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​2017 Obamacare health insurance rates to rise 19% in Florida

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Starting Jan. 1, premiums for Florida individual major medical plans in compliance with the federal Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act will go up an average of 19 percent, according to the state Office of Insurance Regulation. A total of 15 health insurers submitted rate filings for review in May. These rate filings consisted of individual major medical plans to be sold both on and off the exchange. The average approved rate changes on the exchange range from a low of -6 percent to a high… Reported by bizjournals 18 hours ago.

Nurses strike over insurance at 5 Minnesota hospitals

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of nurses at five Minnesota hospitals launched a strike on Monday, Labor Day, in a dispute over health insurance, workplace safety and staffing levels. Here's a look at some of the issues: Reported by CNSNews.com 12 hours ago.

EC exhibits names of re-registered NHIS voters Friday

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The EC is set to exhibit the voters’ register of the newly registered persons whose names were deleted from the electoral roll for using the National Health Insurance Scheme cards as proof of identity. Reported by Myjoyonline 2 hours ago.

Progress slows on uninsured as health law blame game goes on

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Progress in reducing the number of people without health insurance in the U.S. appears to be losing momentum. If Donald Trump is president, Republicans will be judged on how many people are covered — or lose coverage — by the still-evolving GOP replacement plan. Reported by SeattlePI.com 2 hours ago.

Ridgewood Teachers Union Will Rally Tuesday Before Negotiating Session

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Ridgewood Teachers Union Will Rally Tuesday Before Negotiating Session Patch Ridgewood, NJ -- The union and district continue to be at odds regarding salaries and health insurance after 19 months of talks. Reported by Patch 1 day ago.

Allina nurses strike again after a near miss on negotiations

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More than 4,000 Allina Health nurses began striking early Monday as a deal over insurance coverage eluded negotiators. The Star Tribune reports on the walkout, which could be longer than one earlier this summer, though the cause remains the same: A dispute over the nursing staff's health insurance plans. Allina has been trying to scrap union-backed health plans at five of its metro hospitals, calling them wasteful. The Minnesota Nurses Association said nurses would only be willing to give them up… Reported by bizjournals 22 hours ago.

Health insurance premiums to increase by 19% in Florida

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What’s the likelihood your health insurance premiums will go down next year? If you’re in Florida, highly unlikely. Premiums for Florida major medical plans will increase by an average of 19 percent on Jan. 1, according to a Friday announcement from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. That’s more than twice the increase reported last year , when premiums went up an average of 9.5 percent. The average increase is calculated from a sampling of 15 health insurance companies including… Reported by bizjournals 20 hours ago.

How to Make Money and Do Good at the Same Time

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*When is the last time you changed the world and made a profit at the same time?*

Chelsey is a new friend of mine who helps lead Medicare Operations at one of the biggest health insurance companies in the US. I know health insurance companies are about as popular as airlines, cable operators, or the IRS. I've had my own choice words for them in the past when I endured seemingly endless runarounds to get what I believed was reasonable treatment for myself or my family.

But Chelsey's story illustrates beautifully how a switched-on leader can find opportunities to serve the common good and the bottom line at the same time, even in an industry many assume is only driven by profit. Her division has roughly 8000 call center agents mostly serving Medicare Advantage members. If insurance companies understand one thing, it's numbers. For years, the numbers told them that they could save a lot of money if their members would get routine and early screenings for common diseases such as colon cancer and breast cancer that often afflict these populations. Early intervention is generally more effective and much less costly than dealing with a late stage diagnosis.

While these numbers were well known, the company was frustrated with their progress in getting members to get these screenings. Like most of us, senior citizens tends to ignore written pleas. The best chance to influence them is to have personal contact with them, especially with someone who has insight into their medical condition.

That's where the call center agents came in. Since they field hundreds of thousands of calls a month, why not have these call center agents encourage screenings while on the phone with members?

Not so fast. The insurer tried many ways to get call center agents to have these conversations. They gave agents talking points to pitch with members focused on the Star rating system Medicare uses to evaluate program quality. They emphasized the value to the company of getting members to be screened. They even put incentives in place for employees. No dice. Despite all of management's efforts, the call centers were only generating 450 screenings per month.

Then Chelsey's team had an idea. They knew from talking to doctors and actuaries that the numbers were straightforward. For every 100 colonoscopy screenings her team could get members to complete, a life would be saved. For every 556 breast cancer screenings performed, a woman's life would be saved.

The team thought about what motivated - or could motivate - a call center agent to have a personal, slightly invasive conversation on a topic that most of their members would rather not have. After all, "Would you like a colonoscopy today?" is a little different than offering someone fries with their burger. That motivation was probably not the company making a lot more money. Most call center agents feel galaxies away from the corporate suites where financial returns matter.

But maybe, just maybe, focusing agents on saving lives would grab their attention more than saving a buck.

That's how the Save a Life campaign started. Over the next few months, the leadership team clearly communicated the facts to the call center staff. In small groups around the company, senior leaders shared the potential impact a call center agent could make in the lives of members by scheduling preventive care appointments. The leaders themselves connected emotionally to this effort - and dared to show that gut level passion to their people.

This changed everything for the employees. They started to see their job not as just any old call center rep, a role most people don't aspire to as they grow up. They began to view themselves as advocates who were saving lives of their members. Agents talked to Chelsey and her team through tears as they began to understood the power of their role.

The numbers were impressive. Over the course of the campaign, the call center operation went from generating 450 to up to 38,000 screenings per month. Yes, this will save the company a boatload of cash. That's good for the company and its shareholders - and not too shabby for the broader healthcare system. But if the actuaries' numbers are correct, they've already saved hundreds of lives this year that would have been unnecessarily lost to these diseases. Members have written numerous notes - some even the old-fashioned hand-written ones - expressing thanks for how the company has helped keep them healthy.

As icing on the cake, there was an unanticipated benefit. The employee engagement scores for the call center team rose by a staggering ten points on a 100-point scale. Anyone who operates a call center will tell you that keeping agents engaged in what can sometimes be repetitive and thankless work is super challenging and incredibly valuable since engagement is one way to reduce costly turnover. They'll also tell you that bumping your scores by ten points in one year is beyond remarkable.

Working for the good of others and making a profit don't have to be mutually exclusive. Doing both requires switched-on leaders who reject the notion that organizations are machines and that people are purely coin-operated. That leader could be you.
*Be Bright.*

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

4 Things You Need to Know About Medical Billing

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Screenshot: Medical billing

There is this wild saying that the healthcare system is really designed to reward you for being unhealthy.

Medical billing is a payment practice within the United States health system where healthcare providers like your doctors, nurses, orthopedists, dentists etc, submit and follow up on claims with insurance companies, in order to receive payment for services rendered such as treatments, investigations and so on.

Before now, medical billing used to be done entirely on paper; filing, submitting claims, etc. But with the advent of medical billing software, healthcare providers can now efficiently manage and submit claims and receive payments for a lot of people.

*1. Medical billing is the bridge between your healthcare provider and insurance company:* Medical billing is the process where your healthcare provider sends an invoice detailing your treatment and the health services received to your health insurer for payment.

This invoice is called a claim. Sometimes, your insurance company pays it all and sometimes you might need to pay part of it. That is what you call co-paying.

If there is one thing insurance companies are great at, it is their inability to pay up and their tendency to lower the cost they have to pay.

I mean we've heard horror stories where insurance claims are severely contested by insurance companies leading to a loss of income for the hospitals and denied healthcare for the patient.

This has led hospitals and hospices alike to significantly increase the cost of medical procedures to more than make up for any loss and to employ the services of professionals like medical billers.

*2. Good medical billers boost company bottom line:* Medical billers have always been a staple of healthcare institutions. But they do more than just file claims for insurance, knowledgeable medical billers can boost the revenue of medical practices.

Medical billers prepare claims for insurance companies and ensure that the practice receives payment for work done.

Also, they regularly communicate with physicians and other healthcare professionals to clarify diagnoses and to obtain additional information about your treatments and what not. Bet you didn't know that, did you?

You totally don't want the case where you are slapped with a bill for acompletely unrelated procedure when you had a mere CT scan.

With that said, the financial health of your health service providers not only depends on your continued patronage; it also depends on the excellent performance of medical billers.

*3. Medical billingmakes use of specialized software:* Like I said, medical billers prepare claims for insurance companies and ensure that their establishments are properly reimbursed and remunerated.

Medical billers are in charge of activities like processing patient data, such as treatment records, patients' diagnoses and related insurance information. Multiply this task by more than a 100,000 patients yearly and it can get cumbersome really fast.

To reduce the risk of error, medical billers andbilling servicesmake use of specialized software to efficiently manage client information and insurance claims.

Medical billing software allows for excellent streamlining of billing activities from claim submissions to managing insurance and patients' payments and patient billing.

These web or cloud-based software allow billers and healthcare providers access their system from anywhere which probably explains why billing services are now outsourced to medical billing services.

*4. Sometimes medical billing is outsourced to medical billing services:* The sobering fact of health care in the United States is that there are far fewer hospitals now than there were even ten years ago.

With health insurance outsourced to insurance companies and hospitals typically getting an approximate 10% reimbursement of total health service cost, many hospitals are starved of necessary cash flow.

For a medical practice to stay above water or even thrive depends to a large extent on their billing department.

The more statements they can get out to patients and the more claims they can get the insurance companies to pay, the faster they'll be bringing money into the practice.

Usually, medical billing is handled in-house. Some medical offices have one employee(s) that specifically runs the billing department. Other times, it is mostly outsourced to medical billing services.

Medical billing services regularly send claims on behalf of their clients (healthcare providers) to insurance companies and are contractually obligated to follow up on all unpaid and denied claims.

Also medical billing services handle everything about billing in a timely manner leaving healthcare professionals to focus on what they do best- administering treatment.

Another advantage of outsourcing your medical billing is that you are able to objectively assess the performance of your billing providers. Billing services are required to regularly provide an up-to-date performance report for their clients.

With this report, you are not only able to see how well the practice is doing, you will be able to evaluate the performance of the billing company.
Hospital and doctor's office visits are becoming more expensive. Most Americans who file for bankruptcy do so because of high debt from medical expenses.

Another reason for this (besides inflated health care costs and insurance companies' gorging of medical costs), is common medical billing mistakes.

Common mistakes made by the medical billing community include duplicate billing where billing staff bills you and insurance twice.

Another is unbundling where you are charged for each separate procedure that should have ordinarily gone together.

Also look out for upcoding charges; a practice where a doctor or hospital uses improper billing codes and charges for a more expensive service than what was actually done like charging you for invasive heart surgery when you only went for a flu shot.

The first step to protecting against potential ruinous medical charges is education- update your knowledge of medical charges and billing statements, shop around for the best health insurance packages and keep good records of all your medical transactions.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

InsurTech Ventures Going After Big and Complex Health Insurance Pain Points

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In my last post I outlined the four dimensions that are defining the opportunities for health insurtech innovation: the health of the American people, marketplace trends, the role of regulation, and the players.

Incumbent health insurers are pursuing legacy tactics to compete in the ACA world: M&A (big deals either approved -- Centene/Healthnet; facing regulatory challenges - (both Aetna/Humana and Anthem/Cigna); increasing premiums; and leaving the public exchanges (notably, United Healthcare withdrew earlier this year and Aetna just announced its withdrawal from 11 of the 15 exchanges).

Innovators addressing the root of user pain points can influence how plans are selected and health care is consumed. The levers are not easy to move. Success requires compliant ways of combining big data analytics and personalization with user-centric digital experiences.

The headline of a recently published New York Times article, Cost, Not Choice, Is Top Concern of Health Insurance Customers would seem to state the obvious. Yet insurers have expressed surprise at the policy mix and which plans are proving to be most popular among people signing up for health benefits in the public exchanges. Participating carriers report poorer actual performance than anticipated in premiums (lower) and claims (higher). Users are gravitating towards lower-cost plan options, and show a trend to self-select into higher-cost plans when they know a big health care expense is coming.

This is not just an issue for incumbents. Oscar, among the most visible innovators in the US health insurance marketplace, reported a $105MM loss in 2015. Lack of scale is a challenge, but the company has also been impacted by the user decision-making dynamics affecting established carriers.

The results suggest (at least) three pain points:

# 1 People don't see value because they don't understand what they are buying. When people think something is too expensive, it is because either they cannot afford it (i.e., it really is too expensive) or the perception of value does not justify the price. Reportedly one in seven employees do not understand the benefits being offered by employers, of which health insurance is by far the biggest piece.

# 2 People are being held accountable for health decisions that they are not equipped to handle. Faced with a complex set of choices and opaque information, it is no surprise that many opt for the easy option: saving money now.

# 3 People don't always make rational decisions. A basic primer in behavioral economics will highlight that emotion, bias, and other limitations drive decisions, not rational analysis, and people discount perceived upside relative to potential downside. There is not enough upside to pay more in the short term.

Players who manage to affect these behavioral drivers stand to gain. Here are examples of companies working the issues.

*Connecting disparate sources of data*

PokitDok creates "APIs that power every health care transaction." They aim to enable data connectivity across the silos that in today's world require manual navigation. They define an ecosystem including Private Label Marketplaces, Insurance Connectivity, Payment Optimization and Identity Management. The company closed a $35MM B round last year. PokitDok is a pure technology play. Achieving their vision could be the "holy grail": better economics and better patient experiences and outcomes without owning underwriting risk.

*Helping employers*

It hasn't been lost on the startup world that 150MM employees purchase health care via employers, which is why many companies are focused on improving the benefits buying experience and promising to help employers lower costs. The ACA requires that all companies with more than 50 employees offer health insurance. This aspect of the regulation, coupled with the fact that health benefits expense has risen steadily, provides a specific and large innovation space.

These companies are within the wide range of B2B players aiming at employers' role in delivering benefits:

Lumity, who reported raising $14M last Fall, acting as an insurance broker. The company claims to be "the world's first data-driven benefits platform for growing businesses" promising to simplify benefits selection for employers and employees. Employees are asked to provide health data, which are compared with aggregate profiles using proprietary algorithms. The big question: Will employees see enough benefit to share potentially sensitive information?

Zenefits, recovering from widely publicized regulatory issues, has new leadership. The company acts a broker, and focuses on small businesses.
Collective Health is targeting a wide range of businesses via "ready-to-go,""configurable," and "advanced" solutions. The employee experience components of the offering are aimed at helping users make better-informed decisions with less hassle.

SimplyInsured aggregates health insurance plan options for small businesses to make comparisons easier, and aims to automate processes presumably essential to creating a viable cost structure for serving this segment.

A number of benefits consultants including Aon and Towers Watson (the latter via their acquisition of Liazon in 2013) offer larger employers private exchange capabilities - these include portals for employee benefits enrollment enabled by data analytics and a friendly user interface. They act as or engage brokers to create benefits plans tailored to employers' goals. Such portals can be helpful to employees, and check a box for employers seeking to improve the benefits experience, not just reduce expenses.

*Health advocacy: a workaround to fix a broken patient experience?*

*Health Advocate*, founded in 2002, is the largest example of a relatively new industry positioned to help patients navigate an increasingly complex system, to get right care and reimbursement. The question being raised around these solutions - although as the de facto advocate within my own family I'd love to have a professional advocate to whom I could outsource - is whether they are a workaround adding yet another layer of expense to an industry that earns among the worst customer satisfaction scores of any. As an employer, however, such services offer a benefits option that could be valuable given the stress of managing the health care process many employees undergo, no doubt with associated productivity impacts and/or lost wages.

*Motivating people to adopt healthier habits*

Vitality, reported on in an earlier post, is a cobranded platform offering deals and rewards designed to motivate people who take steps towards better health. Hancock offers the HumanaVitality program, integrating Vitality's rewards program into the insurance relationship. If people see near-term benefit to behavior change this could be a good use case upon which to build.

*Facilitating patient payments to providers*

Patientco is a "payments hub" supporting "every payment type,""every payment method,""every payment location." Focus is on efficiently increasing revenue for providers, secondarily to improve the payments experience for patients. The company provides the ability to integrate its solution with other health technology solutions.

*Providing better experience capabilities to carriers*

Zipari is a customer experience and CRM platform providing a product suite including enrollment, billing, and a 360-view of members across engagement channels. The company targets is product line at insurers, both direct-to-consumer and group or employer channels.

The multiple miracles that would have to occur for a quick fix make it unlikely that we will see a simple, logical health insurance experience any time soon. We are relatively early in what is likely to be a long game. But, insurtech innovators and even more mature companies operating within and around the sector are demonstrating the capacity to go after the possibilities that data, technology and the ability to see creative solutions offer to mitigate the pain.

Amy Radin partners with people who want to transform and grow businesses, bringing a combination of insight, vision, and pragmatism to realize the opportunities arising from change. She links client insight, marketing, big data, and digital technologies to financial goals. Amy serves on Advisory Boards, is an angel investor, keynote speaker, author and consultant. She works with companies from startups to Fortune 500 applying a Framework for New Growth (c) to help companies attract new clients and expand client relationships.

Asclepius ancient greek god of medicine via Photopinand Creative Commons license

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

Above It All Treatment Center Advocates for Parity in Addiction Treatment and Insurance Coverage

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Above It All Treatment Center stands behind the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition’s recent petition for improved access to addiction treatment and proper reimbursement.

Lake Arrowhead, Calif. (PRWEB) September 06, 2016

Above It All Treatment Center supports increased focus on the need for effective treatment for substance use and mental health disorders. Under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, health insurances providers were required to cover these services. However, over the years, some providers have implemented processes that make it more difficult for clients to afford treatment because of barriers through their insurance and low reimbursement. Above It All Treatment Center continues to fight for parity and proper reimbursement and urges clients and other treatment providers to make their voices heard as well.

According to the recent article published in The Daily Courier, on August 13, over the past few months, one of the largest health insurance providers in California and Arizona, Health Net, began taking steps toward stopping reimbursement payments to addiction treatment providers. Clients who were told that their treatment was covered have found themselves faced with thousands of dollars in outstanding fees for service due to claims that were not paid by their insurance health providers. These clients were unable to admit to any treatment centers because all centers knew HealthNet would not pay. In March, Centene bought HealthNet for $6.3 billion, and since have started paying some claims. However, they are paying significantly less than what was originally billed. Despite efforts to peacefully resolve these issues, mutually agreeable terms were not reached and multiple treatment centers have filed lawsuits against Health Net for unpaid claims. (BC630332, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles) (CV2016-009984 Superior Court of the State of Arizona, County of Maricopa).

While the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) prohibits discrimination for mental health and addiction treatment and requires comparable standards as those applied to medical/surgical care, Above It All Treatment Center believes there are still disparities. For instance, under some insurance plans, people seeking addiction treatment must attain pre-authorization, show proof of payment, show that outpatient or previous treatment was unsuccessful before being approved for residential care, or submit a written treatment plan detailing services. Some insurance plans put limits on geographic location for care and require that centers have specific licensure. These same requirements are not typically in place for people seeking general medical/surgical services.

“It places an unfair burden on individuals struggling to receive the treatment they need for recovery from substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders,” said Hillary Ortiz, Treatment Specialist at Above It All Treatment Center.

Ortiz continued, “Many people have a general expectation that if you have insurance and you are sick, that you should be able to get the treatment you need. Many people who call for rehab treatment are shocked that their plan does not cover nearly as much as it should or as they were led to believe. When I have to relay that kind of news to people [that their insurance won’t cover drug rehab or alcohol abuse treatment], it’s heartbreaking and defeating. They are left feeling like, ‘Now what? How can I possibly get the help I need?’”

Above It All never wants individuals or families to feel as though they cannot afford or access the life-saving treatment that they need for addiction. That is why Above It All continues to bring awareness to the public regarding the battle over parity, reimbursement, affordability and coverage for rehab. Above It All advocates for action on the part of policy holders and treatment professionals alike and supports the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition’s (ATAC)’s recent petition for improved access to benefits for addiction treatment and proper reimbursement for rehab services. Signing this petition supports the ATAC’s mission of providing legal and political advocacy, education and consumer protection for those seeking addiction treatment.

Substance use and mental health disorders should be treated with the same seriousness and attention as other health conditions, and Above It All will continue to fight for parity while providing clients with the exceptional care and support they have come to expect from the Center.

ABOUT:
Above It All Treatment Center is a fully accredited addiction treatment center located in Lake Arrowhead, California. Above It All is licensed and certified by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP). The facility offers evidence-based models of treatment and follows the 12-step methodology. In addition, clients engage in holistic activities to strengthen mind, body and spirit, as they are equipped with the strategies and resources necessary for recovery. Above It All is nestled high in the San Bernardino Mountains providing a beautiful and serene environment. Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.

NYT Crossword Celebrates Transgender Acceptance

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Each week HuffPost Queer Voices, in a partnership with blogger Scout, LGBT HealthLink and researcher Corey Prachniak, brings you a round up of some of the biggest LGBT wellness stories from the past seven days. For more LGBT Wellness, visit our page dedicated to the topic here.

*Queer Hispanic Youth Face Major Health Risks*

Researchers found that sexual minority Hispanic students in the Miami area had twice the odds of lifetime alcohol use, three times the odds of cigarette use, and almost four times the odds of drug use when compared to heterosexual Hispanics. These disparities appear even higher than those among all LGB youth, suggesting it may be worse for LGB Hispanics.

*NYT Crossword Celebrates Transgender Acceptance*

We know even microaggressions create bad health outcomes ― that’s why we like to celebrate all those ways we see micro- or macro-supports for the LGBT communities. Slate magazine is calling New York Times’s Sept. 1 crossword one of the most important in their history. In it, several words are able to be filled out with either and M or an F in one box, and the long “revealer” answer at the heart of the puzzle is the word “gender fluid.” Hear, hear! 

*Could Clinton’s Plan Improve LGBT Mental Health?*

The Advocate opines that Hillary Clinton’s newly released mental health plan, which calls for better access to and integration of mental healthcare, could reduce disparities faced by LGBT people. Clinton’s proposal specifically calls for improved services for LGBT students, who face more than four times the odds of attempting suicide.

*Urology Residents Lacking in Transgender Training, Exposure*

A study found that nearly half of urology residents had neither training nor clinical exposure to transgender care, despite the key role urologists play in gender-affirming surgeries. Residents were three times as likely to learn about trans care through interacting with real patients than being formally taught.

*How the ACA Helps Homeless Queer Youth*

The Center for American Progress reports that the Affordable Care Act offers several avenues for homeless queer youth to get health insurance, though options are limited in states that have not expanded Medicaid. Up to 45 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT.

*LGB Folks More Likely to Use “Alternative” Medicine*

A study found that LGB young adults have about double the odds of using complimentary healthcare like massage therapy, chiropractors, and herbal remedies, compared with heterosexual young adults. This may be a means of avoiding traditional and less welcoming forms of care.

*Hormone Therapy Ups Body Fat in Trans Women*

An analysis of recent studies shows that trans women have an average 25 percent increase in body fat from undergoing hormone therapy, while trans men also gained weight but saw a decrease in body fat. This may put trans women at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease, including diabetes and heart disease.

-- 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 16 hours ago.

Incredible shrinking Obamacare

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The next president will have to deal with Obamacare, especially if the health-insurance exchanges go into a death spiral, even though the subject has been basically ignored in the campaign. It will be hard to govern after a campaign about nothing. Reported by Seattle Times 13 hours ago.

Insurance a Key Issue in Minn. Nurses Strike

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Nurses are walking picket lines at five Minnesota hospitals in a strike over health insurance, workplace safety and staffing. Both sides are bracing for a long walkout by the Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents about 4,800 nurses. (Sep. 6)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Reported by USATODAY.com 13 hours ago.

Viva La Cure is a night of hope for Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans supporters

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CAGNO, which offers its services across 13 southeastern Louisiana, is often the last resort for cancer patients who have limited income or no health insurance. Reported by nola.com 12 hours ago.

Survey: Uninsured rate at record low

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The nation's progress in getting more people covered by health insurance slowed significantly this year, the government confirmed Wednesday in a report that tempers a historic achievement of the Obama administration. Reported by FOXNews.com 4 hours ago.

Gov't survey confirms slowdown in US health insurance gains

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Gov't survey confirms slowdown in US health insurance gains Reported by ajc.com 5 hours ago.

Gov’t survey confirms slowdown in US health insurance gains

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s progress in getting more people covered by health insurance slowed significantly this year, the government confirmed Wednesday in a report that tempers a historic achievement of the Obama administration. About 1.3 million fewer people were uninsured the first three months of this year, driving the uninsured rate to a new […] Reported by Seattle Times 5 hours ago.

Independence Underwriting Partners Opens A New Regional Office in Charlotte, North Carolina

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Less than a year after opening its main office, the company continues to grow

MALVERN, PA (PRWEB) September 07, 2016

Nick Christos announces the opening of a Southeast Regional Office of Independence Underwriting Partners (IUP) in Charlotte, NC on September 1st, 2016, less than a year after the opening of IUP’s main office in November 2015. Headquartered in the Philadelphia area (Malvern, PA), Independence Underwriting Partners assists customers, consultants, brokers, carriers and third party administrators in creating and enhancing a full range of employee benefit programs with a specific focus on self funded plans.

“We are excited to continue to expand our new and unique platform,” said Christos, founder and CEO of Independence Underwriting Partners. “Our job is to bring together the brokers, consultants and carriers to deliver the best possible outcome for the customer. IUP is an objective partner. We will always work to provide the best solution available.”

Experienced in all areas of health insurance including medical stop loss, life, disability, and voluntary products, Independence Underwriting Partners maintains a superior carrier network to quickly identify the right resources in order to create and deliver the most comprehensive strategy for the client.

“Nick’s creative, forward-thinking approach to clients’ needs sets him apart,” said Richard Fleder, CEO of ELMC Group, LLC. “I am enthusiastic about being connected to his new venture.”

“If you are a broker, consultant or third party administrator interested in new strategies to retain and maximize client relationships and business, we have the resources and knowledge to formulate and improve healthcare benefit solutions,” explained Christos. “We offer the flexibility, objectivity and creativity to evaluate each opportunity to deliver the best solution while remaining vendor neutral. We are not owned by an insurance company, therefore we are not forced to sell one solution. We are ‘independent’ and proud to remind you that we will always do what is best for you.”

Serving employer groups from 50 to 5,000, Independence Underwriting Partners selects the most appropriate carrier to work with benefit managers and their representatives to meet their objectives.

With more than 20 years of sales and business development experience in the employee benefits marketplace, Christos possesses in depth knowledge in working with human resource managers, insurance brokers and agents providing employers with intelligent, cost-effective healthcare benefit solutions.

“Nick is a successful producer who is well respected in the self funded insurance market, “added William McKernan, President of NSM Insurance Group. “We are excited about our strategic partnership with Independence Underwriting Partners and I look forward to providing IUP’s self funded platform to our clients and prospects.”

“I am thrilled to continue to expand this new venture,” added Christos. “My career has always been focused on bringing people and companies together to create win-win situations.”

For more information about Independence Underwriting Partners and its range of services, contact Nick Christos at 800-934-1339 or Nick(at)IUPLLC(dot)com or visit our website http://www.IUPLLC.com

About Independence Underwriting Partners
Independence Underwriting Partners specializes in helping corporate benefit managers, consultants, insurance brokers and third party administrators in their mission to deliver first class health care benefit programs, resolve ongoing service issues, as well as formulate new, cost effective solutions. IUP capitalizes on unrivaled carrier and client relationships. With our partners as our highest priority, Independence Underwriting Partners delivers innovative solutions that provide superior coverage and service at competitive costs. For more information, refer to http://www.IUPLLC.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.

A Solution to the EpiPen Price Crisis: International Online Pharmacies, According to PharmacyChecker.com

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EpiPens are 66 percent cheaper on PharmacyChecker.com-Verified Sites

White Plains, NY (PRWEB) September 07, 2016

The price of the life-saving injection epinephrine, which is prescribed for people with serious allergies, has surged by 480 percent since 2009 – with most of the increase coming in the last three years from the drug company Mylan. For parents, this may be the difference between buying or not buying a medication that can save their child’s life.

A solution can be found through international online pharmacies, which provide the same medications as U.S. pharmacies but often at one-fifth the cost. For EpiPen Jr, the brand usually prescribed to kids, the lowest price U.S. pharmacy option found on GoodRx is $614 for a package of two. The lowest price for two injections at a PharmacyChecker.com-approved international online pharmacy is just over $200 – a potential savings of about $400, or 66 percent. In the U.S., EpiPen Jr is marketed by generic drug giant Mylan but is produced for Mylan by a subsidiary of Pfizer. Lower cost options internationally are similarly manufactured or licensed by Pfizer.

In most circumstances it remains technically illegal to import medication for one’s own use, although four million people do so each year and none have been prosecuted [1] [2]. Many more people could benefit but are scared off by misleading campaigns about counterfeit drugs. However, peer-reviewed studies show that online dangers can be almost entirely avoided when consumers stick to properly verified international online pharmacies, such as those verified by PharmacyChecker.com [3].

“Outrage about the escalating EpiPen prices is justified but this is nothing new. Drug prices in the U.S. have been out of control for far too long, resulting in a serious public health crisis,” said Gabriel Levitt, president of PharmacyChecker.com. “Consumers deserve and need that choice when it comes to where to buy their medications and should enjoy the competition and transparency that exists in other industries. Safe personal drug importation provides consumers with immediate relief and should be a viable legal option.”

In 2014, 35 million American adults did not fill a prescription due to cost [4]. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, over half of all Americans who do not take prescription medications because of cost report becoming sicker [5]. This means that potentially 17.5 million Americans become sicker each year because they can’t afford their prescription medication. As a result, millions of Americans are purchasing their prescribed medications outside of the country.

PharmacyChecker.com (http://www.pharmacychecker.com) is the only independent company that verifies U.S. and international online pharmacies and compares prescription drug prices. Its Verification Program evaluates online pharmacies by checking that they meet high standards of practice and continually monitoring them for compliance.

PharmacyChecker.com was formed in 2002 when the founder, Tod Cooperman, M.D., saw that increasing numbers of Americans were looking on the Internet to save money on medication but did not have adequate information to protect their health.

Citations

[1] Cohen RA, Villarroel MA. Strategies used by adults to reduce their prescription drug costs: United States, 2013. NCHS data brief, no 184. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2015.

[2] See Marcia Crosse, PhD, director for the Health Care Team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) explain FDA's personal drug importation policies: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/6190570.

[3] Bate, Roger, Ginger Zhe Jin, and Aparna Mather, “In Whom We Trust: The Role of Certification Agencies in Online Drug Markets,” The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy. December 2013, Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages 111–150, ISSN (Online) 1935-1682, ISSN (Print) 2194-6108, DOI.

[4] S. R. Collins, R. Robertson, T. Garber, and M. M. Doty, “The Rise In Health Care Coverage and Affordability Since Health Reform Took Effect,” Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2014, The Commonwealth Fund, April 2015.

[5] USA Today/Kaiser Family Foundation/ Harvard School of Public Health, Health Care Costs Survey (conducted April 25 –June 9, 2005). The survey finds that 20% of respondents, adult Americans, report not filling a prescription due to cost; 54% of those respondents said their condition got worse as a result. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.
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