in the sense that it has for drug manufacturers. Regulators have embraced mobile health.
· Some apps and devices are already being prescribed by physicians in the course of treatment and patient management. Patient self-monitoring is the top category in mobile health.
· Mobile health apps are beginning to exhibit a high level of sophistication but plenty of innovation is likely in store, particularly in the realm of personalization, aggregate data analysis, and optimizing patient management.

Click here for all the charts and data sets associated with this report in Excel »

Click here for the PDF version of this report »

Join the conversation about this story »

 
 
 
  Reported by Business Insider 2 days ago.

NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The federal government is months behind in testing data security for the main pillar of Obamacare: allowing Americans to buy health insurance on state exchanges due to open by Oct. 1

The missed deadlines have pushed the government's decision on whether information technology security is up to snuff to exactly one day before that crucial date, the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general said in a report.

As a result, experts say, the exchanges might open with security flaws or, possibly but less likely, be delayed.

"They've removed their margin for error," said Deven McGraw, director of the health privacy project at the non-profit Center for Democracy & Technology. "There is huge pressure to get (the exchanges) up and running on time, but if there is a security incident they are done. It would be a complete disaster from a PR viewpoint."

The most likely serious security breach would be identity theft, in which a hacker steals the social security numbers and other information people provide when signing up for insurance.

The inspector general's report, released without fanfare last Friday, found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or CMS - the agency within HHS that is running Obamacare - had set a May 13 deadline for its contractor to deliver a plan to test the security of the crucial information technology component.

A test was to have been performed between June 3 and 7. But the delivery deadline slipped and the test - assessing firewalls and other security elements - is now set for this week and next.

"CMS," concludes the inspector general's report, "is working with very tight deadlines."

The delays mean that the ruling by CMS's chief information officer certifying the Obamacare IT system as secure will be pushed back from Sept. 4 to Sept. 30, a day before enrollment under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the law that established Obamacare, is supposed to start.

"Several critical tasks remain to be completed in a short period of time," the report concluded.

Any additional delays could mean CMS would not have the information it needs to authorize use of the system by Oct. 1, the inspector general found.

CMS spokesman Brian Cook said the agency is confident the Obamacare exchanges will open on time. "We are on schedule and will be ready for the marketplaces to open on Oct. 1," he said.

IDENTITY THEFT?

When people try to enroll in health insurance starting on Oct. 1 for insurance plans taking effect in 2014, their identity, income and other information they furnish with their application will be funneled through a federal "data hub."

The hub is like a traffic circle for data. It does not itself store information, but instead has digital spokes connecting to the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies that will allow it to verify information people provide. Opponents of Obamacare have repeatedly raised concerns that sensitive personal information could be stolen.

Before the hub or any other federal information system can open, a 2002 law requires that it obtain a "security authorization package," which is essentially the roadmap for keeping out hackers and preventing security breaches.

The first component of the package provides an overview of the system's security requirements and describes the controls the contractor has installed. It covers access controls and authentication, for instance, so that hackers cannot ping the hub and access IRS data.

A second component is a risk assessment that identifies vulnerabilities and determines the probability of a data breach.

The final component is an assessment by an independent testing organization that proper security controls have been implemented correctly, are operating as intended, and are meeting security requirements.

"CMS has extensive experience building and operating information technology systems that handle sensitive data" as a result of its experience with Medicare and Medicaid, the agency said in a statement.

Despite the tight IT deadlines Obamacare faces, the 2002 federal law on information security might provide an important loophole. The requirement that CMS's chief information officer make a "security authorization" decision does not mean the CIO has to conclude that the data hub is impregnable. He can decide that, despite identified security risks, the hub can operate.

Health privacy expert McGraw said "the worst case scenario" of not meeting the IT security deadline is that the government will not be able to bring the data hub online on Oct. 1. In that case, people will be able to apply for insurance starting on that date but will not be told if they have been accepted or whether they are eligible for government subsidies to pay their premiums. Reported by Huffington Post 2 days ago.

Three former top government officials reflect on some of the challenges they faced with Part D, and look at some of the parallels between that program’s launch and the implementation of health insurance exchanges, in the current issue of Atlantic Information Services’s Inside Health Insurance Exchanges.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 07, 2013

For its Aug. 1 issue, Atlantic Information Services’s (AIS) Inside Health Insurance Exchanges interviews three former top government officials who were instrumental in the crafting and launch of Medicare Part D. Former HHS secretary Michael Leavitt, and former CMS administrators Thomas Scully and Mark McClellan discuss the politics surrounding Part D and the reform law-mandated health insurance exchanges, as well as the pace of implementation.

Like the Affordable Care Act, in the summer of 2005, health insurers were launching programs to educate members about a complex, untested and politically controversial entitlement program, frantically upgrading technology infrastructure and hiring staff to administer the new benefits and answer questions from enrollees. McClellan observes an increased complexity in launching exchanges, saying, “I think this is a more difficult undertaking in that the insurance products are more complex, there are more stakeholders that need to be involved and the systems integration is more complicated.” However, the exchanges have the benefit of a gradual implementation. “The [Obama] administration is aiming for 7 million [enrollees] by the end of the first open-enrollment period [which concludes in March 2014]. It won’t be as big of a shift on day one as Part D needed to be.”

All three find similarities in the level of political opposition. “With Part D,” Leavitt says, “there were major members of the Congress that voted against it…who just didn’t want it to succeed, period. Others just stayed away from it because they expected it to fail. The biggest difference now is that the parties are now reversed.” Similarly, McClellan notes, “Remember that Part D resulted from a pretty divisive and tight series of congressional votes including a late-night House vote that was very close. The law had little Democratic support in the end.” Scully observes, “I think it was a mistake for this administration not to get bipartisan support for [the ACA]. If this law would have been bipartisan, it would have been smaller because there would have been more compromise.”

To read the article in its entirety, including the officials’ thoughts on outreach efforts and technology infrastructure, visit http://aishealth.com/archive/nhex080113-03 .

About Inside Health Insurance Exchanges
Inside Health Insurance Exchanges provides hard-hitting news and strategies on the details of state and private health insurance exchanges, for business planners with health plans, hospitals and health systems, medical groups, ancillary providers, suppliers, pharma companies and state health policy makers. The biweekly newsletter answers questions about this cornerstone of the health reform law — who will participate, what product designs will look like, the effect on enrollment and more. Subscribers receive reliable intelligence on how to make the most of the enormous transformation in health insurance that is about to unfold and how to succeed in the insurance marketplace of tomorrow.

About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

USA medical doctors bring much needed relief for the uninsured through innovative health insurance alternative plans with Online USA Doctors.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 07, 2013

Dr. Shelton, medical director of Online USA Doctors had a vision that could someday bring medical services within every American’s reach. The holistic health practitioner recently rolled out Online USA Doctors. This is set to change the face of medicine via fresh health insurance options.

His groundbreaking product is a refreshing change from stuffy waiting rooms and doctors running late. Dr. Shelton’s clients need only send an email to connect with a resident U.S. doctor at a time that suits them best. “This is how the service used to be,” admits Dr. Shelton wryly, “before it became big business”.

Health Insurance for Unemployed Available to All
Dr. Shelton refuses to discriminate between US citizens who have a job, and those who do not currently. “As long as they can pay a cheap retainer,” he says. “Everybody is welcome to sign up with Online USA Doctors and receive a holistic health care package they can afford.”

At Online USA Doctors health insurance options suit clients, and not the other way around. Singles, couples, those with children and entire families are free to join for monthly retainers as low as $29.99. When they do, they receive awesome benefits that include the following:


· The right to receive consultations by American doctors
· The choice of a regular or holistic health practitioner
· Access to urgent care services including laboratory tests
· Prescriptions for mainline and holistic medications
· A tax-deductible service that qualifies for employer reimbursement
· Health insurance for unemployed folk of a caliber everybody deserves

Health Insurance Options within Everybody’s Reach:

Online USA Doctors offers packages for health care choices with affordability in mind. “I don’t see why singles should pay a premium, and I refuse to penalize American families for their God-given children,” he explained at a media briefing the other day. The urgent care services industry is in a turmoil following the announcement of the following low, low Online USA Doctors monthly tariffs:

· A trifling $29.99 for the full service package for singles
· $59.99 per couple regardless of the structure of their relationship
· Light loading for a first child that brings the total to $89.99
· A remarkable $99.99 for every USA family regardless of status

Urgent Health Care Services at Any Time:
The prevailing American health care system respects provider’s preferences regardless of the patient’s need. Hospitals have a right to refuse access. Queues are long, and waiting rooms filled to overflowing. The self-employed cannot afford the downtime waiting for their turn. Employers are reticent to grant free time off.

Most health insurance for unemployed people expects them to attend a consultation even at the cost of missing a vital job interview. It is time we moved on from this. According to Dr. Sheldon, “The medical service is here to provide just that, and not the other way around”.

About Online USA Doctors
Online USA Doctors has headquarters in Valley Center, San Diego, California, where qualified medical doctors advise and dispense medical grade formulas specific to each persons conditions throughout America on request. Call them at (855) 872-0012Y. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.

How Businesses Can Control the Cost of Health Benefits With a Defined Contribution Approach

Park City, Utah (PRWEB) August 07, 2013

Today, Zane Benefits, the online alternative to group health insurance, published new information on how to control health benefits costs.

According to Zane Benefits’ website, in today's shifting small business health insurance market, controlling the cost of health benefits while keeping employees happy can be a major challenge for business owners.

In the past, group health insurance was clearly the best way to provide quality health insurance to employees. But for many businesses today group health insurance costs too much.

So, it's no surprise that many small and medium-sized businesses are transitioning away from group health insurance and choosing to offer health benefits with a pure defined contribution approach. With defined contribution, the business controls all health benefits costs while providing the same (or better) health insurance coverage to employees.

A defined contribution health benefits approach allows a business to:


· Set any amount to contribute to employees' health care.

· Give employees tax-free health care allowances through a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).

· Reimburse employees on payroll for approved premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses.

· Control financial liability, and let employees shop for policies that best meet their individual health needs.

Here are four ways to control costs with a defined contribution approach:

1. The business defines the budget by setting any contribution amount toward employees’ health care. Because there are no annual renewal increases or minimum contribution amounts, the business literally controls all health benefits costs.

2. Employees purchase individual health insurance policies (or incur an eligible medical expenses) and submit expenses for reimbursement. Your business reimburses employees directly on payroll tax-free.

3. The business only reimburses employees for eligible premiums and medical expenses, up to the amount of their health care allowance.

4. At the end of the year, the business decides what happens to employees’ unused allowances (i.e. do they carry-over to the next year?).

These four aspects of a defined contribution approach gives financial control and predictability, while creating health benefits that make employees feel valued, loyal, and happy.

Click here to read the full article.

About Zane Benefits

Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHRA") for Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about ZaneHRA, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.

You have probably heard the classic definition of the Yiddish word 'chutzpah'--it defines the behavior of the youngster on trial for killing both his parents who pleads for mercy because he is an orphan. The current behavior of the Republican party with respect to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) fits that definition pretty well. Republicans are vociferously predicting that implementation of the that law will fail and simultaneously doing all they can to produce that outcome. They seek to stop spending to implement the law. Officials in many states have adopted a stance reminiscent of 'massive resistance,' the South's futile effort to block implementation of the Supreme Court's decision banning school segregation. A state legislator in South Carolina even proposed that the state give tax credits to help defray any penalties state residents might incur from defying the federal law.

At one level, this effort will fail. Previously authorized spending will continue. The law will be implemented. But it will probably succeed in blocking additional funding that would smooth the roll-out of an admittedly complicated law.

So, what should Americans expect on October 1 when the health insurance exchanges, or market-places, open for business and individuals and small businesses try to buy insurance through them? Success or failure?

The not-so-simple answer is: Both! And everything in between.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia are setting up state-based exchanges. The federal government will manage the exchanges or divide responsibilities with the states in the other thirty-three. But these categories do not begin to capture the range of likely experiences. In several states, elected officials are intimately involved with the health exchanges they created. They are committed to setting up the computer systems and phone banks, and to training the 'navigators' and personal assisters who will try to make enrollment unfold as smoothly as possible. They have enlisted business, non-profit organizations, and insurance brokers and agents in a joint effort to make the roll-out a success.

That process can work, as Massachusetts proved when it implemented a law much like the Affordable Care Act. A Republican governor and a Democratic legislature, working with business and labor, showed that close-to-universal health insurance coverage is possible. Sure, there were problems. But rather than exploiting short term problems, rather than wagging fingers and crowing 'I told you so,' key groups fixed what needed fixing and made the program work.

There is every reason to believe that similar successes will mark the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act in several states. To be sure, even the best efforts will not have eliminated bugs from the computer software used to determine who is eligible to enroll in the health exchanges and to what premium subsidies they are entitled. Not all of those providing information and guiding enrollment will 'get it right' every time. As with any large-scale start up, plenty of errors will be made. But with a bit of time and patience and despite the inevitable and often-justified grumbling, things can--and will--be made to work.

But not everywhere. Some state governments oppose implementation or are 'slow-walking' measures they need to take to make the new law work. Furthermore, the job is bigger and harder in some states than in others. In Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, none of which have set up state exchanges and in all of which opposition to the Affordable Care Act is widespread, 20 percent or more of the population is uninsured. In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of the populations are uninsured in Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Vermont, and Minnesota, all of which have set up state health exchanges.

I hope I am wrong, but I fully anticipate that in many states, the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act is going to be marked by confusion, error, and legitimate complaining--most of it unnecessary. Some errors and complaints are inevitable when millions flood a new agency, using brand new computer software, staffed by newly- and sometimes inadequately-trained people.

The spirit with which the inevitable problems of implementing a major new law are confronted is critical. With good will, various stake-holders will pitch in, pinpoint the problems, and, with time and patience, the fix them. That is what happened in Massachusetts. It is what will happen in those states, where the governors, legislatures, business, labor, insurers, and consumer groups recognize that they have a shared interest in bringing health insurance to millions of currently uninsured people.

But it is not what will happen in those states where officials who have staked their reputations on predictions of failure remain, defy federal law, and engage in a modern day version of 'Massive Resistance.' Some newspapers, TV networks, and bloggers, shrill opponents of the Affordable Care Act, will be deeply embarrassed if their constantly repeated predictions of failure prove wrong. So, they can be expected to trumpet each mistake as confirmation of their dire warnings. Observers should keep in mind that when millions of people are applying for coverage, thousands of mistakes are inescapable. They should not lose sight of the fact that many of those mistakes will result from the uncooperative and obstructionist efforts by those who have refused to recognize that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and that law-abiding citizens obey the law. Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.

You have probably heard the classic definition of the Yiddish word 'chutzpah' -- it defines the behavior of the youngster on trial for killing both his parents who pleads for mercy because he is an orphan. The current behavior of the Republican party with respect to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) fits that definition pretty well. Republicans are vociferously predicting that implementation of the that law will fail and simultaneously doing all they can to produce that outcome. They seek to stop spending to implement the law. Officials in many states have adopted a stance reminiscent of 'massive resistance,' the South's futile effort to block implementation of the Supreme Court's decision banning school segregation. A state legislator in South Carolina even proposed that the state give tax credits to help defray any penalties state residents might incur from defying the federal law.

At one level, this effort will fail. Previously authorized spending will continue. The law will be implemented. But it will probably succeed in blocking additional funding that would smooth the roll-out of an admittedly complicated law.

So, what should Americans expect on October 1 when the health insurance exchanges, or market-places, open for business and individuals and small businesses try to buy insurance through them? Success or failure?

The not-so-simple answer is: Both! And everything in between.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia are setting up state-based exchanges. The federal government will manage the exchanges or divide responsibilities with the states in the other 33. But these categories do not begin to capture the range of likely experiences. In several states, elected officials are intimately involved with the health exchanges they created. They are committed to setting up the computer systems and phone banks, and to training the 'navigators' and personal assisters who will try to make enrollment unfold as smoothly as possible. They have enlisted business, non-profit organizations, and insurance brokers and agents in a joint effort to make the roll-out a success.

That process can work, as Massachusetts proved when it implemented a law much like the Affordable Care Act. A Republican governor and a Democratic legislature, working with business and labor, showed that close-to-universal health insurance coverage is possible. Sure, there were problems. But rather than exploiting short term problems, rather than wagging fingers and crowing 'I told you so,' key groups fixed what needed fixing and made the program work.

There is every reason to believe that similar successes will mark the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act in several states. To be sure, even the best efforts will not have eliminated bugs from the computer software used to determine who is eligible to enroll in the health exchanges and to what premium subsidies they are entitled. Not all of those providing information and guiding enrollment will 'get it right' every time. As with any large-scale start up, plenty of errors will be made. But with a bit of time and patience and despite the inevitable and often-justified grumbling, things can -- and will -- be made to work.

But not everywhere. Some state governments oppose implementation or are 'slow-walking' measures they need to take to make the new law work. Furthermore, the job is bigger and harder in some states than in others. In Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, none of which have set up state exchanges and in all of which opposition to the Affordable Care Act is widespread, 20 percent or more of the population is uninsured. In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of the populations are uninsured in Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Vermont, and Minnesota, all of which have set up state health exchanges.

I hope I am wrong, but I fully anticipate that in many states, the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act is going to be marked by confusion, error, and legitimate complaining -- most of it unnecessary. Some errors and complaints are inevitable when millions flood a new agency, using brand new computer software, staffed by newly and sometimes inadequately trained people.

The spirit with which the inevitable problems of implementing a major new law are confronted is critical. With good will, various stake-holders will pitch in, pinpoint the problems, and, with time and patience, the fix them. That is what happened in Massachusetts. It is what will happen in those states, where the governors, legislatures, business, labor, insurers, and consumer groups recognize that they have a shared interest in bringing health insurance to millions of currently uninsured people.

But it is not what will happen in those states where officials who have staked their reputations on predictions of failure remain, defy federal law, and engage in a modern day version of 'Massive Resistance.' Some newspapers, TV networks, and bloggers, shrill opponents of the Affordable Care Act, will be deeply embarrassed if their constantly repeated predictions of failure prove wrong. So, they can be expected to trumpet each mistake as confirmation of their dire warnings. Observers should keep in mind that when millions of people are applying for coverage, thousands of mistakes are inescapable. They should not lose sight of the fact that many of those mistakes will result from the uncooperative and obstructionist efforts by those who have refused to recognize that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and that law-abiding citizens obey the law. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

With the Obama Administration scrambling to cobble together the Obamacare health insurance exchanges in time for the October 1st grand opening, experts say con artists and fraudsters are eager to begin exploiting the new law's complexity and government-enforced fines to swindle uninsured Americans.

“There are people licking their chops and saying, 'A sucker is born every minute,'” says Health Access California director Elizabeth Abbott.

Beyond the illegal Obamacare scammers, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute professor Sabrina Corlette tells TIME shady companies promising Obamacare mandate compliance may also prey and profit off citizens unfamiliar with the law's maze of regulations.

“There are companies and [insurance] brokers that might take advantage of consumer confusion and some of the misinformation out there about new coverage options,” said Corlette.

Federal authorities are well aware of the identity theft threat. In July, the Federal Trade Commission issued an alert warning that fraudsters are using Obamacare to poach Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, Medicare IDs, and other personal information.

Kansas Department of Insurance director of health policy analysis Linda Sheppard warns that unwitting citizens stand to be victimized by confusion surrounding Obamacare’s individual mandate. “If somebody calls you or comes to your door and says, ‘Buy this, it fulfills your Obamacare requirement,’ somebody might not know enough to understand what it is.”

Indeed, last month, a Gallup poll found that 43% of uninsured Americans—the people Obamacare purports to serve—do not even know that the health law requires them to obtain health insurance or face fines and penalties.

A quick glance online underscores the potential for confusion. For example, someone visiting www.ObamacareExchange.com might think they are looking at federal information if they are not mindful of the .gov ending government URLs use.

Even using the Obama Administration’s healthcare.gov portal and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Healthcare.gov) provides a window into forthcoming confusions and problems. One Facebook commenter laments their inability to get their Obamacare password and login to work properly. “I have called and talked with the reps and I am told someone will call me no sooner than two business days…since I am going on vacation, can’t you help me a little sooner?”

Two more commenters complained that they experienced similar login problems. 

With such registration glitches and confusion come opportunities for fraudsters and scam artists.

“I hope the October 1 application process is better than the registration create an account process,” they wrote on the government’s official Obamacare Facebook page.

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 15 hours ago.

Health
Politics

Six GOP-led states have decided not to uphold the most fundamental consumer protection and market reforms of the Affordable Care Act, including the ban on denial of coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Arizona, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming will not enforce the most popular health insurance reforms prescribed by Obamacare. They’re happy to utilize the government’s more competitive private health insurance market, but they’re not interested in policing that marketplace to make sure consumers don’t get ripped off.

Most states haven’t set up a state-based insurance marketplace. Instead, the federal government will facilitate a marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. Federal law will require each state to enforce regulations and provisions within that marketplace, unless it notifies the government that it cannot or will not.

These six states have opted out, meaning they won’t police insurers to protect the interest of the consumer. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will have to take up the responsibility for investigating consumer complaints and industry reforms in Arizona, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming.

It appears that for those buying health insurance for the first time through the federal insurance marketplace it could be a pretty harrowing experience trying to figure out who is supposed to help you. You could rack up a number of bills before you figure out where to file a complaint.

Texas claims it won’t enforce restrictions and consumer protections because the authority over a federal marketplace belongs to the government, but Stacy Pogue of the Center for Public Policy Priorities called that a smokescreen. Texas enforced plenty of other federal laws on a statewide level in the past.

Sources: ThinkProgress, Texas Tribune

1 Reported by Opposing Views 15 hours ago.

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is known for his meticulous strategizing and prodigious fundraising. He thinks about politics and campaigning more than most –- after all, he is the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. But in his already white-hot reelection fight, McConnell may be at a disadvantage, with one key factor beyond his control.

McConnell, an ardent opponent of Obamacare, has no sway over his own state’s implementation of the health reform law. How well Kentucky brings hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents online will play a role in McConnell’s chances at the polls. At the recent Fancy Farm picnic, Kentucky's annual political gathering, McConnell boasted midway through his short speech, “Just as I predicted, Obamacare is a disaster for America.” McConnell’s wishful thinking may end up being just that -- especially in Kentucky, where so many residents don’t have health insurance and a Democratic administration is keen on implementing health care reforms.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Steve Beshear, had a message McConnell will not want to hear. "We are ahead of schedule in terms of setting up our state-based health benefits exchange," Beshear said. "We’re going to hit all of our deadlines. We are going to expand Medicaid come Jan. 1, 2014."

Although the state hasn’t made its goals public, Carrie Banahan, the executive director of the state’s health benefit exchange, said officials "hope to get 200,000" residents enrolled by the end of 2014. “That’s just an estimate,” she added. It’s less than a third of the state’s uninsured population, but a big enough number to blunt McConnell’s politicking on Obamacare and boost his Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

McConnell’s campaign did not return repeated requests for comment.

Grimes has been measured in her support of Beshear's efforts, arguing that small businesses could be overburdened by Obamacare's requirements. She advocates that mandates on small businesses should be delayed. "The Affordable Care Act -- there are provisions that I am troubled about with it, but that doesn’t mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater," she said recently.

So far, Banahan said she and her staff have gotten a decent reaction from residents on their outreach tour around the state. “The actual sentiment is not as negative as what even we expected,” she said.

The governor’s embrace of Obamacare does not seem to have dented his popularity. A recent GOP poll found Beshear is viewed favorably by 56 percent of state residents.

Rachel Maisler, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, praised Kentucky's efforts in setting up the insurance exchange, where uninsured residents can shop for health coverage. “We are encouraged by Kentucky's work to pass Medicaid expansion, set up a Marketplace, and engage in a robust outreach and education effort,” Maisler said via email. “We know that this effort is larger than just the federal government, and we’re pleased to have strong partners on the ground in Kentucky.”

Agreeing to the Medicaid expansion had been difficult for Beshear, a Democratic governor in a state that voted overwhelmingly against President Barack Obama and has solidly voted to send McConnell back to Washington since he was first elected in 1985. The governor had taken his time, commissioning a study conducted by the University of Louisville and PricewaterhouseCoopers, before making the decision on Medicaid in early May. Beshear first wanted to gauge the economic impact of the move.

Researchers concluded that the Medicaid expansion could add 17,000 jobs and $15.6 billion into the state’s economy. Beshear told reporters at a press conference announcing his approval of the expansion that it will be “the single most important decision in our lifetime.”

Beshear has since become a forceful defender of Obama's health care overhaul. “It’s the right thing to do,” Beshear said. “We have 640,000 uninsured Kentuckians in our state. We are not a very healthy state.”

In a recent report by the United Health Foundation, Kentucky ranked near the bottom among all states in overall health, with the highest rates of cancer deaths and more than 1 million obese residents. The state’s public health department noted that some counties had infant mortality rates higher than “third world countries.” Meanwhile, unnecessary hospitalizations are the highest in the U.S.

The health care reforms would bring the uninsured into the doctor's office and help new moms keep health care coverage as well as boost mental health and substance abuse programs, Banahan said.

“People will have more consistent health care coverage,” explained Gwenda Bond, assistant communications director for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services, a government agency that administers health care.

Not surprisingly, McConnell opposed Beshear’s decision and has correctly highlighted problems with Kentucky's current Medicaid program that had been hit with billing backlogs. A recent report by the state auditor affirmed the billing issues and noted an 8 percent drop in providers, which could spell trouble when the expansion begins. The state already has counties in desperate need of doctors and some lack even a single dentist. A state study reported that 61 percent of the unmet medical needs are in rural areas. The auditor found the billing problems were most acute among rural facilities.

The governor attempted to address the billing issues last spring. With Obamacare, the federal government pays 100 percent of the Medicaid expansion costs for the first three years. Funding decreases to 90 percent in 2020. Beshear has estimated that the state would end up paying roughly $473 million over eight years, starting in 2017.

McConnell asserted that the state could not afford the deal. “The senator is using this issue strictly for political purposes,” Beshear said.

Jason Bailey, director of the nonpartisan Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, said the Medicaid expansion is “a great deal.” Not implementing it, he added, “holds Kentucky back.”

“Our health is a result of our poverty but it’s also a cause of continued poverty,” Bailey said. “When you have 300,000 people in the case of the Medicaid expansion roughly who have insurance, they are going to go the doctor’s office, and utilize services that will result in jobs, no question about it. Those jobs will result in tax revenue.”

Josh Greeman, managed care director at Ephraim McDowell Health, a multi-hospital health system in central Kentucky, said he believes the state can handle the expansion. “I don’t think we are going to run into a situation where there’s a six month wait to see a physician,” he said.

As McConnell faces pressure to work toward defunding Obamacare in Washington and fends off a fierce tea party challenger, Kentucky’s public health workers and health care executives are quietly working to ready the state for the benefits exchange and Medicaid expansion.

Dr. Jim Cecil, the former dental director for the state, served on an advisory committee that helped set up the insurance exchange. He said everyone he worked with “overlooked the controversy and were taking their jobs very seriously.” “There was no political back and forth,” Cecil recalled “They wanted to do a good job.”

Banahan has waited a long time to finally turn around Kentucky's dismal health rankings. She’s been working on health care issues within the state government for 30 years. Implementing the insurance exchange feels like a relief. “This is the best opportunity that we’ve had –- a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” she said.

McConnell, Banahan said, is of no concern. “Our primary concern is to provide health insurance to those folks –- the 640,000 people who are uninsured,” she said. “That’s our primary goal.”

Beshear predicted that within a few years, residents will wonder what the fighting over Obamacare was all about. “Every single Kentuckian has the opportunity to have affordable health insurance,” he said. “I have no doubt that over the next generation, that’s going to be a huge sea change in Kentucky. It’s going to change the face of Kentucky.”

And maybe Kentucky’s politics. Reported by Huffington Post 14 hours ago.

STONY BROOK, N.Y., Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Softheon, Inc., recognized as the leader in health insurance marketplace integration, announced today its successful completion of connectivity testing for its health plan partners utilizing Softheon Exchange Connector Cloud to... Reported by PR Newswire 7 hours ago.

Elizabeth Dipp Metzger has been recognized as a select outstanding advisor as "Four Under Forty" by National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers. As such, she is the first El Pasoan to receive this prestigous national recognition.

El Paso, TX (PRWEB) August 08, 2013

Contact: Sheila Owens, NAIFA
mbriscoe(at)naifa(dot)org; 703.770-8112

NAIFA’s Advisor Today Recognizes Outstanding Advisors
with ‘Four Under Forty’ Award

Profiles of winners appear in September/October 2013 issue of Advisor Today

Advisor Today magazine has recognized four financial advisors with the “Four Under Forty Award,” given annually to four outstanding advisors who achieve excellence in their profession by or before the age of 40. The advisors will be profiled in the September/October 2013 issue of Advisor Today, which will be distributed to attendees of NAIFA’s 2013 Career Conference and Annual Meeting in San Antonio in September.

Advisor Today, published bimonthly by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, solicits nominations of NAIFA members with successful careers and strong commitments to family and community.

“The advisors who join the ranks of Four Under Forty exhibit strength and character, and an unwavering commitment to professional excellence in our industry,” said Dr. Susan Waters, CAE, NAIFA’s CEO. “We appreciate their hard work and dedication to the industry and to NAIFA. It is clear they are on a path to continued growth and success.”

Ayo Mseka, Advisor Today’s editor-in-chief, said: “The four advisors selected have dreamed big dreams, built successful practices, and given back to NAIFA and their communities. They are shining examples of how the best in the business accomplish great things through hard work and a drive to succeed in both their personal and professional lives.”

The 2013 Four Under Forty winners are:

Elizabeth Dipp Metzger, registered investment advisor, New York Life
NAIFA-El Paso, Texas

Elizabeth Dipp Metzger, 37, rose from an agent to a registered representative and then registered investment advisor in just 18 months. Her production standard in the New Organization of El Paso’s New York Life General Office is unprecedented, according to her nominator, having earned the New Org of the Year award just nine months after her arrival. Among Dipp Metzger’s other awards are the Platinum Producers Award for New York Life LTC, Career Life and Long Term Care Success and Producer awards, and the LTC Foundation Award. Dipp Metzger is active in NAIFA and twice was named New York Life’s NAIFA Rookie of the Year. According to her nominator: “Elizabeth has taken a personal interest in mentoring other New Org agents in developing their skills, knowledge and fostering their own success. … Her passion for helping individuals better their financial success radiates through her work and inspires others throughout the El Paso General Office to follow suit.”

Robert E. Donlan, CLU, Chief Operating Officer, The Hancock Group, Inc.
NAIFA-Altoona, Pa.

Robert Donlan holds several titles at the age of 37: COO of The Hancock Group, Inc.; Brokerage Manager for the Allan Hancock Agency, Inc.; President of Hancock Capital Management; and Executive Director of The Argyle Group, Inc. Donlan joined The Hancock Group full-time in 1997, and became brokerage manager for the Agency in 2001, managing brokers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the New England States. He holds several licenses, and serves as president of The Argyle Group, a non-carrier-dependent producer group based in Altoona, Pa. Donlan sits on the board of NAIFA-Altoona after having served as both president and treasurer. He is active in several community and youth groups, and has been recognized as a distinguished professional by a number of local business organizations including the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. According to his nominator, Donlan “has motivated others to strive to be team players and to think outside the box.”

Joseph Tavernite, CLF, Associate Managing Partner, New England/MetLife
NAIFA-Greater Metro Region

Joseph Tavernite, 39, began his career at Mutual of New York at age 21, where he was recognized with the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997. After three years of production, Tavernite was asked to make the switch to firm management and has worked in that role ever since. He has received numerous GAMA awards, and in 2010 was selected as the NAIFA Greater Metro Person of the Year. Tavernite was president of NAIFA-New York City and currently sits on the board. He has excelled in recruiting new NAIFA members and communicating the industry’s messages on Capitol Hill. Tavernite currently serves as associate managing partner at MetLife’s New England Wealth Strategies firm where he built a team of nine advisors and 70 percent team retention. Tavernite also is active in the local chamber of commerce in Long Island, and serves as president of NAIFA Greater Metro Region and State Trustee for NAIFA-New York. According to one of his nominators, Tavernite “is the ultimate hard-working professional that the insurance industry wants and needs.”

Mark E. Wise, CLU, ChFC, Field Director/Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
NAIFA-Indianapolis

Mark Wise, 37, joined Northwestern Mutual as an intern 14 years ago, and has risen to the Top 100 out of 6,500 representatives in numerous categories. Among his accomplishments is recognition as a “Forum” member (top level of production) for the past six years. This last year, Wise was one of three advisors awarded the Financial Security Award in the Central Region. Wise also is involved in his community through volunteer work with the United Way and Timmy Global Health, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization that expands access to healthcare around the globe. Said one of his nominators: “Mark’s top priority is to help his clients turn their aspirations into reality. … Mark’s approach and guidance becomes as unique as the individual he is serving.”

Look for the cover story on these outstanding advisors in the September/October 2013 issue of Advisor Today.

About Advisor Today: Founded in 1906 as Life Association News, Advisor Today is the official publication of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Our mission is to provide practical information, sales ideas, resources and business strategies to help insurance and financial advisors succeed.

About NAIFA: Founded in 1890 as The National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU), NAIFA is one of the nation’s oldest and largest associations representing the interests of insurance professionals from every Congressional district in the United States. NAIFA members assist consumers by focusing their practices on one or more of the following: life insurance and annuities, health insurance and employee benefits, multiline, and financial advising and investments. NAIFA’s mission is to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members.

Sheila Owens
VP - Communication & Marketing

National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors | sowens(at)naifa(dot)org
2901 Telestar Court | Falls Church,VA 22042
703-770-8112 | Fax 703-770-8411
http://www.naifa.org Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

When it comes to buying car insurance, who should you trust more: a certain gecko with a charming, Aussie-tinged accent, or that charmingly retro, always-smiling Flo, whose winged eyeliner seems never to budge or fade? The answer, according to a recently conducted survey by the Northwest Automotive Trades Association, or NATA, is, “Neither.”

Bend, OR (PRWEB) August 08, 2013

When it comes to buying car insurance, who should you trust more: a certain gecko with a charming, Aussie-tinged accent, or that charmingly retro, always-smiling Flo, whose winged eyeliner seems never to budge or fade?

The answer, according to a recently conducted survey by the Northwest Automotive Trades Association, or NATA, is, “Neither.” In fact, the most trustworthy source when seeking advice on the best auto insurance is, per NATA, your auto body professional.

Why? Barbara Crest, executive director of NATA, explains that consumers shouldn’t take the warm & fuzzy connotations conveyed by auto insurance companies’ ad campaigns at face value. “Before you purchase a policy, ask if you can get a copy beforehand, and read through the fine print. The devil is truly in the details.”

The logic behind the study, according to NATA & other industry insiders, is similar to the logic some consumers use when shopping for health insurance: if you want to know about good health insurance providers, ask a healthcare professional. Ergo, if you want to know which auto insurance company is going to process your claim in the most cooperative fashion, ask an auto body repair specialist.

The survey is commissioned annually by NATA and conducted by a survey administrator that compiles data from collision repair shops throughout the Northwest region, with 70 respondents providing data for the 2013 edition. A copy of this year's results are attached, and are also available by contacting Barbara Crest of NATA (see "Sources", below.

Local State Farm Insurance agent Fred Hornback of Bend provided the following statement when queried for his reaction on the report’s results, which listed State Farm as one of the 2 highest-graded insurers: “It’s not surprising, given that we are owned by our clients. After all, we have to please our owners. All of us take that seriously and work to make that happen.”

Ron Reichen, chairman of the national Society of Collision Repair Specialists, also owner of Precision Body & Paint in Bend & Beaverton, concurs: “What it all boils down to is that the best insurance companies are the ones taking the long view, putting the insured’s long-term interests ahead of their own short term profits.” Reichen also added: “As auto body professionals looking to get a job done right, we’re much more productive when we’re working with adjusters who care more about their insured than they care about their corporation’s quarterly earnings reports.”

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Sources Interviewed for this Press Release:

Crest, Barbara – NATA Executive Director. Contact: (503) 253.9898, barbara(at)aboutNATA(dot)org

Hornback, Fred – State Farm Insurance Agent. Contact: (541) 382-6828

Reichen, Ron – SCRS Chairman & owner of Precision Body & Paint: (541) 977-4706 Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.