Health insurance premiums have become the elephant in the room. Over the past decade, premiums have risen at a much faster rate than personal income, squeezing the budget of millions of Americans. What can be done? Get the facts in this informative article.
Reported by Forbes.com 10 hours ago.
Health Insurance Premiums Are Rising Faster Than Income
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If Obamacare Is Here To Stay, It's Going To Need Some Fixing. Here Are 5 Ways How.
WASHINGTON -- Obamacare is here to stay. That’s the message from President Barack Obama and other supporters of the Affordable Care Act after their victory at the Supreme Court last week. But dodging a lethal legal bullet is not the same thing as ensuring long-term success. And if health care reform is going to achieve the latter, it’s going to need reforms of its own.
“We’ve got more work to do,” Obama acknowledged after the high court ruled in his favor on Thursday.
The Affordable Care Act has notched some notable successes, like reducing the ranks of the uninsured by millions of people, and Obama must build on that progress to sustain it. Through the rest of his presidency, Obama will face a host of problems with the health care system -- problems his reforms didn’t fix. Whether or not the president can find common ground with Republicans, the public is going to keep looking to him for solutions.
Here are five key ways Obamacare could be strengthened:
*Cover More Of The Uninsured*
Subsidizing health insurance and expanding eligibility for Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act led to the biggest drop in the uninsured rate since the creation of Medicaid and Medicare themselves. Even though more than 10 million people bought private coverage via a health insurance exchange and millions more have gained Medicaid benefits, enrollment data from this year show that the pace was slower than during the first sign-up period. That makes sense, because the uninsured people who were most eager for coverage, as well as the people who could get the lowest-cost insurance, enrolled as soon as they could.
Just 36 percent of the people who could be enrolled in an exchange plan actually are, according to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The hard part will be tracking down and signing up the people who remain uninsured, especially among groups with high rates of uninsured, like Hispanics.
A huge part of continuing the success in covering the uninsured will be making in-person help available to people trying to sign up, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a nonprofit organization. “The most important thing to do is to have adequate numbers of navigators and assisters,” he said. Families USA released a report outlining its health care reform priorities in January, and Pollack published an op-ed on the subject in the journal Health Affairs on Monday.
*Make Health Care More Affordable*
It’s right there in the name of the law, and for the people receiving generous health insurance subsidies or no-cost Medicaid coverage, it’s a promise fulfilled. That’s not true for everyone, though. People who earn between three and four times the federal poverty level -- in other words, about $35,000 to $47,000 a year for a single person -- only get small tax credits to cut their insurance costs. People who make more than that get nothing. And health insurance is expensive when you're paying full price.
Add that to deductibles that can exceed $6,000 for an individual and $13,000 for a family purchasing the cheapest policies on the exchanges, and it’s clear there’s an affordability gap.
Health insurance companies opted for high deductibles in many of their plans to keep monthly premiums lower, but Pollack believes they could be more creative. For example, every insurer could offer at least one policy at each “metal” level -- i.e., Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum -- that would feature smaller deductibles, but would charge fees when a customer received medical care. Or more insurers could exempt things like primary care physician visits from the deductible.
Big deductibles, which aren’t exclusive to the Obamacare exchanges, can discourage people with insurance from getting health care and can present a barrier to uninsured people trying to sign up, Pollack said. “We want to deter people not getting insurance because they look at the front-end cost of the premium and the deductible and they say, ‘That’s unaffordable,’” he said.
*Expand Medicaid In More States*
Obamacare has survived two Supreme Court challenges, but it didn’t come away unscathed. In 2012, the court ruled that states could opt out of the law’s Medicaid expansion, which is the main tool with which the ACA sought to provide coverage to the poorest working-age adults. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have joined the expansion so far, but many states with high uninsured rates, like Florida, Louisiana and Texas, still haven’t, leaving their poorest residents with no help.
Obama will visit Tennessee Wednesday to promote Medicaid expansion, which Gov. Bill Haslam (R) hasn’t been able to get past the GOP-controlled state legislature. The administration has worked with other Republican governors and state legislators, including Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, to get forms of the Medicaid expansion in place. It plans to keep negotiations open while states like Alaska and Utah continue their internal debates.
“I am optimistic about the Medicaid issue,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said last week. Burwell outlined parts of the administration's health care agenda in an op-ed for CNN on Thursday.
*Fix The 'Family Glitch'*
Because of a quirk in the way the Affordable Care Act is worded, the spouses and children of workers who are offered health benefits at their jobs aren’t eligible for subsidies on the health insurance exchanges -- even if the employer doesn’t cover dependents. It’s called the “family glitch," and it’s estimated to affect as many as 4 million people. That means spouses and children in low- and moderate-income households might go uninsured because they can’t afford the unsubsidized premiums.
A fix would be simple, and expensive: Congress could merely amend the Affordable Care Act to say people in this situation can sign up on the exchanges and get tax credits. “How quickly that’ll get fixed, I don’t know, because it does cost more money," said Pollack. "But I think it’s got to be a significant priority."
*Tackle Rising Prescription Drug Prices*
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, prescription drug prices were rising more slowly than before, mostly because big brand-name drugs, like the cholesterol medicine Lipitor, had become available in generic form. But we're in a new era now, with next-generation pharmaceuticals like the hepatitis C cure Sovaldi hitting the market at costs of up to $1,000 per pill or even higher. For people with health insurance policies that require them to pick up a bigger share of their medical costs out-of-pocket, these new miracle drugs are largely unaffordable.
Health insurance companies and others in the private sector have engaged in hardball negotiating with drugmakers to bring down prices, but to limited effect. In the rest of the developed world, governments intervene when pharmaceutical companies charge such high prices. Obama has proposed allowing Medicare to set the prices it pays for these medicines the way it does for hospital services and other things, but the law currently forbids that and the drug industry is strongly opposed.
“Right now, there’s no control over what those costs should be,” Pollack said. “There probably ultimately will need to be some kind of control in prices. I don’t think our country is ready for that... I don’t think we’re going to see any relief in the short term.”
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.
“We’ve got more work to do,” Obama acknowledged after the high court ruled in his favor on Thursday.
The Affordable Care Act has notched some notable successes, like reducing the ranks of the uninsured by millions of people, and Obama must build on that progress to sustain it. Through the rest of his presidency, Obama will face a host of problems with the health care system -- problems his reforms didn’t fix. Whether or not the president can find common ground with Republicans, the public is going to keep looking to him for solutions.
Here are five key ways Obamacare could be strengthened:
*Cover More Of The Uninsured*
Subsidizing health insurance and expanding eligibility for Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act led to the biggest drop in the uninsured rate since the creation of Medicaid and Medicare themselves. Even though more than 10 million people bought private coverage via a health insurance exchange and millions more have gained Medicaid benefits, enrollment data from this year show that the pace was slower than during the first sign-up period. That makes sense, because the uninsured people who were most eager for coverage, as well as the people who could get the lowest-cost insurance, enrolled as soon as they could.
Just 36 percent of the people who could be enrolled in an exchange plan actually are, according to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The hard part will be tracking down and signing up the people who remain uninsured, especially among groups with high rates of uninsured, like Hispanics.
A huge part of continuing the success in covering the uninsured will be making in-person help available to people trying to sign up, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a nonprofit organization. “The most important thing to do is to have adequate numbers of navigators and assisters,” he said. Families USA released a report outlining its health care reform priorities in January, and Pollack published an op-ed on the subject in the journal Health Affairs on Monday.
*Make Health Care More Affordable*
It’s right there in the name of the law, and for the people receiving generous health insurance subsidies or no-cost Medicaid coverage, it’s a promise fulfilled. That’s not true for everyone, though. People who earn between three and four times the federal poverty level -- in other words, about $35,000 to $47,000 a year for a single person -- only get small tax credits to cut their insurance costs. People who make more than that get nothing. And health insurance is expensive when you're paying full price.
Add that to deductibles that can exceed $6,000 for an individual and $13,000 for a family purchasing the cheapest policies on the exchanges, and it’s clear there’s an affordability gap.
Health insurance companies opted for high deductibles in many of their plans to keep monthly premiums lower, but Pollack believes they could be more creative. For example, every insurer could offer at least one policy at each “metal” level -- i.e., Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum -- that would feature smaller deductibles, but would charge fees when a customer received medical care. Or more insurers could exempt things like primary care physician visits from the deductible.
Big deductibles, which aren’t exclusive to the Obamacare exchanges, can discourage people with insurance from getting health care and can present a barrier to uninsured people trying to sign up, Pollack said. “We want to deter people not getting insurance because they look at the front-end cost of the premium and the deductible and they say, ‘That’s unaffordable,’” he said.
*Expand Medicaid In More States*
Obamacare has survived two Supreme Court challenges, but it didn’t come away unscathed. In 2012, the court ruled that states could opt out of the law’s Medicaid expansion, which is the main tool with which the ACA sought to provide coverage to the poorest working-age adults. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have joined the expansion so far, but many states with high uninsured rates, like Florida, Louisiana and Texas, still haven’t, leaving their poorest residents with no help.
Obama will visit Tennessee Wednesday to promote Medicaid expansion, which Gov. Bill Haslam (R) hasn’t been able to get past the GOP-controlled state legislature. The administration has worked with other Republican governors and state legislators, including Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, to get forms of the Medicaid expansion in place. It plans to keep negotiations open while states like Alaska and Utah continue their internal debates.
“I am optimistic about the Medicaid issue,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said last week. Burwell outlined parts of the administration's health care agenda in an op-ed for CNN on Thursday.
*Fix The 'Family Glitch'*
Because of a quirk in the way the Affordable Care Act is worded, the spouses and children of workers who are offered health benefits at their jobs aren’t eligible for subsidies on the health insurance exchanges -- even if the employer doesn’t cover dependents. It’s called the “family glitch," and it’s estimated to affect as many as 4 million people. That means spouses and children in low- and moderate-income households might go uninsured because they can’t afford the unsubsidized premiums.
A fix would be simple, and expensive: Congress could merely amend the Affordable Care Act to say people in this situation can sign up on the exchanges and get tax credits. “How quickly that’ll get fixed, I don’t know, because it does cost more money," said Pollack. "But I think it’s got to be a significant priority."
*Tackle Rising Prescription Drug Prices*
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, prescription drug prices were rising more slowly than before, mostly because big brand-name drugs, like the cholesterol medicine Lipitor, had become available in generic form. But we're in a new era now, with next-generation pharmaceuticals like the hepatitis C cure Sovaldi hitting the market at costs of up to $1,000 per pill or even higher. For people with health insurance policies that require them to pick up a bigger share of their medical costs out-of-pocket, these new miracle drugs are largely unaffordable.
Health insurance companies and others in the private sector have engaged in hardball negotiating with drugmakers to bring down prices, but to limited effect. In the rest of the developed world, governments intervene when pharmaceutical companies charge such high prices. Obama has proposed allowing Medicare to set the prices it pays for these medicines the way it does for hospital services and other things, but the law currently forbids that and the drug industry is strongly opposed.
“Right now, there’s no control over what those costs should be,” Pollack said. “There probably ultimately will need to be some kind of control in prices. I don’t think our country is ready for that... I don’t think we’re going to see any relief in the short term.”
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 11 hours ago.
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Why Not?
Our job is not to think small. It is to think big.
The United States is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. Why are we so far behind so many other countries when it comes to meeting the needs of working families and the American middle class?
Why doesn't every American have access to healthcare as a basic right?
Why can't every American who is qualified get a higher education, regardless of family income?
Why can't we have full employment at a decent living wage?
Why must many older Americans be forced to choose between paying for food, shelter, or medical care?
Why can't working parents have access to affordable, high-quality childcare?
We should be asking questions like these every day. We have more billionaires in this country than any other nation on earth. We also have more child poverty than any other major industrialized nation. We have the highest rate of student debt. We have more prisoners, more homeless people and more economic inequality.
It doesn't have to be this way. These conditions are the result of deliberate policy decisions. We provide outrageous tax loopholes for billionaires and large corporations. The top tax rate is less than half of what it was during the postwar economic boom. The real minimum wage has fallen dramatically since the 1960s.
We can make better choices. Let's look at some of the issues that matter most to the American people:
*Health Care for All*
35 million Americans still lack health insurance. Millions of others are under-insured, with high deductibles and copayments that can make needed medical treatment unaffordable.
We are the only major industrialized country in the world that does not provide universal health care for all its citizens. Medicare is much more cost-effective than private insurers, and could serve as the foundation for a single-payer system like those in Great Britain, Spain, Norway, Italy, Iceland and Portugal. Other countries, including Japan, France, Germany, Canada and Denmark, provide universal coverage without a single-payer system but with better controls on costs and service.
If these countries can provide universal health care, why can't we?
*Tuition-Free Public Higher Education*
Student debt has reached crisis proportions in this country. 41 million Americans are burdened with student debt. Student debt has surpassed credit card debt and is now the second-largest source of personal indebtedness in this country.
People who graduated in 2014 with student debt owed an average of $30,000 each. That's unsustainable, and unforgivable.
College tuition is free in Germany, even for citizens of other countries. It's also free in Denmark, Norway Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, and Mexico. If they can do it, why can't we? Why do we accept a situation where hundreds of thousands of qualified people are unable to go to college because their families don't have enough money?
*Paid Family Leave*
We are the only major nation in the world that doesn't guarantee paid time off for new parents. Of 182 nations that do provide paid leave, more than half guarantee at least 14 weeks off.
In Great Britain, new mothers get 40 weeks of paid leave. 70 percent of countries offer paid leave to new fathers as well. Dads get two weeks of paid leave in Great Britain, Denmark, and Austria.
We are a nation that prides itself on its dedication to family values. Why can't we ensure that new parents have time to bond with their children?
*Sick Leave*
Even when working Americans face a serious disease like cancer, they have no guarantee of paid sick leave.
The average worker in other developed countries is guaranteed paid sick leave for long-term cancer treatment, for periods that range from 22 days in Canada to 44 days in Germany and 50 days in Norway.
We are the only one of 22 wealthy nations that does not guarantee some type of paid sick leave. When will we join the rest of the world in ensuring that ailing workers can get well without going broke?
*Paid Vacation*
We are the only advanced economy, and one of only 13 nations in the entire world, that doesn't guarantee workers a paid vacation. Workers in France get an entire month of paid time off every year. Scandinavian workers are guaranteed 25 paid vacation days per year. In Germany the figure is 20 days, and Japan and Canada each guarantee 10 paid vacation days per year.
It's common (although not guaranteed) for higher-paid American workers to get some vacation time. But half of all low-wage workers in this country get no paid time off at all.
*Overwork*
Americans are overworked in other ways, too. Despite huge increases in productivity over the last 100 years, Americans continue to work some of the longest hours on earth. Vast majorities of working people (85.8 percent of men and 66.5 percent of women) work more than 40 hours per week. Compare that to a country like Norway, where only 23 percent of males and 8 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week.
Every year Americans work 137 hours more than Japanese workers, 260 hours more than British workers, and 499 hours (62.3 days) more than French workers -- despite the fact that productivity has risen 400 percent since 1950!
Other countries are moving in the opposite direction. Spain, Norway, and the Netherlands have all shortened their workweeks to 35 hours. Interestingly, those countries have higher productivity than those with a 40-hour workweek.
We're also spending more years of our life at work. Millions of Americans are delaying retirement -- and, in some cases, working until the day they die. Polls have shown that a third of Americans are afraid they will never be able to retire.
*Inequality*
We're lagging behind in other areas too, ranging from childcare costs to internet access. We can and must do better. That means addressing the great economic, political, and moral issue of our time: wealth and income inequality. We have more inequality today than at any time since 1928. That is unacceptable.
We must send a simple message to the billionaire class: You can't have it all.
They will argue, of course. So will the politicians who serve them. They will insist that we can't do better, that we can't have the same basic rights as citizens of other countries.
It's time to ask them, and ourselves, a simple but very important question: Why not?
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
The United States is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. Why are we so far behind so many other countries when it comes to meeting the needs of working families and the American middle class?
Why doesn't every American have access to healthcare as a basic right?
Why can't every American who is qualified get a higher education, regardless of family income?
Why can't we have full employment at a decent living wage?
Why must many older Americans be forced to choose between paying for food, shelter, or medical care?
Why can't working parents have access to affordable, high-quality childcare?
We should be asking questions like these every day. We have more billionaires in this country than any other nation on earth. We also have more child poverty than any other major industrialized nation. We have the highest rate of student debt. We have more prisoners, more homeless people and more economic inequality.
It doesn't have to be this way. These conditions are the result of deliberate policy decisions. We provide outrageous tax loopholes for billionaires and large corporations. The top tax rate is less than half of what it was during the postwar economic boom. The real minimum wage has fallen dramatically since the 1960s.
We can make better choices. Let's look at some of the issues that matter most to the American people:
*Health Care for All*
35 million Americans still lack health insurance. Millions of others are under-insured, with high deductibles and copayments that can make needed medical treatment unaffordable.
We are the only major industrialized country in the world that does not provide universal health care for all its citizens. Medicare is much more cost-effective than private insurers, and could serve as the foundation for a single-payer system like those in Great Britain, Spain, Norway, Italy, Iceland and Portugal. Other countries, including Japan, France, Germany, Canada and Denmark, provide universal coverage without a single-payer system but with better controls on costs and service.
If these countries can provide universal health care, why can't we?
*Tuition-Free Public Higher Education*
Student debt has reached crisis proportions in this country. 41 million Americans are burdened with student debt. Student debt has surpassed credit card debt and is now the second-largest source of personal indebtedness in this country.
People who graduated in 2014 with student debt owed an average of $30,000 each. That's unsustainable, and unforgivable.
College tuition is free in Germany, even for citizens of other countries. It's also free in Denmark, Norway Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, and Mexico. If they can do it, why can't we? Why do we accept a situation where hundreds of thousands of qualified people are unable to go to college because their families don't have enough money?
*Paid Family Leave*
We are the only major nation in the world that doesn't guarantee paid time off for new parents. Of 182 nations that do provide paid leave, more than half guarantee at least 14 weeks off.
In Great Britain, new mothers get 40 weeks of paid leave. 70 percent of countries offer paid leave to new fathers as well. Dads get two weeks of paid leave in Great Britain, Denmark, and Austria.
We are a nation that prides itself on its dedication to family values. Why can't we ensure that new parents have time to bond with their children?
*Sick Leave*
Even when working Americans face a serious disease like cancer, they have no guarantee of paid sick leave.
The average worker in other developed countries is guaranteed paid sick leave for long-term cancer treatment, for periods that range from 22 days in Canada to 44 days in Germany and 50 days in Norway.
We are the only one of 22 wealthy nations that does not guarantee some type of paid sick leave. When will we join the rest of the world in ensuring that ailing workers can get well without going broke?
*Paid Vacation*
We are the only advanced economy, and one of only 13 nations in the entire world, that doesn't guarantee workers a paid vacation. Workers in France get an entire month of paid time off every year. Scandinavian workers are guaranteed 25 paid vacation days per year. In Germany the figure is 20 days, and Japan and Canada each guarantee 10 paid vacation days per year.
It's common (although not guaranteed) for higher-paid American workers to get some vacation time. But half of all low-wage workers in this country get no paid time off at all.
*Overwork*
Americans are overworked in other ways, too. Despite huge increases in productivity over the last 100 years, Americans continue to work some of the longest hours on earth. Vast majorities of working people (85.8 percent of men and 66.5 percent of women) work more than 40 hours per week. Compare that to a country like Norway, where only 23 percent of males and 8 percent of females work more than 40 hours per week.
Every year Americans work 137 hours more than Japanese workers, 260 hours more than British workers, and 499 hours (62.3 days) more than French workers -- despite the fact that productivity has risen 400 percent since 1950!
Other countries are moving in the opposite direction. Spain, Norway, and the Netherlands have all shortened their workweeks to 35 hours. Interestingly, those countries have higher productivity than those with a 40-hour workweek.
We're also spending more years of our life at work. Millions of Americans are delaying retirement -- and, in some cases, working until the day they die. Polls have shown that a third of Americans are afraid they will never be able to retire.
*Inequality*
We're lagging behind in other areas too, ranging from childcare costs to internet access. We can and must do better. That means addressing the great economic, political, and moral issue of our time: wealth and income inequality. We have more inequality today than at any time since 1928. That is unacceptable.
We must send a simple message to the billionaire class: You can't have it all.
They will argue, of course. So will the politicians who serve them. They will insist that we can't do better, that we can't have the same basic rights as citizens of other countries.
It's time to ask them, and ourselves, a simple but very important question: Why not?
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
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Costs of Care Announces Winning Patient and Clinician Stories on Opportunities to Improve Care
Costs of Care, a nonprofit that helps patients, clinicians, and health system leaders achieve better care at lower cost, has selected the winners of their fifth annual essay contest. These stories, from all over the country, help to expand the public discourse on the role patients, physicians, nurses, and other care providers play in controlling healthcare costs.
Boston, MA (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Patients and frontline clinicians are uniquely positioned to recognize inefficiencies in the healthcare system, but are seldom empowered with the information needed to reduce harmful spending. With sponsorship from the Association of American Medical Colleges, Costs of Care launched its 5th annual essay contest aimed at highlighting challenges and opportunities to control healthcare costs with routine, cost-conscious medical decision-making.
“Five years after passing the Affordable Care Act, many hard-working, middle-class Americans continue to struggle to afford care. Having health insurance doesn’t necessarily protect patients from financial harm,” said Jordan Harmon, Director of Advocacy at Costs of Care. Costs of Care Founder Neel Shah, MD, added, “As these stories illustrate, patients and clinicians routinely see actionable opportunities to improve healthcare value.”
From March until May of this year, Costs of Care gathered compelling stories from patients and clinicians from across the nation. The following winning patient submission and provider submission were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges: Leah Binder, President and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, Mark McClellan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Sandra Hernandez, President and CEO of the California Healthcare Foundation:· Tom Peteet, MD (Massachusetts), contemplates the price of certainty in terms of diagnostic testing.
· Holly Woodcock (Idaho), a nurse diagnosed with cancer, discusses the high costs of cancer treatment and the detrimental affect the costs of care can have in every aspect of a patient’s life.
During the month of August, Costs of Care will host an audience vote at http://www.costsofcare.org to determine two additional winners from the remaining top ranked essays.
All qualifying submissions to the contest will be published biweekly at http://www.costsofcare.org during the 2015 calendar year and be made available to the media.
About Costs of Care
Costs of Care is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that helps patients and clinicians deflate medical bills and provide high value care. To date, the Costs of Care Essay Contest has collected more than 450 essays from across the United States in effort that has drawn the attention of the New England Journal of Medicine, Institute of Medicine, and major media outlets.
Full contest details for 2016 are available at http://www.costsofcare.org/essay
Follow Costs of Care on Twitter! @CostsofCare Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
Boston, MA (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Patients and frontline clinicians are uniquely positioned to recognize inefficiencies in the healthcare system, but are seldom empowered with the information needed to reduce harmful spending. With sponsorship from the Association of American Medical Colleges, Costs of Care launched its 5th annual essay contest aimed at highlighting challenges and opportunities to control healthcare costs with routine, cost-conscious medical decision-making.
“Five years after passing the Affordable Care Act, many hard-working, middle-class Americans continue to struggle to afford care. Having health insurance doesn’t necessarily protect patients from financial harm,” said Jordan Harmon, Director of Advocacy at Costs of Care. Costs of Care Founder Neel Shah, MD, added, “As these stories illustrate, patients and clinicians routinely see actionable opportunities to improve healthcare value.”
From March until May of this year, Costs of Care gathered compelling stories from patients and clinicians from across the nation. The following winning patient submission and provider submission were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges: Leah Binder, President and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, Mark McClellan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Sandra Hernandez, President and CEO of the California Healthcare Foundation:· Tom Peteet, MD (Massachusetts), contemplates the price of certainty in terms of diagnostic testing.
· Holly Woodcock (Idaho), a nurse diagnosed with cancer, discusses the high costs of cancer treatment and the detrimental affect the costs of care can have in every aspect of a patient’s life.
During the month of August, Costs of Care will host an audience vote at http://www.costsofcare.org to determine two additional winners from the remaining top ranked essays.
All qualifying submissions to the contest will be published biweekly at http://www.costsofcare.org during the 2015 calendar year and be made available to the media.
About Costs of Care
Costs of Care is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that helps patients and clinicians deflate medical bills and provide high value care. To date, the Costs of Care Essay Contest has collected more than 450 essays from across the United States in effort that has drawn the attention of the New England Journal of Medicine, Institute of Medicine, and major media outlets.
Full contest details for 2016 are available at http://www.costsofcare.org/essay
Follow Costs of Care on Twitter! @CostsofCare Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
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CSG Government Solutions Selected by the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace for Independent Verification and Validation
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced it has been selected by the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Board of Directors (AHIM) to provide Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services for its Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) implementation.
Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced it has been selected by the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Board of Directors (AHIM) to provide Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services for its Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) implementation.
The AHIM is a nonprofit public benefit corporation created to manage and implement a state-based health insurance exchange in Arkansas. CSG is providing IV&V services to assess whether AHIM and its IT vendor partners are on track to implement the requisite technology for the SHOP in time for enrolling consumers into qualified health plans for the 2016 Open Enrollment Period beginning November 1, 2015. CSG is also assuring the State is meeting all other specified requirements for SHOP Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.
“By leveraging our IV&V and health insurance marketplace expertise, we are well positioned to help assure AHIM and the State surpass federal standards for open enrollment,” says Robin Chacon, Director of CSG’s Healthcare practice.
CSG Government Solutions continues to increase its presence across the United States. The company deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex program enterprises. CSG clients include 40 state governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments.
CONTACT:
Robin Chacon
Director, Healthcare Practice
CSG Government Solutions
180 N. Stetson Ave
Suite 3200
Chicago, IL 60601
312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191
rchacon(at)csgdelivers(dot)com
About CSG Government Solutions:
CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm focused on helping states modernize critical program enterprises. Our highly experienced teams and industry-leading Centers of Excellence help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. Reported by PRWeb 55 minutes ago.
Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced it has been selected by the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Board of Directors (AHIM) to provide Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services for its Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) implementation.
The AHIM is a nonprofit public benefit corporation created to manage and implement a state-based health insurance exchange in Arkansas. CSG is providing IV&V services to assess whether AHIM and its IT vendor partners are on track to implement the requisite technology for the SHOP in time for enrolling consumers into qualified health plans for the 2016 Open Enrollment Period beginning November 1, 2015. CSG is also assuring the State is meeting all other specified requirements for SHOP Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.
“By leveraging our IV&V and health insurance marketplace expertise, we are well positioned to help assure AHIM and the State surpass federal standards for open enrollment,” says Robin Chacon, Director of CSG’s Healthcare practice.
CSG Government Solutions continues to increase its presence across the United States. The company deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex program enterprises. CSG clients include 40 state governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments.
CONTACT:
Robin Chacon
Director, Healthcare Practice
CSG Government Solutions
180 N. Stetson Ave
Suite 3200
Chicago, IL 60601
312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191
rchacon(at)csgdelivers(dot)com
About CSG Government Solutions:
CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm focused on helping states modernize critical program enterprises. Our highly experienced teams and industry-leading Centers of Excellence help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. Reported by PRWeb 55 minutes ago.
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Obama aims to change conversation around health care law
Obama was headed to the Nashville, Tennessee-area on Wednesday to discuss ways to improve the Affordable Care Act, including by extending Medicaid coverage to more low-income people. Tennessee is among about 20 states that have rejected Obama's offer of billions of dollars to help pay to expand the federal-state health care program for the poor. Just over 80 percent of people under age 65 had health insurance when Obama enacted the law in 2010. [...] the share has risen to about 90 percent. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, supports extending Medicaid coverage to 280,000 low-income state residents, but a proposal he put forward failed during a special session of the Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 47 minutes ago.
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United States: Supreme Court Upholds ACA Subsidies - Day Pitney LLP
On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that consumers who purchase health insurance in "federally facilitated exchanges" established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can continue receiving subsidies.
Reported by Mondaq 1 day ago.
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United States: Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act Subsidies For Coverage Purchased On Federally Facilitated State Health Care Exchanges - Ford & Harrison LLP
Issue: Should subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act be available under federally-run exchanges in states that did not set up their own insurance marketplace?
Reported by Mondaq 23 hours ago.
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Blues Execs Share Strategies for Managing Generic Drug Inflation in AIS Newsletter
Executives at two Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans and a Blues-owned pharmacy benefit manager share some of the strategies Blues plans are using to mitigate the financial impact of generic drug price inflation in the July issue of Atlantic Information Services’ The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. The AIS Report is not affiliated with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or its member companies.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Incentivizing the use of generic drugs has been an easy way for plans to keep pharmacy costs under control, with discounts as much as 80% or 90% off the prices for the brand-name products. But now that generics are experiencing record rates of inflation, health insurers need to act to mitigate the financial impact of these high-cost generic drugs. The July issue of Atlantic Information Services, Inc.’s (AIS) The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans examines the strategies Blues plans have been employing to manage the issue. Published independently by AIS, The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
Steve Johnson, senior health outcomes director at pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics LLC tells The AIS Report that tactics it is considering or implementing include “developing new cost-share tiers for high-cost and low-cost generics, increasing the use of preferred pharmacy networks and implementation of utilization management programs or exclusion strategies targeting high-cost generics.” Owned by more than a dozen nonprofit Blues plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans, Prime coordinates care for 26 million members. Generic prescriptions represent well over 80% of all prescriptions, Johnson says.
Executives at Blues plans in Tennessee and New Jersey tell The AIS Report that they will be actively monitoring generic drug prices. “We will continue to closely monitor generic drug pricing to provide the best care and value to members,” Robert “Ned” Giles, Jr., Pharm.D., manager of formularies at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee says. “In some cases, this could mean particular generics either aren’t added to our formulary, or some could be removed if there are alternative products with more reasonable pricing.” Monitoring supply and pricing is critical, Patrick Gill, director and chief pharmacy officer for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, tells The AIS Report. “In some cases where a therapeutic alternative is available, we will consider utilization management strategies to encourage utilization of lower-cost alternatives. Where permitted, we consider new cost-share tiers for high-cost and low-cost generics, increasing the use of preferred pharmacy networks and implementation of utilization management programs.”
Visit http://aishealth.com/archive/nblu0715-02 to read the article in its entirety, including a look at some of the reasons why generic inflation has skyrocketed.
About The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans delivers timely news and insightful analysis of new products, market share, strategies, conversions, financing, profitability and strategic alliances of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, which are major players in every U.S. health insurance market. The 12-page monthly newsletter is designed for plan managers and others who consider BCBS plans to be partners or competitors. Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/ais-report-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-plans for more information. A thoroughly objective publication, The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans is published independently by AIS and is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
About Atlantic Information Services
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Incentivizing the use of generic drugs has been an easy way for plans to keep pharmacy costs under control, with discounts as much as 80% or 90% off the prices for the brand-name products. But now that generics are experiencing record rates of inflation, health insurers need to act to mitigate the financial impact of these high-cost generic drugs. The July issue of Atlantic Information Services, Inc.’s (AIS) The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans examines the strategies Blues plans have been employing to manage the issue. Published independently by AIS, The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
Steve Johnson, senior health outcomes director at pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics LLC tells The AIS Report that tactics it is considering or implementing include “developing new cost-share tiers for high-cost and low-cost generics, increasing the use of preferred pharmacy networks and implementation of utilization management programs or exclusion strategies targeting high-cost generics.” Owned by more than a dozen nonprofit Blues plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans, Prime coordinates care for 26 million members. Generic prescriptions represent well over 80% of all prescriptions, Johnson says.
Executives at Blues plans in Tennessee and New Jersey tell The AIS Report that they will be actively monitoring generic drug prices. “We will continue to closely monitor generic drug pricing to provide the best care and value to members,” Robert “Ned” Giles, Jr., Pharm.D., manager of formularies at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee says. “In some cases, this could mean particular generics either aren’t added to our formulary, or some could be removed if there are alternative products with more reasonable pricing.” Monitoring supply and pricing is critical, Patrick Gill, director and chief pharmacy officer for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, tells The AIS Report. “In some cases where a therapeutic alternative is available, we will consider utilization management strategies to encourage utilization of lower-cost alternatives. Where permitted, we consider new cost-share tiers for high-cost and low-cost generics, increasing the use of preferred pharmacy networks and implementation of utilization management programs.”
Visit http://aishealth.com/archive/nblu0715-02 to read the article in its entirety, including a look at some of the reasons why generic inflation has skyrocketed.
About The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans delivers timely news and insightful analysis of new products, market share, strategies, conversions, financing, profitability and strategic alliances of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, which are major players in every U.S. health insurance market. The 12-page monthly newsletter is designed for plan managers and others who consider BCBS plans to be partners or competitors. Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/ais-report-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-plans for more information. A thoroughly objective publication, The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans is published independently by AIS and is not affiliated with or sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or any of the independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
About Atlantic Information Services
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.
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United States: Breaking News: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Federal Subsidies Under The Affordable Care Act (ACA) - Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP
The Obama administration breathed a sigh of relief today, as the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the use of health insurance subsidies that was the central issue in King v. Burwell.
Reported by Mondaq 22 hours ago.
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Brandon T. Shreves’ State Farm Collects Flip-Flops To Wear Out Poverty
State Farm Insurance Agent Brandon T. Shreves announced today that his office is the official drop-off location for a Soles4Souls flip-flop summer drive, taking place now through August 31.
Mobile, AL (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Soles4Souls is a global nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of new and used shoes and clothing. Since the Nashville, Tennessee based organization’s beginning, according to its website, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. “I am excited about our plans to partner with Soles4Souls and what better way to do it than with a summer flip-flop drive,” said Brandon T. Shreves. “Come by and bring your flip-flop donation anytime to the office Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.”
Licensed in Alabama and Mississippi, Brandon is celebrating his first year in business this July. He was also recently named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in Access Magazine’s Summer Issue for Mobile and Baldwin counties and he has qualified for “50 Most Beautiful” for the state of Alabama.
Shreves believes in giving back to the community, a need which has only gotten stronger since being hit by a drunk driver two years ago. “I was lucky to survive,” Shreves stressed, before adding, “Life is precious, and doing what I can to help others is something I’m committed to doing.”
Active in his community, Shreves and his dedicated team enjoy participating in events such as The Fallen Heroes Run and Memorial, the Blessing of the Fleet in Bayou La Batre, as well as other local area motorcycle rides and golf tournaments raising money for the Harrison Leff Foundation and the http://www.havenforanimals.org/. He has also partnered with Home Depot and other area businesses to promote hurricane awareness and fire safety within the community. For the past 3 years he has actively promoted “Team Meanie” with the cystic fibrosis foundation.
Brandon and his team recently began working with Jacob’s Color Link Initiative. “This is a wonderful charity that is literally saving lives every day,” Brandon commented. The charity’s goal is to help children, teens and adults of Haiti with special needs to be completely self-sufficient and prosper in society. The Jacob’s Color Link Initiative has an orphanage in Haiti that is funded entirely by the charity. Brandon said, “Our goal is to be as supportive of this charity as possible, in hopes of attending the work camp each July and to be a part of changing lives and seeing the growth that can only come with the help of others.”
He went on to say, “I love helping and being involved. Soles4Souls, is a wonderful organization that I am proud to be working with. As the seasons change, we will be announcing what type of shoes are needed.”
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About Brandon T. Shreves State Farm
Born and raised in Mobile Alabama, Brandon is a third generation State Farm Family member. He offers a variety of products and services, which include: Auto Insurance, Home and Property Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Banking Products, and more. For more information, please visit shrevesinsurance.com, call (251) 219-7800, or stop by his office at: 4308 Midmost Drive, Mobile, AL, 36609. “We have a great team here at the office and have a true passion for helping others with their insurance and future / retirement-planning and needs”
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified microenterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Since it began, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator. For more information, please visit http://www.soles4souls.org/ for more information.
About NALA™
The NALA is a full-service marketing agency providing custom personalized service for small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. For more information, please visit: http://thenala.com
Media Contact:
the NALA
news(at)thenala(dot)com
805.650.6121, ext. 361 Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
Mobile, AL (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Soles4Souls is a global nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of new and used shoes and clothing. Since the Nashville, Tennessee based organization’s beginning, according to its website, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. “I am excited about our plans to partner with Soles4Souls and what better way to do it than with a summer flip-flop drive,” said Brandon T. Shreves. “Come by and bring your flip-flop donation anytime to the office Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.”
Licensed in Alabama and Mississippi, Brandon is celebrating his first year in business this July. He was also recently named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in Access Magazine’s Summer Issue for Mobile and Baldwin counties and he has qualified for “50 Most Beautiful” for the state of Alabama.
Shreves believes in giving back to the community, a need which has only gotten stronger since being hit by a drunk driver two years ago. “I was lucky to survive,” Shreves stressed, before adding, “Life is precious, and doing what I can to help others is something I’m committed to doing.”
Active in his community, Shreves and his dedicated team enjoy participating in events such as The Fallen Heroes Run and Memorial, the Blessing of the Fleet in Bayou La Batre, as well as other local area motorcycle rides and golf tournaments raising money for the Harrison Leff Foundation and the http://www.havenforanimals.org/. He has also partnered with Home Depot and other area businesses to promote hurricane awareness and fire safety within the community. For the past 3 years he has actively promoted “Team Meanie” with the cystic fibrosis foundation.
Brandon and his team recently began working with Jacob’s Color Link Initiative. “This is a wonderful charity that is literally saving lives every day,” Brandon commented. The charity’s goal is to help children, teens and adults of Haiti with special needs to be completely self-sufficient and prosper in society. The Jacob’s Color Link Initiative has an orphanage in Haiti that is funded entirely by the charity. Brandon said, “Our goal is to be as supportive of this charity as possible, in hopes of attending the work camp each July and to be a part of changing lives and seeing the growth that can only come with the help of others.”
He went on to say, “I love helping and being involved. Soles4Souls, is a wonderful organization that I am proud to be working with. As the seasons change, we will be announcing what type of shoes are needed.”
###
About Brandon T. Shreves State Farm
Born and raised in Mobile Alabama, Brandon is a third generation State Farm Family member. He offers a variety of products and services, which include: Auto Insurance, Home and Property Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Banking Products, and more. For more information, please visit shrevesinsurance.com, call (251) 219-7800, or stop by his office at: 4308 Midmost Drive, Mobile, AL, 36609. “We have a great team here at the office and have a true passion for helping others with their insurance and future / retirement-planning and needs”
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified microenterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Since it began, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator. For more information, please visit http://www.soles4souls.org/ for more information.
About NALA™
The NALA is a full-service marketing agency providing custom personalized service for small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. For more information, please visit: http://thenala.com
Media Contact:
the NALA
news(at)thenala(dot)com
805.650.6121, ext. 361 Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
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Zynex Receives DMEPROS Program Accreditation
Company Operations Meet Strict Quality, Integrity and Effectiveness Standards
Lone Tree, CO (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Zynex, Inc. (OTCQB: ZYXI), an innovative medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of non-invasive medical devices for pain management, stroke rehabilitation, neurological diagnostics, and compound pharmacy, announced today it has been awarded accreditation for its Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) program from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.
Thomas Sandgaard, Zynex CEO stated, “We are pleased to receive this important accreditation, which further validates the operational improvements made at Zynex over the past year. We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products and service available in the market. Zynex has also completed the audit of our compound pharmacy operations and we expect to receive accreditation for that operation in the near future.”
About Zynex
Zynex, founded in 1996, markets and sells its own design of electrotherapy medical devices used for pain management and rehabilitation; and the company's proprietary NeuroMove device designed to help recovery of stroke and spinal cord injury patients. Zynex’s product lines are fully developed, FDA-cleared and commercially sold world-wide. Zynex also operates a non-sterile compound pharmacy providing topical and transdermal pain creams. Zynex is also developing a new blood volume monitor for use in hospitals and surgery centers.
For additional information, please visit: http://www.zynex.com
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking" and as such are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly from the results expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the need to obtain additional capital or augment our liquidity in order to continue our business, the success of our compound pharmacy and international expansion efforts, our ability to engage additional sales representatives, the success of such additional sales representatives, the need to obtain FDA clearance and CE marking of new products, the acceptance of new products as well as existing products by doctors and hospitals, larger competitors with greater financial resources, the need to keep pace with technological changes, our dependence on the reimbursement from insurance companies for products sold or rented to our customers, acceptance of our products by health insurance providers, our dependence on third party manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications, implementation of our sales strategy including a strong direct sales force, the uncertain outcome of pending material litigation and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.
Contact: Zynex, Inc. 303-703-4906 Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
Lone Tree, CO (PRWEB) July 01, 2015
Zynex, Inc. (OTCQB: ZYXI), an innovative medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of non-invasive medical devices for pain management, stroke rehabilitation, neurological diagnostics, and compound pharmacy, announced today it has been awarded accreditation for its Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) program from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.
Thomas Sandgaard, Zynex CEO stated, “We are pleased to receive this important accreditation, which further validates the operational improvements made at Zynex over the past year. We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products and service available in the market. Zynex has also completed the audit of our compound pharmacy operations and we expect to receive accreditation for that operation in the near future.”
About Zynex
Zynex, founded in 1996, markets and sells its own design of electrotherapy medical devices used for pain management and rehabilitation; and the company's proprietary NeuroMove device designed to help recovery of stroke and spinal cord injury patients. Zynex’s product lines are fully developed, FDA-cleared and commercially sold world-wide. Zynex also operates a non-sterile compound pharmacy providing topical and transdermal pain creams. Zynex is also developing a new blood volume monitor for use in hospitals and surgery centers.
For additional information, please visit: http://www.zynex.com
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking" and as such are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly from the results expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the need to obtain additional capital or augment our liquidity in order to continue our business, the success of our compound pharmacy and international expansion efforts, our ability to engage additional sales representatives, the success of such additional sales representatives, the need to obtain FDA clearance and CE marking of new products, the acceptance of new products as well as existing products by doctors and hospitals, larger competitors with greater financial resources, the need to keep pace with technological changes, our dependence on the reimbursement from insurance companies for products sold or rented to our customers, acceptance of our products by health insurance providers, our dependence on third party manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications, implementation of our sales strategy including a strong direct sales force, the uncertain outcome of pending material litigation and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.
Contact: Zynex, Inc. 303-703-4906 Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
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United States: Supreme Court Upholds ACA Subsidies On Federal Exchanges - McGuireWoods LLP
The question before the Supreme Court was whether Internal Revenue Service regulations could extend tax-credit subsidies to health insurance coverage purchased through exchanges established by the federal government
Reported by Mondaq 20 hours ago.
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Why John Roberts Deserves A Lot More Praise for This Health Care Decision Than the Last One
When Chief Justice Roberts handed down the decision preserving a key provision of the Affordable Care Act this year in King v. Burwell, the comparisons to his decision three years earlier in the other Affordable Care Act case were inevitable. "John Roberts Saves Obamacare, Again," read one headline. But while the broad topic of the two cases may be the same, the legal issues and the Chief Justice's opinions in the two cases are very different. And John Roberts deserves much more praise for this health care decision than the last one. In both result and rationale, this time--unlike last time--progressives got an unqualified win.
When the Affordable Care Act was first before the Supreme Court in 2012's NFIB v. Sebelius, the primary questions were constitutional: whether Congress had the power to require individuals to buy health insurance, and whether Congress could withhold existing Medicaid funds from states that chose not to participate in the ACA's expansion of Medicaid. When the Chief Justice said yes to the first question, he was championed by progressives for engaging in an act of "judicial statesmanship" and "plac[ing] the bipartisan legitimacy of the Court above his own ideological agenda." One commentator said it was a "huge day in the evolution of Chief Justice Roberts as a great chief justice." But amidst all the praise for the outcome on the first question, relatively little attention was paid at the time to the answer on the second question--and the reasoning for both.
In his opinion for the Court, Chief Justice Roberts upheld the individual mandate, but only on the ground that it was a permissible exercise of Congress's power to tax. (Justice Scalia still hasn't gotten over being on the losing side of that issue; he mocked Roberts's conclusion in that case in his dissent in this year's case, accusing the Court of "rewr[iting] the mandate-cum-penalty as a tax" and referring to it as one example of the "somersaults of statutory interpretation" the Court has performed to save the law.) But in NFIB, Roberts in fact rejected the primary argument offered by supporters of the law--and adopted by the Court's more progressive justices in what they viewed as a "[s]traightforward application" of the Court's precedents--that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce. To the contrary, he wrote at length (arguably unnecessarily because it wasn't critical to his decision in the case) about how the Commerce Clause could not support the individual mandate. While we've not yet seen whether this unnecessary discussion will impose limits on congressional action in the future, it was certainly not something that should have been celebrated by those who believe Congress should be able to act on the broad power the Constitution grants it to address national problems.
The problems with the Chief Justice's opinion on the second issue in NFIB were even greater. Despite all of the talk about how Roberts saved Obamacare, he actually helped kill a part of it, concluding that the law's expansion of Medicaid was unconstitutional because it violated the Constitution's Spending Clause. Although the Court allowed the expansion to go forward so long as states would not lose existing Medicaid funds if they chose not to expand Medicaid, the consequences of the Court's decision have been significant: 19 states have opted not to expand Medicaid, resulting in millions of people needlessly uninsured. And in reaching this result, Roberts again planted the seeds to limit Congress's ability to regulate and address national problems in the future. In short, while progressives were right to recognize that the Court's decision in NFIB could have been much, much worse, there was a great deal that should have dampened celebrations last time.
This time around, however, there's almost nothing to ruin the parade of progressives and supporters of the Affordable Care Act, not to mention those who believe in the rule of law. In the months leading up to the Court's decision in King, there was a great deal of speculation that the government might win, but that the win would be bittersweet or limited. Some speculated that the Court might leave it open to a Republican president to take the tax credits away in the future; others speculated that the Court might create bad law on states' rights as the price to pay for saving the ACA. Instead, Chief Justice Roberts gave an unqualified win to the Administration, holding that it was the Court's responsibility to "determine the correct reading" of the provision at issue, and that the law requires that the challenged tax credits be available nationwide. There was no equivocation on the part of the Court, and there was no room for subsequent Administrations to change what the law requires.
Roberts also delivered a forceful message to those ACA opponents who have been bringing baseless legal challenges to the ACA to try to achieve through the courts what they have been unable to achieve through the political process. He explained that "in every case [the Court] must respect the role of the [Congress], and take care not to undo what it has done." In other words, Roberts understands how devastating it would be to the legitimacy of the Court if it violated well-established legal principles to try to undermine the ACA, and he wants none of it. "Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. . . . [The provision at issue] can fairly be read consistent with what we see as Congress's plan, and that is the reading we adopt," he wrote. Supporters of the ACA could not have asked for more.
Not only was the outcome in this health care decision much better than in the last one, so too was the legal reasoning that Chief Justice Roberts used when interpreting the statute to require tax credits nationwide. In trying to understanding the meaning of the law, Roberts did exactly what judges are supposed to do--he looked to the text of the law as a whole, and he recognized the important role that structure, history, and purpose can play in trying to understand what Congress intended. This approach shouldn't be controversial. As the Chief Justice made clear at the conclusion of his opinion, the courts should respect that it is the role of Congress to make the laws, and "[a] fair reading of legislation demands a fair understanding of the legislative plan." In an important book published last year on the topic of interpreting statutes, Second Circuit Chief Judge Robert Katzmann made the same point: "In our constitutional system in which Congress, the people's branch, is charged with enacting laws, how Congress makes its purposes known--through text and reliable accompanying materials--should be respected, lest the integrity of legislation be undermined." And yet it is an approach that three of the Court's justices considered "absurd" and "interpretive jiggery-pokery." So it's much to the Chief Justice's credit that he so clearly spelled out how the law's history, structure, and goals worked in tandem with its text to illuminate the meaning of the provision at issue.
By voting the way he did in King and writing the opinion he did, Chief Justice Roberts did exactly what any responsible and fair judge should have done. But his decision in this year's health care case still deserves a great deal of praise--and much, much more than his decision in the last one.
This piece is also crossposted at CAC's Text and History blog.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.
When the Affordable Care Act was first before the Supreme Court in 2012's NFIB v. Sebelius, the primary questions were constitutional: whether Congress had the power to require individuals to buy health insurance, and whether Congress could withhold existing Medicaid funds from states that chose not to participate in the ACA's expansion of Medicaid. When the Chief Justice said yes to the first question, he was championed by progressives for engaging in an act of "judicial statesmanship" and "plac[ing] the bipartisan legitimacy of the Court above his own ideological agenda." One commentator said it was a "huge day in the evolution of Chief Justice Roberts as a great chief justice." But amidst all the praise for the outcome on the first question, relatively little attention was paid at the time to the answer on the second question--and the reasoning for both.
In his opinion for the Court, Chief Justice Roberts upheld the individual mandate, but only on the ground that it was a permissible exercise of Congress's power to tax. (Justice Scalia still hasn't gotten over being on the losing side of that issue; he mocked Roberts's conclusion in that case in his dissent in this year's case, accusing the Court of "rewr[iting] the mandate-cum-penalty as a tax" and referring to it as one example of the "somersaults of statutory interpretation" the Court has performed to save the law.) But in NFIB, Roberts in fact rejected the primary argument offered by supporters of the law--and adopted by the Court's more progressive justices in what they viewed as a "[s]traightforward application" of the Court's precedents--that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce. To the contrary, he wrote at length (arguably unnecessarily because it wasn't critical to his decision in the case) about how the Commerce Clause could not support the individual mandate. While we've not yet seen whether this unnecessary discussion will impose limits on congressional action in the future, it was certainly not something that should have been celebrated by those who believe Congress should be able to act on the broad power the Constitution grants it to address national problems.
The problems with the Chief Justice's opinion on the second issue in NFIB were even greater. Despite all of the talk about how Roberts saved Obamacare, he actually helped kill a part of it, concluding that the law's expansion of Medicaid was unconstitutional because it violated the Constitution's Spending Clause. Although the Court allowed the expansion to go forward so long as states would not lose existing Medicaid funds if they chose not to expand Medicaid, the consequences of the Court's decision have been significant: 19 states have opted not to expand Medicaid, resulting in millions of people needlessly uninsured. And in reaching this result, Roberts again planted the seeds to limit Congress's ability to regulate and address national problems in the future. In short, while progressives were right to recognize that the Court's decision in NFIB could have been much, much worse, there was a great deal that should have dampened celebrations last time.
This time around, however, there's almost nothing to ruin the parade of progressives and supporters of the Affordable Care Act, not to mention those who believe in the rule of law. In the months leading up to the Court's decision in King, there was a great deal of speculation that the government might win, but that the win would be bittersweet or limited. Some speculated that the Court might leave it open to a Republican president to take the tax credits away in the future; others speculated that the Court might create bad law on states' rights as the price to pay for saving the ACA. Instead, Chief Justice Roberts gave an unqualified win to the Administration, holding that it was the Court's responsibility to "determine the correct reading" of the provision at issue, and that the law requires that the challenged tax credits be available nationwide. There was no equivocation on the part of the Court, and there was no room for subsequent Administrations to change what the law requires.
Roberts also delivered a forceful message to those ACA opponents who have been bringing baseless legal challenges to the ACA to try to achieve through the courts what they have been unable to achieve through the political process. He explained that "in every case [the Court] must respect the role of the [Congress], and take care not to undo what it has done." In other words, Roberts understands how devastating it would be to the legitimacy of the Court if it violated well-established legal principles to try to undermine the ACA, and he wants none of it. "Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. . . . [The provision at issue] can fairly be read consistent with what we see as Congress's plan, and that is the reading we adopt," he wrote. Supporters of the ACA could not have asked for more.
Not only was the outcome in this health care decision much better than in the last one, so too was the legal reasoning that Chief Justice Roberts used when interpreting the statute to require tax credits nationwide. In trying to understanding the meaning of the law, Roberts did exactly what judges are supposed to do--he looked to the text of the law as a whole, and he recognized the important role that structure, history, and purpose can play in trying to understand what Congress intended. This approach shouldn't be controversial. As the Chief Justice made clear at the conclusion of his opinion, the courts should respect that it is the role of Congress to make the laws, and "[a] fair reading of legislation demands a fair understanding of the legislative plan." In an important book published last year on the topic of interpreting statutes, Second Circuit Chief Judge Robert Katzmann made the same point: "In our constitutional system in which Congress, the people's branch, is charged with enacting laws, how Congress makes its purposes known--through text and reliable accompanying materials--should be respected, lest the integrity of legislation be undermined." And yet it is an approach that three of the Court's justices considered "absurd" and "interpretive jiggery-pokery." So it's much to the Chief Justice's credit that he so clearly spelled out how the law's history, structure, and goals worked in tandem with its text to illuminate the meaning of the provision at issue.
By voting the way he did in King and writing the opinion he did, Chief Justice Roberts did exactly what any responsible and fair judge should have done. But his decision in this year's health care case still deserves a great deal of praise--and much, much more than his decision in the last one.
This piece is also crossposted at CAC's Text and History blog.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.
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Poll Shows Majority Of Americans Support Supreme Court Decisions On Marriage Equality, Obamacare
According to a new CNN/ORC poll, a majority of Americans support the Supreme Court’s decisions on marriage equality and Obamacare. The poll showed that more than 63 percent of Americans support last week’s ruling that upheld government subsidies for those buying health insurance through federally-run exchanges. 59 percent of those surveyed also supported the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Among Republicans polled, 69 percent voted that the court is too liberal, while 34 percent of Democrats said the court is too conservative. 49 percent of Democrats feel that the Supreme Court is balanced.
President Obama’s approval rating also saw a rise in the poll, climbing to 50 percent — his highest since 2013. Despite the overall approval rating, 58 percent of those polled disapproved of the President’s handling of the U.S.’s relationship with Iran.
The poll was conducted over the course of three days late last week, and surveyed 1,017 adults.
Sources: Politico, CNN
Photo Credit: flickr.com Reported by Opposing Views 18 hours ago.
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Louisiana Would Rather Vote for a (Mud)Bug Than Bobby Jindal
Louisiana governor turned dead-last Presidential hopeful, Bobby Jindal, has had a tough week on social media.
First he was eviscerated in a twitter AMA turned troll feeding frenzy, and now he's facing harsh criticism from a long standing Louisiana icon--the venerable Mud-Bug.*
Less than two weeks ago, a friend of mine shared a picture of a crawfish from the aptly named Facebook group "Can this Crawfish get more likes than Bobby Jindal?"
I chuckled, and subscribed.
Since then, Candidate Crawfish has popped up in my news feed several times a day, every day. And with every new picture has come a hundred new likes. And then a thousand. And then ten thousand more.
What started as a simple joke is quickly spiraling into a viral lightning rod in Louisiana.
And now Crawfish has announced he will be applying to the Federal Election Commission to join the already crowded Republican primary contest.
Sadly we live in a drab and humorless time in which such a candidate will not likely be given official approval.
Probably because he would embarrass Bobby, and win--atleast in Louisiana.
With his in-state approval rating hovering around 32%, Bobby Jindal is loathed at home. In a state redder than a boiled crawdaddy, Bobby Jindal is less popular than Barack Obama.
Bobby's gaffes, sins, and outright buffoonery are at this point beyond enumeration.
From his now infamous (and incredibly creepy) hidden camera ad campaign, to the over billion dollar surplus he lost while in office, Bobby Jindal has been a complete disaster.
And this is coming from a state intimately familiar with complete disasters.
Crawfish has taken great pains to draw a firm distinction between himself and the Governor.
While Bobby Jindal was throwing an apoplectic fit over the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision, Crawfish was racking up the 'likes' by letting folks know exactly where he stands--about two inches off the ground, and not in the way of any same-sex marriages.Bobby on the other hand was ready to get rid of the entire Supreme Court, and managed to make sure Louisiana was the last state to issue a marriage license.
Crawfish has his work cut out for him, not because Bobby Jindal has proven himself a formidable opponent but because at some point it becomes hard to satirize a clown.
What the hell kind of campaign slogan is that? What does that even mean? You're well rested? The citizens of Louisiana might be able to rest easy too--if they had access to affordable healthcare via a state run exchange or the Medicaid expansion.
I guess the 16% of Louisiana citizens without health insurance will just have to make do, they should be used to it after all.
Louisianaians are known for their political loyalty. Hell, we elected Edwin Edwards four times, despite three indictments, and then let him run for congress once he got out of federal pen.
Bobby Jindal will know no such love from us.
He ought to start looking for apartments in Houston or Atlanta, because he sure as hell won't be living in the White House.
And if Crawfish's candidacy tells us anything, it's that he won't be welcome back in the Bayou State anytime soon either.
*Crawfish, also known as Crayfish, Crawdaddies, and Mudbugs are actually from the species Astacoidea--making them members of the lobster family. Crawfish do not take offense to the nom de guerre "Mudbug," but rather celebrate it as part of their Louisiana heritage. They go well in etouffee and seafood gumbo, but are traditionally served boiled; with corn and potatoes.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
First he was eviscerated in a twitter AMA turned troll feeding frenzy, and now he's facing harsh criticism from a long standing Louisiana icon--the venerable Mud-Bug.*
Less than two weeks ago, a friend of mine shared a picture of a crawfish from the aptly named Facebook group "Can this Crawfish get more likes than Bobby Jindal?"
I chuckled, and subscribed.
Since then, Candidate Crawfish has popped up in my news feed several times a day, every day. And with every new picture has come a hundred new likes. And then a thousand. And then ten thousand more.
What started as a simple joke is quickly spiraling into a viral lightning rod in Louisiana.
And now Crawfish has announced he will be applying to the Federal Election Commission to join the already crowded Republican primary contest.
Sadly we live in a drab and humorless time in which such a candidate will not likely be given official approval.
Probably because he would embarrass Bobby, and win--atleast in Louisiana.
With his in-state approval rating hovering around 32%, Bobby Jindal is loathed at home. In a state redder than a boiled crawdaddy, Bobby Jindal is less popular than Barack Obama.
Bobby's gaffes, sins, and outright buffoonery are at this point beyond enumeration.
From his now infamous (and incredibly creepy) hidden camera ad campaign, to the over billion dollar surplus he lost while in office, Bobby Jindal has been a complete disaster.
And this is coming from a state intimately familiar with complete disasters.
Crawfish has taken great pains to draw a firm distinction between himself and the Governor.
While Bobby Jindal was throwing an apoplectic fit over the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision, Crawfish was racking up the 'likes' by letting folks know exactly where he stands--about two inches off the ground, and not in the way of any same-sex marriages.Bobby on the other hand was ready to get rid of the entire Supreme Court, and managed to make sure Louisiana was the last state to issue a marriage license.
Crawfish has his work cut out for him, not because Bobby Jindal has proven himself a formidable opponent but because at some point it becomes hard to satirize a clown.
What the hell kind of campaign slogan is that? What does that even mean? You're well rested? The citizens of Louisiana might be able to rest easy too--if they had access to affordable healthcare via a state run exchange or the Medicaid expansion.
I guess the 16% of Louisiana citizens without health insurance will just have to make do, they should be used to it after all.
Louisianaians are known for their political loyalty. Hell, we elected Edwin Edwards four times, despite three indictments, and then let him run for congress once he got out of federal pen.
Bobby Jindal will know no such love from us.
He ought to start looking for apartments in Houston or Atlanta, because he sure as hell won't be living in the White House.
And if Crawfish's candidacy tells us anything, it's that he won't be welcome back in the Bayou State anytime soon either.
*Crawfish, also known as Crayfish, Crawdaddies, and Mudbugs are actually from the species Astacoidea--making them members of the lobster family. Crawfish do not take offense to the nom de guerre "Mudbug," but rather celebrate it as part of their Louisiana heritage. They go well in etouffee and seafood gumbo, but are traditionally served boiled; with corn and potatoes.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 17 hours ago.
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Ethicon launches global effort to boost surgery for obesity
Ethicon, the Blue Ash-based maker of medical tools used for bariatric surgery, plans to invest $3.2 million in research in five countries to determine which patients would benefit most from the procedure to treat obesity. Ethicon hopes the resulting data help make the case to boost government funding and expand employer health insurance coverage to pay for such surgery. People with type 2 diabetes, a dangerous disorder often linked to obesity, might benefit. The company, which is a division of…
Reported by bizjournals 16 hours ago.
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After The Supreme Court's Decision, How To Improve On The Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court’s June 25 decision in King v. Burwell preserves federal health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for Americans who reside in states that have opted not to create their own health insurance exchanges. In so doing, it removes an immediate uncertainty for those who would [...]
Reported by Forbes.com 15 hours ago.
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PreferredOne shed 70,000 individual plan members, analyst says
PreferredOne lost 70,000 individual-plan members after exiting MNsure, helping boost enrollment in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and HealthPartners Inc. plans by a combined 100,000, according to a report released Wednesday. Turbulence in the individual health insurance market is likely far from over, said independent Twin Cities health care analyst Allan Baumgarten, who compiled the report. Eagan-based Blue Cross proposed increasing many of its individual-plan rates by more than 50 percent,…
Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.
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Danny Elfman On Film Scores, 'Simpsons' And Working With Tim Burton
The following article is provided by Rolling Stone.
By KORY GROW
The way film composer and former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman tells it, his whole career boils down to two words: "Fuck it." He muttered that philosophical phrase when he offered an opportunity to write his first movie score – for director Tim Burton's feature debut, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" -- and the musician said it again when given the chance to perform his now-impressive catalog of symphonic cinematic creations in his "Music From the Films of Tim Burton" concert series.
The shows, which opened in London in 2013 and will kick off its New York City at Lincoln Center on July 6th, contain 15 suites of music from throughout Elfman's three decades of collaborations with the director -- from the primal mania of "Pee-wee" to the textured grandeur of "Alice in Wonderland," with stops at "Beetlejuice,""Batman" and "Edward Scissorhands," among others, along the way. But the moment that forced Elfman to want to let go was the prospect of singing songs from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," in which he sang the role of skull-headed protagonist Jack Skellington.
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"The scariest performing night of my entire life was opening night in London," the orange-haired composer says of the series, sitting in the office of a radio station. "There was just no way to know whether the entire evening was a complete disastrous mess or not. There were only two rehearsals. And then I'd flippantly agreed to come out and sing. It was like, 'Wait a minute, did I agree to that?' 'Yeah.' 'Can I get out of it?' 'No.' It's like, 'Shit!' I hadn't sung in 17 years and on some of these songs I didn't even put in rests to breathe. I need gills.
"So I remember sitting backstage, hyperventilating before I walk out, and Helena Bonham Carter's there," he continues. "She sees I'm really nervous and she says, 'Danny, come on. Fuck it.' And I said, 'Yeah. How could I forget that?' that's been the driving force of my entire professional life. Fuck it. What are they going to do? Kill you? That's my mindset for everything I've ever done that was fearful or impossible or difficult. I walked out there and to my astonishment, the English audience was warm. It was probably the greatest night I can remember in my life performing. Now I just enjoy doing it."
With the exception of compiling a box set of his Burton collaborations in 2011, preparing the suites for the concert series marked the first time that Elfman really assessed his career. "It was so strange hearing my own progression through 15 works over 25 years and where it started and where it went," he says with a laugh. "It was kind of like 'A Christmas Carol: The Ghost of Christmas' past goes, 'And now, Danny, we're taking you to 'Beetlejuice.'"
Currently, he's working on scores for a movie called "Tulip Fever" and a sequel to Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" (directed by James Bobin), as well as a violin concerto he hopes to finish by the spring. But most pressing for him is his Lincoln Center run, from July 6th through the 12th. In anticipation of those shows, Elfman met with Rolling Stone to look back at how he got there in the first place.
*How did you first meet Tim Burton?*
It was just a random thing. I got a call to meet this young animator on a movie, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and I knew who Pee-wee was 'cause I'd seen Paul Reubens perform at the Groundlings and I thought he was great. I had no idea who Tim was, of course. Nobody did. When I met him, it was like, "Why me? Why would you want me to do a score? That's crazy." Tim was like, "I don't know. I've seen your band and I think you could do it." It was kind of that simple.
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*What do you two have in common?*
We were both horror-film kids. We loved every horror film made in the Sixties and the Seventies. His idol was Vincent Price, mine was Peter Lorre. It kind of defined us for the next 30 years: Evil mastermind tortured doomed souls, both misunderstood [laughs].
*So did the "Pee-wee" gig come easy?*
He showed me scenes from the movie and I recorded a piece and sent in a cassette. I never expected to hear from them again. About two weeks later, I got a call saying, "You got the job." My first reaction to my manager was to call him and tell him I can't do it. He goes, "I've been working on this for two weeks. You call and tell them you can't do it." I slept on it and decided the single piece of anything that's guided my entire life was saying, "Fuck it." Like, "I hope I don't wreck their movie."
*Was the "Pee-wee" score easy to adapt into a suite for this program?*
Well, hearing an orchestra play it onstage, I realized that most of the orchestra isn't playing through most of the piece. It was a terrible live presentation, mostly just the piano and celesta player; the orchestra is basically sitting there, and every now and then they'd play. And I'd say, "Wow. I really didn't think about that or care at the time."
*Aside from your experience in Oingo Boingo, how hard was it for you to you write orchestrally?*
Well, when you start a band, you're supposed to be 17. I was, like, 27 or 28 years old. So I was already an old man. But I'd been doing musical theater for seven years. I was a street musician, and I learned to transcribe music. I taught myself to write music and did weird arrangements. We did either stuff that I was starting to write or early Thirties, weird big-band music from Duke Ellington to Cab Calloway. When I started a band, it was like, "Well, that was all a complete fucking waste of time. I don't have to write anything to be in a band."
Then suddenly, years later, there was this film score. So it was like: Remember what you used to do for 12 pieces, for the Mystic Knights [of Oingo Boingo]. Because I was self-taught, I had my own way of figuring it out. Ultimately, writing music was nothing but a division of notes. I found it was actually a lot easier than reading music.
See Who Else Has Joined Danny Elfman in Making the Leap from Rocker to Film Composer
*After "Pee-wee," you scored and appeared with Oingo Boingo in the Rodney Dangerfield movie "Back to School" and you also scored a couple of other films. How was it reuniting with Burton for "Beetlejuice"?*
I was trying to do a couple of movies a year around the band schedule 'cause I wanted to learn. So with Tim, "Pee-wee" was my first score, "Beetlejuice" was my fifth and "Batman" was my 10th. And at a certain point he asked me, "How are you doing four movies between my movies?" And I go, "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to step up to your films. I gotta learn how to do this." So I was champing really hard to fit a couple of films into my schedule for each year.
*So was it easy, then, to return to writing for Tim?*
Well, he sent me the script early, and I said, "I'm gonna get ahead of the schedule and write music before they're done shooting." I'll never forget seeing the rough screening [of 'Beetlejuice'] a couple of months later and thinking, "None of that is gonna get used." The tone had immediately wiped out everything that I'd done. I don't know if I wrote was darker, it just wasn't right. I learned then not to trust my instincts when reading a script.
*So did that lesson help with "Batman"?*
Yes. That's still what I consider to be the hardest score of my life.
*Why is that?*
Nobody wanted me on the film except for Tim, and he was not a major director yet. The studio didn't really want me, understandably. I'd never scored a big film. I'd never scored a dark film. I'd never scored action. I was the quirky comedy guy. I'm sure they would have been much happier if they could get a more experienced composer, John Williams or somebody. The producer, Jon Peters, wanted a pop score. He wanted to use Michael Jackson, Prince and George Michael.
*Well, there was Prince's "Batman" soundtrack.*
There was a period where they wanted me to collaborate with Prince on the score, and it was the hardest decision of my life. For a short period, I had to walk away from the film. I knew what the score should be, and I knew that collaborating with a pop artist -- as much as I deeply respected him -- would not yield good results. I had no security, the future was far from set, but I felt I had to take a stand. And I went through probably a month where I was as depressed as I've ever been about making wrong choices and what an idiot I was, and then they actually came back and said, "We need you on the film." And I was like, "OK, I'm ready."
I didn't know how to do a presentation. I had these demos with these crazy ideas, and Tim was like, "Play the march! Play the march!" He was talking about the theme for the titles. "Oh yeah, right." I put that on, and Jon suddenly goes from skeptical to getting out of his chair and, like, conducting. Tim was like, "You've got it." To Jon's credit, he turned around completely and became a huge supporter. That's when he said, "We're going to do something that no one's ever done: We're gonna have two soundtrack albums." I wasn't expecting to have any soundtrack. He goes, "No, really, 'cause this is really good."
*You won a Grammy for that soundtrack. That had to feel good.*
Not to me. Awards don't mean much to me. It's an honor, I'm flattered, but I have a life-long attitude of never take any award seriously. If you start believe that, you'll start trying to get one. If you start trying to get one. . . . .
*Both "Batman" and "The Simpsons," which you did the theme song for, happened in the same year. Was that a turning point for you?*
Yeah, but who would know? Like with "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" I expected nobody to hear it. I told Matt Groening, "If you want something contemporary -- television contemporary -- I'm not the guy." 'Cause I didn't understand TV themes in the Eighties at all. "If you want something really retro, I'm the guy." 'Cause it felt like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that never was, and there was something reminiscent of "The Flintstones": going through the city, even though Fred Flintstone was running and Homer's driving the car. And he said, "Yeah, that's what I'm looking for." I wrote it in my head in the car on the way back. By the time I got home from the meeting it was all done. I ran downstairs, recorded a demo, sent it out, got a call back, Matt says, "Yeah, great." It was the easiest thing I've ever done. Now if I died today, they'd probably put "wrote 'The Simpsons' theme" as my legacy.
*But isn't that the dream, to do just one day's work and have it live on forever? *
It's beyond the dream. It's something that I didn't think anybody would get. But oh, my God, singing those three syllables for me was one of the most lucrative things I ever did . . . [singing] "The Simp-sons." Singing more than writing actually may have been the smarter and unintentional thing to do, 'cause I had a SAG contract and I was paid as a singer. I never have to worry about health insurance again.
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*Speaking of singing, you wrote "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and sang the part of Jack Skellington. How did that begin?*
That was the one time it was really from the get-go, because the songs had to be written before it could be animated. There wasn't a script, there wasn't anything. And neither of us had any clue of how to put together a musical like that. So it was like, "Let's start doing it." Tim would come over, show me pictures of the characters that he'd drawn, and I'd say, "Just tell me the story, like you're reading it to a kid." As he was describing it, I would start to hear it and I'd run the other room, write and record a song. We did that 10 times 'til it's like, "OK, we got the songs. Don't know if it's enough or if it's way too many, whatever it is, now we have something to send to [director] Henry Selick so he could start a movie."
*What struck you about Jack Skellington?*
I felt a particular relationship to this character, because Jack wanted out of Halloween Town and at that time, I was ready to get out of Oingo Boingo and didn't know how. My band was my Halloween Town and coincidentally, we also performed every Halloween [laughs]. So as I wrote those songs from Jack's perspective, I was kind of also writing my own feelings. So I understood Jack, like, "I'm king of this little world but I want out." I get it.
*When did you know you wanted to sing the role?*
I didn't think about it at the beginning, but as I did the demos, there was a point where I finally said to Tim, "No one else can sing these parts. You've got to let me." As I started singing the songs more and more, I reached the point where it would have killed me to give it to someone else. Fortunately, he said, "Yes."
*You've worked with Gus Van Sant, Brian de Palma, Sam Raimi. What keeps you going back to Tim?*
I don't know. There's a lot of composer-director long-term relationships. You've got [Robert] Zemeckis and [Alan] Silvestri, the Coen Brothers and Carter Burwell, Spielberg and John Williams. What makes those things work is a mystery. I can only say there has to be some common aesthetic between the two parties that makes the director feel comfortable going back to the same composer. But I don't know how to define that. Every time Tim calls, I'm always surprised. I don't expect it. Maybe what keeps us working together is just our backgrounds, that horror background.
*What is it like collaborating with him?*
He can be very intense while working on the scores but he gets very fun and jokey when we're recording later in the studio. But his process can be very tortured and torturous -- and isn't easy at all. People think, "Oh, I know what he's gonna like. I'll write something. He's gonna love this." I never have any idea what he's gonna like.
*What's a good example of that?*
Everything. Everything I start, I have a bunch of ideas that I create and I play them for him and I get his reactions but I don't know what he's gonna react to. It's always a mystery to me.
*Does he give you direction?*
Very little. Less than most directors. He'll tell me how he feels about a movie, but until I have music to play back, he's not gonna say, "Do it like this or like that." Often I think he has to learn what he's responding to by hearing. I can tell by his body language what he likes. But then, as intense as it can be developing the music, when we're actually recording, he can be hysterical and funny. It's almost like the pressure of the whole thing is now on my shoulders and he enjoys the fact that he doesn't have a lot of responsibility now. It's like I have to suffer.
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*How does he let loose while you're recording?*
On "Edward Scissorhands," I had a shrunken head that was present for the sessions. We named him Uncle Billy, and Uncle Billy was around while we're doing everything. And then suddenly the boys' choir had to come in to sing, and it's like "We have to hide Uncle Billy" There's gonna be a bunch of nuns in here with all these kids, and Tim would do like the voice of Uncle Billy. It's like [funny voice], "Where are you guys? Why don't you let me out?" And Uncle Billy became like the voice of the score and his feelings being hurt, and "we hid him when the children came over." That's very Tim.
*Since you put together these suites, what score surprised you the most when you revisited it?*
Probably "Big Fish." It came together in a way that I wasn't anticipating. It was a very difficult one to put together in a suite. There wasn't a single main theme. There were all these intertwining themes. That was one of the better surprises of the process.
*What's your favorite score in the program?*
It's hard to say that "Edward Scissorhands" wasn't one of my favorites. While I was working on it, I was feeling very unencumbered. Nobody knew we were doing the score. There was no input from producers, studios. It was so under the wire, that I just felt like we were off just goofing around for a student film. That went down about the easiest. Although I wasn't confident in what I was doing made any sense. Tim didn't seem to care.
*This program has run in London, Sydney and Los Angeles. What does it mean for you for it to run in New York?*
In Albert Hall, I told the producer, "Wherever else we do or don't do it, we've got to get to New York." I kept asking the producer when we'd get New York. And eventually, she said, "Not only do we have New York but we're opening the whole Lincoln Center Festival." I said, "Fucking hell. That's off-the-hook crazy. What a treat." For me, the whole thing's worth it to get that kind of moment here. The only things I've done outside of Oingo Boingo that have been live performances have been the ["Serenada Schizophrana"] concerto for the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, my first ballet I ever wrote with Twyla Tharp -- which was at Lincoln Center. So my big things, other than the band, are here in New York.
*So what has Tim told you about these performances?*
He's like, "Yeah, you really can do it. You can still do it." He doesn't say a whole lot [laughs].
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 12 hours ago.
By KORY GROW
The way film composer and former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman tells it, his whole career boils down to two words: "Fuck it." He muttered that philosophical phrase when he offered an opportunity to write his first movie score – for director Tim Burton's feature debut, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" -- and the musician said it again when given the chance to perform his now-impressive catalog of symphonic cinematic creations in his "Music From the Films of Tim Burton" concert series.
The shows, which opened in London in 2013 and will kick off its New York City at Lincoln Center on July 6th, contain 15 suites of music from throughout Elfman's three decades of collaborations with the director -- from the primal mania of "Pee-wee" to the textured grandeur of "Alice in Wonderland," with stops at "Beetlejuice,""Batman" and "Edward Scissorhands," among others, along the way. But the moment that forced Elfman to want to let go was the prospect of singing songs from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," in which he sang the role of skull-headed protagonist Jack Skellington.
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"The scariest performing night of my entire life was opening night in London," the orange-haired composer says of the series, sitting in the office of a radio station. "There was just no way to know whether the entire evening was a complete disastrous mess or not. There were only two rehearsals. And then I'd flippantly agreed to come out and sing. It was like, 'Wait a minute, did I agree to that?' 'Yeah.' 'Can I get out of it?' 'No.' It's like, 'Shit!' I hadn't sung in 17 years and on some of these songs I didn't even put in rests to breathe. I need gills.
"So I remember sitting backstage, hyperventilating before I walk out, and Helena Bonham Carter's there," he continues. "She sees I'm really nervous and she says, 'Danny, come on. Fuck it.' And I said, 'Yeah. How could I forget that?' that's been the driving force of my entire professional life. Fuck it. What are they going to do? Kill you? That's my mindset for everything I've ever done that was fearful or impossible or difficult. I walked out there and to my astonishment, the English audience was warm. It was probably the greatest night I can remember in my life performing. Now I just enjoy doing it."
With the exception of compiling a box set of his Burton collaborations in 2011, preparing the suites for the concert series marked the first time that Elfman really assessed his career. "It was so strange hearing my own progression through 15 works over 25 years and where it started and where it went," he says with a laugh. "It was kind of like 'A Christmas Carol: The Ghost of Christmas' past goes, 'And now, Danny, we're taking you to 'Beetlejuice.'"
Currently, he's working on scores for a movie called "Tulip Fever" and a sequel to Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" (directed by James Bobin), as well as a violin concerto he hopes to finish by the spring. But most pressing for him is his Lincoln Center run, from July 6th through the 12th. In anticipation of those shows, Elfman met with Rolling Stone to look back at how he got there in the first place.
*How did you first meet Tim Burton?*
It was just a random thing. I got a call to meet this young animator on a movie, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and I knew who Pee-wee was 'cause I'd seen Paul Reubens perform at the Groundlings and I thought he was great. I had no idea who Tim was, of course. Nobody did. When I met him, it was like, "Why me? Why would you want me to do a score? That's crazy." Tim was like, "I don't know. I've seen your band and I think you could do it." It was kind of that simple.
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*What do you two have in common?*
We were both horror-film kids. We loved every horror film made in the Sixties and the Seventies. His idol was Vincent Price, mine was Peter Lorre. It kind of defined us for the next 30 years: Evil mastermind tortured doomed souls, both misunderstood [laughs].
*So did the "Pee-wee" gig come easy?*
He showed me scenes from the movie and I recorded a piece and sent in a cassette. I never expected to hear from them again. About two weeks later, I got a call saying, "You got the job." My first reaction to my manager was to call him and tell him I can't do it. He goes, "I've been working on this for two weeks. You call and tell them you can't do it." I slept on it and decided the single piece of anything that's guided my entire life was saying, "Fuck it." Like, "I hope I don't wreck their movie."
*Was the "Pee-wee" score easy to adapt into a suite for this program?*
Well, hearing an orchestra play it onstage, I realized that most of the orchestra isn't playing through most of the piece. It was a terrible live presentation, mostly just the piano and celesta player; the orchestra is basically sitting there, and every now and then they'd play. And I'd say, "Wow. I really didn't think about that or care at the time."
*Aside from your experience in Oingo Boingo, how hard was it for you to you write orchestrally?*
Well, when you start a band, you're supposed to be 17. I was, like, 27 or 28 years old. So I was already an old man. But I'd been doing musical theater for seven years. I was a street musician, and I learned to transcribe music. I taught myself to write music and did weird arrangements. We did either stuff that I was starting to write or early Thirties, weird big-band music from Duke Ellington to Cab Calloway. When I started a band, it was like, "Well, that was all a complete fucking waste of time. I don't have to write anything to be in a band."
Then suddenly, years later, there was this film score. So it was like: Remember what you used to do for 12 pieces, for the Mystic Knights [of Oingo Boingo]. Because I was self-taught, I had my own way of figuring it out. Ultimately, writing music was nothing but a division of notes. I found it was actually a lot easier than reading music.
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*After "Pee-wee," you scored and appeared with Oingo Boingo in the Rodney Dangerfield movie "Back to School" and you also scored a couple of other films. How was it reuniting with Burton for "Beetlejuice"?*
I was trying to do a couple of movies a year around the band schedule 'cause I wanted to learn. So with Tim, "Pee-wee" was my first score, "Beetlejuice" was my fifth and "Batman" was my 10th. And at a certain point he asked me, "How are you doing four movies between my movies?" And I go, "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to step up to your films. I gotta learn how to do this." So I was champing really hard to fit a couple of films into my schedule for each year.
*So was it easy, then, to return to writing for Tim?*
Well, he sent me the script early, and I said, "I'm gonna get ahead of the schedule and write music before they're done shooting." I'll never forget seeing the rough screening [of 'Beetlejuice'] a couple of months later and thinking, "None of that is gonna get used." The tone had immediately wiped out everything that I'd done. I don't know if I wrote was darker, it just wasn't right. I learned then not to trust my instincts when reading a script.
*So did that lesson help with "Batman"?*
Yes. That's still what I consider to be the hardest score of my life.
*Why is that?*
Nobody wanted me on the film except for Tim, and he was not a major director yet. The studio didn't really want me, understandably. I'd never scored a big film. I'd never scored a dark film. I'd never scored action. I was the quirky comedy guy. I'm sure they would have been much happier if they could get a more experienced composer, John Williams or somebody. The producer, Jon Peters, wanted a pop score. He wanted to use Michael Jackson, Prince and George Michael.
*Well, there was Prince's "Batman" soundtrack.*
There was a period where they wanted me to collaborate with Prince on the score, and it was the hardest decision of my life. For a short period, I had to walk away from the film. I knew what the score should be, and I knew that collaborating with a pop artist -- as much as I deeply respected him -- would not yield good results. I had no security, the future was far from set, but I felt I had to take a stand. And I went through probably a month where I was as depressed as I've ever been about making wrong choices and what an idiot I was, and then they actually came back and said, "We need you on the film." And I was like, "OK, I'm ready."
I didn't know how to do a presentation. I had these demos with these crazy ideas, and Tim was like, "Play the march! Play the march!" He was talking about the theme for the titles. "Oh yeah, right." I put that on, and Jon suddenly goes from skeptical to getting out of his chair and, like, conducting. Tim was like, "You've got it." To Jon's credit, he turned around completely and became a huge supporter. That's when he said, "We're going to do something that no one's ever done: We're gonna have two soundtrack albums." I wasn't expecting to have any soundtrack. He goes, "No, really, 'cause this is really good."
*You won a Grammy for that soundtrack. That had to feel good.*
Not to me. Awards don't mean much to me. It's an honor, I'm flattered, but I have a life-long attitude of never take any award seriously. If you start believe that, you'll start trying to get one. If you start trying to get one. . . . .
*Both "Batman" and "The Simpsons," which you did the theme song for, happened in the same year. Was that a turning point for you?*
Yeah, but who would know? Like with "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" I expected nobody to hear it. I told Matt Groening, "If you want something contemporary -- television contemporary -- I'm not the guy." 'Cause I didn't understand TV themes in the Eighties at all. "If you want something really retro, I'm the guy." 'Cause it felt like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that never was, and there was something reminiscent of "The Flintstones": going through the city, even though Fred Flintstone was running and Homer's driving the car. And he said, "Yeah, that's what I'm looking for." I wrote it in my head in the car on the way back. By the time I got home from the meeting it was all done. I ran downstairs, recorded a demo, sent it out, got a call back, Matt says, "Yeah, great." It was the easiest thing I've ever done. Now if I died today, they'd probably put "wrote 'The Simpsons' theme" as my legacy.
*But isn't that the dream, to do just one day's work and have it live on forever? *
It's beyond the dream. It's something that I didn't think anybody would get. But oh, my God, singing those three syllables for me was one of the most lucrative things I ever did . . . [singing] "The Simp-sons." Singing more than writing actually may have been the smarter and unintentional thing to do, 'cause I had a SAG contract and I was paid as a singer. I never have to worry about health insurance again.
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*Speaking of singing, you wrote "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and sang the part of Jack Skellington. How did that begin?*
That was the one time it was really from the get-go, because the songs had to be written before it could be animated. There wasn't a script, there wasn't anything. And neither of us had any clue of how to put together a musical like that. So it was like, "Let's start doing it." Tim would come over, show me pictures of the characters that he'd drawn, and I'd say, "Just tell me the story, like you're reading it to a kid." As he was describing it, I would start to hear it and I'd run the other room, write and record a song. We did that 10 times 'til it's like, "OK, we got the songs. Don't know if it's enough or if it's way too many, whatever it is, now we have something to send to [director] Henry Selick so he could start a movie."
*What struck you about Jack Skellington?*
I felt a particular relationship to this character, because Jack wanted out of Halloween Town and at that time, I was ready to get out of Oingo Boingo and didn't know how. My band was my Halloween Town and coincidentally, we also performed every Halloween [laughs]. So as I wrote those songs from Jack's perspective, I was kind of also writing my own feelings. So I understood Jack, like, "I'm king of this little world but I want out." I get it.
*When did you know you wanted to sing the role?*
I didn't think about it at the beginning, but as I did the demos, there was a point where I finally said to Tim, "No one else can sing these parts. You've got to let me." As I started singing the songs more and more, I reached the point where it would have killed me to give it to someone else. Fortunately, he said, "Yes."
*You've worked with Gus Van Sant, Brian de Palma, Sam Raimi. What keeps you going back to Tim?*
I don't know. There's a lot of composer-director long-term relationships. You've got [Robert] Zemeckis and [Alan] Silvestri, the Coen Brothers and Carter Burwell, Spielberg and John Williams. What makes those things work is a mystery. I can only say there has to be some common aesthetic between the two parties that makes the director feel comfortable going back to the same composer. But I don't know how to define that. Every time Tim calls, I'm always surprised. I don't expect it. Maybe what keeps us working together is just our backgrounds, that horror background.
*What is it like collaborating with him?*
He can be very intense while working on the scores but he gets very fun and jokey when we're recording later in the studio. But his process can be very tortured and torturous -- and isn't easy at all. People think, "Oh, I know what he's gonna like. I'll write something. He's gonna love this." I never have any idea what he's gonna like.
*What's a good example of that?*
Everything. Everything I start, I have a bunch of ideas that I create and I play them for him and I get his reactions but I don't know what he's gonna react to. It's always a mystery to me.
*Does he give you direction?*
Very little. Less than most directors. He'll tell me how he feels about a movie, but until I have music to play back, he's not gonna say, "Do it like this or like that." Often I think he has to learn what he's responding to by hearing. I can tell by his body language what he likes. But then, as intense as it can be developing the music, when we're actually recording, he can be hysterical and funny. It's almost like the pressure of the whole thing is now on my shoulders and he enjoys the fact that he doesn't have a lot of responsibility now. It's like I have to suffer.
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*How does he let loose while you're recording?*
On "Edward Scissorhands," I had a shrunken head that was present for the sessions. We named him Uncle Billy, and Uncle Billy was around while we're doing everything. And then suddenly the boys' choir had to come in to sing, and it's like "We have to hide Uncle Billy" There's gonna be a bunch of nuns in here with all these kids, and Tim would do like the voice of Uncle Billy. It's like [funny voice], "Where are you guys? Why don't you let me out?" And Uncle Billy became like the voice of the score and his feelings being hurt, and "we hid him when the children came over." That's very Tim.
*Since you put together these suites, what score surprised you the most when you revisited it?*
Probably "Big Fish." It came together in a way that I wasn't anticipating. It was a very difficult one to put together in a suite. There wasn't a single main theme. There were all these intertwining themes. That was one of the better surprises of the process.
*What's your favorite score in the program?*
It's hard to say that "Edward Scissorhands" wasn't one of my favorites. While I was working on it, I was feeling very unencumbered. Nobody knew we were doing the score. There was no input from producers, studios. It was so under the wire, that I just felt like we were off just goofing around for a student film. That went down about the easiest. Although I wasn't confident in what I was doing made any sense. Tim didn't seem to care.
*This program has run in London, Sydney and Los Angeles. What does it mean for you for it to run in New York?*
In Albert Hall, I told the producer, "Wherever else we do or don't do it, we've got to get to New York." I kept asking the producer when we'd get New York. And eventually, she said, "Not only do we have New York but we're opening the whole Lincoln Center Festival." I said, "Fucking hell. That's off-the-hook crazy. What a treat." For me, the whole thing's worth it to get that kind of moment here. The only things I've done outside of Oingo Boingo that have been live performances have been the ["Serenada Schizophrana"] concerto for the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, my first ballet I ever wrote with Twyla Tharp -- which was at Lincoln Center. So my big things, other than the band, are here in New York.
*So what has Tim told you about these performances?*
He's like, "Yeah, you really can do it. You can still do it." He doesn't say a whole lot [laughs].
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