Pope Francis had a private meeting Wednesday night with the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order that is suing the Obama administration over a requirement in the Affordable Care Act that employers provide health insurance that covers birth control.
Reported by cbs4.com 20 hours ago.
Pope Meets Privately With Religious Order Suing Obama Administration
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Ground-Breaking Insurance Marketer Simplifies E&O Buying for Real Estate Brokers and Broker-Owners
EOforLess.com makes E&O insurance buying easier and faster; rewards low-risk buyers with affordable rates.
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Real estate professionals who have battled the high cost and complexity of purchasing professional liability, also known as errors-and-omissions insurance, now have a simpler way to buy. Sponsored by the National Ethics Association, EOforLess.com helps real estate broker-owners purchase insurance protection at an affordable cost in five minutes or less.
Thanks to its convenient online shopping platform, brokers and owners no longer must fill out long, confusing applications or wait hours or days to receive an insurance quote. With its innovative e-commerce technology, EOforLess.com provides “click and bind” coverage, in minutes, with no hassles or hidden fees.
“Significant numbers of real estate brokers and owners remain unprotected at a time when E&O risks continue to be high,” said Steven R. McCarty, Chairman, National Ethics Association. “One big reason is the purchasing process can be difficult and the costs can be out of reach for the average broker. EOforLess.com strives to meet both of these issues head on.”
A key feature of EOforLess.com is its focus on serving low-risk real estate professionals. Re-engineering the underwriting process, EOforLess.com asks buyers nine brief risk-assessment questions. They must answer “no” to each in order to qualify for coverage. “By screening out high-risk individuals, the insurer can keep premiums affordable for all,” McCarty said.
Although it recently added E&O insurance for real estate professionals, San Diego, California-based EOforLess entered the E&O insurance business in 2008. Today, it provides E&O products for life and health insurance agents, property-casualty insurance agents, and registered investment advisors, in addition to serving real-estate brokers and owners in every state.
EOforLess and its affiliated website EOforLess.com is sponsored by the National Ethics Association, a trade group of financial professionals dedicated to promoting ethical and transparent business practices and to helping its members build and protect their online reputations.
A hallmark of the EOforLess.com approach is its commitment to work only with top insurers and program administrators. To this end, it has selected Liberty International Underwriters as underwriter and Arthur J. Gallagher & Company as broker and program administrator for its real estate E&O.
Rated A (excellent) XV ($2 billion or greater) by A.M. Best, Liberty International Underwriters is operating as a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois and has operations in 25 countries around the globe.
The National Ethics Association’s sponsored real estate E&O policy includes limits of $1 million per claim and $1 million aggregate per insured member; including damages and claims expenses. It also provides a deductible of $2,500 per claim.
In addition to offering real estate brokers and owners highly competitive rates and shopping convenience, the EOforLess.com policy offers features such as:· Prior Acts / Retroactive Coverage: for claims resulting from wrongful acts committed by the insured on or after the retroactive date.
· Discrimination Coverage: for damages and/or claims expenses resulting from any claim made against an insured based from discrimination on the basis of age, sex, gender, military service, race, creed, color, religion, handicap, disability or health condition, marital status, national origin, or sexual preference.
· Lockbox and Megan’s Law Coverage: for bodily injury and/or property damage caused by any third party, arising out of the use and operation of a lock box placed by the insured to control access to residential real property.
· Pollution/Mold Coverage: for claims arising from the diminished value of 1 to 4 unit residential properties for the insured’s failure to disclose pollutants.
· Owned Property Coverage: for claims involving only the sale (not purchase) of a 1 to 4 unit residential property in which any insured has or will have a financial interest in.
· Contingent Liability Coverage (Open House): for claims brought against any insured for damages because of bodily injury or property damage that: (a) isn’t covered by a standard general liability coverage form; and (b) caused by a wrongful act solely in the rendering or failing to render Professional Services.
· First Party Cyber Liability: for reimbursement for costs incurred by hiring a third party consultant or advisor approved by the company to mitigate the potential for claims arising from a security breach
To learn more about the National Ethics Association’s sponsored real estate errors-and-omissions insurance policy, visit http://www.eoforless.com or call (800) 282-1831. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Real estate professionals who have battled the high cost and complexity of purchasing professional liability, also known as errors-and-omissions insurance, now have a simpler way to buy. Sponsored by the National Ethics Association, EOforLess.com helps real estate broker-owners purchase insurance protection at an affordable cost in five minutes or less.
Thanks to its convenient online shopping platform, brokers and owners no longer must fill out long, confusing applications or wait hours or days to receive an insurance quote. With its innovative e-commerce technology, EOforLess.com provides “click and bind” coverage, in minutes, with no hassles or hidden fees.
“Significant numbers of real estate brokers and owners remain unprotected at a time when E&O risks continue to be high,” said Steven R. McCarty, Chairman, National Ethics Association. “One big reason is the purchasing process can be difficult and the costs can be out of reach for the average broker. EOforLess.com strives to meet both of these issues head on.”
A key feature of EOforLess.com is its focus on serving low-risk real estate professionals. Re-engineering the underwriting process, EOforLess.com asks buyers nine brief risk-assessment questions. They must answer “no” to each in order to qualify for coverage. “By screening out high-risk individuals, the insurer can keep premiums affordable for all,” McCarty said.
Although it recently added E&O insurance for real estate professionals, San Diego, California-based EOforLess entered the E&O insurance business in 2008. Today, it provides E&O products for life and health insurance agents, property-casualty insurance agents, and registered investment advisors, in addition to serving real-estate brokers and owners in every state.
EOforLess and its affiliated website EOforLess.com is sponsored by the National Ethics Association, a trade group of financial professionals dedicated to promoting ethical and transparent business practices and to helping its members build and protect their online reputations.
A hallmark of the EOforLess.com approach is its commitment to work only with top insurers and program administrators. To this end, it has selected Liberty International Underwriters as underwriter and Arthur J. Gallagher & Company as broker and program administrator for its real estate E&O.
Rated A (excellent) XV ($2 billion or greater) by A.M. Best, Liberty International Underwriters is operating as a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois and has operations in 25 countries around the globe.
The National Ethics Association’s sponsored real estate E&O policy includes limits of $1 million per claim and $1 million aggregate per insured member; including damages and claims expenses. It also provides a deductible of $2,500 per claim.
In addition to offering real estate brokers and owners highly competitive rates and shopping convenience, the EOforLess.com policy offers features such as:· Prior Acts / Retroactive Coverage: for claims resulting from wrongful acts committed by the insured on or after the retroactive date.
· Discrimination Coverage: for damages and/or claims expenses resulting from any claim made against an insured based from discrimination on the basis of age, sex, gender, military service, race, creed, color, religion, handicap, disability or health condition, marital status, national origin, or sexual preference.
· Lockbox and Megan’s Law Coverage: for bodily injury and/or property damage caused by any third party, arising out of the use and operation of a lock box placed by the insured to control access to residential real property.
· Pollution/Mold Coverage: for claims arising from the diminished value of 1 to 4 unit residential properties for the insured’s failure to disclose pollutants.
· Owned Property Coverage: for claims involving only the sale (not purchase) of a 1 to 4 unit residential property in which any insured has or will have a financial interest in.
· Contingent Liability Coverage (Open House): for claims brought against any insured for damages because of bodily injury or property damage that: (a) isn’t covered by a standard general liability coverage form; and (b) caused by a wrongful act solely in the rendering or failing to render Professional Services.
· First Party Cyber Liability: for reimbursement for costs incurred by hiring a third party consultant or advisor approved by the company to mitigate the potential for claims arising from a security breach
To learn more about the National Ethics Association’s sponsored real estate errors-and-omissions insurance policy, visit http://www.eoforless.com or call (800) 282-1831. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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Reduced Fear of Falls Lowers the Risk of Injury for Elderly
LifePlans shares confidence building and physical well-being tips as it commemorates National Fall Prevention Awareness Week.
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Reducing the fear of falling is one oft-overlooked way to lessen the risk of injury in older individuals, said Marc A. Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Research and Development Officer for LifePlans, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Munich Re, as he marked the start of National Fall Prevention Awareness Week (Sept. 23-29, 2015).
“Our extensive research shows that people who worry about falling tend to reduce their activity levels and adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. The result is weaker lower body strength. This impacts both their balance and how they walk, putting them at an even higher risk of taking a fall,” he said.
Not only do falls often result in fractures and head injuries that may lead to early death or make it difficult for individuals to live independently, they also come with a high price tag.
“In 2013, the direct medical costs of falls for people age 65 and older were about $34 billion,” Cohen said. “And people aged 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than others to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.”
Because many older adults resist formal exercise programs and avoid gyms, doctors and family members need to find alternative ways to increase physical activity and boost confidence. LifePlans fall prevention expert suggestions include the following:· Perform a short series of warm-up stretches before getting out of bed. Wrist and ankle rolls, flex-and-point foot movements, and arm and hand stretches above the head wake up the spine and help assure a body is ready for its first steps of the day.
· Turn everyday shopping tasks into opportunities for more physical activity. When going to a grocery store or large box store, walk all of the store’s aisles rather than visiting only the aisles that contain items on a shopping list.
· Take advantage of climate-controlled malls for a safe walking environment. Mall doors often open several hours before the stores, allowing walkers an opportunity to navigate the halls minus the large crowds.
As always, individuals should check with their doctors before embarking on increased physical activity.
Another proven way to reduce the chance of falls is for health plans, long-term care insurers and providers to enroll at-risk seniors in a comprehensive fall prevention program. The LifePlans LIFT Wellness Program(SM) (Living Independently and Falls-free Together) which evolved out of a multi-year research study on fall prevention with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is one such system. LIFT incorporates a comprehensive in-home assessment performed by a nurse, a customized action plan for participants and their physicians, follow-up health coaching phone calls, and a LIFT Wellness Toolkit with a variety of items to support the care plan.
“After conducting extensive follow-up to determine if the LIFT program was having a positive impact on health outcomes, we were pleased to find that 24 percent of LIFT participants reported feeling less fearful about falling and that 20 percent reported they were less likely to limit their activities,” Cohen said.
The study, which showed that reported fall rates declined by 29 percent for participants during their first 12 months in the program, also found a 33 percent reduction in long-term care and LTSS related costs over a three-year period.
“Individuals, consumers and the U.S. health insurance industry all benefit when seniors are able to safely remain in their own homes longer,” he said.
About LifePlans
LifePlans, Inc., a leader in health assessments, member engagement and care management, has been helping the nation’s leading healthcare and insurance organizations improve health outcomes, lower medical spend, reduce risk and increase quality since 1987. With an acclaimed research team, evidence-based results, and deep expertise working with senior and vulnerable populations, LifePlans offerings include HRAs, fall prevention, care transitions, health coaching, quality compliance programs, underwriting and risk management solutions. LifePlans is an NCQA-certified subsidiary of Munich Re. For more information, go to http://www.lifeplansinc.com. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Reducing the fear of falling is one oft-overlooked way to lessen the risk of injury in older individuals, said Marc A. Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Research and Development Officer for LifePlans, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Munich Re, as he marked the start of National Fall Prevention Awareness Week (Sept. 23-29, 2015).
“Our extensive research shows that people who worry about falling tend to reduce their activity levels and adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. The result is weaker lower body strength. This impacts both their balance and how they walk, putting them at an even higher risk of taking a fall,” he said.
Not only do falls often result in fractures and head injuries that may lead to early death or make it difficult for individuals to live independently, they also come with a high price tag.
“In 2013, the direct medical costs of falls for people age 65 and older were about $34 billion,” Cohen said. “And people aged 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than others to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.”
Because many older adults resist formal exercise programs and avoid gyms, doctors and family members need to find alternative ways to increase physical activity and boost confidence. LifePlans fall prevention expert suggestions include the following:· Perform a short series of warm-up stretches before getting out of bed. Wrist and ankle rolls, flex-and-point foot movements, and arm and hand stretches above the head wake up the spine and help assure a body is ready for its first steps of the day.
· Turn everyday shopping tasks into opportunities for more physical activity. When going to a grocery store or large box store, walk all of the store’s aisles rather than visiting only the aisles that contain items on a shopping list.
· Take advantage of climate-controlled malls for a safe walking environment. Mall doors often open several hours before the stores, allowing walkers an opportunity to navigate the halls minus the large crowds.
As always, individuals should check with their doctors before embarking on increased physical activity.
Another proven way to reduce the chance of falls is for health plans, long-term care insurers and providers to enroll at-risk seniors in a comprehensive fall prevention program. The LifePlans LIFT Wellness Program(SM) (Living Independently and Falls-free Together) which evolved out of a multi-year research study on fall prevention with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is one such system. LIFT incorporates a comprehensive in-home assessment performed by a nurse, a customized action plan for participants and their physicians, follow-up health coaching phone calls, and a LIFT Wellness Toolkit with a variety of items to support the care plan.
“After conducting extensive follow-up to determine if the LIFT program was having a positive impact on health outcomes, we were pleased to find that 24 percent of LIFT participants reported feeling less fearful about falling and that 20 percent reported they were less likely to limit their activities,” Cohen said.
The study, which showed that reported fall rates declined by 29 percent for participants during their first 12 months in the program, also found a 33 percent reduction in long-term care and LTSS related costs over a three-year period.
“Individuals, consumers and the U.S. health insurance industry all benefit when seniors are able to safely remain in their own homes longer,” he said.
About LifePlans
LifePlans, Inc., a leader in health assessments, member engagement and care management, has been helping the nation’s leading healthcare and insurance organizations improve health outcomes, lower medical spend, reduce risk and increase quality since 1987. With an acclaimed research team, evidence-based results, and deep expertise working with senior and vulnerable populations, LifePlans offerings include HRAs, fall prevention, care transitions, health coaching, quality compliance programs, underwriting and risk management solutions. LifePlans is an NCQA-certified subsidiary of Munich Re. For more information, go to http://www.lifeplansinc.com. Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
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Avoid Medical Bill Sticker Shock
*Avoid Medical Bill Sticker Shock*
Before Lisa Beach, an assistant vice president for an Austin, Texas, credit union, had surgery for severe back pain two years ago, she did everything she could think of to make sure she wouldn’t have to pay a lot out of pocket.
“I wanted to know the names of anyone who would have any kind of involvement in my surgery,” she says. Then she ran the names by her insurance company, Aetna, to make sure the care would be covered.
In spite of her diligence, she received a $1,050 bill for services provided by an out-of-network doctor who, it turns out, wasn’t even in the hospital during her surgery. That doctor had simply provided specialized equipment used during the operation.
Aetna refused Beach’s appeal, she says, so she went straight to the equipment provider. They agreed to drop the bill to $700—but only if she paid that day. She handed over the last $522 in her flexible spending account but still gets bills for the remaining $178.
“I thought I did everything right, only to find out some information wasn’t disclosed to me,” Beach says.
Beach’s experience is all too common. A 2015 Consumer Reports survey of 2,200 Americans found that most with private insurance don’t know where to turn with complaints about their health insurance, and almost a third had received a medical bill for which they had to foot more of the cost than they had expected. Many of those people ended up paying the bill in full.
“These problems are happening much more frequently,” says Blake Hutson, who heads Consumer Reports’ health insurance advocacy efforts. “We’re expected to pay a larger and larger share of our health care costs, and getting hit with harsh penalties if, even unknowingly, we see providers outside of our network,” Hutson says.
That’s true not just for people who buy insurance on their own through state or federal marketplaces but for those covered through their jobs. Even people on Medicare face shocks if they don’t understand the details of their plans—something that happens easily.
How can you troubleshoot the increasingly tricky health insurance system? We’ve pinpointed seven situations that can cause medical bill sticker shock—and have advice on how to handle each.
*1. Your Insurance Company Pays the Surgeon for Your Knee Replacement—But You’re on the Hook for the Anesthesiologist's Bill*
*Problem:* You ended up seeing an “out-of-network” provider. Your insurance company has a list of doctors you’re supposed to get all of your care from, and the anesthesiologist wasn’t one of them. Though that scenario often happens with anesthesiologists, the provider could also be an assistant surgeon or someone you never even met in person, such as the radiologist who reads an MRI or a pathologist who analyzes the results of a biopsy.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you’re preparing for a nonemergency procedure—such as a joint replacement or having a baby—ask the person who handles your surgeon’s billing for a complete list of the anesthesiologists, assistant surgeons, and everyone else who could conceivably be part of your medical team. Call your insurance company to determine whether all of those people are in your plan’s network. Make sure you tell them the exact name of the plan that’s on your insurance card, because insurers often have multiple plans, each with a different network of providers. If anyone on your list is not, ask the surgeon whether he or she can use network providers instead. If that’s not possible, contact the non-network providers to determine how much you will have to cover so that you’re not in for a surprise later. Or consider finding another surgeon who will use only in-network providers.
*If it happens to you anyway: *Tell the providers and your insurer that you didn’t realize the procedure would involve doctors outside of your network. Some physicians may accept the insurance payment and forgive the balance, or the insurer and non-network doctor may negotiate a fee, leaving you with a smaller balance. If you have a plan that you bought on your own through a state or federal marketplace, contact your state health insurance department. Some states have rules for such plans, limiting how much you have to pay for out-of-network care.
*Video: What If Your Pizza Place Billed Like a Hospital?*
*2. The Rheumatologist That You Saw Billed $1,500 for Your Visit, But Insurance Covered Only $1,000—and You Have to Pay the Balance*
*Problem:* You’re a victim of “balance billing,” another way that going out-of-network can cost you. In that situation, your insurer allows you to use out-of-network providers but pays only the discounted rate that they’ve negotiated with in-network providers, leaving you with the balance. And that cost can be substantial, because the fees insurers set with in-network providers can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars less than what doctors charge directly.
*How to prevent this shocker:* See providers in your plan’s network whenever possible. Call doctors and your insurance company—before your visit or procedure—to make sure that they are still in the network. (The insurer’s online directory could be out of date.) If you decide to go out of network, call your insurer to confirm what your share will be. Most plans, by the way, have exceptions for problems that can’t be handled by an in-network provider. Talk with your insurer if you think that applies to your situation.
*If it happens to you anyway:* If you saw a doctor in your plan’s network, don’t pay the bill. Instead, tell the provider and your insurer that they’ve made a mistake. If the doctor was out of your network, explain your situation to the doctor. You might be able to get him or her to forgive the bill, negotiate a lower fee, or offer a payment plan that makes the bill more manageable.
*3. You Broke Your Leg, and Your ER Visit Left You With a Hefty Bill*
*Problem:* This particularly nasty version of balance billing happens if the hospital you went to or the doctors who saw you in the ER are out of network. After all, in an emergency you may not have time to find an in-network provider. The Affordable Care Act has partially, but not fully, addressed the problem: It now requires insurance to cover ER care—but only at the rate paid to in-network providers. So if your ER doc is out of network, which they often are, you may be responsible for the difference.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you live close to several hospitals, call your insurer now—before you actually need an ER—to find out which are in your network and employ network ER physicians. Then, in an emergency, try to go to one of those (in your own car, if it’s safe; ambulances often aren’t covered). Reserve ERs for true emergencies. If your regular doctor could handle the problem, go there instead. Urgent care centers can also be options, but check with your insurer to make sure you’ll be covered.
*If it happens to you anyway:* Contact the insurer and the doctor and explain that you didn’t have a choice because you needed emergency care. In some cases, the non-network doctor will accept the insurance payment, or the insurer and the doctor will negotiate an acceptable fee. In addition, call your state’s insurance department to see whether it has passed a law that prevents balance billing in the ER. If it has, don’t pay the bill, and lodge a complaint with the insurer. (See how to file a complainte in your state.)
*4. You Saw an In-Network Provider—But Your Insurer Says You're Responsible for the Whole Bill*
*Problem:* Your health plan probably has a high deductible that you haven’t yet met. High-deductible plans can seem attractive because they often have low monthly premiums. And more Americans now have that kind of coverage because insurers and employers are trying to shift a greater portion of health care costs to consumers. But many people who sign up for high-deductible plans don’t realize exactly how much they have to pay before insurance kicks in. The law currently caps total out-of-pocket spending at $6,850 for individuals and $13,700 for families.
*How to prevent this shocker:* The next time you sign up for insurance, whether through work or on your own from a federal or state marketplace, think hard about whether you really want a high-deductible plan. (For the factors to consider and more advice on how to pick the right health plan for you and your family, see “Shop Smart for the Right Health Insurance Plan This Year.”
*If it happens to you anyway:* Call the insurer and ask whether you have reached your deductible, or check your insurer’s website for a tool that helps you track your expenses. If you’ve met the deductible, let the doctor and insurance company know. If not, check to make sure you’re being billed at the lower negotiated rate, not the out-of-network rate.
*5. You Thought Medicare Would Cover Your Doctor Visit, But No Such Luck*
*Problem:* You may have Medicare Advantage, not traditional Medicare. With traditional Medicare, you can usually visit any doctor and hospital you like as long as they accept Medicare—something almost all health care providers do. But when first enrolling in Medicare, you may have signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan thinking it was the same as traditional Medicare, perhaps in response to a pitch you received in the mail or on the phone. Medicare Advantage plans—which are run by private insurance companies such as Aetna or Cigna, not by the federal government—offer some advantages. But they do require people to use a specified network of providers. So if you signed up for Medicare Advantage and then see a provider outside of your network, you could be stuck with the bill.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you’re not sure whether you have Medicare Advantage or traditional Medicare, check your insurance card. It probably won’t say “Medicare Advantage” but might list a plan name, such as “Secure Horizons.” If you’re still not sure, call 800-633-4227 and ask which one you have. If you have Medicare Advantage, stick with network providers if possible. If you’re not satisfied with your Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch plans or enroll in traditional Medicare during the annual enrollment period. For 2016 coverage, that period runs from Nov. 1, 2015, to Jan. 31, 2016. Read more about Medicare Advangate vs. Traditional Medicare.*If it happens to you anyway:* Find out whether your plan allows exceptions for visits to non-network providers and whether you qualify for the exception in this case. Contact the non-network provider and ask whether it is willing to accept the insurance payment and forgive the balance. Many are willing to do that, at least once.
*6. You Saw Your Doctor for a Basic, 5-Minute Visit But Were Billed for an Expensive Procedure*
*Problem:* You may be the victim of a fraudulent practice known as “upcoding.” Every service performed by a health care provider has a code attached to it that’s used for billing private or public insurers (Medicare and Medicaid). Upcoding occurs when the provider submits a billing code for a higher-paying service than what actually took place. For example, if your child has an earache, your doctor can often ease the pain by simply removing built-up earwax. But some doctors have been known to bill the procedure as “outpatient surgery,” allowing them to get paid at a higher rate.
*How to prevent this shocker:* It’s hard to prevent, unless you ask your doctor how he or she will be coding your visit or procedure—which is neither practical nor, usually, necessary. But if you have a history of that kind of problem with your health care provider, consider asking to put the office staff on notice that you’re watching.
*If it happens to you anyway:* Check the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) form that you should get from your insurer after every doctor visit. If the charges on it seem unreasonably high, ask the doctor’s billing department to explain why a certain code was used. It could be an honest mistake, or there may be a valid reason for the code. For example, the doctor removed a mole during an office visit—a procedure you consider simple but may have been more complicated than you thought—and a provider can legitimately bill for it at a higher rate. If you’re not satisfied with the doctor’s explanation and suspect fraud, contact your insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid, or your state insurance department. And check past bills for a pattern of upcoding. Illegal upcoding costs consumers millions of dollars in increased premiums and misspent tax dollars for Medicare and Medicaid payments.
*7. The Medication You Take Every Day Has Suddenly Shot Up in Price*
*Problem:* Your plan could have updated its “formulary”—the list of drugs that your insurer routinely covers—and your medication is no longer on it. Most private health plans can adjust their formularies at any time; Medicare can do that only during the open enrollment period. Plans update their lists for many reasons: They negotiated a better deal with the drug company, new research shows the medication isn’t as safe or effective as thought, or a generic (and cheaper) version of the drug hit the market that is just as safe and effective.
*How to prevent this shocker: *Before choosing a health plan, check its formulary to see which drugs are covered. That’s essential if you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, that requires you to regularly take medications. You’ll get the lowest out-of-pocket costs when you buy the coverage plan’s “preferred” generic drugs, usually called “Tier 1.” A drug that isn’t listed on the formulary will often have the highest out-of-pocket cost and, in some cases, may not be covered at all. If you’re dissatisfied with your plan’s formulary, look for a better one at health insurance sign-up time. In addition, when your doctor writes a prescription, ask how much it costs and whether it’s covered by your insurance. And always ask whether a low-cost generic is available.
*If it happens to you anyway:* If you find that the drug’s price is much higher than you expected when you pick up your prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether a similar drug covered by your plan will work. It may be as simple as switching to a generic. If no other drug is appropriate, ask for an exception from your insurer. You should also shop around. Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers have found that doing so can save you hundreds of dollars. Costco, in particular, often has low drug prices, even for nonmembers. Last, try negotiating with the pharmacist. Our shoppers found that they could get discounts by asking, “Is this the lowest possible price you can offer?” (Read more about how to handle sudden spikes in your prescription drug costs.)
*How You Can Help End Surprise Medical Bills*
Consumer Reports is working to protect consumers from surprise medical bills in several ways:
• In New York, we helped pass a landmark law to prevent balance billing in hospital emergency rooms, and we’re working on similar laws in states throughout the nation. You can join our efforts to stop surprise medical bills, share your billing story, and find out what’s going on in your state by going. Go to EndSurpriseMedicalBills.org.
• In California, we worked with the California Department of Insurance and the University of California, San Francisco on a tool that helps consumers there see what they might pay for health care and compare providers on quality. Try the California Healthcare Compare tool.
*Editor's Note:* This article also appeared in the November 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.*
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Reported by Consumer Reports 3 hours ago.
Before Lisa Beach, an assistant vice president for an Austin, Texas, credit union, had surgery for severe back pain two years ago, she did everything she could think of to make sure she wouldn’t have to pay a lot out of pocket.
“I wanted to know the names of anyone who would have any kind of involvement in my surgery,” she says. Then she ran the names by her insurance company, Aetna, to make sure the care would be covered.
In spite of her diligence, she received a $1,050 bill for services provided by an out-of-network doctor who, it turns out, wasn’t even in the hospital during her surgery. That doctor had simply provided specialized equipment used during the operation.
Aetna refused Beach’s appeal, she says, so she went straight to the equipment provider. They agreed to drop the bill to $700—but only if she paid that day. She handed over the last $522 in her flexible spending account but still gets bills for the remaining $178.
“I thought I did everything right, only to find out some information wasn’t disclosed to me,” Beach says.
Beach’s experience is all too common. A 2015 Consumer Reports survey of 2,200 Americans found that most with private insurance don’t know where to turn with complaints about their health insurance, and almost a third had received a medical bill for which they had to foot more of the cost than they had expected. Many of those people ended up paying the bill in full.
“These problems are happening much more frequently,” says Blake Hutson, who heads Consumer Reports’ health insurance advocacy efforts. “We’re expected to pay a larger and larger share of our health care costs, and getting hit with harsh penalties if, even unknowingly, we see providers outside of our network,” Hutson says.
That’s true not just for people who buy insurance on their own through state or federal marketplaces but for those covered through their jobs. Even people on Medicare face shocks if they don’t understand the details of their plans—something that happens easily.
How can you troubleshoot the increasingly tricky health insurance system? We’ve pinpointed seven situations that can cause medical bill sticker shock—and have advice on how to handle each.
*1. Your Insurance Company Pays the Surgeon for Your Knee Replacement—But You’re on the Hook for the Anesthesiologist's Bill*
*Problem:* You ended up seeing an “out-of-network” provider. Your insurance company has a list of doctors you’re supposed to get all of your care from, and the anesthesiologist wasn’t one of them. Though that scenario often happens with anesthesiologists, the provider could also be an assistant surgeon or someone you never even met in person, such as the radiologist who reads an MRI or a pathologist who analyzes the results of a biopsy.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you’re preparing for a nonemergency procedure—such as a joint replacement or having a baby—ask the person who handles your surgeon’s billing for a complete list of the anesthesiologists, assistant surgeons, and everyone else who could conceivably be part of your medical team. Call your insurance company to determine whether all of those people are in your plan’s network. Make sure you tell them the exact name of the plan that’s on your insurance card, because insurers often have multiple plans, each with a different network of providers. If anyone on your list is not, ask the surgeon whether he or she can use network providers instead. If that’s not possible, contact the non-network providers to determine how much you will have to cover so that you’re not in for a surprise later. Or consider finding another surgeon who will use only in-network providers.
*If it happens to you anyway: *Tell the providers and your insurer that you didn’t realize the procedure would involve doctors outside of your network. Some physicians may accept the insurance payment and forgive the balance, or the insurer and non-network doctor may negotiate a fee, leaving you with a smaller balance. If you have a plan that you bought on your own through a state or federal marketplace, contact your state health insurance department. Some states have rules for such plans, limiting how much you have to pay for out-of-network care.
*Video: What If Your Pizza Place Billed Like a Hospital?*
*2. The Rheumatologist That You Saw Billed $1,500 for Your Visit, But Insurance Covered Only $1,000—and You Have to Pay the Balance*
*Problem:* You’re a victim of “balance billing,” another way that going out-of-network can cost you. In that situation, your insurer allows you to use out-of-network providers but pays only the discounted rate that they’ve negotiated with in-network providers, leaving you with the balance. And that cost can be substantial, because the fees insurers set with in-network providers can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars less than what doctors charge directly.
*How to prevent this shocker:* See providers in your plan’s network whenever possible. Call doctors and your insurance company—before your visit or procedure—to make sure that they are still in the network. (The insurer’s online directory could be out of date.) If you decide to go out of network, call your insurer to confirm what your share will be. Most plans, by the way, have exceptions for problems that can’t be handled by an in-network provider. Talk with your insurer if you think that applies to your situation.
*If it happens to you anyway:* If you saw a doctor in your plan’s network, don’t pay the bill. Instead, tell the provider and your insurer that they’ve made a mistake. If the doctor was out of your network, explain your situation to the doctor. You might be able to get him or her to forgive the bill, negotiate a lower fee, or offer a payment plan that makes the bill more manageable.
*3. You Broke Your Leg, and Your ER Visit Left You With a Hefty Bill*
*Problem:* This particularly nasty version of balance billing happens if the hospital you went to or the doctors who saw you in the ER are out of network. After all, in an emergency you may not have time to find an in-network provider. The Affordable Care Act has partially, but not fully, addressed the problem: It now requires insurance to cover ER care—but only at the rate paid to in-network providers. So if your ER doc is out of network, which they often are, you may be responsible for the difference.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you live close to several hospitals, call your insurer now—before you actually need an ER—to find out which are in your network and employ network ER physicians. Then, in an emergency, try to go to one of those (in your own car, if it’s safe; ambulances often aren’t covered). Reserve ERs for true emergencies. If your regular doctor could handle the problem, go there instead. Urgent care centers can also be options, but check with your insurer to make sure you’ll be covered.
*If it happens to you anyway:* Contact the insurer and the doctor and explain that you didn’t have a choice because you needed emergency care. In some cases, the non-network doctor will accept the insurance payment, or the insurer and the doctor will negotiate an acceptable fee. In addition, call your state’s insurance department to see whether it has passed a law that prevents balance billing in the ER. If it has, don’t pay the bill, and lodge a complaint with the insurer. (See how to file a complainte in your state.)
*4. You Saw an In-Network Provider—But Your Insurer Says You're Responsible for the Whole Bill*
*Problem:* Your health plan probably has a high deductible that you haven’t yet met. High-deductible plans can seem attractive because they often have low monthly premiums. And more Americans now have that kind of coverage because insurers and employers are trying to shift a greater portion of health care costs to consumers. But many people who sign up for high-deductible plans don’t realize exactly how much they have to pay before insurance kicks in. The law currently caps total out-of-pocket spending at $6,850 for individuals and $13,700 for families.
*How to prevent this shocker:* The next time you sign up for insurance, whether through work or on your own from a federal or state marketplace, think hard about whether you really want a high-deductible plan. (For the factors to consider and more advice on how to pick the right health plan for you and your family, see “Shop Smart for the Right Health Insurance Plan This Year.”
*If it happens to you anyway:* Call the insurer and ask whether you have reached your deductible, or check your insurer’s website for a tool that helps you track your expenses. If you’ve met the deductible, let the doctor and insurance company know. If not, check to make sure you’re being billed at the lower negotiated rate, not the out-of-network rate.
*5. You Thought Medicare Would Cover Your Doctor Visit, But No Such Luck*
*Problem:* You may have Medicare Advantage, not traditional Medicare. With traditional Medicare, you can usually visit any doctor and hospital you like as long as they accept Medicare—something almost all health care providers do. But when first enrolling in Medicare, you may have signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan thinking it was the same as traditional Medicare, perhaps in response to a pitch you received in the mail or on the phone. Medicare Advantage plans—which are run by private insurance companies such as Aetna or Cigna, not by the federal government—offer some advantages. But they do require people to use a specified network of providers. So if you signed up for Medicare Advantage and then see a provider outside of your network, you could be stuck with the bill.
*How to prevent this shocker:* If you’re not sure whether you have Medicare Advantage or traditional Medicare, check your insurance card. It probably won’t say “Medicare Advantage” but might list a plan name, such as “Secure Horizons.” If you’re still not sure, call 800-633-4227 and ask which one you have. If you have Medicare Advantage, stick with network providers if possible. If you’re not satisfied with your Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch plans or enroll in traditional Medicare during the annual enrollment period. For 2016 coverage, that period runs from Nov. 1, 2015, to Jan. 31, 2016. Read more about Medicare Advangate vs. Traditional Medicare.*If it happens to you anyway:* Find out whether your plan allows exceptions for visits to non-network providers and whether you qualify for the exception in this case. Contact the non-network provider and ask whether it is willing to accept the insurance payment and forgive the balance. Many are willing to do that, at least once.
*6. You Saw Your Doctor for a Basic, 5-Minute Visit But Were Billed for an Expensive Procedure*
*Problem:* You may be the victim of a fraudulent practice known as “upcoding.” Every service performed by a health care provider has a code attached to it that’s used for billing private or public insurers (Medicare and Medicaid). Upcoding occurs when the provider submits a billing code for a higher-paying service than what actually took place. For example, if your child has an earache, your doctor can often ease the pain by simply removing built-up earwax. But some doctors have been known to bill the procedure as “outpatient surgery,” allowing them to get paid at a higher rate.
*How to prevent this shocker:* It’s hard to prevent, unless you ask your doctor how he or she will be coding your visit or procedure—which is neither practical nor, usually, necessary. But if you have a history of that kind of problem with your health care provider, consider asking to put the office staff on notice that you’re watching.
*If it happens to you anyway:* Check the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) form that you should get from your insurer after every doctor visit. If the charges on it seem unreasonably high, ask the doctor’s billing department to explain why a certain code was used. It could be an honest mistake, or there may be a valid reason for the code. For example, the doctor removed a mole during an office visit—a procedure you consider simple but may have been more complicated than you thought—and a provider can legitimately bill for it at a higher rate. If you’re not satisfied with the doctor’s explanation and suspect fraud, contact your insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid, or your state insurance department. And check past bills for a pattern of upcoding. Illegal upcoding costs consumers millions of dollars in increased premiums and misspent tax dollars for Medicare and Medicaid payments.
*7. The Medication You Take Every Day Has Suddenly Shot Up in Price*
*Problem:* Your plan could have updated its “formulary”—the list of drugs that your insurer routinely covers—and your medication is no longer on it. Most private health plans can adjust their formularies at any time; Medicare can do that only during the open enrollment period. Plans update their lists for many reasons: They negotiated a better deal with the drug company, new research shows the medication isn’t as safe or effective as thought, or a generic (and cheaper) version of the drug hit the market that is just as safe and effective.
*How to prevent this shocker: *Before choosing a health plan, check its formulary to see which drugs are covered. That’s essential if you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, that requires you to regularly take medications. You’ll get the lowest out-of-pocket costs when you buy the coverage plan’s “preferred” generic drugs, usually called “Tier 1.” A drug that isn’t listed on the formulary will often have the highest out-of-pocket cost and, in some cases, may not be covered at all. If you’re dissatisfied with your plan’s formulary, look for a better one at health insurance sign-up time. In addition, when your doctor writes a prescription, ask how much it costs and whether it’s covered by your insurance. And always ask whether a low-cost generic is available.
*If it happens to you anyway:* If you find that the drug’s price is much higher than you expected when you pick up your prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether a similar drug covered by your plan will work. It may be as simple as switching to a generic. If no other drug is appropriate, ask for an exception from your insurer. You should also shop around. Consumer Reports’ secret shoppers have found that doing so can save you hundreds of dollars. Costco, in particular, often has low drug prices, even for nonmembers. Last, try negotiating with the pharmacist. Our shoppers found that they could get discounts by asking, “Is this the lowest possible price you can offer?” (Read more about how to handle sudden spikes in your prescription drug costs.)
*How You Can Help End Surprise Medical Bills*
Consumer Reports is working to protect consumers from surprise medical bills in several ways:
• In New York, we helped pass a landmark law to prevent balance billing in hospital emergency rooms, and we’re working on similar laws in states throughout the nation. You can join our efforts to stop surprise medical bills, share your billing story, and find out what’s going on in your state by going. Go to EndSurpriseMedicalBills.org.
• In California, we worked with the California Department of Insurance and the University of California, San Francisco on a tool that helps consumers there see what they might pay for health care and compare providers on quality. Try the California Healthcare Compare tool.
*Editor's Note:* This article also appeared in the November 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.*
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Reported by Consumer Reports 3 hours ago.
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Low-Cost Outpatient Drug Rehab Opens in Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Structured House Organization, a network of affordable sober living recovery homes in Ann Arbor, MI, announced this week its affordable IOP treatment launch.
(PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Regarded as being among Michigan’s largest and more affordable sober living/recovery home networks since 2005, the Structured House Organization announced this week the official launch of its new outpatient drug treatment program. The Ann Arbor, MI based non-profit coins it a move in a direction aimed at providing more affordable addiction treatment options for those with health insurance and/or limited financial means.
Originally launched in 2005 under the name Structured Living, LLC, the company’s mission of providing affordable yet highly structured transitional recovery housing for drug addicts and alcoholics, evolved into a current network of 10 homes throughout middle-class neighborhoods. Located exclusively in Ann Arbor, Michigan, residents are afforded a very pro-recovery environment given Ann Arbor’s national acclaim as being a very “recovery friendly” city. Structured Living’s broadening reputation among facilities and treatment professionals became a catalyst for forging strong relations with statewide residential and outpatient drug rehab centers.
Says company representative, Davinder Singh, “Most residential drug rehabs are beyond the reach of many who want to get better. There needs to be a shift within the scope of addiction treatment, one that enables those with limited financial means or of whom are confined to paying with health insurance, to receive quality clinical care when theirs or their loved ones life is battered by drug or alcohol addiction.” Adds Mr. Singh, “The Structured House mission is designed to integrate effective, low-cost outpatient treatment with corresponding structured recovery or sober living housing, so as to essentially provide a viable and realistic alternative to the often exorbitantly priced residential drug rehab model.”
The company recently made the move from its prior Structured Living, LLC to the now non-profit 501(c)3 Structured House Organization which, now heavily relies on corporate and private donations as a means for offering outpatient treatment at out-of-pocket rates starting as low as $25 - $50 per treatment day. From the clinical side, there have been a number of recent personnel acquisitions that bring extensive credentials and prior expertise from regional treatment centers, including that of Brighton Hospital, Dawn Farm and University of Michigan’s Addiction Treatment Services Clinic, often referred to as UMATS.
The Structured House IOP model is best described as a very practical and affordable drug rehab with real-life components. Clients essentially live within their network of sober living homes and attend two to three therapeutic care sessions weekly. The enhanced IOP option sessions are provided either during the after work evening hours or on weekends so that gainful daytime activities of participants are not interrupted.
Outside of treatment hours, clients are bound to various housing rules and restrictions, such as either attending school or being gainfully employed, curfews, 12-Step meeting attendance, random drug screening, general code of conduct, etc. However, unlike traditional inpatient drug rehab settings, clients are afforded substantially more “cautious freedom” to come and go as they please during off times. Their claim is that the magic of group support is bound to happen if a person is ready, teachable and willing to turn his or her life around for the better, and the help and tools to achieve this long term miracle are readily available with us.
In addition, participation in the new outpatient program is described as being, “All are Welcome,” meaning that admission is open to the general public as well as to those currently living within the Structured House network of sober living recovery homes.
States Mr. Singh in closing, “This approach to addiction treatment is proven, we’re not reinventing the wheel here, however, what we are reinventing is the availability of quality treatment to a segment of society that might otherwise be forced to cash in their retirement savings or take out a line of credit in order to pay for their loved ones care…we’re very excited and passionate about recovery as well as its widespread availability”
More information on the Structured House Organization as well as treatment and sober living services is available on the company website at http://www.soberooms.com. They also provide phone coverage 7 days a week at (734) 846-0966. Reported by PRWeb 11 hours ago.
(PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Regarded as being among Michigan’s largest and more affordable sober living/recovery home networks since 2005, the Structured House Organization announced this week the official launch of its new outpatient drug treatment program. The Ann Arbor, MI based non-profit coins it a move in a direction aimed at providing more affordable addiction treatment options for those with health insurance and/or limited financial means.
Originally launched in 2005 under the name Structured Living, LLC, the company’s mission of providing affordable yet highly structured transitional recovery housing for drug addicts and alcoholics, evolved into a current network of 10 homes throughout middle-class neighborhoods. Located exclusively in Ann Arbor, Michigan, residents are afforded a very pro-recovery environment given Ann Arbor’s national acclaim as being a very “recovery friendly” city. Structured Living’s broadening reputation among facilities and treatment professionals became a catalyst for forging strong relations with statewide residential and outpatient drug rehab centers.
Says company representative, Davinder Singh, “Most residential drug rehabs are beyond the reach of many who want to get better. There needs to be a shift within the scope of addiction treatment, one that enables those with limited financial means or of whom are confined to paying with health insurance, to receive quality clinical care when theirs or their loved ones life is battered by drug or alcohol addiction.” Adds Mr. Singh, “The Structured House mission is designed to integrate effective, low-cost outpatient treatment with corresponding structured recovery or sober living housing, so as to essentially provide a viable and realistic alternative to the often exorbitantly priced residential drug rehab model.”
The company recently made the move from its prior Structured Living, LLC to the now non-profit 501(c)3 Structured House Organization which, now heavily relies on corporate and private donations as a means for offering outpatient treatment at out-of-pocket rates starting as low as $25 - $50 per treatment day. From the clinical side, there have been a number of recent personnel acquisitions that bring extensive credentials and prior expertise from regional treatment centers, including that of Brighton Hospital, Dawn Farm and University of Michigan’s Addiction Treatment Services Clinic, often referred to as UMATS.
The Structured House IOP model is best described as a very practical and affordable drug rehab with real-life components. Clients essentially live within their network of sober living homes and attend two to three therapeutic care sessions weekly. The enhanced IOP option sessions are provided either during the after work evening hours or on weekends so that gainful daytime activities of participants are not interrupted.
Outside of treatment hours, clients are bound to various housing rules and restrictions, such as either attending school or being gainfully employed, curfews, 12-Step meeting attendance, random drug screening, general code of conduct, etc. However, unlike traditional inpatient drug rehab settings, clients are afforded substantially more “cautious freedom” to come and go as they please during off times. Their claim is that the magic of group support is bound to happen if a person is ready, teachable and willing to turn his or her life around for the better, and the help and tools to achieve this long term miracle are readily available with us.
In addition, participation in the new outpatient program is described as being, “All are Welcome,” meaning that admission is open to the general public as well as to those currently living within the Structured House network of sober living recovery homes.
States Mr. Singh in closing, “This approach to addiction treatment is proven, we’re not reinventing the wheel here, however, what we are reinventing is the availability of quality treatment to a segment of society that might otherwise be forced to cash in their retirement savings or take out a line of credit in order to pay for their loved ones care…we’re very excited and passionate about recovery as well as its widespread availability”
More information on the Structured House Organization as well as treatment and sober living services is available on the company website at http://www.soberooms.com. They also provide phone coverage 7 days a week at (734) 846-0966. Reported by PRWeb 11 hours ago.
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ACA is not the job-killer some predicted
Only 4% of employers subject to the Affordable Care Act's mandate to offer health insurance said they changed some positions -More-
*Attend a Live Daily Demo of Adobe Connect*
Join this 30-minute demo of Adobe Connect Learning to see how Adobe Connect allows trainers to rapidly create and deliver training and mobile learning via interactive and engaging virtual classrooms accessible across devices.
*Click Here to Register and View Event Details* Reported by SmartBrief 6 hours ago.
*Attend a Live Daily Demo of Adobe Connect*
Join this 30-minute demo of Adobe Connect Learning to see how Adobe Connect allows trainers to rapidly create and deliver training and mobile learning via interactive and engaging virtual classrooms accessible across devices.
*Click Here to Register and View Event Details* Reported by SmartBrief 6 hours ago.
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Experts say senior caregivers need more training, compensation
Caregiver training, retention and compensation are among the pressing issues facing a region that has among the highest percentages of elderly people in the country, health care experts said Thursday. Caregivers for the elderly typically receive low wages, historically have not had health insurance and yet meet a critical workforce need, UPMC for You President John Lovelace said at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Allegheny County has among the highest proportions…
Reported by bizjournals 6 hours ago.
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Psychiatrists group warns DOJ insurance mergers could hurt care
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The American Psychiatric Association warned U.S. antitrust regulators this month that two proposed health insurance deals could worsen access to mental health care services, adding to public opposition from several prominent doctor groups.
Reported by Reuters 6 hours ago.
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Amerigroup Rated as One of Top Plans in Maryland by NCQA
HANOVER, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2015-2016 rated Amerigroup Maryland, Inc. with a 4 out of 5, placing it among the highest rated plans in the state. Amerigroup Maryland earned the ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. “Being identified by the NCQA as one of the highest performing health plans in the state is a testament to the hard work and passion our team embod
Reported by Business Wire 5 hours ago.
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Since Obamacare, Deductibles Spike 67%, Study Finds
In the last five years, the number of workers with health insurance deductibles, as well as the size of those deductibles, have increased at a much faster rate than increases in workers' wages and general inflation, according to a new study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation on Tuesday.
Reported by Christian Post 4 hours ago.
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Shocker: Stanford Health Care CEO to leave at year-end to take job at a huge insurer
Amir Dan Rubin, the top executive at Stanford Health Care since early 2011, is leaving the prestigious post at year-end to take a top job at UnitedHealth Group, one of the planet's biggest health insurance companies with 190,000 employees worldwide. Rubin is leaving before Stanford Hospital's $2 billion rebuild is complete, but he has helped the the hospital and its growing network of doctors' groups, clinics and other affiliates become a region-wide player in the consolidation wars engulfing the…
Reported by bizjournals 4 hours ago.
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Audit finds slipshod cyber-security at HealthCare.gov
A federal audit finds the government stored sensitive personal information on millions of health insurance customers in a computer system with basic security flaws.
Reported by MyNorthwest.com 4 hours ago.
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Audit finds slipshod cybersecurity at HealthCare.gov
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government stored sensitive personal information on millions of health insurance customers in a computer system with basic security flaws, according to an official audit that uncovered slipshod practices.
Reported by TwinCities.com 2 hours ago.
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How My Unconventional Career Path Led to a Job at a Startup
Co-authored by Carly Alaimo, content manager at Avelist
*Disclaimer: *This is not a success story.
Honestly, I've never had career goals. In my early twenties, I knew that I wanted to write, but didn't have the guidance, direction, or drive to pursue the path. Aside from a couple internships, I'd never worked in an office before, and had been hosting and serving in restaurants since I was a teenager. My parents taught me I'd have to work to get ahead, and sometimes, I'd have to take jobs I didn't like. I always had a job, and I maybe wasn't the best or hardest worker, but I made sure I was never unemployed.
When I was 22, I landed my first office job as an administrative assistant in an Atlanta recruiting agency. The founder of the agency asked me to be her assistant's fill-in while she was on leave, and I immediately jumped at the chance. As a restaurant lifer, I never imagined I'd have a chance to work in the corporate world. A few months later, the founder's assistant left, and I was hired full-time. I immediately quit my serving job and embraced office life.
Recruiting was incredible. I loved working 9-5 and having nights and weekends to myself (finally!). I was introduced to a world of jobs I had no idea existed and I was constantly meeting new people and hearing their stories. My boss taught me how to network and how to properly interview. I became more confident talking to people and asking questions about their experiences. I gained mentors, learned a little email etiquette, and saw what running a small business is like. Because of the lean staff, the founder allowed me to take on bigger social media/marketing projects and encouraged me to write. I also started recruiting on the side, and even made a few placements.
At the recruiting agency, I thought I'd found my place. I was allowed to be creative, and was consistently learning and being challenged. I felt valued. My successes were celebrated and my mistakes were taken in stride. The environment stimulated me. My boss embraced flexibility for all employees; the recruiters primarily worked remotely and were trusted to complete their work, even when they weren't in the office conducting interviews. While working in recruiting was high pressure, it was truly the company culture that made it worthwhile for me.
I moved to New York in 2013 with my boyfriend (now fiancé) and compulsively started looking for a job. I used a few recruiting agencies, emphasizing in the interviews that I wanted a job in a creative environment where I could grow professionally. I also wanted to work in an industry other than staffing. I knew if an opportunity to do something extraordinary existed, it was in New York City, and I didn't want to limit myself to an industry I wasn't sure I wanted to stick with.
Within a month, I was scooped up by an international advertising agency for a role in their print production department. I knew nothing about advertising, other than what I'd seen on Mad Men, and I made that very clear in the interview. To my surprise, I was hired anyway.
Agency life was everything I imagined it to be; big, colorful, young, buzzy, and expensive; impeccably designed floors of trendy 20-somethings parked behind massive desktops; dozens of glassed-in conference rooms with dry-erase boards for walls boasting sketched-out storyboards for secret campaigns. Greying ad-vets strolled through the agency on occasion, causing panic attacks throughout the seemingly countless departments. Once I saw a live tiger cub pacing in a crate by the elevator banks. Tegan and Sara played a set on the roof of the building during lunch. I could bring my dog to work. In theory, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to NYC creative corporate life. The place was packed with entertaining fodder and smart people my age. As a young, capable person, I should have felt right at home. But I didn't.
Working in advertising, print production specifically, was overwhelming to say the least, and I struggled to keep up. My department was quiet and intense; most of my colleagues had been doing their job for decades and didn't have the time or patience to mentor someone who was just starting out. I also had trouble connecting with people my age, which may have partially been my fault. I felt awkward because I was floundering and everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. I was surrounded by people, but I'd never felt more alone. There was a clear lack of empathy when I asked for help; very few of my colleagues were willing to let their guard down or be honest about their past mistakes. My errors were met with disgust or not communicated to me at all.
Early on, I retreated inward. I felt invisible in the office and misunderstood, and my work was suffering. I became someone I'm not: shy, quiet, unhappy, and unproductive, afraid of making mistakes. I was visibly frustrated at work, flustered, and impatient. I stagnated. My performance reviews were terrible. The next year, after 8 months with the agency, I was "let go" after a massive layoff over the holidays. I was told the role wasn't a good fit for me. I agreed.
I don't blame anyone but myself for my stint in advertising not working out. It just wasn't my thing, and I couldn't keep down the Kool-Aid. The agency was huge and intimidating to me, but many employees were flourishing, or at least appeared to be. The company did offer many opportunities for industry education, but I was too defeated and nervous to attempt involvement. While the agency was designed to foster creativity, collaboration, and young talent, I left feeling it did anything but for me, personally. I found the "walls up" culture of invulnerability uninviting and cold. I supposed I needed somewhere more welcoming that would allow me to exercise this "creativity" I thought I had, a role that could help me realize what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be professionally, even though both ideas were becoming more and more unclear to me every day.
My next position was an office manager role for a luxury jewelry company, which I stayed in for over a year. The people were warm and gracious, the pay was good for my experience level, and there was a loose promise of possibly moving onto the marketing team, which interested me at the time. The U.S. team was small, and I ran the NYC office on my own, which was sometimes exciting, but ultimately isolating and lonely.
After a while, my attraction to the role started to wane and my productivity declined. When the company transferred offices to a bigger, better location, my responsibilities changed almost overnight. I became unfulfilled and uninterested in the work I was doing. I quickly realized that I didn't have the interest or personality to be a true office manager or executive assistant in any field, not that I couldn't handle it, I just didn't want to. I knew I was moving further away from what I set out to do in New York City, and wanted to resist fixing myself in a role and industry that my heart wasn't in. I just had no idea what I actually wanted to do. That's when I met Jody.
I reached out to a niece of a family friend, who I'd met only once at a Thanksgiving dinner and had grown to admire. I wrote her a Facebook message asking if she knew anyone in NYC I could meet with about a job or simply to talk to about their career path. Like a champ, she responded immediately and connected me with her friend, Jody Porowski, "she started Avelist!" Jody and I corresponded over email and set up a day to meet for coffee. In my disheartened state, I didn't expect anything from the meeting other than to meet a new person and possibly connect with some people in her network.
I met Jody in an Upper West Side coffeeshop on a rainy day in March, and I immediately liked her. What struck me about Jody was her openness. She didn't have any walls up and I could ask her anything. Jody was real and honest with me about her career journey and her experiences running a startup. We began the meeting talking about work and wound up brainstorming ideas for Avelist. She mentioned she was looking to hire a community manager, but wasn't in a place to bring someone on full-time just yet. She asked if I would be interested in talking about the role for the future and maybe doing some part-time work in the meantime. I told her I was, but didn't mention that I was hesitant to make any big commitments. I knew the risks of joining a startup and wasn't sure I was willing to give up a large chunk of my salary and benefits for an opportunity where stability was to be determined. Still, I left the meeting reenergized with a sense of hope, and I couldn't stop thinking about Avelist.
So I worked my corporate job and started writing part-time at Avelist for a couple months. One afternoon, after a frustrating day at the office, I spontaneously wrote Jody and told her I was ready to join full-time as Avelist's content manager, if the team would have me. Jody was honest with me, reiterating that there are no guarantees working for a startup, but if I was willing to take the risk, she'd love to continue the conversation. And that's how I ended up here.
I justified my decision this way: I wasn't happy where I was or doing anything close to what I wanted to do, which is writing professionally. Even if I applied for a similar role at larger companies, I likely wouldn't have gotten the job because I had very little experience. I barely had any samples in my writing portfolio because I'd been focused on my corporate jobs for the past four years, and saw Avelist as an opportunity to grow my body of work.
With Avelist, I'm afforded the opportunity to recruit and manage an awesome team of writers, edit and write every single day, publish my own work, and assist with creative marketing and branding endeavours. Where else would I be able to get this kind of experience without working for years and years? I'm helping to build a company and platform that is exciting, with unlimited potential. My ideas are heard, appreciated, and often times, brought to life by our amazing team. And yes, I've taken a paycut and had to find my own health insurance and pick up a part-time weekend job to pay my bills. I'm lucky that my fiancé, friends, and family have been supportive of my decision, and have been willing to help me out if I'm in a tight spot. I know not everyone has that kind of safety net and that I'm extremely fortunate.
Like I said, this is not a success story, because sometimes, even though I'm doing what I love, I still feel unsure. I'm completely invested in my role with Avelist and know the company is headed for success, but my feelings of inadequacy and nerves haven't left the building. I know after some growing pains, these feelings will leave and will probably be replaced by new insecurities. In my current role, I correspond with people on a daily basis who are younger, better writers than me, with more experience in writing and editing, with better educations. It's intimidating.
A good friend of mine recently told me that she's never seen me more energized or happy at a job. I expressed that while I am happy, most of the time, I feel like an imposter. She responded, saying that if we aren't uncomfortable and not surrounding ourselves with people who are smarter and more talented than us, we'll never learn anything or grow at all. And I know she's right. For now, I plan to stay uncomfortable and keep writing, because if I've learned anything so far, my happiness is worth the risk.
Want more great stories? Head over to Avelist. Learn from others. Adult together.
-- 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 2 hours ago.
*Disclaimer: *This is not a success story.
Honestly, I've never had career goals. In my early twenties, I knew that I wanted to write, but didn't have the guidance, direction, or drive to pursue the path. Aside from a couple internships, I'd never worked in an office before, and had been hosting and serving in restaurants since I was a teenager. My parents taught me I'd have to work to get ahead, and sometimes, I'd have to take jobs I didn't like. I always had a job, and I maybe wasn't the best or hardest worker, but I made sure I was never unemployed.
When I was 22, I landed my first office job as an administrative assistant in an Atlanta recruiting agency. The founder of the agency asked me to be her assistant's fill-in while she was on leave, and I immediately jumped at the chance. As a restaurant lifer, I never imagined I'd have a chance to work in the corporate world. A few months later, the founder's assistant left, and I was hired full-time. I immediately quit my serving job and embraced office life.
Recruiting was incredible. I loved working 9-5 and having nights and weekends to myself (finally!). I was introduced to a world of jobs I had no idea existed and I was constantly meeting new people and hearing their stories. My boss taught me how to network and how to properly interview. I became more confident talking to people and asking questions about their experiences. I gained mentors, learned a little email etiquette, and saw what running a small business is like. Because of the lean staff, the founder allowed me to take on bigger social media/marketing projects and encouraged me to write. I also started recruiting on the side, and even made a few placements.
At the recruiting agency, I thought I'd found my place. I was allowed to be creative, and was consistently learning and being challenged. I felt valued. My successes were celebrated and my mistakes were taken in stride. The environment stimulated me. My boss embraced flexibility for all employees; the recruiters primarily worked remotely and were trusted to complete their work, even when they weren't in the office conducting interviews. While working in recruiting was high pressure, it was truly the company culture that made it worthwhile for me.
I moved to New York in 2013 with my boyfriend (now fiancé) and compulsively started looking for a job. I used a few recruiting agencies, emphasizing in the interviews that I wanted a job in a creative environment where I could grow professionally. I also wanted to work in an industry other than staffing. I knew if an opportunity to do something extraordinary existed, it was in New York City, and I didn't want to limit myself to an industry I wasn't sure I wanted to stick with.
Within a month, I was scooped up by an international advertising agency for a role in their print production department. I knew nothing about advertising, other than what I'd seen on Mad Men, and I made that very clear in the interview. To my surprise, I was hired anyway.
Agency life was everything I imagined it to be; big, colorful, young, buzzy, and expensive; impeccably designed floors of trendy 20-somethings parked behind massive desktops; dozens of glassed-in conference rooms with dry-erase boards for walls boasting sketched-out storyboards for secret campaigns. Greying ad-vets strolled through the agency on occasion, causing panic attacks throughout the seemingly countless departments. Once I saw a live tiger cub pacing in a crate by the elevator banks. Tegan and Sara played a set on the roof of the building during lunch. I could bring my dog to work. In theory, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to NYC creative corporate life. The place was packed with entertaining fodder and smart people my age. As a young, capable person, I should have felt right at home. But I didn't.
Working in advertising, print production specifically, was overwhelming to say the least, and I struggled to keep up. My department was quiet and intense; most of my colleagues had been doing their job for decades and didn't have the time or patience to mentor someone who was just starting out. I also had trouble connecting with people my age, which may have partially been my fault. I felt awkward because I was floundering and everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. I was surrounded by people, but I'd never felt more alone. There was a clear lack of empathy when I asked for help; very few of my colleagues were willing to let their guard down or be honest about their past mistakes. My errors were met with disgust or not communicated to me at all.
Early on, I retreated inward. I felt invisible in the office and misunderstood, and my work was suffering. I became someone I'm not: shy, quiet, unhappy, and unproductive, afraid of making mistakes. I was visibly frustrated at work, flustered, and impatient. I stagnated. My performance reviews were terrible. The next year, after 8 months with the agency, I was "let go" after a massive layoff over the holidays. I was told the role wasn't a good fit for me. I agreed.
I don't blame anyone but myself for my stint in advertising not working out. It just wasn't my thing, and I couldn't keep down the Kool-Aid. The agency was huge and intimidating to me, but many employees were flourishing, or at least appeared to be. The company did offer many opportunities for industry education, but I was too defeated and nervous to attempt involvement. While the agency was designed to foster creativity, collaboration, and young talent, I left feeling it did anything but for me, personally. I found the "walls up" culture of invulnerability uninviting and cold. I supposed I needed somewhere more welcoming that would allow me to exercise this "creativity" I thought I had, a role that could help me realize what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be professionally, even though both ideas were becoming more and more unclear to me every day.
My next position was an office manager role for a luxury jewelry company, which I stayed in for over a year. The people were warm and gracious, the pay was good for my experience level, and there was a loose promise of possibly moving onto the marketing team, which interested me at the time. The U.S. team was small, and I ran the NYC office on my own, which was sometimes exciting, but ultimately isolating and lonely.
After a while, my attraction to the role started to wane and my productivity declined. When the company transferred offices to a bigger, better location, my responsibilities changed almost overnight. I became unfulfilled and uninterested in the work I was doing. I quickly realized that I didn't have the interest or personality to be a true office manager or executive assistant in any field, not that I couldn't handle it, I just didn't want to. I knew I was moving further away from what I set out to do in New York City, and wanted to resist fixing myself in a role and industry that my heart wasn't in. I just had no idea what I actually wanted to do. That's when I met Jody.
I reached out to a niece of a family friend, who I'd met only once at a Thanksgiving dinner and had grown to admire. I wrote her a Facebook message asking if she knew anyone in NYC I could meet with about a job or simply to talk to about their career path. Like a champ, she responded immediately and connected me with her friend, Jody Porowski, "she started Avelist!" Jody and I corresponded over email and set up a day to meet for coffee. In my disheartened state, I didn't expect anything from the meeting other than to meet a new person and possibly connect with some people in her network.
I met Jody in an Upper West Side coffeeshop on a rainy day in March, and I immediately liked her. What struck me about Jody was her openness. She didn't have any walls up and I could ask her anything. Jody was real and honest with me about her career journey and her experiences running a startup. We began the meeting talking about work and wound up brainstorming ideas for Avelist. She mentioned she was looking to hire a community manager, but wasn't in a place to bring someone on full-time just yet. She asked if I would be interested in talking about the role for the future and maybe doing some part-time work in the meantime. I told her I was, but didn't mention that I was hesitant to make any big commitments. I knew the risks of joining a startup and wasn't sure I was willing to give up a large chunk of my salary and benefits for an opportunity where stability was to be determined. Still, I left the meeting reenergized with a sense of hope, and I couldn't stop thinking about Avelist.
So I worked my corporate job and started writing part-time at Avelist for a couple months. One afternoon, after a frustrating day at the office, I spontaneously wrote Jody and told her I was ready to join full-time as Avelist's content manager, if the team would have me. Jody was honest with me, reiterating that there are no guarantees working for a startup, but if I was willing to take the risk, she'd love to continue the conversation. And that's how I ended up here.
I justified my decision this way: I wasn't happy where I was or doing anything close to what I wanted to do, which is writing professionally. Even if I applied for a similar role at larger companies, I likely wouldn't have gotten the job because I had very little experience. I barely had any samples in my writing portfolio because I'd been focused on my corporate jobs for the past four years, and saw Avelist as an opportunity to grow my body of work.
With Avelist, I'm afforded the opportunity to recruit and manage an awesome team of writers, edit and write every single day, publish my own work, and assist with creative marketing and branding endeavours. Where else would I be able to get this kind of experience without working for years and years? I'm helping to build a company and platform that is exciting, with unlimited potential. My ideas are heard, appreciated, and often times, brought to life by our amazing team. And yes, I've taken a paycut and had to find my own health insurance and pick up a part-time weekend job to pay my bills. I'm lucky that my fiancé, friends, and family have been supportive of my decision, and have been willing to help me out if I'm in a tight spot. I know not everyone has that kind of safety net and that I'm extremely fortunate.
Like I said, this is not a success story, because sometimes, even though I'm doing what I love, I still feel unsure. I'm completely invested in my role with Avelist and know the company is headed for success, but my feelings of inadequacy and nerves haven't left the building. I know after some growing pains, these feelings will leave and will probably be replaced by new insecurities. In my current role, I correspond with people on a daily basis who are younger, better writers than me, with more experience in writing and editing, with better educations. It's intimidating.
A good friend of mine recently told me that she's never seen me more energized or happy at a job. I expressed that while I am happy, most of the time, I feel like an imposter. She responded, saying that if we aren't uncomfortable and not surrounding ourselves with people who are smarter and more talented than us, we'll never learn anything or grow at all. And I know she's right. For now, I plan to stay uncomfortable and keep writing, because if I've learned anything so far, my happiness is worth the risk.
Want more great stories? Head over to Avelist. Learn from others. Adult together.
-- 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 2 hours ago.
↧
Audit Finds Slipshod Cybersecurity at HealthCare.gov
WASHINGTON—The government stored sensitive personal information on millions of health insurance customers in a computer system with basic security flaws, according to an official audit that uncovered slipshod practices.The Obama administration said it acted quickly to fix all the … Reported by Epoch Times 23 hours ago.
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HUFFPOST HILL - Opinions Differ On Goldenness Of Rule
A government shutdown would delay food stamp benefits, but the 45 million people affected should be able to derive a feeling of satisfaction from knowing the House Freedom Caucus did everything it could to defund Planned Parenthood. Everyone chuckled at John Boehner's tears during the pope's speech today, because Boehner's joy at getting a pope to address Congress after 20 years of trying is one of the only things that's pure and good in Washington, so of course people were assholes about it. And the pope's incantation about "love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity" cast Donald Trump directly into the eternal fires of Hell. It was a good day. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, September 24, 2015:
*HOUSE GOP'S SHUTDOWN PLAN* - As usual, subject to massive change, banana peel slippage, etc. Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan: "House Republican leadership will *move next week on a clean government-funding bill*, but only after they vote on a resolution calling for an end to federal funding of Planned Parenthood, according to multiple sources familiar with the plan." [Politico]
*SENATE DITHERS* - Mike McAuliff and Laura Barron-Lopez: "With less than a week before the government runs out of money, the Senate failed Thursday to advance a bill that would have kept federal offices open, but defunded Planned Parenthood. Senate Democrats objected to the effort to target the family planning and health care provider in a government funding measure. The Senate voted 47-52 to filibuster the bill, effectively blocking it. *The vote was a foregone conclusion: Democrats had hammered the plan last week when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would try it*, apparently to appease anti-abortion members of his caucus led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). …*After the vote, McConnell immediately filed a so-called clean continuing resolution* -- that is, without the provision defunding Planned Parenthood -- which could pass the Senate as early as next Tuesday." [HuffPost]
*NAIVE POPE ESPOUSES 'GOLDEN RULE'* - Elise Foley: "Pope Francis urged compassion on Thursday for refugees and unauthorized immigrants, speaking to a crowd that included lawmakers who have said the U.S. should keep out Syrians and others who fled their countries, and should deport more of the undocumented immigrants who are already here. During an address to the House of Representatives and the Senate, *the pope said the solution to the refugee crisis is for other countries to follow the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'* His mention of the Golden Rule earned a standing ovation." [HuffPost]
Jeff Sessions: "I don't think the Golden Rule can be used to justify violating a nation's immigration laws."
*TIM HUELSKAMP: 'SETTLED SCIENCE' IS FOR BABIES* - Jen Bendery: "Pope Francis implored Congress to act to combat climate change and to embrace immigrants in his Thursday address to lawmakers. Some conservatives aren't feeling the spirit. Shortly after the pope's speech, *Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) told The Huffington Post that climate change is not 'settled science,' so he didn't feel the same sense of urgency as his church's top leader.* 'I don't think there's a scientific consensus on that,' Huelskamp said. 'If you want to print that life begins at conception, that's settled science.' When HuffPost pointed out that science does show that burning fossil fuels creates greenhouse gases that are causing the planet to heat up, he said that's not accurate. 'No, that's global warming,' he said." [HuffPost]
@lbarronlopez Murkowski says she & others by her kept asking:"Did you hear what [Pope] just said?""No, you?""Well [Dems] r standing.""Ok, let's stand."
*TED CRUZ ON HOW DEATH IS LIFE* - "I believe the death penalty is a recognition of the preciousness of human life," the Texas Republican told Politico's Seung Min Kim.
*DAN COATS SAW SOME WINDMILLS* - The senator from Indiana spoke on the Senate floor shortly after the pontiff's address, where he proceeded to give one of the most boring speeches in American history, except for this part: "Last month when I was home in Indiana, coming down from northwest Indiana to our capital city of Indianapolis, on Interstate 65, for the umpteenth time as I drive from north to south or south to north on that road, I pass through wind farms of literally thousands, thousands of windmills. Interestingly enough, and as I had observed even this time, *many of them are not turning*. There are windmills, a few of them turning, driven by the wind, but most of them not turning. I continue to ask the question -- we've got several thousands of these. *It looks like fewer than 100 or less or a comparable number are not operating. I wonder why*." Take THAT, pope!
After a stop in New York, the pope continues on to Philadelphia, a city clearly more deserving of the pontiff than we are.
*I'M THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE* - "When Donald Trump gets annoyed with something, he has his crack team of lawyers handle it. Case in point: his current issue with the Club for Growth’s negative attack ads airing in Iowa, which use actual quotes from Trump in the past to paint him as supportive of national health care, imposing higher taxes, and his infamous 2004 line, 'in many cases I probably identify more as a Democrat.' Despite the fact this is probably one of the more common practices in American politics, Trump decided to threaten a lawsuit, but it’s who made the threat and how it was delivered that may have run afoul of the rules, according to campaign finance experts. …*Here’s the problem: The missive was written on letterhead with 'The Trump Organization,' which is the corporate entity attached to Trump that is and should not be not at all related to his presidential campaign.*" [Daily Beast's Gideon Resnick]
Matt Bruenig would like to remind you that nobody is on twitter.
*NO FLIP-FLOPS AFTER LABOR DAY* - Chris Moody: "Carly Fiorina, who has joined other leading Republican presidential candidates in denouncing Obamacare, *once backed an individual mandate to buy health insurance that could put her at odds with others in the GOP*. During a panel discussion on CNN's 'Crossfire' in 2013 about the law with former CNN host Stephanie Cutter, Fiorina said she supports keeping the requirement that every American purchase health insurance. 'Now there is a requirement for people to take responsibility, which you know most people have insurance,' Cutter said. 'So do you agree with the mandate idea? That is a Republican idea, came out of the Heritage Foundation, one of our co-hosts, Newt Gingrich, was behind it. And the ban on preexisting conditions? Do you agree with those two provisions?' 'I actually do agree with those two provisions,' Fiorina said." [CNN]
*Haircuts:* Amanda Terkel.
*DELANEY DOWNER* - A government shutdown would cut off food stamps for 45 million Americans, including Taylor Futch of Hartford, Tennessee. She said she's been unemployed since a mass layoff at the call center where she worked earlier this year. Twice, she went to the Tennessee Department of Human Services office in Newport and left without applying for food stamps, she said. It was only after four months of unemployment that she found the nerve. *"It took a lot of swallowing my pride to ask for help,"* Futch, 31, told The Huffington Post. She said she'd worked her entire adult life and never imagined she'd be so poor. "I'll be the first to admit I did come to a point where I looked down on people," she said. Futch said she's a single mom with an 11-month-old daughter, and she looks forward to the 4th of every month for the $360 deposit on the debit card she uses to buy food. "By no means does it cover all over our groceries, all of the formula and the foods she's eating now," Futch said. "*If they shut this program down, I really don't know how I will be able to feed my daughter*." [HuffPost]
Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
*JOHN BOEHNER MEETS HIS HERO* - It was endearingly awkward, Mike McAuliff reports: "After telling Francis how very glad he was the pontiff could come, Boehner sat down with the Pope for their photo op. And explained his tie. Boehner said he had wanted to wear an older ceremonial blue tie 'with the little hands on it,' but his staff wouldn't let him. '*My staff insisted I wear the green tie*,' Boehner said. A member of the pope's entourage said the staff chose well. And through his interpreter, the pontiff himself found a way to elevate the mundane moment a bit. '*The tie is the color of hope*,' he said." [HuffPost]
Ugh, Fox News honchos are going to meet with Trump so they can listen to him whine.
*OBAMA TO MEET, POSSIBLY WORK OUT WITH PUTIN* - U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week while both men are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly at Putin's request, a senior Obama administration official said on Thursday. '*Given the situations in Ukraine and Syria, despite our profound differences with Moscow, the president believes that it would be irresponsible not to* test whether we can make progress through high-level engagement with the Russians," the U.S. official said." [Reuters]
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Did you know giraffes make humming noises?
*CONDOLEEZZA RICE DONE WITH POLITICS* - AFP: "Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who served under ex-president George W. Bush, said Thursday she is done with politics and is happy with her role as an educator. Rice, 60, was the first female African-American to hold the post of the nation's top diplomat in Bush's second term from 2005 to 2009. '*I'm quite content to spend my life helping young people find themselves*, I've had my fill of politics,' she said at an event in Hong Kong." [Yahoo]
*COMFORT FOOD*
- Mouse taunts cat.
- How to take picture of the supermoon eclipse.
- Captions that work for any New Yorker cartoon.
- Parents who overdid their kids' Halloween costumes.
*TWITTERAMA*
@GrahamDavidA: uhhhhh@emmaroller: I too have an opinion about seasonal flavors!!!!
@toddzwillich: Asked Ben Carson if Pope said things he disagrees with. "Probably, but I didn't understand it so I'd have to read the transcript."
@elisefoley: I don't appreciate my phone correcting what was meant to be "if I can get any updates" to " if I can get any uglier."
*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e*
-- 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 1 day ago.
*HOUSE GOP'S SHUTDOWN PLAN* - As usual, subject to massive change, banana peel slippage, etc. Jake Sherman, Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan: "House Republican leadership will *move next week on a clean government-funding bill*, but only after they vote on a resolution calling for an end to federal funding of Planned Parenthood, according to multiple sources familiar with the plan." [Politico]
*SENATE DITHERS* - Mike McAuliff and Laura Barron-Lopez: "With less than a week before the government runs out of money, the Senate failed Thursday to advance a bill that would have kept federal offices open, but defunded Planned Parenthood. Senate Democrats objected to the effort to target the family planning and health care provider in a government funding measure. The Senate voted 47-52 to filibuster the bill, effectively blocking it. *The vote was a foregone conclusion: Democrats had hammered the plan last week when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would try it*, apparently to appease anti-abortion members of his caucus led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). …*After the vote, McConnell immediately filed a so-called clean continuing resolution* -- that is, without the provision defunding Planned Parenthood -- which could pass the Senate as early as next Tuesday." [HuffPost]
*NAIVE POPE ESPOUSES 'GOLDEN RULE'* - Elise Foley: "Pope Francis urged compassion on Thursday for refugees and unauthorized immigrants, speaking to a crowd that included lawmakers who have said the U.S. should keep out Syrians and others who fled their countries, and should deport more of the undocumented immigrants who are already here. During an address to the House of Representatives and the Senate, *the pope said the solution to the refugee crisis is for other countries to follow the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'* His mention of the Golden Rule earned a standing ovation." [HuffPost]
Jeff Sessions: "I don't think the Golden Rule can be used to justify violating a nation's immigration laws."
*TIM HUELSKAMP: 'SETTLED SCIENCE' IS FOR BABIES* - Jen Bendery: "Pope Francis implored Congress to act to combat climate change and to embrace immigrants in his Thursday address to lawmakers. Some conservatives aren't feeling the spirit. Shortly after the pope's speech, *Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) told The Huffington Post that climate change is not 'settled science,' so he didn't feel the same sense of urgency as his church's top leader.* 'I don't think there's a scientific consensus on that,' Huelskamp said. 'If you want to print that life begins at conception, that's settled science.' When HuffPost pointed out that science does show that burning fossil fuels creates greenhouse gases that are causing the planet to heat up, he said that's not accurate. 'No, that's global warming,' he said." [HuffPost]
@lbarronlopez Murkowski says she & others by her kept asking:"Did you hear what [Pope] just said?""No, you?""Well [Dems] r standing.""Ok, let's stand."
*TED CRUZ ON HOW DEATH IS LIFE* - "I believe the death penalty is a recognition of the preciousness of human life," the Texas Republican told Politico's Seung Min Kim.
*DAN COATS SAW SOME WINDMILLS* - The senator from Indiana spoke on the Senate floor shortly after the pontiff's address, where he proceeded to give one of the most boring speeches in American history, except for this part: "Last month when I was home in Indiana, coming down from northwest Indiana to our capital city of Indianapolis, on Interstate 65, for the umpteenth time as I drive from north to south or south to north on that road, I pass through wind farms of literally thousands, thousands of windmills. Interestingly enough, and as I had observed even this time, *many of them are not turning*. There are windmills, a few of them turning, driven by the wind, but most of them not turning. I continue to ask the question -- we've got several thousands of these. *It looks like fewer than 100 or less or a comparable number are not operating. I wonder why*." Take THAT, pope!
After a stop in New York, the pope continues on to Philadelphia, a city clearly more deserving of the pontiff than we are.
*I'M THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE* - "When Donald Trump gets annoyed with something, he has his crack team of lawyers handle it. Case in point: his current issue with the Club for Growth’s negative attack ads airing in Iowa, which use actual quotes from Trump in the past to paint him as supportive of national health care, imposing higher taxes, and his infamous 2004 line, 'in many cases I probably identify more as a Democrat.' Despite the fact this is probably one of the more common practices in American politics, Trump decided to threaten a lawsuit, but it’s who made the threat and how it was delivered that may have run afoul of the rules, according to campaign finance experts. …*Here’s the problem: The missive was written on letterhead with 'The Trump Organization,' which is the corporate entity attached to Trump that is and should not be not at all related to his presidential campaign.*" [Daily Beast's Gideon Resnick]
Matt Bruenig would like to remind you that nobody is on twitter.
*NO FLIP-FLOPS AFTER LABOR DAY* - Chris Moody: "Carly Fiorina, who has joined other leading Republican presidential candidates in denouncing Obamacare, *once backed an individual mandate to buy health insurance that could put her at odds with others in the GOP*. During a panel discussion on CNN's 'Crossfire' in 2013 about the law with former CNN host Stephanie Cutter, Fiorina said she supports keeping the requirement that every American purchase health insurance. 'Now there is a requirement for people to take responsibility, which you know most people have insurance,' Cutter said. 'So do you agree with the mandate idea? That is a Republican idea, came out of the Heritage Foundation, one of our co-hosts, Newt Gingrich, was behind it. And the ban on preexisting conditions? Do you agree with those two provisions?' 'I actually do agree with those two provisions,' Fiorina said." [CNN]
*Haircuts:* Amanda Terkel.
*DELANEY DOWNER* - A government shutdown would cut off food stamps for 45 million Americans, including Taylor Futch of Hartford, Tennessee. She said she's been unemployed since a mass layoff at the call center where she worked earlier this year. Twice, she went to the Tennessee Department of Human Services office in Newport and left without applying for food stamps, she said. It was only after four months of unemployment that she found the nerve. *"It took a lot of swallowing my pride to ask for help,"* Futch, 31, told The Huffington Post. She said she'd worked her entire adult life and never imagined she'd be so poor. "I'll be the first to admit I did come to a point where I looked down on people," she said. Futch said she's a single mom with an 11-month-old daughter, and she looks forward to the 4th of every month for the $360 deposit on the debit card she uses to buy food. "By no means does it cover all over our groceries, all of the formula and the foods she's eating now," Futch said. "*If they shut this program down, I really don't know how I will be able to feed my daughter*." [HuffPost]
Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
*JOHN BOEHNER MEETS HIS HERO* - It was endearingly awkward, Mike McAuliff reports: "After telling Francis how very glad he was the pontiff could come, Boehner sat down with the Pope for their photo op. And explained his tie. Boehner said he had wanted to wear an older ceremonial blue tie 'with the little hands on it,' but his staff wouldn't let him. '*My staff insisted I wear the green tie*,' Boehner said. A member of the pope's entourage said the staff chose well. And through his interpreter, the pontiff himself found a way to elevate the mundane moment a bit. '*The tie is the color of hope*,' he said." [HuffPost]
Ugh, Fox News honchos are going to meet with Trump so they can listen to him whine.
*OBAMA TO MEET, POSSIBLY WORK OUT WITH PUTIN* - U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week while both men are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly at Putin's request, a senior Obama administration official said on Thursday. '*Given the situations in Ukraine and Syria, despite our profound differences with Moscow, the president believes that it would be irresponsible not to* test whether we can make progress through high-level engagement with the Russians," the U.S. official said." [Reuters]
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Did you know giraffes make humming noises?
*CONDOLEEZZA RICE DONE WITH POLITICS* - AFP: "Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who served under ex-president George W. Bush, said Thursday she is done with politics and is happy with her role as an educator. Rice, 60, was the first female African-American to hold the post of the nation's top diplomat in Bush's second term from 2005 to 2009. '*I'm quite content to spend my life helping young people find themselves*, I've had my fill of politics,' she said at an event in Hong Kong." [Yahoo]
*COMFORT FOOD*
- Mouse taunts cat.
- How to take picture of the supermoon eclipse.
- Captions that work for any New Yorker cartoon.
- Parents who overdid their kids' Halloween costumes.
*TWITTERAMA*
@GrahamDavidA: uhhhhh@emmaroller: I too have an opinion about seasonal flavors!!!!
@toddzwillich: Asked Ben Carson if Pope said things he disagrees with. "Probably, but I didn't understand it so I'd have to read the transcript."
@elisefoley: I don't appreciate my phone correcting what was meant to be "if I can get any updates" to " if I can get any uglier."
*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e*
-- 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 1 day ago.
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California, Sacramento sees spikes in those with health insurance
Just over 9 percent of people in the Sacramento region lacked health care insurance in 2014. That’s down from more than 14 percent the year before, according to data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 5-point drop was mirrored across the state of California, where the number of uninsured people dropped by 1.7 million from 2013 to 2014. Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, cited the data as evidence of progress by the federal Affordable Care Act. The numbers show…
Reported by bizjournals 1 day ago.
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Carly Fiorina Advises Nonprofit That Promoted Obamacare Enrollment
WASHINGTON -- CNN gave some conservatives a start on Thursday after it reported that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who is currently surging in 2016 presidential polls, supported a health insurance mandate as recently as 2013.
Fiorina's campaign pushed back on the report by explaining that Fiorina actually supports requiring high-deductible "catastrophic care" insurance plans, a proposal more in line with a health care plan authored by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Her spokeswoman further clarified that Fiorina opposed the Obamacare mandate.
Perhaps even more awkward for Fiorina, however, is her involvement with a California-based nonprofit organization that promoted enrollment in Obamacare's health exchanges.
In her 2013 CNN appearance, Fiorina touted the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, which assists Americans with identifying health coverage options through simplified eligibility information. Upon joining the group's advisory board in June 2011, Fiorina said she was "proud of my association with FHCE and hope to highlight the service they provide through the power of technology and bringing information to one source."
While Fiorina opposes Obamacare, and would even go so far as to unilaterally change the rules in the Senate in order to repeal it, the nonprofit she advises would like more people to sign up for its health exchanges.
In multiple Facebook posts ahead of the first Obamacare enrollment deadline in December 2013, FHCE informed its followers on how best to sign up for coverage through Healthcare.gov. The following April, it touted the number of Americans who had signed up for Obamacare -- 7 million. Later that year, as the second deadline for enrollment neared, the nonprofit again told people to "check in with #HealthCare.gov for changes, dates and advice for enrollment!”
A request for comment to Fiorina's presidential campaign was not immediately returned.
-- 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 23 hours ago.
Fiorina's campaign pushed back on the report by explaining that Fiorina actually supports requiring high-deductible "catastrophic care" insurance plans, a proposal more in line with a health care plan authored by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Her spokeswoman further clarified that Fiorina opposed the Obamacare mandate.
Perhaps even more awkward for Fiorina, however, is her involvement with a California-based nonprofit organization that promoted enrollment in Obamacare's health exchanges.
In her 2013 CNN appearance, Fiorina touted the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, which assists Americans with identifying health coverage options through simplified eligibility information. Upon joining the group's advisory board in June 2011, Fiorina said she was "proud of my association with FHCE and hope to highlight the service they provide through the power of technology and bringing information to one source."
While Fiorina opposes Obamacare, and would even go so far as to unilaterally change the rules in the Senate in order to repeal it, the nonprofit she advises would like more people to sign up for its health exchanges.
In multiple Facebook posts ahead of the first Obamacare enrollment deadline in December 2013, FHCE informed its followers on how best to sign up for coverage through Healthcare.gov. The following April, it touted the number of Americans who had signed up for Obamacare -- 7 million. Later that year, as the second deadline for enrollment neared, the nonprofit again told people to "check in with #HealthCare.gov for changes, dates and advice for enrollment!”
A request for comment to Fiorina's presidential campaign was not immediately returned.
-- 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 23 hours ago.
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Drivers who shuttle Genentech workers will get wage increase
Shuttle drivers who transport Genentech employees received a wage increase Thursday as negotiations continue between their employer, Compass Transportation, and the Teamsters. The push comes after a Chronicle investigation revealed that several Compass Transportation bus drivers who transport tech workers to their jobs were living in their cars because they couldn’t afford a place to live. “We support improved compensation and benefits for the bus drivers,” the company said in an e-mail. Drivers for all the companies are still negotiating other aspects of a union-proposed contract, which include better benefits, 11 paid holidays and overtime pay. The proposed contract also calls for Compass to pay for drivers’ health insurance for the first year, allowing some drivers time to take care of their own expenses, such as debt.
Reported by SFGate 22 hours ago.
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Cambia Health Solutions Names Jared Short Chief Operating Officer
Cambia Health Solutions today announced Jared Short has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO), responsible for delivering consumer-focused innovation and performance across the organization.
Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Cambia Health Solutions today announced Jared Short has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO), responsible for delivering consumer-focused innovation and performance across the organization. He will continue to report directly to President and CEO Mark Ganz, as he leads all of Cambia’s companies.
Short previously led Cambia’s Health Insurance Services, which serve 2.4 million members in the Pacific Northwest. “Jared has demonstrated his commitment and passion to deliver greater value and a better experience to our health plan members,” said Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Cambia Health Solutions. “In his expanded role, Jared will focus on accelerating our transformation from a traditional health plan to a consumer-centric total health solutions company, infused with innovative products and services for individuals and their families from birth to the completion of their lives.”
Short has been an instrumental leader at Cambia Health Solutions. Starting in Finance, he worked his way up to become President of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. In this role, he was responsible for sales, provider contracting, government and community relations.
In 2011, he was named President of Health Insurance Services for Cambia. Over the past four years, he successfully drove award-winning service, facilitated collaborative partnerships with providers, and helped to create innovative solutions that meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace.
Active in the community, Short serves on the Board of Directors for the Portland Metropolitan Area Boys and Girls Clubs. He also serves on the Board of Directors for TriWest Healthcare Alliance and GNS Healthcare.
About Cambia Health Solutions
Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a health solutions company dedicated to transforming health care by creating a person-focused and economically sustainable system. Cambia’s growing family of companies range from software and mobile applications, health care marketplaces, non-traditional health care delivery models, health insurance, life insurance, pharmacy benefit management, wellness and overall consumer engagement. Through bold thinking and innovative technology, we are delivering solutions that make quality health care more available, affordable and personally relevant for everyone. To learn more, visit cambiahealth.com or twitter.com/cambia. Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
Portland, Ore. (PRWEB) September 24, 2015
Cambia Health Solutions today announced Jared Short has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO), responsible for delivering consumer-focused innovation and performance across the organization. He will continue to report directly to President and CEO Mark Ganz, as he leads all of Cambia’s companies.
Short previously led Cambia’s Health Insurance Services, which serve 2.4 million members in the Pacific Northwest. “Jared has demonstrated his commitment and passion to deliver greater value and a better experience to our health plan members,” said Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Cambia Health Solutions. “In his expanded role, Jared will focus on accelerating our transformation from a traditional health plan to a consumer-centric total health solutions company, infused with innovative products and services for individuals and their families from birth to the completion of their lives.”
Short has been an instrumental leader at Cambia Health Solutions. Starting in Finance, he worked his way up to become President of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. In this role, he was responsible for sales, provider contracting, government and community relations.
In 2011, he was named President of Health Insurance Services for Cambia. Over the past four years, he successfully drove award-winning service, facilitated collaborative partnerships with providers, and helped to create innovative solutions that meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace.
Active in the community, Short serves on the Board of Directors for the Portland Metropolitan Area Boys and Girls Clubs. He also serves on the Board of Directors for TriWest Healthcare Alliance and GNS Healthcare.
About Cambia Health Solutions
Cambia Health Solutions, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a health solutions company dedicated to transforming health care by creating a person-focused and economically sustainable system. Cambia’s growing family of companies range from software and mobile applications, health care marketplaces, non-traditional health care delivery models, health insurance, life insurance, pharmacy benefit management, wellness and overall consumer engagement. Through bold thinking and innovative technology, we are delivering solutions that make quality health care more available, affordable and personally relevant for everyone. To learn more, visit cambiahealth.com or twitter.com/cambia. Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
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