As they do each year, the Kaiser Family Foundation released its analysis of employer-sponsored health insurance premiums to significant fanfare. At four percent growth over the past year, premiums are continuing to grow at historically low rates. Some – like Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine – have taken this as [...]
Reported by Forbes.com 19 hours ago.
Dispelling Obamacare Cost Saving Myths
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Brandon Shreves of State Farm Announces New Donation Drive on the Heels of a Successful Soles4Souls Campaign
State Farm agent Brandon Shreves proudly announced that he reached his targeted goal of 500 shoes in his first drive for Soles4Souls, a global nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of new and used shoes and clothing.
Mobile, AL (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
“Since it’s not cold yet and school has already started, we are going to begin a winter shoe drive,” said Brandon. “Due to the success of our initial Soles4Souls drive, we want to surpass 500 donations and try and double that.”
Soles4Souls believes everyone deserves a good pair of shoes, as each day children are prevented from attending school and adults are unable to work as walking becomes unbearable because of a lack of shoes. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has collected and distributed more than 26 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world and all 50 states in the U.S.
“I fully espouse the Soles4Souls philosophy that ‘a new pair of shoes provides relief today so thousands can succeed tomorrow,’” said Brandon, a soon-to-be father of a baby girl. “We are honored to be involved with this humanitarian organization that has been able to grow relationships all across the Gulf Coast and empowers future generations.”
Brandon also gave thanks to Capree House at the NALA, an organization that works with local businesses on charity drives, among other things, for her help with getting the word out. “Capree has gone above and beyond to help,” said Brandon.
To donate shoes or clothing, visit Brandon Shreves State Farm, an official Soles4Souls drop-off location, at 4308 Midmost Drive, Mobile, AL, 36609. For more information about getting involved with Soles4Souls, visit https://soles4souls.org/get-involved/.
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributes those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified microenterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.
About Brandon Shreves State Farm
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Brandon Shreves is a third-generation State Farm Family member. He offers a variety of products and services, which include auto, home and property, life and health insurance, as well as banking products. He also offers a wide array of plans that can build cash back and cover financial service needs. For more information, please call (251) 219-7800.
About the NALA™
The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
Mobile, AL (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
“Since it’s not cold yet and school has already started, we are going to begin a winter shoe drive,” said Brandon. “Due to the success of our initial Soles4Souls drive, we want to surpass 500 donations and try and double that.”
Soles4Souls believes everyone deserves a good pair of shoes, as each day children are prevented from attending school and adults are unable to work as walking becomes unbearable because of a lack of shoes. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has collected and distributed more than 26 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world and all 50 states in the U.S.
“I fully espouse the Soles4Souls philosophy that ‘a new pair of shoes provides relief today so thousands can succeed tomorrow,’” said Brandon, a soon-to-be father of a baby girl. “We are honored to be involved with this humanitarian organization that has been able to grow relationships all across the Gulf Coast and empowers future generations.”
Brandon also gave thanks to Capree House at the NALA, an organization that works with local businesses on charity drives, among other things, for her help with getting the word out. “Capree has gone above and beyond to help,” said Brandon.
To donate shoes or clothing, visit Brandon Shreves State Farm, an official Soles4Souls drop-off location, at 4308 Midmost Drive, Mobile, AL, 36609. For more information about getting involved with Soles4Souls, visit https://soles4souls.org/get-involved/.
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a global social enterprise dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributes those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified microenterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.
About Brandon Shreves State Farm
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Brandon Shreves is a third-generation State Farm Family member. He offers a variety of products and services, which include auto, home and property, life and health insurance, as well as banking products. He also offers a wide array of plans that can build cash back and cover financial service needs. For more information, please call (251) 219-7800.
About the NALA™
The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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Cheryl Kelly Marks 3 Decades with State Farm
Insurance agent Cheryl Kelly is proud to announce her thirtieth anniversary with State Farm, where she started in the communications department before transitioning into the role of agent.
Columbia, MO (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
“I have a degree in communications and wanted to be able to utilize it within a big company like State Farm,” said Cheryl. “It was also important that the company was strong and reputable and that I would have opportunities to grow within that company, and State Farm was a perfect fit.”
In addition to celebrating her thirtieth year, Cheryl is celebrating additions to her team with some recently hired full-time employees. Cheryl’s State Farm agency, which she and her husband built and have been at since 1991, participate in team-bonding events every couple of months that allow team members to strengthen their relationships while giving back to the community.
“State Farm is one of those outstanding companies where you get to interact with families and build relationships in the community, while forging bonds with your coworkers” said Cheryl, a member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. “It feels good to still be here after thirty years and still be in the relationship business.”
Cheryl’s State Farm Agency is more than just home and auto, offering all types of insurance. Cheryl has embraced all of the State Farm changes and looks forward to learning the new products that the company introduces for years to come.
About Cheryl Kelly, State Farm
In addition to auto and home/property insurance, Cheryl Kelly offers life and health insurance, banking products, annuities and mutual funds. For more information, please call (573) 443-3000. The office is located at 3215 S. Providence Road, Columbia, MO 65203.
About the NALA™
The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
Columbia, MO (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
“I have a degree in communications and wanted to be able to utilize it within a big company like State Farm,” said Cheryl. “It was also important that the company was strong and reputable and that I would have opportunities to grow within that company, and State Farm was a perfect fit.”
In addition to celebrating her thirtieth year, Cheryl is celebrating additions to her team with some recently hired full-time employees. Cheryl’s State Farm agency, which she and her husband built and have been at since 1991, participate in team-bonding events every couple of months that allow team members to strengthen their relationships while giving back to the community.
“State Farm is one of those outstanding companies where you get to interact with families and build relationships in the community, while forging bonds with your coworkers” said Cheryl, a member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. “It feels good to still be here after thirty years and still be in the relationship business.”
Cheryl’s State Farm Agency is more than just home and auto, offering all types of insurance. Cheryl has embraced all of the State Farm changes and looks forward to learning the new products that the company introduces for years to come.
About Cheryl Kelly, State Farm
In addition to auto and home/property insurance, Cheryl Kelly offers life and health insurance, banking products, annuities and mutual funds. For more information, please call (573) 443-3000. The office is located at 3215 S. Providence Road, Columbia, MO 65203.
About the NALA™
The NALA offers local business owners new online advertising & small business marketing tools, great business benefits, education and money-saving programs, as well as a charity program. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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CSG Government Solutions’ Joe Mamlin Elected 2016 President of the National Child Support Enforcement Association
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that Joe Mamlin will serve as President Elect of the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) for 2015, and President for 2016.
Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that Joe Mamlin will serve as President Elect of the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) for 2015, and President for 2016.
Mr. Mamlin is a Principal in CSG’s Child Support practice and longtime member of NCSEA. He has worked in child support programs since 1992 and is a nationally recognized leader in the industry. Mr. Mamlin has led engagements for multiple state healthcare, human services, and child support programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and child care. He is a former State Child Support Director in Indiana.
“As an honorary life member of NCSEA and member of the Board of Directors, we are proud that Joe is able to continue his service to this important organization,” says Deneen Omer, Director of CSG’s Child Support practice. “Joe’s dedication to the program serves the organization and its members well.”
CSG Government Solutions continues to increase its presence across the United States. The company deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex program enterprises. CSG clients include 42 state governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments.
CONTACT:
Deneen Omer
Director, Human Services Practice
CSG Government Solutions
180 N. Stetson Ave
Suite 3200
Chicago, IL 60601
312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191
domer(at)csgdelivers(dot)com
About CSG Government Solutions:
CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm focused on helping states modernize critical program enterprises. Our highly experienced teams and industry-leading Centers of Excellence help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that Joe Mamlin will serve as President Elect of the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) for 2015, and President for 2016.
Mr. Mamlin is a Principal in CSG’s Child Support practice and longtime member of NCSEA. He has worked in child support programs since 1992 and is a nationally recognized leader in the industry. Mr. Mamlin has led engagements for multiple state healthcare, human services, and child support programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and child care. He is a former State Child Support Director in Indiana.
“As an honorary life member of NCSEA and member of the Board of Directors, we are proud that Joe is able to continue his service to this important organization,” says Deneen Omer, Director of CSG’s Child Support practice. “Joe’s dedication to the program serves the organization and its members well.”
CSG Government Solutions continues to increase its presence across the United States. The company deploys highly experienced teams and innovative methods, knowledge, and tools to help governments modernize complex program enterprises. CSG clients include 42 state governments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and large municipal governments.
CONTACT:
Deneen Omer
Director, Human Services Practice
CSG Government Solutions
180 N. Stetson Ave
Suite 3200
Chicago, IL 60601
312.444.2760 Fax: 312.938.2191
domer(at)csgdelivers(dot)com
About CSG Government Solutions:
CSG Government Solutions is a leading government operations consulting firm focused on helping states modernize critical program enterprises. Our highly experienced teams and industry-leading Centers of Excellence help governments leverage innovative technology and processes to meet the challenges of administering complex programs. Founded in 1997, CSG has established itself as a trusted adviser to government agencies across the U.S. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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Sorin Davis Discusses CAQH ProView Credentialing Solution In symplr Monthly Webcast Series
CAQH Expert Explains Features, Benefits, Functionality of Premiere Credentialing Solution
HOUSTON, TX (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
symplrTM, a leading provider of Software as a Service (SaaS) based healthcare compliance and credentialing solutions, today announced the upcoming webcast, “Taking Credentialing to New Heights and Beyond - CAQH ProView.” Part of the symplr Education Series focused on Provider Management and Payor Enrollment, the webcast will air on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET.
Used by more than 1.3 million healthcare providers, CAQH ProView continues to be the premier credentialing tool including more uses to help practice managers and providers save time with tasks requiring professional and practice information. During this webcast, CAQH expert and CIHQ Managing Director, Sorin Davis, will explain why now is the time for this forward-thinking solution and provide an update on features, benefits and functionality.
Davis will explain how the CAQH ProView database streamlines self-reported provider data collection for credentialing and other data requirements. He will also identify best practices to increase knowledge of CAQH ProView and share available resources to assist with using CAQH ProView. At the end of the webcast, there will be a live Q&A session.
“The availability and sharing of electronic data is driving a revolution in our nation’s healthcare system. Access to accurate and timely provider data is critical for success,” said Patrick Birmingham, Vice President and General Manager of symplr. “Sorin Davis will explain to attendees how CAQH ProView database increases efficiency and ensures patient safety during the credentialing process by eliminating the need for duplicate paperwork and also ensuring data is up-to-date and complete.”
To view archives of past webcasts in the symplr education webcast series, visit http://www.symplr.com/resources/webcasts.
About Sorin Davis
Sorin Davis is a Managing Director at CAQH. A non-profit alliance, CAQH is the leader in creating shared initiatives to streamline the business of healthcare. With more than 35 years of experience in health insurance, healthcare management, benefits administration, sales and marketing, Sorin has served the healthcare industry from many perspectives. During his tenure with CAQH, he was responsible for the national launch of the CAQH Universal Provider Datasource initiative. Previously, Sorin was executive vice president of MultiPlan, and CEO of its subsidiary, CareAway USA. He was director of labor sales and account management at Empire Blue Cross, and director of claims administration for the Amalgamated Life Insurance Company. Sorin holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University, specializing in health services management.
About symplr
Founded in 2006, symplr is an industry leader in compliance and credentialing Software as a Service solutions that help healthcare organizations mitigate risk and ensure compliance. symplr has a single mission: to make healthcare compliance and credentialing simpler for all constituents of the healthcare community. For more information or to contact symplr, visit http://www.symplr.com/ or (866) 373-9725. Reported by PRWeb 11 hours ago.
HOUSTON, TX (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
symplrTM, a leading provider of Software as a Service (SaaS) based healthcare compliance and credentialing solutions, today announced the upcoming webcast, “Taking Credentialing to New Heights and Beyond - CAQH ProView.” Part of the symplr Education Series focused on Provider Management and Payor Enrollment, the webcast will air on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET.
Used by more than 1.3 million healthcare providers, CAQH ProView continues to be the premier credentialing tool including more uses to help practice managers and providers save time with tasks requiring professional and practice information. During this webcast, CAQH expert and CIHQ Managing Director, Sorin Davis, will explain why now is the time for this forward-thinking solution and provide an update on features, benefits and functionality.
Davis will explain how the CAQH ProView database streamlines self-reported provider data collection for credentialing and other data requirements. He will also identify best practices to increase knowledge of CAQH ProView and share available resources to assist with using CAQH ProView. At the end of the webcast, there will be a live Q&A session.
“The availability and sharing of electronic data is driving a revolution in our nation’s healthcare system. Access to accurate and timely provider data is critical for success,” said Patrick Birmingham, Vice President and General Manager of symplr. “Sorin Davis will explain to attendees how CAQH ProView database increases efficiency and ensures patient safety during the credentialing process by eliminating the need for duplicate paperwork and also ensuring data is up-to-date and complete.”
To view archives of past webcasts in the symplr education webcast series, visit http://www.symplr.com/resources/webcasts.
About Sorin Davis
Sorin Davis is a Managing Director at CAQH. A non-profit alliance, CAQH is the leader in creating shared initiatives to streamline the business of healthcare. With more than 35 years of experience in health insurance, healthcare management, benefits administration, sales and marketing, Sorin has served the healthcare industry from many perspectives. During his tenure with CAQH, he was responsible for the national launch of the CAQH Universal Provider Datasource initiative. Previously, Sorin was executive vice president of MultiPlan, and CEO of its subsidiary, CareAway USA. He was director of labor sales and account management at Empire Blue Cross, and director of claims administration for the Amalgamated Life Insurance Company. Sorin holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University, specializing in health services management.
About symplr
Founded in 2006, symplr is an industry leader in compliance and credentialing Software as a Service solutions that help healthcare organizations mitigate risk and ensure compliance. symplr has a single mission: to make healthcare compliance and credentialing simpler for all constituents of the healthcare community. For more information or to contact symplr, visit http://www.symplr.com/ or (866) 373-9725. Reported by PRWeb 11 hours ago.
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Should the Cap on Social Security Payroll Taxes Be Lifted?
Should Higher-Income Employees Pay More?
The Social Security system has served to keep many elderly Americans out of poverty since its inception in 1935. It faces a looming funding crisis as the large Baby Boomer generation begins to retire. Our expanded life spans mean that fewer workers are supporting more retirees for a longer time.
The Social Security Trustees Report shows that the system is funded through 2035, at which time benefits will need to be cut by around 25 percent unless action is taken. The Disability Insurance component (DI), around 18 percent of Social Security spending, is projected to have its trust fund depleted as early as 2017. How do we handle the shortfall?
Many proposed solutions involve the benefits side by trimming benefits in some fashion. Pushing back the Full Retirement Age is one path that has been used before. Others suggest means testing for benefits based on income, crackdowns on system fraud, and other spending cuts. Of course, increasing income could also solve the problem.
Raising the Social Security tax rate across the board is probably a non-starter, but Social Security taxes as collected now are very different from income taxes: they are not progressive, and they have a cap on upper income.
Your Social Security payroll tax is split into two components, the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) component that covers what most people think of as Social Security, and the Health Insurance (HI) component that funds Medicare. The combined rate for both taxes is 7.65 percent for 2015, with 6.2 percent of that as OASDI and 1.45 percent as HI. (If you are self-employed, double that because you will also pay an employer's share).
However, the HI rate applies to all taxable income, while the Social Security tax applies to taxable income up to a cap level ($118,500 in 2015). The cap is adjusted slightly based on an average wage index formula.
Thus, not only are Social Security payroll taxes not scaled as income increases, they stop completely beyond a given level, making them quite regressive. Very high wage earners pay far less of their income in payroll taxes than lower wage earners do.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research notes that in 1983, the cap was set to cover 90 percent of all taxable wages. At the time, it was assumed that automatic cap adjustments would keep Social Security covering that same 90 percent. However, increased income inequality since that time means that the cap only covers around 84 percent of the available taxable wages. In 2014, raising the income cap to $180,000 would have restored the 90 percent mark and logically filled the income shortfall.
Not so fast, says the Heritage Foundation. They argue that raising payroll taxes would dramatically raise the marginal tax rate on the upper-middle class as well as the wealthy. For example, a married dual-earning couple bringing home $250,000 would have their marginal tax rate raised from 36.8 percent to almost 50 percent (citing a proposal at the time to increase the cap to $240,000). Ill effects would show up as smaller savings, lesser investment, and lower spending, creating an economic slowdown.
The Heritage Foundation makes another interesting point -- all studies assume that more money means that no new benefit programs would be created (questionable) and that the funds would not simply be used to borrow against for greater Congressional spending (highly unlikely). As it is, we must borrow to repay the IOU's Congress has left in the trust fund.
Ultimately, whether you think the cap should be raised or abandoned depends on how you feel about progressive or regressive taxation -- and most likely, how much money you make. Our biggest concern is how to keep the extra revenues from being absorbed and lost in an administrative shell game of increased spending that puts us right back in the same shortfall mess in the future.
More from MoneyTips.com
Social Security 101
80 Is the New 60
Social Security Statements 101
Photo ©iStock.com/Redgoldwing
-- 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 8 hours ago.
The Social Security system has served to keep many elderly Americans out of poverty since its inception in 1935. It faces a looming funding crisis as the large Baby Boomer generation begins to retire. Our expanded life spans mean that fewer workers are supporting more retirees for a longer time.
The Social Security Trustees Report shows that the system is funded through 2035, at which time benefits will need to be cut by around 25 percent unless action is taken. The Disability Insurance component (DI), around 18 percent of Social Security spending, is projected to have its trust fund depleted as early as 2017. How do we handle the shortfall?
Many proposed solutions involve the benefits side by trimming benefits in some fashion. Pushing back the Full Retirement Age is one path that has been used before. Others suggest means testing for benefits based on income, crackdowns on system fraud, and other spending cuts. Of course, increasing income could also solve the problem.
Raising the Social Security tax rate across the board is probably a non-starter, but Social Security taxes as collected now are very different from income taxes: they are not progressive, and they have a cap on upper income.
Your Social Security payroll tax is split into two components, the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) component that covers what most people think of as Social Security, and the Health Insurance (HI) component that funds Medicare. The combined rate for both taxes is 7.65 percent for 2015, with 6.2 percent of that as OASDI and 1.45 percent as HI. (If you are self-employed, double that because you will also pay an employer's share).
However, the HI rate applies to all taxable income, while the Social Security tax applies to taxable income up to a cap level ($118,500 in 2015). The cap is adjusted slightly based on an average wage index formula.
Thus, not only are Social Security payroll taxes not scaled as income increases, they stop completely beyond a given level, making them quite regressive. Very high wage earners pay far less of their income in payroll taxes than lower wage earners do.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research notes that in 1983, the cap was set to cover 90 percent of all taxable wages. At the time, it was assumed that automatic cap adjustments would keep Social Security covering that same 90 percent. However, increased income inequality since that time means that the cap only covers around 84 percent of the available taxable wages. In 2014, raising the income cap to $180,000 would have restored the 90 percent mark and logically filled the income shortfall.
Not so fast, says the Heritage Foundation. They argue that raising payroll taxes would dramatically raise the marginal tax rate on the upper-middle class as well as the wealthy. For example, a married dual-earning couple bringing home $250,000 would have their marginal tax rate raised from 36.8 percent to almost 50 percent (citing a proposal at the time to increase the cap to $240,000). Ill effects would show up as smaller savings, lesser investment, and lower spending, creating an economic slowdown.
The Heritage Foundation makes another interesting point -- all studies assume that more money means that no new benefit programs would be created (questionable) and that the funds would not simply be used to borrow against for greater Congressional spending (highly unlikely). As it is, we must borrow to repay the IOU's Congress has left in the trust fund.
Ultimately, whether you think the cap should be raised or abandoned depends on how you feel about progressive or regressive taxation -- and most likely, how much money you make. Our biggest concern is how to keep the extra revenues from being absorbed and lost in an administrative shell game of increased spending that puts us right back in the same shortfall mess in the future.
More from MoneyTips.com
Social Security 101
80 Is the New 60
Social Security Statements 101
Photo ©iStock.com/Redgoldwing
-- 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 8 hours ago.
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Health Republic closure impacts 12,000+ in WNY
More than 12,000 individuals in Western New York will be directly impacted by the state-directed closure of Health Republic of New York, the New York City-based health insurance co-operative. The company, which was in its second year of operation, had significant success across New York on the state’s online marketplace, the New York State of Health. That was true locally as well, with Health Republic capturing the largest share of enrollees among six participating plans for individuals, with…
Reported by bizjournals 8 hours ago.
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GOP To Launch New Assault On Obamacare, Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON -- Planned Parenthood and Obamacare are probably the two things the GOP hates most. House Republicans are targeting both this week with an obscure procedural move that could finally advance opposition bills to President Barack Obama's desk.
The procedure is called budget reconciliation, and legislation advanced that way cannot be filibustered in the Senate, is subject only to limited amendments and needs only simple majority votes to pass, according to House and Senate rules.
It would then be up to Obama to veto the measures, which he would be all but certain to do. But the process would move two cherished GOP goals through the Senate, pushing them further than they've ever gotten before.
“Obamacare remains as unpopular as ever, and this package gives us our best shot to put a repeal bill on the president’s desk," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who is leading the Obamacare attack and rolled out his plans Monday.
Congress set up the moves last spring when it passed a budget plan that included reconciliation provisions -- essentially instructions for various committees to draw up legislation targeting the Affordable Care Act and other unspecified issues. Senate committees are expected to take similar steps to those in the House.
Ryan's legislation targets the ACA by ordering the repeal of several key parts of the law, including the mandate for people to purchase health care, the cost-controlling Independent Payment Advisory Board, a tax on medical devices, and the so-called "Cadillac plan" tax on high-cost health insurance.The legislation cannot target all of the Affordable Care Act because reconciliation bills must be focused on taxes, spending or the debt limit, not on policy. But according to the Ways and Means Committee's assessment, "the repeal of these provisions would be a devastating blow to Obamacare."
The Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce are preparing legislation this week to repeal other parts of Obamacare.
It is the Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), that is drawing up the bill to defund Planned Parenthood.
"We also will take steps to protect taxpayer dollars from programs and organizations that do not live up to the standards and priorities of the American people," Upton said in a statement announcing his plans. "As this committee continues to investigate Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, the flow of taxpayer dollars should end."
Republicans have ratcheted up their efforts against Planned Parenthood ever since the emergence of heavily edited sting videos that purport to show the health care provider scheming to profit from selling fetus parts. That claim has been debunked, but lawmakers have seized upon it, even trying to link it to funding for the federal government.
Obama could be forced to uncap his veto pen as soon as October.
Michael McAuliff covers Congress and politics for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.
-- 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 4 hours ago.
The procedure is called budget reconciliation, and legislation advanced that way cannot be filibustered in the Senate, is subject only to limited amendments and needs only simple majority votes to pass, according to House and Senate rules.
It would then be up to Obama to veto the measures, which he would be all but certain to do. But the process would move two cherished GOP goals through the Senate, pushing them further than they've ever gotten before.
“Obamacare remains as unpopular as ever, and this package gives us our best shot to put a repeal bill on the president’s desk," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who is leading the Obamacare attack and rolled out his plans Monday.
Congress set up the moves last spring when it passed a budget plan that included reconciliation provisions -- essentially instructions for various committees to draw up legislation targeting the Affordable Care Act and other unspecified issues. Senate committees are expected to take similar steps to those in the House.
Ryan's legislation targets the ACA by ordering the repeal of several key parts of the law, including the mandate for people to purchase health care, the cost-controlling Independent Payment Advisory Board, a tax on medical devices, and the so-called "Cadillac plan" tax on high-cost health insurance.The legislation cannot target all of the Affordable Care Act because reconciliation bills must be focused on taxes, spending or the debt limit, not on policy. But according to the Ways and Means Committee's assessment, "the repeal of these provisions would be a devastating blow to Obamacare."
The Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce are preparing legislation this week to repeal other parts of Obamacare.
It is the Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), that is drawing up the bill to defund Planned Parenthood.
"We also will take steps to protect taxpayer dollars from programs and organizations that do not live up to the standards and priorities of the American people," Upton said in a statement announcing his plans. "As this committee continues to investigate Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, the flow of taxpayer dollars should end."
Republicans have ratcheted up their efforts against Planned Parenthood ever since the emergence of heavily edited sting videos that purport to show the health care provider scheming to profit from selling fetus parts. That claim has been debunked, but lawmakers have seized upon it, even trying to link it to funding for the federal government.
Obama could be forced to uncap his veto pen as soon as October.
Michael McAuliff covers Congress and politics for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.
-- 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 4 hours ago.
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AliusDoc’s AD-MedClaims Advanced OCR Capture Solution is Ready for ICD-10
AD-MedClaims, AliusDoc’s advanced capture solution for capturing medical claims, has been upgraded to handle ICD-10 requirements. The upgrade was implemented so that clients are able to seamlessly handle a mix of claims in old and new formats in one workflow without needing to switch between different versions.
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
Health insurance companies and their contracted BPOs have diligently worked to identify, plan and implement changes to their systems and processes for the upcoming switchover to ICD-10 coding. “With our clients handling multiple system upgrades, AliusDoc’s AD-MedClaims was designed to ease their overall burden during the process by handling all of the possible different claim versions. The solution’s market-leading throughput and accuracy also means that any temporary increases or backlogs of claims associated with testing and switching to new systems can be handled with the minimum amount of human resources.” noted Rich Caproni, Director of Strategy and Business Development for AliusDoc.
“The latest version of AD-MedClaims delivers the same advantages for processing incoming medical claims such as market-leading throughput and accuracy for all formats. Additional enhancements include more features to enable BPOs to efficiently and intelligently support multiple customers, with differing needs, decreasing costs and increasing competitiveness,” stated Fatali Karimi, CEO of AliusDoc.
The solution adds additional efficiency and accuracy when capturing from photocopies and faxes, as well as the usual dropout forms. “The solution can be installed on-site or within our clients’ cloud-based solution, easily integrates into existing workflows, and requires no other software (i.e., SharePoint or other specific database), noted Paul Traite, CTO. “AliusDoc’s industry veterans also offer the necessary expertise and specific modules to replace widely-used older, end-of-life claims capture products, such as EMC/Captiva’s ClaimPack™.”
“AD-MedClaims has been specifically created and priced for the insurance company and BPO market. Flexible pricing options are offered to fit different capital cash flow needs and can deliver almost immediate savings.
About AliusDoc, LLC
AliusDoc provides document imaging solutions, data capture and I/OCR technologies. AliusDoc possesses extensive knowledge of forms processing applications within the horizontal marketplace as well as specific vertical application expertise within the healthcare, financial, and government sectors. AD-MedClaims is built on top of AliusDoc’s AD-SCI™ advanced data capture product platform, which can be configured to tackle any capture challenge. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
Health insurance companies and their contracted BPOs have diligently worked to identify, plan and implement changes to their systems and processes for the upcoming switchover to ICD-10 coding. “With our clients handling multiple system upgrades, AliusDoc’s AD-MedClaims was designed to ease their overall burden during the process by handling all of the possible different claim versions. The solution’s market-leading throughput and accuracy also means that any temporary increases or backlogs of claims associated with testing and switching to new systems can be handled with the minimum amount of human resources.” noted Rich Caproni, Director of Strategy and Business Development for AliusDoc.
“The latest version of AD-MedClaims delivers the same advantages for processing incoming medical claims such as market-leading throughput and accuracy for all formats. Additional enhancements include more features to enable BPOs to efficiently and intelligently support multiple customers, with differing needs, decreasing costs and increasing competitiveness,” stated Fatali Karimi, CEO of AliusDoc.
The solution adds additional efficiency and accuracy when capturing from photocopies and faxes, as well as the usual dropout forms. “The solution can be installed on-site or within our clients’ cloud-based solution, easily integrates into existing workflows, and requires no other software (i.e., SharePoint or other specific database), noted Paul Traite, CTO. “AliusDoc’s industry veterans also offer the necessary expertise and specific modules to replace widely-used older, end-of-life claims capture products, such as EMC/Captiva’s ClaimPack™.”
“AD-MedClaims has been specifically created and priced for the insurance company and BPO market. Flexible pricing options are offered to fit different capital cash flow needs and can deliver almost immediate savings.
About AliusDoc, LLC
AliusDoc provides document imaging solutions, data capture and I/OCR technologies. AliusDoc possesses extensive knowledge of forms processing applications within the horizontal marketplace as well as specific vertical application expertise within the healthcare, financial, and government sectors. AD-MedClaims is built on top of AliusDoc’s AD-SCI™ advanced data capture product platform, which can be configured to tackle any capture challenge. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
↧
↧
What We Learned About Trump's Proposed Obamacare Replacement On '60 Minutes'
WASHINGTON -- Businessman and presidential candidate Donald Trump appeared on CBS News' "60 Minutes" Sunday night and offered some thoughts about Obama.
Previously, Trump had said little about his Obamacare replacement plan other than that it would be "something terrific," and that hospitals and insurance companies would be involved in some way. He had an opportunity to elaborate during this exchange with correspondent Scott Pelley:
Scott Pelley: What's your plan for Obamacare?
Donald Trump: Obamacare's going to be repealed and replaced. Obamacare is a disaster if you look at what's going on with premiums where they're up 45, 50, 55 percent.
Scott Pelley: How do you fix it?
Donald Trump: There's many different ways, by the way. Everybody's got to be covered. This is an un-Republican thing for me to say because a lot of times they say, "No, no, the lower 25 percent that can't afford private. But--"
Scott Pelley: Universal health care.
Donald Trump: I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now.
Scott Pelley: The uninsured person is going to be taken care of. How? How?
Donald Trump: They're going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably--
Scott Pelley: Make a deal? Who pays for it?
Donald Trump: --the government's gonna pay for it. But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most part it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.
So what can we glean about how Trump would manage the American health care system if he was president? Virtually nothing, because the above is gibberish.
Let's ignore Trump's gross exaggeration of what's happening to health insurance premiums and the fact that the insurance regime he's describing sounds an awful lot like the Affordable Care Act's exchanges, and try to consider what he's proposing to do.
Trump -- who is so all over the place on health care that he's slammed Obamacare as government overreach while praising single-payer systems in other countries -- is saying he can provide universal coverage and unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals for less money than we spend now. "Everything" for "everybody," as Trump puts it.
In this presidential field, Trump's supposed role is the non-politician in room, but making promises that are impossible to keep seems like a very politician-y thing to do. -- 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 4 hours ago.
Previously, Trump had said little about his Obamacare replacement plan other than that it would be "something terrific," and that hospitals and insurance companies would be involved in some way. He had an opportunity to elaborate during this exchange with correspondent Scott Pelley:
Scott Pelley: What's your plan for Obamacare?
Donald Trump: Obamacare's going to be repealed and replaced. Obamacare is a disaster if you look at what's going on with premiums where they're up 45, 50, 55 percent.
Scott Pelley: How do you fix it?
Donald Trump: There's many different ways, by the way. Everybody's got to be covered. This is an un-Republican thing for me to say because a lot of times they say, "No, no, the lower 25 percent that can't afford private. But--"
Scott Pelley: Universal health care.
Donald Trump: I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now.
Scott Pelley: The uninsured person is going to be taken care of. How? How?
Donald Trump: They're going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably--
Scott Pelley: Make a deal? Who pays for it?
Donald Trump: --the government's gonna pay for it. But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most part it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.
So what can we glean about how Trump would manage the American health care system if he was president? Virtually nothing, because the above is gibberish.
Let's ignore Trump's gross exaggeration of what's happening to health insurance premiums and the fact that the insurance regime he's describing sounds an awful lot like the Affordable Care Act's exchanges, and try to consider what he's proposing to do.
Trump -- who is so all over the place on health care that he's slammed Obamacare as government overreach while praising single-payer systems in other countries -- is saying he can provide universal coverage and unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals for less money than we spend now. "Everything" for "everybody," as Trump puts it.
In this presidential field, Trump's supposed role is the non-politician in room, but making promises that are impossible to keep seems like a very politician-y thing to do. -- 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 4 hours ago.
↧
New Study in AAAAI Journal JACI Asks: Can Allergy Immunotherapy Prevent Asthma?
Dresden study shows significantly lower rates of asthma in immunotherapy patients
Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
Researchers in Dresden, Germany, have demonstrated that allergy immunotherapy can effectively prevent asthma in patients with allergic rhinitis in a realistic setting.
Doctors reviewed routine healthcare data from German National Health Insurance beneficiaries which helped them identify a cohort of about 118,754 patients who chronically suffered from allergy symptoms but did not have asthma. This means they had not been previously diagnosed with asthma, did not have documented physician contacts due to asthma symptoms and did not have prescriptions filled for corticosteroids. They used this information to track new appearances of asthma between 2007-2012 and compared patients who had been treated with immunotherapy against those who had never been exposed to immunotherapy.
“Counts and percentages were calculated for each confounding, outcome and exposure variable,” Jochen Schmitt, MD, MPH, said. “We discovered that allergy immunotherapy being used in routine clinical care effectively prevents the onset of asthma. Most pronounced preventive effects were observed for subcutaneous immunotherapy, immunotherapy containing native allergens, and immunotherapy administered for at least three years.”
Patients with allergic rhinitis are at increased risk for the development of asthma. Allergy immunotherapy is one method of treating allergic rhinitis and it’s recognized in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration in two forms. The first is subcutaneous immunotherapy or allergy shots. The second is sublingual immunotherapy or allergy tablets. Both are forms of long-term treatment that decrease symptoms for many people with allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, conjunctivitis (eye allergy) or stinging insect allergy. They work to decrease sensitivity to allergens and often lead to lasting relief of allergy symptoms, even after treatment has ended.
In total, 2,431 patients had been exposed to allergy immunotherapy (2% of the cohort). The risk of incident asthma was significantly lower in these patients – only 33 out of 1,646 patients who had a new diagnosis of asthma were exposed to immunotherapy. Patients with asthma also received, on average, higher doses of antihistamines and had more physician contact due to allergic rhinitis or allergy symptoms.
“In patients with allergic rhinitis, allergy immunotherapy should be considered to prevent asthma. By reducing the primary risks for developing asthma, we can directly address and improve the burden of the disease for the patients and present significant cost savings for the healthcare system,” Schmitt concluded.
More information on asthma and immunotherapy is available at the AAAAI website. This study was accepted in September and currently appears as an article in press in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The AAAAI represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,800 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.
### Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) September 28, 2015
Researchers in Dresden, Germany, have demonstrated that allergy immunotherapy can effectively prevent asthma in patients with allergic rhinitis in a realistic setting.
Doctors reviewed routine healthcare data from German National Health Insurance beneficiaries which helped them identify a cohort of about 118,754 patients who chronically suffered from allergy symptoms but did not have asthma. This means they had not been previously diagnosed with asthma, did not have documented physician contacts due to asthma symptoms and did not have prescriptions filled for corticosteroids. They used this information to track new appearances of asthma between 2007-2012 and compared patients who had been treated with immunotherapy against those who had never been exposed to immunotherapy.
“Counts and percentages were calculated for each confounding, outcome and exposure variable,” Jochen Schmitt, MD, MPH, said. “We discovered that allergy immunotherapy being used in routine clinical care effectively prevents the onset of asthma. Most pronounced preventive effects were observed for subcutaneous immunotherapy, immunotherapy containing native allergens, and immunotherapy administered for at least three years.”
Patients with allergic rhinitis are at increased risk for the development of asthma. Allergy immunotherapy is one method of treating allergic rhinitis and it’s recognized in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration in two forms. The first is subcutaneous immunotherapy or allergy shots. The second is sublingual immunotherapy or allergy tablets. Both are forms of long-term treatment that decrease symptoms for many people with allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, conjunctivitis (eye allergy) or stinging insect allergy. They work to decrease sensitivity to allergens and often lead to lasting relief of allergy symptoms, even after treatment has ended.
In total, 2,431 patients had been exposed to allergy immunotherapy (2% of the cohort). The risk of incident asthma was significantly lower in these patients – only 33 out of 1,646 patients who had a new diagnosis of asthma were exposed to immunotherapy. Patients with asthma also received, on average, higher doses of antihistamines and had more physician contact due to allergic rhinitis or allergy symptoms.
“In patients with allergic rhinitis, allergy immunotherapy should be considered to prevent asthma. By reducing the primary risks for developing asthma, we can directly address and improve the burden of the disease for the patients and present significant cost savings for the healthcare system,” Schmitt concluded.
More information on asthma and immunotherapy is available at the AAAAI website. This study was accepted in September and currently appears as an article in press in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The AAAAI represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,800 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.
### Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.
↧
HUFFPOST HILL - Obama, Vladimir Putin Their Differences Assad
Steve Scalise is in a competitive race to be majority leader, though we had kind of thought "race" wasn't his thing. Donald Trump unveiled his tax policy, and it turns out he wants to build a huge wall around rich people's inheritances. And reporters couldn't tell if President Obama clinked glasses with Vladimir Putin at the U.N., but Obama looked no worse for the wear after the shirtless fistfight we assume occurred backstage. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, September 28th, 2015:
*KEVIN MCCARTHY'S SPEAKER PITCH: YOU + ME = LATE NIGHTS ON THE FLOOR* - He made it official today via email to members: "You all know me. *We’ve spent late nights on the House Floor together*. I’ve visited your districts and met your families and constituents. More importantly, I have gotten to know your ideas, your goals, and your vision for our conference and our country."
*WHO ELSE WANTS THIS AWFUL JOB?* Laura Barron-Lopez: "So far, only one other member has announced a run for the post. Over the weekend, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), a member of the conservative faction, said he would run for speaker. *Webster could make it more difficult for McCarthy to garner the 218 needed to win the spot if he woos the House Freedom Caucus*. Members of the conservative caucus said on Sunday that they will hold one-on-one meetings with people running for speaker and other leadership posts that could become open during the shuffle." [HuffPost]
Hillary Clinton said something mean about the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
*PAUL RYAN THINKS THE PRICE IS RIGHT* - Jake Sherman: "House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan is *throwing his weight behind Rep. Tom Price for majority leader*, a significant boost for the Georgia Republican, and a blow to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and others who are vying for the spot. Price is quickly gathering a good deal of conservative support for his bid for the No. 2 House GOP leadership slot. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) also endorsed Price Monday. 'Tom Price is a committed conservative and a good friend,' Ryan said in a statement." [Politico]
*CARLY FIORINA AGREES WITH TORTURING SOME FOLKS* - Michael Isikoff: "Positioning herself as a steely advocate of aggressive counterterrorism programs, Republican presidential candidate *Carly Fiorina offered a vigorous defense of CIA waterboarding as a tactic that helped 'keep our nation safe' in the aftermath of 9/11*. 'I believe that all of the evidence is very clear -- that waterboarding was used in a very small handful of cases [and] was supervised by medical personnel in every one of those cases,' Fiorina told Yahoo News. 'And I also believe that waterboarding was used when there was no other way to get information that was necessary.' *A Senate report last year portrayed waterboarding as 'near drownings' that were tantamount to torture* and concluded that the agency’s often brutal interrogations produced little actionable intelligence." [Yahoo]
*DELANEY DOWNER* - Robert Macdonald is the mayor of Lewiston, Maine, and he wants *everyone to know who's on welfare and where they live*. In a column for a local paper last week, the mayor of Maine's second-largest city proposed an online registry of welfare recipients. He said he would submit legislation to the Maine State Legislature '*asking that a website be created containing the names, addresses*, length of time on assistance and the benefits being collected by every individual on the dole." [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
*OBAMA MAKES NICE WITH PUTIN* - Reuters: "The United States is willing to work with Iran and Russia to try to end the Syrian conflict, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday but insisted there could not be a return to the status quo under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, Obama described Assad as a tyrant and as the chief culprit behind the four-year civil war in which at least 200,000 people have died and millions have been driven from their homes internally or abroad as refugees. '*The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict*,' Obama said at the annual gathering of world leaders. 'But we must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo.' In voicing a willingness to deal with Iran and Russia, both staunch backers of Assad, Obama was openly acknowledging their influence in Syria and swallowing a somewhat bitter pill for the United States." [Reuters]
*From the pool report:* Obama and Putin shook hands. But there is *some debate in the pool whether the two clinked wine glasses*, as our view was briefly blocked. Following Mr. Obama's toast, which ended with the remark, '...and may we never abandon the pursuit of peace,' the two did not clink glasses, although Mr. Obama did clink glasses with several other table mates."
*BIDEN WEIGHING EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK INTO MICROPHONE* - Vice President Joe Biden, who is not actually running for president, is welcome at the first Democratic debate on CNN, the network says. Jose A. DelReal: "The news organization's apparent message to Biden: despite the fact that he remains publicly uncommitted to launching a 2016 presidential run, it will keep a spot open for him." [WashPost]
*REVOLVING DOOR SPINARAMA* - Megan Wilson: "Matt Kellogg, a lobbyist for an oil and gas industry group, is heading to work for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday. Kellogg, who has *served as the general counsel for the Independent Petroleum Association of America* (IPAA) since 2011, will be working on finance and energy issues for the GOP leader…. He previously served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and assisted with tax policy and energy tax issues" [The Hill]
*SUPREME COURT POISED TO PISS OFF HALF OF AMERICA AGAIN SOON* - Surely there's some kind of heinous ruling John Roberts could issue that would win back the hearts of conservatives still angry about poor people having health insurance. Lawrence Hurley: "The U.S. Supreme Court's nine justices meet behind closed doors on Monday ahead of the Oct. 5 beginning of their new term to consider cases to add to a calendar that already includes significant cases on affirmative action and labor unions." [Reuters]
What a fun time to take over as the drug industry's main mouthpiece!
*WOULD YOU BELIEVE DONALD TRUMP HAS A GREAT -- NAY, THE GREATEST TAX PLAN?* - Heather Haddon: "Donald Trump boasted Monday that his newly unveiled tax plan could supercharge the U.S. economy, *pushing annual economic growth as high as 6%*, as he upped the ante with Republican presidential rivals over the growth benefits from their competing proposals. The comments came at an event Monday at Trump Tower, where Mr. Trump unveiled aplan that would eliminate income taxes for millions of lower-income households and cut the tax rate on businesses." Wow, how did he come up with 6 percent growth? It's almost as if he took Jeb Bush's 4 percent and added 2 percent. [WSJ]
Of course Trump's plan abolishes the estate tax.
*TURNS OUT 'SOMETHING TERRIFIC' WAS A LOT OF DETAIL* - Donald Trump said...well, something about replacing Obamacare on "60 Minutes" last night. Jeffrey Young: "Trump -- who is so all over the place on health care that he's slammed Obamacare as government overreach while praising single-payer systems in other countries -- is saying *he can provide universal coverage and unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals for less money than we spend now*." [HuffPost]
*BRO, IF YOU HAVE TO SAY SO…* - Rand Paul would like you to know that he's definitely not floundering and squandering whatever meager chance he ever had to be president. No, that is definitely not happening at all, Rand Paul says. Mark Hensch: "'By no means am I finished,' he told host Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s 'New Day.' 'I’m just getting started.'" Okay cool. [The Hill]
*MARCO RUBIO HAS MOMENT OF CLARITY* - Will America join him? Mark Hensch: "Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in an interview broadcast early Monday that he wants no part of fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s media circus. 'I’m not interested in the back-and-forth -- to be a member or part of his freak show,' Rubio told host Steve Inskeep on NPR’s 'Morning Edition.'" [The Hill]
*THE HUCKABEE BOOMLET STORIES ARE HERE!!* - Maybe Mike Huckabee really has a chan-- no, sorry. We just can't. James Hohmann: "The Republican could be a serious force on March 1 in the so-called SEC Primary, named after the collegiate Southeastern Conference." [WashPost]
*BIG DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AWFUL STORY ABOUT DENNY HASTERT* - Lawyers for former Speaker of the House reportedly are working on a plea deal with prosecutors in the case, which stems from Hastert allegedly paying off someone to hide his alleged sexual misconduct with students when he was a high school wrestling coach. [Chicago Tribune]
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - In case you missed it, they found liquid water on Mars.
*PCCC'S 'WARREN WING' CANDIDATES* - The Progressive Change Campaign Committee likes *Joseline Peña-Melnyk (MD-4), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), and Susannah Randolph (FL-9)*: "They are proven progressive champs in their home states who are campaigning on big ideas like expanding Social Security, debt-free college, a $15 minimum wage, automatic voter registration at age 18, campaign finance reform, police reform, Wall Street reform, and criminal accountability when corporate executives break the law."
*COMFORT FOOD*
- Lunar eclipse pics.
- Shep Smith had an amusing take on today's Facebook outtage.
- Bob Ross once did an all-grey painting.
*TWITTERAMA*
@laurenduca: If Twitter disappeared tomorrow what would your life be worth? Trick question, the answer is NOTHING EITHER WAY
@petridishes: psssh wake me when there's bourbon on Mars
@jackshafer: Keep your eyes peeled for beat-sweeteners as GOP members queue for the speaker job.
*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 2 hours ago.
*KEVIN MCCARTHY'S SPEAKER PITCH: YOU + ME = LATE NIGHTS ON THE FLOOR* - He made it official today via email to members: "You all know me. *We’ve spent late nights on the House Floor together*. I’ve visited your districts and met your families and constituents. More importantly, I have gotten to know your ideas, your goals, and your vision for our conference and our country."
*WHO ELSE WANTS THIS AWFUL JOB?* Laura Barron-Lopez: "So far, only one other member has announced a run for the post. Over the weekend, Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), a member of the conservative faction, said he would run for speaker. *Webster could make it more difficult for McCarthy to garner the 218 needed to win the spot if he woos the House Freedom Caucus*. Members of the conservative caucus said on Sunday that they will hold one-on-one meetings with people running for speaker and other leadership posts that could become open during the shuffle." [HuffPost]
Hillary Clinton said something mean about the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
*PAUL RYAN THINKS THE PRICE IS RIGHT* - Jake Sherman: "House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan is *throwing his weight behind Rep. Tom Price for majority leader*, a significant boost for the Georgia Republican, and a blow to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and others who are vying for the spot. Price is quickly gathering a good deal of conservative support for his bid for the No. 2 House GOP leadership slot. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) also endorsed Price Monday. 'Tom Price is a committed conservative and a good friend,' Ryan said in a statement." [Politico]
*CARLY FIORINA AGREES WITH TORTURING SOME FOLKS* - Michael Isikoff: "Positioning herself as a steely advocate of aggressive counterterrorism programs, Republican presidential candidate *Carly Fiorina offered a vigorous defense of CIA waterboarding as a tactic that helped 'keep our nation safe' in the aftermath of 9/11*. 'I believe that all of the evidence is very clear -- that waterboarding was used in a very small handful of cases [and] was supervised by medical personnel in every one of those cases,' Fiorina told Yahoo News. 'And I also believe that waterboarding was used when there was no other way to get information that was necessary.' *A Senate report last year portrayed waterboarding as 'near drownings' that were tantamount to torture* and concluded that the agency’s often brutal interrogations produced little actionable intelligence." [Yahoo]
*DELANEY DOWNER* - Robert Macdonald is the mayor of Lewiston, Maine, and he wants *everyone to know who's on welfare and where they live*. In a column for a local paper last week, the mayor of Maine's second-largest city proposed an online registry of welfare recipients. He said he would submit legislation to the Maine State Legislature '*asking that a website be created containing the names, addresses*, length of time on assistance and the benefits being collected by every individual on the dole." [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
*OBAMA MAKES NICE WITH PUTIN* - Reuters: "The United States is willing to work with Iran and Russia to try to end the Syrian conflict, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday but insisted there could not be a return to the status quo under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, Obama described Assad as a tyrant and as the chief culprit behind the four-year civil war in which at least 200,000 people have died and millions have been driven from their homes internally or abroad as refugees. '*The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict*,' Obama said at the annual gathering of world leaders. 'But we must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo.' In voicing a willingness to deal with Iran and Russia, both staunch backers of Assad, Obama was openly acknowledging their influence in Syria and swallowing a somewhat bitter pill for the United States." [Reuters]
*From the pool report:* Obama and Putin shook hands. But there is *some debate in the pool whether the two clinked wine glasses*, as our view was briefly blocked. Following Mr. Obama's toast, which ended with the remark, '...and may we never abandon the pursuit of peace,' the two did not clink glasses, although Mr. Obama did clink glasses with several other table mates."
*BIDEN WEIGHING EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK INTO MICROPHONE* - Vice President Joe Biden, who is not actually running for president, is welcome at the first Democratic debate on CNN, the network says. Jose A. DelReal: "The news organization's apparent message to Biden: despite the fact that he remains publicly uncommitted to launching a 2016 presidential run, it will keep a spot open for him." [WashPost]
*REVOLVING DOOR SPINARAMA* - Megan Wilson: "Matt Kellogg, a lobbyist for an oil and gas industry group, is heading to work for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday. Kellogg, who has *served as the general counsel for the Independent Petroleum Association of America* (IPAA) since 2011, will be working on finance and energy issues for the GOP leader…. He previously served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and assisted with tax policy and energy tax issues" [The Hill]
*SUPREME COURT POISED TO PISS OFF HALF OF AMERICA AGAIN SOON* - Surely there's some kind of heinous ruling John Roberts could issue that would win back the hearts of conservatives still angry about poor people having health insurance. Lawrence Hurley: "The U.S. Supreme Court's nine justices meet behind closed doors on Monday ahead of the Oct. 5 beginning of their new term to consider cases to add to a calendar that already includes significant cases on affirmative action and labor unions." [Reuters]
What a fun time to take over as the drug industry's main mouthpiece!
*WOULD YOU BELIEVE DONALD TRUMP HAS A GREAT -- NAY, THE GREATEST TAX PLAN?* - Heather Haddon: "Donald Trump boasted Monday that his newly unveiled tax plan could supercharge the U.S. economy, *pushing annual economic growth as high as 6%*, as he upped the ante with Republican presidential rivals over the growth benefits from their competing proposals. The comments came at an event Monday at Trump Tower, where Mr. Trump unveiled aplan that would eliminate income taxes for millions of lower-income households and cut the tax rate on businesses." Wow, how did he come up with 6 percent growth? It's almost as if he took Jeb Bush's 4 percent and added 2 percent. [WSJ]
Of course Trump's plan abolishes the estate tax.
*TURNS OUT 'SOMETHING TERRIFIC' WAS A LOT OF DETAIL* - Donald Trump said...well, something about replacing Obamacare on "60 Minutes" last night. Jeffrey Young: "Trump -- who is so all over the place on health care that he's slammed Obamacare as government overreach while praising single-payer systems in other countries -- is saying *he can provide universal coverage and unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals for less money than we spend now*." [HuffPost]
*BRO, IF YOU HAVE TO SAY SO…* - Rand Paul would like you to know that he's definitely not floundering and squandering whatever meager chance he ever had to be president. No, that is definitely not happening at all, Rand Paul says. Mark Hensch: "'By no means am I finished,' he told host Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s 'New Day.' 'I’m just getting started.'" Okay cool. [The Hill]
*MARCO RUBIO HAS MOMENT OF CLARITY* - Will America join him? Mark Hensch: "Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in an interview broadcast early Monday that he wants no part of fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s media circus. 'I’m not interested in the back-and-forth -- to be a member or part of his freak show,' Rubio told host Steve Inskeep on NPR’s 'Morning Edition.'" [The Hill]
*THE HUCKABEE BOOMLET STORIES ARE HERE!!* - Maybe Mike Huckabee really has a chan-- no, sorry. We just can't. James Hohmann: "The Republican could be a serious force on March 1 in the so-called SEC Primary, named after the collegiate Southeastern Conference." [WashPost]
*BIG DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AWFUL STORY ABOUT DENNY HASTERT* - Lawyers for former Speaker of the House reportedly are working on a plea deal with prosecutors in the case, which stems from Hastert allegedly paying off someone to hide his alleged sexual misconduct with students when he was a high school wrestling coach. [Chicago Tribune]
*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - In case you missed it, they found liquid water on Mars.
*PCCC'S 'WARREN WING' CANDIDATES* - The Progressive Change Campaign Committee likes *Joseline Peña-Melnyk (MD-4), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), and Susannah Randolph (FL-9)*: "They are proven progressive champs in their home states who are campaigning on big ideas like expanding Social Security, debt-free college, a $15 minimum wage, automatic voter registration at age 18, campaign finance reform, police reform, Wall Street reform, and criminal accountability when corporate executives break the law."
*COMFORT FOOD*
- Lunar eclipse pics.
- Shep Smith had an amusing take on today's Facebook outtage.
- Bob Ross once did an all-grey painting.
*TWITTERAMA*
@laurenduca: If Twitter disappeared tomorrow what would your life be worth? Trick question, the answer is NOTHING EITHER WAY
@petridishes: psssh wake me when there's bourbon on Mars
@jackshafer: Keep your eyes peeled for beat-sweeteners as GOP members queue for the speaker job.
*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 2 hours ago.
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Fourth Turning: Crisis Of Trust, Part 3
Submitted by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog,In *Part 1* of this article I discussed the catalyst spark which ignited this *Fourth Turning* and the seemingly delayed regeneracy. In *Part 2* I pondered possible Grey Champion prophet generation leaders who could arise during the regeneracy. In Part 3 I will focus on the economic channel of distress which is likely to be the primary driving force in the next phase of this Crisis.
*There are very few people left on this earth who lived through the last Fourth Turning (1929 – 1946). The passing of older generations is a key component in the recurring cycles which propel the world through the seemingly chaotic episodes that paint portraits on the canvas of history. *The current alignment of generations is driving this Crisis and will continue to give impetus to the future direction of this *Fourth Turning*. The alignment during a *Fourth Turning* is always the same: Old Artists (Silent) die, Prophets (Boomers) enter elderhood, Nomads (Gen X) enter midlife, Heroes (Millennials) enter young adulthood—and a new generation of child Artists (Gen Y) is born. This is an era in which America’s institutional life is torn down and rebuilt from the ground up—always in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s very survival.
For those who understand the theory, there is the potential for impatience and anticipating dire circumstances before the mood of the country turns in response to the 2^nd or 3^rd perilous incident after the initial catalyst. Neil Howe anticipates the climax of this Crisis arriving in the 2022 to 2025 time frame, with the final resolution happening between 2026 and 2029. Any acceleration in these time frames would likely be catastrophic, bloody, and possibly tragic for mankind. *As presented by Strauss and Howe, this Crisis will continue to be driven by the core elements of debt, civic decay, and global disorder, with the volcanic eruption traveling along channels of distress and aggravating problems ignored, neglected, or denied for the last thirty years. Let’s examine the channels of distress which will surely sway the direction of this Crisis.*
*Channels of Distress*
“In retrospect, the spark might seem as ominous as a financial crash, as ordinary as a national election, or as trivial as a Tea Party. The catalyst will unfold according to a basic Crisis dynamic that underlies all of these scenarios: An initial spark will trigger a chain reaction of unyielding responses and further emergencies. The core elements of these scenarios (debt, civic decay, global disorder) will matter more than the details, which the catalyst will juxtapose and connect in some unknowable way. If foreign societies are also entering a Fourth Turning, this could accelerate the chain reaction. At home and abroad, these events will reflect the tearing of the civic fabric at points of extreme vulnerability – problem areas where America will have neglected, denied, or delayed needed action.” – *The Fourth Turning** – Strauss & Howe *
-Economic distress-
*Despite incessant corporate fascist propaganda, disguised as positive government economic data, the economic distress for the majority of Americans and majority of the world is soul crushing.* The nine charts in the visual below demolish any happy talk about a recovering economy and return to normalcy. They portray a crisis level economic condition. The financial stress on average American families is at punishing levels, masked by the prodigious amount of debt doled out by the government and their Wall Street co-conspirators.
*Millennials are buried under $1.3 trillion of student loan debt, with $500 billion of it doled out by the Federal government since 2009 as a ploy to reduce the reported unemployment rate and artificially stimulate spending, to provide the appearance of economic recovery. The falsity of the supposed recovery is borne out in a labor participation rate that is the lowest since 1977, with participation amongst 25 to 54 year olds the lowest in history. With real median household incomes stuck at 1989 levels and far below 2007 peak levels, the stress on middle class families to just pay their monthly bills is intense.*
The 2008 Wall Street created fraudulent subprime mortgage debacle which led to millions of foreclosures, non-existent wage growth, young families enslaved in student loan debt, and the Wall Street hedge fund engineered 30% increase in home prices, has resulted in home ownership falling to historic lows and still falling. This is the result of ownership policies, programs and schemes pushed by Democrat and Republican politicians and executed by greedy Wall Street institutions, generating hundreds of billions in fees, interest and profits.
Clearly there is no distress among the .1%, as they summer at their Hamptons beach estates gorging on caviar and toasting their financial brilliance (free Fed money) with $1,000 bottles of Dom Perignone, and bid NYC penthouse real estate prices to astronomical levels. But, as the government apparatchiks at the BLS, BEA, and Census Bureau have reported positive economic data month after month since 2009,* the number of people on food stamps has grown from 34 million to 46 million over this same time frame. As the middle class and poor have gotten poorer, the .1% and particularly the .01% have accelerated their capture of the national wealth.*
*The distress of the lower classes is self-evident and confirmed by a poverty rate of 14.8%, up from 12.5% in 2007, while the middle class has borne the brunt of an Obamacare plan written by paid lobbyists for the health insurance industry, Big Pharma, and hospital corporations. *The promised $2,500 per family savings have not materialized, as health insurance premiums have increased by double digits for the last five years and small businesses have stopped covering employees. In reality, since 2008, average family premiums have climbed a total of $4,865. Even the few million Americans added to the health insurance roles are stuck with limited choices and deductibles of $5,000. More people were kicked out of existing employer healthcare plans than were newly added.
*The two charts which reveal the true level of economic distress are the Federal Debt and Money Printing charts. We’ve accumulated more debt as a nation in the last seven years ($8 trillion) than we did in the first 219 years of this once proud Republic. *We continue to add $1.6 billion per day to our $18.3 trillion national debt. This doesn’t even take into consideration the $200 trillion of unfunded liabilities being left to future generations.
The Fed has printed $3.5 trillion out of thin air in the last six years while keeping interest rates anchored at 0% for their Wall Street owners, with the net impact of punishing senior citizens and other risk averse savers while further enriching their gambling casino owners who dictate the monetary policy for the world. As widowed grandmothers across the land have seen their life sustaining interest income evaporate, even the downwardly manipulated CPI has risen 14% since 2008. Using a real inflation measure, most Americans have seen their daily living expenses rise by more than 30% since 2008, but Yellen and her cronies yammer about deflationary fears.
*Economic distress intensifies by the day for average American household as their real income has been falling for 15 years, while the cost of food, energy, healthcare, education, rent, housing, and vehicles have soared.* Government imposed property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, fees, and tolls have risen exponentially over this time frame as the parasite sucks the host dry. Millions of households have been lured into debt by the Wall Street debt machine and their corporate media mouthpieces as consumer debt has grown from $1.5 trillion to $3.4 trillion since 2000, and mortgage debt has grown from $6.5 trillion to $13.5 trillion.
*The extreme distress felt by households has been caused by their foolish choice to try and maintain their lifestyles by replacing declining income with debt. *They are now enslaved by the chains of $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, $1.1 trillion of auto loan debt, $1 trillion of credit card debt, and $13.5 trillion of mortgage loan debt. Has keeping up with the Joneses been worth it? The stress of meeting the monthly obligations with declining income has become unbearable for many.
*The continued decline in real household income reveals the falsity of the unemployment propaganda disguised as legitimate data. *The decline in unemployment from 10% in 2009 to 5.1% today is a complete and utter lie. Since 2008 there are 4 million more Americans employed, while 15 million working age Americans have supposedly left the workforce, but the government expects us to believe the unemployment rate is lower today than it was in 2008. Using a consistent labor force participation rate of 66% (where it stayed from 2003 through 2008), the unemployment rate would be over 10%. Using the BLS methodology used prior to 1994, real unemployment exceeds 20%. Those figures support the declining household income story.
*Everyone has heard the president boast about the 10 million jobs added since 2009. The politicians like to talk about quantity, but aren’t so keen on discussing quality.* The chart below provides the facts regarding jobs added since the recession lows. The top four categories pay less than $10 per hour. This so called economic recovery is being driven by low paying, no benefits, services jobs. These facts also support the declining household income state of affairs.
*With a true unemployment rate above 10% and most new jobs paying $10 an hour, it is understandable to an awake, non-delusional citizen why retail sales remain pathetic and national retailers have stopped expanding and begun closing outlets.* This is just what the corporate fascist Deep State wants. They want the proletariat, reliant upon debt to sustain their materialistic driven lifestyles and the lower class peasants dependent upon the scraps handed to them by a government, reliant on central bankers to keep the house of cards from collapsing.
*The American economy has been gutted*. The financialization of our economy began around 1980 and accelerated after the passage of NAFTA in 1994 and the repeal of Glass Steagall in 1999. There has been a giant sucking sound of manufacturing jobs leaving the U.S., replaced by purveyors of paper, derivatives gamblers, and high frequency traders on Wall Street. Producing goods has been replaced by scamming muppets and peddling debt to the masses so they can consume.
*We’ve been eating our seed corn for the last 35 years and there is nothing left to sow.* We allowed American jobs and production to be replaced by cheap foreign labor and cheap foreign produced products, financed by consumer debt. We allowed mega-corporations and Wall Street banks to capture the economic system, financial markets, judicial, legislative, and executive branches, along with the mainstream media, thereby subjugating the best interests of the country to maximizing profits for the .1%.
*The distress of the working middle class has been growing since the early 1970s after Nixon closed the gold window and allowed central bankers and politicians the freedom to print fiat and make unfunded promises to voters.* From the end of World War II until 1971 the working class reaped the income gains as their standard of living steadily increased. Since 1971 the income growth of the working class has declined, while the income growth of the top 1% has soared. This was mainly driven by the .1% in the financial class who produced nothing but misery for the bottom 90%.
*Unbridled greed and an unquenchable thirst for more and more are the hallmarks of the sociopathic oligarchs who are like blood sucking leeches on the dying carcass of a once great nation. *Once the dollar was no longer backed by gold, the ultimate death of the American empire became a forgone conclusion. The weight of lies is wearing on the oligarchs. The Federal Reserve Chairwoman physically falters while spreading monetary falsehoods and the speaker of the house suddenly resigns as he knows the end is drawing near.
*Every “solution” the ruling class has implemented since Wall Street blew up the global financial system in 2008 has been sold to the public as beneficial to the people on Main Street.* It has slowly dawned on the inhabitants of Main Street that Bernanke, Yellen, Paulson, Geithner, Dodd, Frank, Obama and all D.C. politicians have screwed them. As Main Street’s distress has accelerated, the wealth of anyone associated with Wall Street has soared to obscene levels.
*This distress is revealing itself in the poll numbers of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. *The flaunting of their immense wealth, political influence, and smug superiority has angered a vast swath of the citizenry. The economic distress perpetrated upon the people by the moneyed interests will be the driving force behind the next phase of this *Fourth Turning*. The *current state of affairs has been seen before, during the previous Fourth Turning about 80 years ago.*
“It has always seemed strange to me…The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” – *John Steinbeck – Cannery Row ** *
*The solution is not to let politicians redistribute the wealth from the rich to the poor. *Crony capitalism must be replaced by true free market capitalism, practiced with integrity, fairness, principled conduct, intelligence, and high moral standards. *Profits generated by corporations are not evil, but seeking profits at any cost to society is reckless, shortsighted and immoral.* Capitalism without capital is destined for failure. When corporate CEOs, Wall Street bankers, and shady billionaires exercise undue influence over the financial, political and judicial systems, their short-term quarterly profit mindset and voracious appetite for riches override the best interests of the people and create a sick, warped, repressive society. *Today our system is in the grasp of psychopaths whose hubris and myopic focus on enriching themselves will ultimately be their downfall.*
“This financial system is sick, and is unfortunately and at an increasing pace approaching terminal. I think the problem is due to a simple failure or ‘lack of character.’ It is an old story, and a perennial favorite of the madness of the dark powers of this world. Character provides stability and confidence. When character fails, there is uncertainty and fear. This passive-aggressive posture towards equities in general and risk in particular is because of the lack of reform to create a sustainable, stable recovery fueled by organic demand for growth based across a broader participation amongst the consumers. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot subject the great part of a people to fear, repression, and enforced deprivation on one hand, and expect them to flourish and consume freely on the other.” *– **Jesse*
In Part 4 I will assess the other channels of distress (social, cultural, technological, ecological, political, military) that are likely to burst forth with the molten ingredients of this *Fourth Turning*, and potential climaxes to this Winter of our discontent. Reported by Zero Hedge 1 day ago.
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Today, We Fight Back
Today is National Pink Out Day, when millions of people will stand up to support Planned Parenthood and fight back against baseless attacks on reproductive health care.
Some people will attend one of the nearly 300 rallies and events happening across the country today. Others will wear pink clothes to work or change their Facebook or Twitter profile image. Some will get free sexually transmitted infection testing that Planned Parenthood is offering in 28 cities.
All of them have the same message: We know exactly what Planned Parenthood does for millions of people in this country, we will not let those committed to ending abortion access in this country use fraud and deception to cut millions of people off from high-quality preventive care, and we will not stand for this relentless assault on reproductive health care.
It's a message I'll be delivering on Capitol Hill, when I testify this morning in front of one of four committees officially investigating Planned Parenthood. The inquiries were all sparked by false and discredited claims by activists whose real goal is to ban abortion in this country (For those who may not have seen them, heavily edited videos were released over the summer by a network of extremists who engaged in a massive fraud in order to try to entrap our staff in improper conversations about fetal tissue donation. They didn't catch anyone doing anything wrong, so they edited the tapes to make it look like Planned Parenthood was engaged in wrongdoing, and the media went along for the ride.).
Whether talking to a congressional committee or to your neighbor, here are five things that all of us can make sure people know:
*1. Planned Parenthood is fully focused on providing health care and sex education - and we're on the move*
Every year, 2.7 million people come through the doors of our health centers, a million people participate in our sex education programs, and 60 million people get health information and other resources from us online. Today, we're finding new ways to reach even more people. This morning, Planned Parenthood is opening a new health center in Milwaukie, Oregon. This afternoon, we're putting up the walls in a new health center we're building in New Orleans. Today, transgender patients are getting services at our health center in Denver, which just began offering them. And this morning, we announced a new partnership with Junto Health, a leader in health care technology and innovation that we'll work with to find more ways to reach patients quickly and conveniently.
*2. The claims being made against Planned Parenthood aren't new - and they're totally false*
Every couple of years, anti-abortion extremists launch a new smear campaign against Planned Parenthood, all following the same pattern: Make outrageous claims, heavily edit undercover videos to support them, whip up media attention, and get right-wing politicians to push for investigations. Every time, the claims fall apart upon closer inspection. This latest smear campaign claims - falsely - that Planned Parenthood is selling fetal tissue. The exact same claim was made in 2000, also involving heavily edited undercover videos, sensational media coverage, and congressional hearings. It was all a lie, as the main witness admitted. This time, even the heavily edited videos do not show Planned Parenthood engaged in any wrongdoing, and three teams of forensic experts concluded that videos significantly distort and misrepresent actual events.
*3. This is really part of an extreme political agenda to ban abortion and deny patients the ability to go to Planned Parenthood*
This isn't about fetal tissue. To be clear, fetal tissue research can lead to important medical breakthroughs (it helped lead to the polio vaccine), but Planned Parenthood affiliates in just two states provide this opportunity for their patients. What this is really about is banning abortion and denying women and families the right to go to Planned Parenthood - as the activists and politicians behind this smear campaign have said themselves.
*4. The public overwhelmingly supports Planned Parenthood and opposes this extreme agenda*
Today, Planned Parenthood patients and supporters will deliver more than two million petition signatures to Congress, from people in all 50 states who stand with us. Every national and state poll that's been conducted shows that most people support Planned Parenthood, want abortion to remain safe and legal, and want Planned Parenthood to continue to be reimbursed by the government for providing preventive health care services to low-income patients just like other health care providers in this country who serve these patients.
*5. This fight is about women, men, and young people across this country whose access to health care is at stake*
This isn't an assault on Planned Parenthood. It's an assault on every woman whose cancer has been detected early because our nurses were able to see her the same day she found a lump. It's an assault on every man who didn't just get HIV test results, but also got a 30-minute counseling session and connections to follow-up care and support. And it's an assault on every woman who decided to end a pregnancy for reasons that are hers and hers alone, and was able to get safe, compassionate abortion services without facing shame or judgment. That's what at stake in this assault on women's health.
When I testify today, I'll tell members of Congress about Dayna Farris-Fisher, one of our patients in Plano, Texas. When I met her a couple weeks ago, she told me that Planned Parenthood saved her life. In 2013, her husband lost his job and their health insurance. Not long after, Dayna found a lump in her breast. The only two clinics she could find that would take a patient without insurance or much money had two-month waiting lists, so Dayna came to Planned Parenthood for a breast exam. Our clinician of 21 years, Vivian, guided her through the process of follow-ups and referrals to make sure her treatment was covered. She called Dayna frequently to check on her as she entered treatment. Dayna is now cancer free and just started a new job - where she'll wear a pink shirt today.
National Pink Out Day is for Dayna and all of the other patients who walk through our doors every day for good health care - and get it, no matter what.
-- 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.
Some people will attend one of the nearly 300 rallies and events happening across the country today. Others will wear pink clothes to work or change their Facebook or Twitter profile image. Some will get free sexually transmitted infection testing that Planned Parenthood is offering in 28 cities.
All of them have the same message: We know exactly what Planned Parenthood does for millions of people in this country, we will not let those committed to ending abortion access in this country use fraud and deception to cut millions of people off from high-quality preventive care, and we will not stand for this relentless assault on reproductive health care.
It's a message I'll be delivering on Capitol Hill, when I testify this morning in front of one of four committees officially investigating Planned Parenthood. The inquiries were all sparked by false and discredited claims by activists whose real goal is to ban abortion in this country (For those who may not have seen them, heavily edited videos were released over the summer by a network of extremists who engaged in a massive fraud in order to try to entrap our staff in improper conversations about fetal tissue donation. They didn't catch anyone doing anything wrong, so they edited the tapes to make it look like Planned Parenthood was engaged in wrongdoing, and the media went along for the ride.).
Whether talking to a congressional committee or to your neighbor, here are five things that all of us can make sure people know:
*1. Planned Parenthood is fully focused on providing health care and sex education - and we're on the move*
Every year, 2.7 million people come through the doors of our health centers, a million people participate in our sex education programs, and 60 million people get health information and other resources from us online. Today, we're finding new ways to reach even more people. This morning, Planned Parenthood is opening a new health center in Milwaukie, Oregon. This afternoon, we're putting up the walls in a new health center we're building in New Orleans. Today, transgender patients are getting services at our health center in Denver, which just began offering them. And this morning, we announced a new partnership with Junto Health, a leader in health care technology and innovation that we'll work with to find more ways to reach patients quickly and conveniently.
*2. The claims being made against Planned Parenthood aren't new - and they're totally false*
Every couple of years, anti-abortion extremists launch a new smear campaign against Planned Parenthood, all following the same pattern: Make outrageous claims, heavily edit undercover videos to support them, whip up media attention, and get right-wing politicians to push for investigations. Every time, the claims fall apart upon closer inspection. This latest smear campaign claims - falsely - that Planned Parenthood is selling fetal tissue. The exact same claim was made in 2000, also involving heavily edited undercover videos, sensational media coverage, and congressional hearings. It was all a lie, as the main witness admitted. This time, even the heavily edited videos do not show Planned Parenthood engaged in any wrongdoing, and three teams of forensic experts concluded that videos significantly distort and misrepresent actual events.
*3. This is really part of an extreme political agenda to ban abortion and deny patients the ability to go to Planned Parenthood*
This isn't about fetal tissue. To be clear, fetal tissue research can lead to important medical breakthroughs (it helped lead to the polio vaccine), but Planned Parenthood affiliates in just two states provide this opportunity for their patients. What this is really about is banning abortion and denying women and families the right to go to Planned Parenthood - as the activists and politicians behind this smear campaign have said themselves.
*4. The public overwhelmingly supports Planned Parenthood and opposes this extreme agenda*
Today, Planned Parenthood patients and supporters will deliver more than two million petition signatures to Congress, from people in all 50 states who stand with us. Every national and state poll that's been conducted shows that most people support Planned Parenthood, want abortion to remain safe and legal, and want Planned Parenthood to continue to be reimbursed by the government for providing preventive health care services to low-income patients just like other health care providers in this country who serve these patients.
*5. This fight is about women, men, and young people across this country whose access to health care is at stake*
This isn't an assault on Planned Parenthood. It's an assault on every woman whose cancer has been detected early because our nurses were able to see her the same day she found a lump. It's an assault on every man who didn't just get HIV test results, but also got a 30-minute counseling session and connections to follow-up care and support. And it's an assault on every woman who decided to end a pregnancy for reasons that are hers and hers alone, and was able to get safe, compassionate abortion services without facing shame or judgment. That's what at stake in this assault on women's health.
When I testify today, I'll tell members of Congress about Dayna Farris-Fisher, one of our patients in Plano, Texas. When I met her a couple weeks ago, she told me that Planned Parenthood saved her life. In 2013, her husband lost his job and their health insurance. Not long after, Dayna found a lump in her breast. The only two clinics she could find that would take a patient without insurance or much money had two-month waiting lists, so Dayna came to Planned Parenthood for a breast exam. Our clinician of 21 years, Vivian, guided her through the process of follow-ups and referrals to make sure her treatment was covered. She called Dayna frequently to check on her as she entered treatment. Dayna is now cancer free and just started a new job - where she'll wear a pink shirt today.
National Pink Out Day is for Dayna and all of the other patients who walk through our doors every day for good health care - and get it, no matter what.
-- 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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This Microsoft employee says he quit after just four months because of a nightmare boss
For all the talk of how Microsoft has changed under CEO Satya Nadella, it's still a gigantic corporate behemoth, with all of the organizational baggage that carries.It's something that a developer named Robert Parks says he had to figure out the hard way.
The title of his blog post this week, entitled "Recruitment to Resignation: Four Months at Microsoft," tells the whole story: Within just a few months, this talented programmer got completely lost in the system before getting placed with a nightmare boss.
It started when Parks entered the Microsoft New Employee Orientation, or "NEO."
"Some Microsoft SWAG [sic], a few cheesy ice-breakers, a lengthy presentation about health insurance, a prerecorded message from Satya Nadella, some completely useless information about transportation, and then that was it," Parks writes.
Completely new to the city and to Microsoft, Parks says he didn't even know how to use the company's shuttles to get around its massive campus.
Left to his own devices, all Parks had to work with was his new boss' name and office number. But the new boss didn't show up in an office directory. And when he finally found the office, with the help of a receptionist, it turns out the boss was on vacation.
Parks says he tried to stay busy and work with his team to make himself useful during the period the boss was gone, even though he didn't have a clear goal or role set out for him.
A week and a half later, Parks finally had the chance to shake his manager's hand.
Parks assumed that this would be followed by a formal welcome email, or an invitation to a sitdown. But it would be another two weeks before they actually had a one-on-one meeting. That meeting did not go according to plan.
"The first item on the meeting’s agenda was apparently to browbeat me for not communicating with him enough. It was a sentiment I couldn’t believe he could hold unironically considering the context, but somehow he did," Parks writes.
The boss continued to criticize him, and then changed the topic before Parks could defend himself. This boss accused Parks of not fitting into the "Microsoft culture" and chided him for not taking initiative.
"I thought this was going to be a meeting where we’d get to know each other and talk about the project. Instead I found myself on the defensive, the recipient of a barrage of inane accusations. I left the meeting even more confused than I went into it," Parks writes.
Just a few minutes later, the boss called him back into the office and asked Parks if he thought that team was good for him, he claims.
The rest of his experience with this manager over the next few months was equally bizarre, Parks says. This boss would constantly ride Parks for not asking enough questions, with seemingly no context.
"I’m not sure if he thought I had pressing questions that I was refraining from asking of if he just wanted me to make up random questions to ask him. Neither option made any sense," Parks writes.
In general, Parks says this boss was rude and short with him, being passive aggressive and taking him to task for every mistake, real or imagined. When Parks lodged a complaint, the boss responded that he was a "driver" and "drives right over people."
"It wasn’t an apology, but I guess it was as close as I was going to get," Parks says.
Odder still, Parks says that other team members and new hires weren't subject to this same treatment.
When Parks finally resigned, he says, it took two days for anybody to notice and the paperwork to get filed.
Parks has some advice for Microsoft to prevent this from happening again: First off, a better new hire orientation system that takes more employee feedback into account would have let him hit the ground running. Second, he says, Microsoft needs a way for employees to give feedback to their teams, or even choose a new one, besides their direct managers, since it's a confict of interest.
It's obvious that Parks had an extreme experience. And in a Reddit thread discussing his essay, Parks agrees that he could have done things a little differently.
But it's equally obvious that despite all the new energy that Satya Nadella has brought to the company, change is slow to come at a company as big and old as Microsoft.
Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
*SEE ALSO: Microsoft has created its own version of Linux — a product Steve Ballmer once likened to 'cancer'*
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: How Microsoft will radically transform the medical industry Reported by Business Insider 22 hours ago.
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ClaimRemedi Unveils First-in-the-Industry Features on New Client Portal
Leading claims clearinghouse revolutionizes claims process with unprecedented functionality.
Santa Rosa, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
ClaimRemedi, a rapidly expanding insurance claims clearinghouse, announced today the release of a new online client portal that includes cutting-edge features never before seen in the industry.
The new user portal features one-click access to detailed claim information, always-available enrollment status details, and an easy-to-understand dashboard layout. New features allow for quicker claims management and processing, along with intuitive analytics and reporting—drastically improving user workflow for physician-office clients and channel partners, resulting in faster, more accurate revenue generation.
Detailed information on a single claim or a group of claims can be accessed with the click of a single button, eliminating the need to toggle between screens or endlessly drill down to find pertinent information. The new enrollment status feature allows the billing office to see each provider’s payer enrollment at any given time—an innovative offering that is unique to the industry. The easy-to-read dashboard graphically depicts key performance indicators such as top claim rejection and denial categories, as well as important messages specific to the practice.
The homepage is fully customizable by the user, giving each staff member a unique experience tailored to their job duties. The new interface also features expanded reporting capabilities and smarter search functionality, allowing users to create and save custom searches, all while still providing a simple view.
“Our clients are really going to see a surge in efficiency with this new portal, and we are thrilled to help ease their workloads and boost their bottom lines,” said Anthony Lancia, vice president of sales at ClaimRemedi. “Right away, they will save time in their claims management tasks, improve their workflow, and decrease the amount of navigating. We have kept our core solutions in place while providing new ways for clients to use them.”
The upgraded portal will simplify change management and workflow for provider offices as they work through the ICD-10 transition, which involves a considerable shift in medical billing practices. ICD-10 changes go into effect Oct. 1, 2015.
“With ICD-10 looming and other government regulations on the horizon, ClaimRemedi has found ways to simplify the inherently complicated process of health insurance claims management," Lancia said.
About ClaimRemedi, Inc.
Founded in 2002, ClaimRemedi is an industry-leading technology company providing advanced web-based solutions for streamlining the insurance claims and revenue lifecycle. Our high-tech tools help physician offices, clinics and hospitals reduce claim rejections and denials and increase billing efficiency for processing professional, institutional, dental, and workers’ compensation claims, ultimately boosting the office’s revenue. With highly customizable solutions and an experienced, responsive support team, ClaimRemedi is revolutionizing the healthcare billing process, making it easier for care providers to focus on what they do best: taking care of patients. Find more information at http://www.claimremedi.com.
Media Contact
Danielle Reynolds
ClaimRemedi, Inc.
800-763-8484
dreynolds(at)claimremedi(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.
Santa Rosa, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
ClaimRemedi, a rapidly expanding insurance claims clearinghouse, announced today the release of a new online client portal that includes cutting-edge features never before seen in the industry.
The new user portal features one-click access to detailed claim information, always-available enrollment status details, and an easy-to-understand dashboard layout. New features allow for quicker claims management and processing, along with intuitive analytics and reporting—drastically improving user workflow for physician-office clients and channel partners, resulting in faster, more accurate revenue generation.
Detailed information on a single claim or a group of claims can be accessed with the click of a single button, eliminating the need to toggle between screens or endlessly drill down to find pertinent information. The new enrollment status feature allows the billing office to see each provider’s payer enrollment at any given time—an innovative offering that is unique to the industry. The easy-to-read dashboard graphically depicts key performance indicators such as top claim rejection and denial categories, as well as important messages specific to the practice.
The homepage is fully customizable by the user, giving each staff member a unique experience tailored to their job duties. The new interface also features expanded reporting capabilities and smarter search functionality, allowing users to create and save custom searches, all while still providing a simple view.
“Our clients are really going to see a surge in efficiency with this new portal, and we are thrilled to help ease their workloads and boost their bottom lines,” said Anthony Lancia, vice president of sales at ClaimRemedi. “Right away, they will save time in their claims management tasks, improve their workflow, and decrease the amount of navigating. We have kept our core solutions in place while providing new ways for clients to use them.”
The upgraded portal will simplify change management and workflow for provider offices as they work through the ICD-10 transition, which involves a considerable shift in medical billing practices. ICD-10 changes go into effect Oct. 1, 2015.
“With ICD-10 looming and other government regulations on the horizon, ClaimRemedi has found ways to simplify the inherently complicated process of health insurance claims management," Lancia said.
About ClaimRemedi, Inc.
Founded in 2002, ClaimRemedi is an industry-leading technology company providing advanced web-based solutions for streamlining the insurance claims and revenue lifecycle. Our high-tech tools help physician offices, clinics and hospitals reduce claim rejections and denials and increase billing efficiency for processing professional, institutional, dental, and workers’ compensation claims, ultimately boosting the office’s revenue. With highly customizable solutions and an experienced, responsive support team, ClaimRemedi is revolutionizing the healthcare billing process, making it easier for care providers to focus on what they do best: taking care of patients. Find more information at http://www.claimremedi.com.
Media Contact
Danielle Reynolds
ClaimRemedi, Inc.
800-763-8484
dreynolds(at)claimremedi(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.
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Minus Health Republic option, sole proprietor goes back to square one
As a sole proprietor, Antoinette Forth didn’t have many options for health insurance before the Affordable Care Act. But health reform led to the creation of the online marketplace and new competition for health insurance, leading to the creation of Health Republic of New York, a health insurance co-operative. Forth liked what she saw. So much so, that she ran for and was elected to the insurer’s member-led board of directors in late 2014. Though she knew the company was still in start-up mode,…
Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.
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Clinton's Plan to Mess Up Prescription Economics
Hillary Clinton thinks drug development should be riskier, and less profitable. Also, your health insurance premiums should be higher. And there should be fewer drugs available.This is not, of course, how the Clinton campaign would put it. The official line is that...
Reported by Newsmax 12 hours ago.
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Will the Affordable Care Act Shift Claims to Workers’ Compensation Payors?
Hundreds of millions of dollars could shift from group health to workers’ compensation as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) expand under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a new study―Will the Affordable Care Act Shift Claims to Workers’ Compensation Payors?― from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
CAMBRIDGE, MA (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
Hundreds of millions of dollars could shift from group health to workers’ compensation as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) expand under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a new study―Will the Affordable Care Act Shift Claims to Workers’ Compensation Payors?― from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
Although pundits have written about “cost shifting” to workers’ compensation, a significant underappreciated effect of the ACA is “case-shifting” from group health to workers’ compensation. The ACA seeks to greatly expand the use of ACOs―where providers are rewarded for meeting cost and quality goals. This will expand the use of “capitated” health insurance plans. Under these plans, providers are paid a fixed insurance premium per insured regardless of the amount of care provided to a given patient during the year. Under traditional fee-for-service insurance plans, providers are paid for each individual service rendered.
“The question we are addressing in this study is to what extent do the financial incentives facing providers and their health care organizations that arise out of capitation (given that workers’ compensation pays fee for service) influence whether or not a case is deemed to be work-related,” said Dr. Richard Victor, president and CEO of WCRI.
The study found that a back injury was as much as 30 percent more likely to be called “work-related” (and paid by workers’ compensation) if the patient’s group health insurance was capitated rather than fee for service. The study can be extrapolated to different states―for example, the study predicts about a $100 million increase in workers’ compensation costs in a state like Illinois if the share of capitated patients rises from 12 to 42 percent.
When a patient is covered by a capitated group health insurance plan, the doctor and the health care organization to which that doctor belongs have very different financial incentives about key decisions, compared with treating a patient covered by a fee-for-service plan. For example, when the capitated patient has back pain, the provider and his or her health organization generally do not get paid for additional care since they were paid a fixed amount for that patient at the outset of the policy year. By contrast, if a group health fee-for-service patient has back pain, the provider and health care organization are paid for each new service rendered.
Case-shifting was more likely in states where a higher percentage of workers were covered by capitated group health plans. In a state where at least 22 percent of workers had capitated group health plans, the odds of a soft tissue case being called work-related were 31 percent higher if the patient was covered by such a plan compared with similar workers covered by fee-for-service group health plans. By contrast, in states where capitation was less common, there was no case-shifting seen. This is more than just the result of having fewer capitated patients seeking care. It also appears that when capitation was infrequent, the providers were less aware of the financial incentives.
This study relies on workers’ compensation and group health medical data coming from a large commercial database. This database is based on a large sample of health insurers and self-insured employers. It includes individuals employed by mostly large employers and insured or administered by a variety of health plans. The database is unique in that, for a given employee, it contains information on both the group health services used and the workers’ compensation services used.
For more information about this study or to purchase a copy, visit http://www.wcrinet.org/result/will_aca_shift_wc_result.html.
The Cambridge-based WCRI is recognized as a leader in providing high-quality, objective information about public policy issues involving workers' compensation systems.
ABOUT WCRI
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
CAMBRIDGE, MA (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
Hundreds of millions of dollars could shift from group health to workers’ compensation as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) expand under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a new study―Will the Affordable Care Act Shift Claims to Workers’ Compensation Payors?― from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
Although pundits have written about “cost shifting” to workers’ compensation, a significant underappreciated effect of the ACA is “case-shifting” from group health to workers’ compensation. The ACA seeks to greatly expand the use of ACOs―where providers are rewarded for meeting cost and quality goals. This will expand the use of “capitated” health insurance plans. Under these plans, providers are paid a fixed insurance premium per insured regardless of the amount of care provided to a given patient during the year. Under traditional fee-for-service insurance plans, providers are paid for each individual service rendered.
“The question we are addressing in this study is to what extent do the financial incentives facing providers and their health care organizations that arise out of capitation (given that workers’ compensation pays fee for service) influence whether or not a case is deemed to be work-related,” said Dr. Richard Victor, president and CEO of WCRI.
The study found that a back injury was as much as 30 percent more likely to be called “work-related” (and paid by workers’ compensation) if the patient’s group health insurance was capitated rather than fee for service. The study can be extrapolated to different states―for example, the study predicts about a $100 million increase in workers’ compensation costs in a state like Illinois if the share of capitated patients rises from 12 to 42 percent.
When a patient is covered by a capitated group health insurance plan, the doctor and the health care organization to which that doctor belongs have very different financial incentives about key decisions, compared with treating a patient covered by a fee-for-service plan. For example, when the capitated patient has back pain, the provider and his or her health organization generally do not get paid for additional care since they were paid a fixed amount for that patient at the outset of the policy year. By contrast, if a group health fee-for-service patient has back pain, the provider and health care organization are paid for each new service rendered.
Case-shifting was more likely in states where a higher percentage of workers were covered by capitated group health plans. In a state where at least 22 percent of workers had capitated group health plans, the odds of a soft tissue case being called work-related were 31 percent higher if the patient was covered by such a plan compared with similar workers covered by fee-for-service group health plans. By contrast, in states where capitation was less common, there was no case-shifting seen. This is more than just the result of having fewer capitated patients seeking care. It also appears that when capitation was infrequent, the providers were less aware of the financial incentives.
This study relies on workers’ compensation and group health medical data coming from a large commercial database. This database is based on a large sample of health insurers and self-insured employers. It includes individuals employed by mostly large employers and insured or administered by a variety of health plans. The database is unique in that, for a given employee, it contains information on both the group health services used and the workers’ compensation services used.
For more information about this study or to purchase a copy, visit http://www.wcrinet.org/result/will_aca_shift_wc_result.html.
The Cambridge-based WCRI is recognized as a leader in providing high-quality, objective information about public policy issues involving workers' compensation systems.
ABOUT WCRI
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
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Lewis Brown Wins Living Magazine Readers' Choice Award
Financial planning firm Lewis Brown was recently selected as the readers' choice for best financial advisor in Frisco & Plano by Living Magazine.
Plano, TX (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
Lewis Brown was recently named by Living Magazine as a The Best Of Frisco & Plano 2015 Readers’ Choice Winner in the category of Best Financial Advisor. Living Magazine’s Best Of 2015 awardees were honored for the quality of the service they provided to their customers and their community in over 100 categories.
As one of 21 firms and companies receiving the award in the super-category of Professional Services, Lewis Brown was selected by Living Magazines readers through an open ballot, whereon the readers themselves wrote the names of any company or firm in their community they felt provided the best services in a given category.
Claudia Perez Brown, co-founder of the firm, said “The award is a source of great pride to our firm, and shows our dedication to provide the highest level of service to our clients.”
Lewis Brown is an independent financial planning firm that has been providing financial advice to the communities of Frisco and Plano, as well as the greater Dallas-Fort Worth region for almost 20 years. Lewis Brown is a team of award-winning professionals, who specialize in delivering exceptional personalized finance and investment services.
The firm prides itself on providing independent and objective financial advice that puts their clients’ and their family’s priorities first. When Chris A. Lewis and Claudia Perez Brown opened the firm they had one goal in mind: helping families preserve and achieve a financially secure future.
Lewis Brown advisors offer practical investment services that are tailored to their clients’ specific circumstances and include retirement planning, college funding planning, health insurance, life insurance, long-term care planning, and more. Many of the region’s JC Penny’s employees also know Lewis Brown as being a specialist in assisting them plan for their future.
Lewis Brown’s registered financial advisors work with the Commonwealth Financial Network®, an independently owned and managed broker/dealer. Because they are independently owned, they are only accountable to their clients, and not a parent company or shareholders, making it possible for Lewis Brown associates to only act in their client’s best interests.
For more information about Lewis Brown and the services they offer, please visit their site at http://www.lewisbrown.net, or call them at 972-755-9000, where you can be sure you will reach a real life person who will care about your financial well-being. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
Plano, TX (PRWEB) September 29, 2015
Lewis Brown was recently named by Living Magazine as a The Best Of Frisco & Plano 2015 Readers’ Choice Winner in the category of Best Financial Advisor. Living Magazine’s Best Of 2015 awardees were honored for the quality of the service they provided to their customers and their community in over 100 categories.
As one of 21 firms and companies receiving the award in the super-category of Professional Services, Lewis Brown was selected by Living Magazines readers through an open ballot, whereon the readers themselves wrote the names of any company or firm in their community they felt provided the best services in a given category.
Claudia Perez Brown, co-founder of the firm, said “The award is a source of great pride to our firm, and shows our dedication to provide the highest level of service to our clients.”
Lewis Brown is an independent financial planning firm that has been providing financial advice to the communities of Frisco and Plano, as well as the greater Dallas-Fort Worth region for almost 20 years. Lewis Brown is a team of award-winning professionals, who specialize in delivering exceptional personalized finance and investment services.
The firm prides itself on providing independent and objective financial advice that puts their clients’ and their family’s priorities first. When Chris A. Lewis and Claudia Perez Brown opened the firm they had one goal in mind: helping families preserve and achieve a financially secure future.
Lewis Brown advisors offer practical investment services that are tailored to their clients’ specific circumstances and include retirement planning, college funding planning, health insurance, life insurance, long-term care planning, and more. Many of the region’s JC Penny’s employees also know Lewis Brown as being a specialist in assisting them plan for their future.
Lewis Brown’s registered financial advisors work with the Commonwealth Financial Network®, an independently owned and managed broker/dealer. Because they are independently owned, they are only accountable to their clients, and not a parent company or shareholders, making it possible for Lewis Brown associates to only act in their client’s best interests.
For more information about Lewis Brown and the services they offer, please visit their site at http://www.lewisbrown.net, or call them at 972-755-9000, where you can be sure you will reach a real life person who will care about your financial well-being. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
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