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Trump’s Plan for Cheaper Health Insurance Could Have Hidden Costs

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An independent federal study said the proposal could increase government spending by $1.2 billion next year, compared with the $96 million to $168 million a year estimated by the administration. Reported by NYTimes.com 9 hours ago.

State's biggest health insurance firms blame Obamacare tax for Q1 losses

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The state’s largest insurers suffered deep losses in the first quarter of 2018, blaming the red ink on a newly-resumed tax of the Affordable Care Act. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest insurer with 2.8 million members, reported a $97.2 million operating loss in the first quarter, compared to a $10.6 million operating gain in the same period last year. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which has the second largest membership at 1.3 million members, reported a $9.4 million… Reported by bizjournals 7 hours ago.

High costs, big gaps driving Australians away from health insurance

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A quarter of a million Australians have decided not to renew their private health insurance, a new survey shows. Reported by Brisbane Times 5 hours ago.

Swiss Post Solutions North America Celebrates Tenure Milestones for Employees

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Swiss Post Solutions is pleased to announce that it has recognized tenure milestones for approximately 300 employees, a record high for the company.

(PRWEB) May 16, 2018

Swiss Post Solutions (SPS), an innovative leader in business process outsourcing and digitization solutions, is pleased to announce that it has recognized tenure milestones for approximately 300 employees, a record high for the company.

Each year, SPS North America’s CEO and Executive Leadership Team travel across the continent to personally congratulate all award recipients at local ceremonies, underscoring the company’s values and commitment to rewarding and retaining its most dedicated and experienced employees. Employees are acknowledged for tenure from 3 to 20 years of service and are recognized for putting clients first and delivering operational excellence during their time with SPS.

“On behalf of SPS, we are honored to be commending these hard-working individuals. We are truly appreciative of the value that they provide to our company, and it is for this reason that we acknowledge these tenured staff members for their dedication to SPS and our clients,” said Art Tatge, SPS’ Chief Operating Officer.

SPS’ robust benefits programs, including its 401(k) employer match, comprehensive health insurance and hearty recognition programs, are key differentiators and are among the foremost reasons for its low turnover rate and high employee satisfaction.

SPS also offers industry-leading training and professional development opportunities. As a result, SPS North America was awarded a Bronze Medal for “Achievements in Workforce Development and Learning” as part of the 2017 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers. The company was selected for its accomplishments in increasing employee engagement and program effectiveness through technology enhancements.

“As we continue to expand and grow in 2018, we must be well prepared with a team of talented professionals, who are able to help us bring innovation, digital transformation and operational excellence to our clients. Our recognition of employees is a key initiative that is essential to the continued health of our organization,” said Dan Moscatiello, SPS North America CEO.

About SPS
We connect the physical and digital worlds

Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) is a leading outsourcing provider for business process solutions and innovative services in document management. A strong international client base relies on SPS’ ability to envision, design and build end-to-end solutions and to be its trusted advisor for the key value drivers in BPO: location strategy, process optimization and technology, such as intelligent automation. Part of the Swiss Post Group headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, SPS’ 6,800 employees and specialized partners span the full range of the industry with focus on banking, insurance, telecommunications and healthcare, addressing customer needs in more than 20 countries.

Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) North America (NA) offers a comprehensive suite of business process outsourcing solutions and document management services that transform key business applications from paper to digital documents, enabling improved workflow and enhanced efficiencies. In the field of outsourced office services, SPS NA provides solutions to clients from an array of industries, including financial services, insurance, higher education, legal, media & entertainment and manufacturing among others. Headquartered in New York City, SPS NA has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC. For further information please go to http://www.swisspostsolutions.com. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.

Major Depression Diagnoses Up 33 Percent Since 2013, Study Finds

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CHICAGO, IL (CBS Local) – A study by health insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield has found that the number of Americans being diagnosed with severe Reported by CapitalBay 17 hours ago.

Switching insurers could save U of Nebraska system $12.3M

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say switching health insurance companies would save the University of Nebraska around $12.3 million next year. A proposal headed to the Board of Regents for its consideration next month would move the coverage in 2019 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska to UMR, a United Healthcare company. The […] Reported by Seattle Times 23 hours ago.

Now is not the time to expand Medi-Cal to undocumented adults

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Advocates of a single-payer healthcare system in California have struggled to come up with a realistic and feasible way to pay for it, so this year they’re pushing for more incremental steps toward universal health insurance coverage. The most far-reaching of these would be to expand Medi-Cal,... Reported by L.A. Times 22 hours ago.

Hart Cunningham Discusses the Benefits of Medical Marijuana

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Presidential candidate Hart Cunningham shares his positive experience with CBD treatment.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (PRWEB) May 16, 2018

It’s no secret that the healthcare system in the United States is depriving millions of Americans of quality health care. But, access to life-saving drugs is also being prohibited by another institution.

For Americans suffering from cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and many more ailments, the federal government routinely makes life not just more difficult, but, in many cases, shorter. Affordable, effective drugs are also kept out of reach of Americans with non-life threatening illnesses such as glaucoma and anxiety.

Our Government is Preventing Effective Healthcare

Whether a lack of education or outright prohibition, the federal government’s stance on medical cannabis has prevented millions of Americans from accessing a drug they are desperately in need of: cannabinoids. Commonly known as CBD, this non-psychoactive therapy is often mistaken for the recreational element found within cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The current US Attorney General Jeff Sessions may be vacillating between “cracking down on marijuana” and not pushing federal prosecutors to begin working “small marijuana cases,” but that does nothing to lift trade prohibiting federal trade regulations, nor recognize CBD as a medicine eligible for health insurance coverage. The government’s long curated cannabis stigma has eroded; more than 3/5 of Americans want the federal government to stop interfering with states’ decisions to legalize cannabis.

Curing Americans with CBD

One incoming 2020 presidential candidate, Hart Cunningham, is strongly motivated to save Americans from the same devastating loss his family experienced. The loss of his father, less than a year after a brain cancer diagnosis, at a time when cultural and legal barriers made it difficult to access CBD treatment, created deep empathy within Cunningham for the millions of Americans with terminal and life-altering illnesses.

For much of his life, Cunningham was a self-described “anti-drug, sports-focused, never a drink in college while taking 8-9 classes per semester to get ahead” type of American. Shortly after entering his thirties, however, shoulder pain led him to CBDs, which he found allowed him to continue focusing on his businesses, and not intense pain. Still, he never considered himself an advocate for the legalization of a federally classified Schedule I drug.

Then, a tragic diagnosis, his father’s aggressive brain cancer, presented an opportunity to share his learnings with, at the least, his loved ones. Cunningham dived deep into oncology study after study, researching ways to help his father beat the cancer that stole from the seasoned author even the ability to write a complete sentence.

It wasn’t until just weeks before his death that Cunningham’s father overcame the social stigma, acquiesced to his son, and signed up for a medical cannabis card. The crippling insomnia he’d suffered for months as a result of twice daily cancer treatments vanished on the first night; he slept soundly. But, the treatment came too late – and Cunningham wishes to this day that his father had been presented with CBD as a complementary treatment from day one.

In a recent Hart2020 campaign video, Cunningham implores viewers to, “Look at the evidence, look at it from a scientific standpoint.” And his supporters are right there with him, with one American commenting, “Thank you, thank you, thank YOU! You actually ‘get it.’ Looking forward to your Presidency, Mr. Hart.”

With a Cunningham Administration, Americans may finally see cannabis rescheduled on a federal level, gaining access to a drug critical to the health and wellbeing of millions.

About Hart Cunningham - #Hart2020

Hart Cunningham is running for the presidency in 2020 in the hopes of helping the world overcome struggles due to capitalism, unsustainable economic and environmental practices, and a lack of equality. After being a successful businessman for many years, Cunningham turned his attention to humanitarian work and to bringing awareness to these issues. Originally from the south, he’s made his roots in California and has a deep understanding of democratic and republican politics and ideals. True to his name, Hart Cunningham wants to bring the heart back into politics in America and believes that poverty and climate change must be solved for the greater good of our world. Volunteer or contribute to his campaign by visiting, http://hart2020.org.

Follow Hart Cunningham on Social Media

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HCfor2020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HartCunningham2020 Reported by PRWeb 19 hours ago.

DIGITAL HEALTH BRIEFING: Virtual health drives Oscar membership in Q1 — Alphabet prototypes blood-drawing watch — Health systems see savings in tele-ICU

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DIGITAL HEALTH BRIEFING: Virtual health drives Oscar membership in Q1 — Alphabet prototypes blood-drawing watch — Health systems see savings in tele-ICU Welcome to Digital Health Briefing, the newsletter providing the latest news, data, and insight on how digital technology is disrupting the healthcare ecosystem, produced by Business Insider Intelligence.

*Sign up and receive Digital Health Briefing free to your inbox.*

Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at: lbeaver@businessinsider.com

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*VIRTUAL HEALTH ENGAGEMENT DRIVES OSCAR HEALTH Q1 EARNINGS: *Oscar Health, a tech-focused startup insurer, reported that it reached 240,000 members in Q1, up from 90,000 in Q1 2017. The insurer also boasted 300% year-over-year (YoY) growth in gross premium revenue for the quarter. The results suggest that Oscar is on track to hit its projected premium revenue goal of $1 billion for 2018, Oscar Health CEO Mario Schlosser said in a press release. Buoyed by these numbers, Oscar also announced plans to expand into four new states in 2019, according to Bloomberg.

*Oscar Health is a prime example of how payers can use modern technology and a customer-centric approach to drive membership growth and retention.* Much of Oscar’s growth relies on the company’s virtual services.

· *Concierge **encourages robust engagement among members. *Concierge is a platform that provides each member with a care team that they can connect with via the Oscar app. Twenty-six percent of members interact with Oscar’s Concierge team prior to filing a claim within 14 days. 
· *More members are using Oscar’s platform to find in-network care, which makes Oscar more valuable to its health system partners.* While scheduling their first appointment, members used Oscar to locate in-network doctors 43% of the time, up from 14% in 2016.
· *Easy access to Oscar’s telemedicine service means fewer patients are turning to more costly services like emergency or urgent care.* Members who used telemedicine to connect with Oscar’s physicians didn’t seek follow-up care 80% of the time.

*Oscar’s performance in Q1 is a turnaround from the insurer's tumultuous 2017, when it withdrew from several states.* In each area Oscar expands to, it partners with only a few health systems. As consumers, particularly those in the millennial age bracket (people born between 1977 and 2000), increasingly seek out alternative modes of healthcare delivery, such as telehealth, Oscar can direct its engaged customers to partner hospitals and clinics, driving up usage and revenue rates at these health systems.

*Nevertheless, Oscar’s outlook remains murky.* Incumbent health insurers could replicate the startup’s virtual platform with relative ease, and many are already exploring these options. Moreover, the larger vendors have more robust partnerships with health systems around the US as well as much larger member bases. Because of this, it remains unclear whether Oscar Health’s strategy — along with those of its ilk, such as Clover Health — will be able to disrupt the US health insurance market in any meaningful way.

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*GOOGLE SISTER COMPANY VERILY WORKING ON BLOOD-DRAWING WEARABLE: *Verily Life Sciences, Google-parent Alphabet’s health-focused business, is developing a wearable that uses micro-needles and magnets to make blood collecting painless and convenient, according to CNBC. The prototyped wearable analyzes blood for health signals, making patient monitoring less invasive than traditional blood drawing. While the regulatory and technical barriers mean the device is likely a few years from market, it illustrates Verily’s continued interest in ambitious health-related tech. Verily tends to lean on its engineering expertise — especially in miniaturized electronics, analytics, and consumer software development — to team up with medical partners that specialize in various domains of medicine. In the past year alone, Verily collaborated with Johnson & Johnson to develop surgical robots, announced plans to enter the field of bioelectronics, and launched efforts to develop tech that improves diabetes management. Verily is not the only Alphabet subsidiary extending its reach into the healthcare market, as Google aims to leverage its expertise in AI for a greater role in healthcare. Between Google and Verily, Alphabet is poised to have a significant influence in the healthcare sphere in the coming years.

*US PROVIDERS TURNING TO TELE-ICU REPORT POSITIVE ROI: *Emory Healthcare, the largest health system in Georgia, along with health tech giant Philips, announced the launch of a new tele-Intensive Care Unit (tele-ICU), a program that connects critical care patients in the US with US providers based in Australia. Tele-ICU enables off-site physicians to monitor patients and connect with bedside staff. The program, which will be based in Perth, Western Australia, is the next phase of Emory Healthcare’s 2016 pilot program that deployed in Sydney, New South Wales. The virtual care program takes advantage of the time-zone difference and means that US physicians based in Perth can offer nighttime remote care for patients in Atlanta, when it's daytime in Australia. This can help to reduce the burden of evening shift work on US caregivers.

The adoption of tele-ICU initiatives is picking up steam as adopting health systems continue to find strong and relatively immediate ROIs, according to Philips:

· *Remote caregivers can react more quickly to alerts.* ICUs tend to be under-staffed, and remote clinicians can direct nurses until the doctor arrives.
· *Physicians have a lightened workload.* Diffusing some of the responsibility to off-site caregivers reduces stress for on-site staff, improving quality of care.

While there’s a high up-front investment to establish a tele-ICU unit, the multi-pronged benefits mean health systems have seen a high return on investment, with costs recouped in as short as three months. We believe demand for telehealth solutions will gain momentum as the shift from volume to value continues and physician shortages expand.

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*ACCENTURE, ROCK HEALTH JOIN FORCES TO BOLSTER DIGITAL HEALTH STARTUPS:* Accenture and Rock Health, a seed fund that invests in digital health startups, announced a partnership to increase innovation in healthcare. The collaboration gives Rock Health access to insights from Accenture’s more than 20,000 healthcare professionals globally. For Accenture, the partnership represents an opportunity to keep tabs on new health tech and VC interests in the field. Accenture has been increasingly active within the healthcare industry, spearheading multiple pilot programs that explore the emergence of digital health in a clinical setting. Partnering with Rock Health gives Accenture early access to startups driving innovation in these areas, which it can, in turn, use to help providers improve delivery of care. This will be increasingly important for the company, particularly as new digital health tools continue to flood the market.

*IN OTHER NEWS: *

· *Verily Life Sciences* and the *Michael J. Fox Foundation* are partnering to use data from a Verily wearable to help improve Parkinson's disease research, according to Fast Company.
· A highly critical Department of Defense report characterized last year's rollout of *Cerner*’s electronic health records (EHR) system at four military sites as "neither operationally effective, nor operationally suitable," according to POLITICO.  The report strikes another blow to Cerner's already once delayed contract with the *Veteran's Affairs* (VA), which the VA is set to decide on by Memorial Day.

 

Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 19 hours ago.

Poliquin voices support for children’s health insurance cuts

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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin is backing President Donald Trump’s plan to cut $15 billion in federal spending on children’s health insurance and other programs, saying the money would be “wasted” otherwise. Close to half of the proposed cuts target the Children’s Health Insurance Program, canceling $5.1 billion in funding that […] Reported by Seattle Times 17 hours ago.

Covered California premiums projected to rise 11 percent in 2019

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The elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to buy health insurance, which takes effect in 2019, is expected to lead to a 12 percent drop in enrollment and an 11 percent rise in insurance premiums for Californians buying health plans on the individual market, according to estimates in a proposed annual budget released by Covered California, the state health insurance marketplace, on Thursday. In California, about 2.4 million people buy health plans in the individual market. That includes 1.3 million people who receive Affordable Care Act federal subsidies to buy insurance through Covered California, and roughly 1.2 million who buy plans without subsidies. Reported by SFGate 15 hours ago.

Access Healthcare Welcomes Jim Carlough as Senior Vice President – North America Operations

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Revenue Cycle Management provider Access Healthcare announces the addition of Jim Carlough as the Senior Vice President- North America Operations. Jim brings strong healthcare domain experience working with large-scale healthcare customers both as a service provider as well as an operations leader.

DALLAS (PRWEB) May 17, 2018

Revenue Cycle Management provider Access Healthcare announces the addition of Jim Carlough as the Senior Vice President- North America Operations. Jim brings strong healthcare domain experience working with large-scale healthcare customers both as a service provider as well as an operations leader.

Access Healthcare, a leading provider of end-to-end healthcare revenue cycle business process and IT services, today announced the addition of Jim Carlough as the Senior Vice President – North America Operations. Jim has over 25 years of C-level experience with impeccable success in sales, operations, and account management.

Jim joins us from Cognizant, where he worked as Senior Director and Market Leader and was responsible for planning, overseeing, and growing the Payer (Health Insurance) Business Segment by providing strategic leadership and direction to mergers and acquisitions, business development, sales, account management, and marketing.

“We are at a great point in our journey and are continually augmenting our delivery capabilities and healthcare business process and IT solutions portfolio. As we strive to improve our market share, we are excited to have Jim onboard with us. His domain experience in both the provider and payer market segments will help us do just that,” said Anurag Jain, Chairman, Access Healthcare.

Prior to Cognizant, Jim has held leadership positions with companies including Health Management Systems and Perot Systems. Across these roles, he has provided his leadership and expertise to innovate, strengthen, and optimize customer relations to multiple healthcare IT and business process services accounts. He has been instrumental in building account portfolios through client retention, customer satisfaction, process improvement and cost reduction strategies.

“I am thrilled to be part of an organization like Access Healthcare, an organization that is fast emerging as the preferred service provider in the revenue cycle management domain. What excited me the most is the company’s focus on utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to steer better patient outcomes. I am looking forward to working with the team to build new solutions and delivery capabilities.", says Jim Carlough, Senior Vice President – North America Operations, Access Healthcare.

About Access Healthcare

Access Healthcare provides business process outsourcing, applications services, and robotic process automation tools to healthcare providers, payers, and related service providers. The company operates from 12 delivery centers across US, India and the Philippines. Our 8,000+ staff is committed to bringing revenue cycle excellence to our customers by leveraging technology, emerging best practices, and global delivery. Based in Dallas, Access Healthcare supports over 150,000 physicians, serve 80+ specialties, process over $ 50 billion of A/R annually, and ascribe medical codes to over 10 million charts annually.
To learn how Access Healthcare can help your organization boost its financial performance, visit https://www.accesshealthcare.org/ Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.

NAELA Announces Winner of National Writing Award

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Co-Authors Marielle F. Hazen, CELA, and Shirley Berger Whitenack, CAP, NAELA Fellow, Receive John J. Regan Writing Award

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) May 18, 2018

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) proudly announced that Marielle F. Hazen, CELA (Harrisburg, Penn.) and Shirley Berger Whitenack, CAP, NAELA Fellow (Florham Park, N.J.) received the award for their article, “The Fiduciary Pitfalls of Managing Special Needs Trusts That Own Real Estate,” published in the Spring 2017 NAELA Journal. The article provides an excellent discussion of the difficult issues that arise when managing real estate in a special needs trust. The article is well-researched, well-written, and provides a concise overview of the subject. In addition to the thoroughness of the research, the article is written with clarity so that it’s accessible even for clients who are not professional trustees and professional trustees who are not necessarily well-versed in administration of special needs trusts.

The Regan Writing Award was established in 1996 in memory of John J. Regan — a long-time NAELA member and Fellow, and a pioneer in Elder Law — and is meant to encourage quality submissions to NAELA Journal from NAELA members and non-members.

About the Authors

Marielle F. Hazen, CELA, is the founder of Hazen Law Group in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a firm dedicated to the practice of elder law and special needs planning, estate planning, tax planning, and estate administration. She is a past president and one of the founding members of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA). She is a past chair of the Elder Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Ms. Hazen is a past president and member of the Board of Directors of the Special Needs Alliance. She participates on NAELA’s Grassroots Advocacy Committee. She is actively involved in the legislative advocacy activities of PAELA, the PBA Elder Law Section, the Special Needs Alliance, and NAELA.

Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq., CAP, is a partner at Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP with offices in Florham Park and Paramus, New Jersey. Ms. Whitenack devotes a substantial portion of her practice to trust and estate litigation and elder law and special needs planning. Ms. Whitenack is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), is a NAELA past president, and is a member of NAELA’s Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP).

NAELA Journal is a publication of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. It covers substantive Elder and Special Needs Law topics including preservation of assets, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, disability, health insurance, tax planning, conservatorships, living trusts and wills, long-term care planning, housing and nursing home issues, elder abuse, fraud recovers, age discrimination, and retirement.

About NAELA

Members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities. Upon joining, NAELA member attorneys agree to adhere to the NAELA Aspirational Standards. Established in 1987, NAELA is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others. The mission of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is educate, inspire, serve, and provide community to attorneys with practices in elder and special needs law. NAELA currently has members across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit NAELA.org.

# # # Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.

Governor Northam vetoes GOP healthcare bills

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has vetoed a handful of GOP-backed bills related to health care. Northam vetoed a bill that would have allowed all groups like the Virginia Chamber of Commerce to pool their members together in a group to shop for health insurance. Supporters said it would help reduce costs. […] Reported by Seattle Times 12 hours ago.

Report analyzes impact on health insurance rates in Oregon from 'marketplace sabotage'

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Oregon will feel less of an impact, since the state limits short-term plans. Reported by bizjournals 13 hours ago.

Yes, President Trump, there is a difference between HIV and HPV. Here's a handy tipsheet

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In the early days of his presidency, Donald Trump famously declared that “nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.”

At the time, he was talking about health insurance. But perhaps he was also thinking about two potentially life-threatening viruses — HIV and HPV.

In a video that came... Reported by L.A. Times 12 hours ago.

Yes, President Trump, there is a difference between HIV and HPV. Here's a handy tipsheet

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In the early days of his presidency, Donald Trump famously declared that “nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.”

At the time, he was talking about health insurance. But perhaps he was also thinking about two potentially life-threatening viruses — HIV and HPV.

In a video that came... Reported by L.A. Times 21 hours ago.

US clings to health coverage gains despite political drama

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. clung to its health insurance gains last year, an unexpected outcome after President Donald Trump's repeated tries to take apart the Obama-era coverage expansion, according to a major government survey released Tuesday. Overall, the survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 9.1 percent of Americans were uninsured in 2017, or a little more than 29 million people After nearly a year of Trump, that was almost the same as toward the end of the Obama administration. For perspective, the uninsured rate dropped from 16 percent since the Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010, which translates roughly to 19 million people gaining coverage. Reported by SeattlePI.com 7 hours ago.

First-Ever Direct Primary Care Functional Family Medicine Practice Opens in Indiana

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PureHealth Functional Family Medicine Launches with Freedom Healthworks

INDIANAPOLIS (PRWEB) May 22, 2018

After 18 years of being hospital-employed, Dr. Daniel Stock has opened the doors to his new functional family medicine practice. PureHealth Functional Family Medicine, located 15510 Herriman Boulevard in Noblesville, is now accepting new patients. The practice is one of only two functional family medicine practices in the state of Indiana, but is the sole practice to provide care through Direct Primary Care (DPC), and without involving health insurance.

“I want to offer my patients all that Functional Family Medicine offers at a flat price, while also providing them care when they need it,” said Dr. Daniel Stock, founding physician of PureHealth Functional Family Medicine. “The best part of functional medicine is tackling both common or acute diseases and chronic complex issues from lacerations and sore throats, to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and even Parkinson’s Disease.”

Despite practicing for three decades, Dr. Stock has most recently learned of an innovative way of reversing Alzheimer's Disease. He says he believes that finding out all the elements that cause a person to become ill is the best way to be able to treat a chronic disease.

“Whether my patient is battling the common cold, or Alzheimer's Disease, my goal is to realize and achieve ‘good healthcare,’ and to that, I believe in spending more time with each patient to inform them of their options, make decisions and plan out the best, next steps” said Dr. Stock. “I firmly believe most issues can be solved by lifestyle changes if caught early enough, and in an economical way. And, DPC functional medicine allows for that to occur.”

Dr. Stock completed his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame University, his medical degree at Indiana University, and internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis. He began practicing primary care in 1989. A founding diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology, Dr. Stock is also a diplomate of the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.

“Patients need to be in control of their health and healthcare, and PureHealth Functional Family Medicine allows patients to be the leader in controlling their health destiny,” said Adam Habig, co-founder and president of Freedom Healthworks. “We are very excited to work with Dr. Stock and provide more patients in Indiana access to Functional Medicine.”

As a DPC practice, PureHealth Functional Family Medicine enables patients to pay a flat, monthly fee for unlimited health care, while reserving their health insurance for specialty physician visits and hospitalizations. PureHealth Functional Family Medicine opened its doors with the help of Freedom Healthworks, an organization empowering physicians to open their dream DPC practice, which includes longer in-office visits and higher accessibility for their patients including communication by text, phone, email and digital apps.

Dr. Stock’s office is located at 15510 Herriman Blvd in Noblesville, and is now accepting new patients.

ABOUT FREEDOM HEALTHWORKS
Freedom Healthworks, based in Indianapolis, propels the launch, growth and operation of independent, Direct Primary Care (DPC) practices, while also connecting patients to the best DPC practice for their needs. By liberating physicians to serve patients instead of insurance companies, Freedom Healthworks seeks to empower patients to purchase excellent, affordable medical care from private physicians they know and trust. The business was founded by Adam Habig, Christopher Habig and Meghan Habig Johnston, three adult siblings whose physician parents were on the brink of burnout but wanted to offer patients the best healthcare possible. Freedom Healthworks’ initiatives under the DPC model allow patients to receive unlimited health care from a physician of their choosing, while paying a flat rate. Freedom Healthworks’ DPC physicians provide a higher level of care while practicing how they were trained. These physicians also maintain a healthy work-life balance and do not suffer from the burnout that plagues the majority of the medical community. More information about Freedom Healthworks can be found at http://www.FreedomHealthworks.com. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.

Millions of Americans Have Cataract, With the Numbers Expected to Soar in the Coming Years

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June is Cataract Awareness Month at Prevent Blindness, Aiming to Educate Public on Risk Factors, Financial Assistance Programs and More for Most Common Eye Disease

CHICAGO (PRWEB) May 22, 2018

In the United States, more than 25 million Americans have cataract, a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in impaired vision. Research from the Prevent Blindness study, “The Future of Vision,” estimates that number will increase to 38.5 million by 2032, and to 45.6 million by the year 2050. Cataract progressively reduces the sharpness of vision and can cause a yellowish-brown tint to be applied to your field of vision. This can impact color identification, make it more difficult to read, and perform other routine activities.

Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest eye health and safety non-profit organization, has declared June as Cataract Awareness Month to educate the public on risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.

There are also several possible risk factors for cataracts, such as:· Aging
· Intense heat or long-term exposure to UV rays from the sun
· Certain diseases, such as diabetes
· Inflammation in the eye
· Hereditary influences
· Events before birth, such as German measles in the mother
· Long-term steroid use
· Eye injuries
· Eye diseases
· Smoking

In many cases, cataract surgery is recommended by an eye doctor. According to the National Eye Institute, cataract removal is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. In about 90 percent of cases, people who have cataract surgery have improved vision afterward.

EyeCare America from the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers the “Seniors Program,” where qualified seniors ages 65 and older can obtain a free eye exam and up to one year of follow-up care for any condition diagnosed during the initial exam, for the physician services.

Most cataract surgery is covered by Medicare and health insurance. However, it is important that every patient talks to his or her eyecare professional and insurance provider to determine what surgery-related expenses are covered and by how much. According the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, generally, Medicare does not cover eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, following cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens, Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps pay for corrective lenses (one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames or one set of contact lenses).

Not all patients who are eligible for cataract surgery actually obtain it. A recent report in JAMA Ophthalmology from representatives of the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, “Association of Social Support Network Size With Receipt of Cataract Surgery in Older Adults,” found that Medicare beneficiaries with fewer family members in their social support network were less likely to receive cataract surgery. In fact, this population had 40 percent lower odds of receiving cataract surgery compared with those with more family members. The findings suggest that initiatives aimed at directing information on resources in the patient’s area, including transportation services, may result in increases in cataract surgeries for those in need.

“Although millions of Americans today have cataract, there are services and programs available to help,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We encourage patients and their caregivers to work with their doctors to put an effective treatment plan together to protect or restore healthy vision.”

For free information on cataract, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020 or visit the Prevent Blindness website at http://www.preventblindness.org/cataract. For a listing of vision care financial assistance programs in English or Spanish, visit https://www.preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information.

About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.org or facebook.com/preventblindness.

### Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.
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