Health Insurance Headlines on One News Page [United States]

World of Expats has created a unique package of healthcare services for those planning a move abroad, ensuring those living or retiring abroad will receive the best care while living overseas.

Brighton, East Sussex (PRWEB UK) 24 June 2014

Deaths through medical error and a failure to get the right treatment occur in every country and studies vary in their assessment of how many occur. There is also limited evidence of the main causes of those errors. Information is clearly vital in effective healthcare and the lack of such information can be a major cause of misdiagnosis or of people not accessing the right treatment from the appropriate specialist.

As more people leave the country to enjoy an expat lifestyle, these issues become even more important as they may require support in an unfamiliar country with different health systems, language issues and difficulties in accessing their medical history. They face various other issues around healthcare – ranging from how to buy their regular prescription to which health insurance package to purchase. In addition, older people can have real issues with obtaining health insurance cover when they move abroad – particularly if they have pre-existing conditions.

“Ensuring that you and your family are healthy is clearly a major concern for any expat,” says Nigel Ayres, Founder and CEO of World of Expats. “Before moving to a new country, you should ensure that you have looked into what healthcare will be available privately or publicly - particularly if you have any specific health issues. If you move within the EU and you are British, it may be possible to get state coverage through an E111 – but if you move outside the EU, you will probably need to consider international or local private insurance as an option.”

Of course, for many years, people have travelled for health reasons. As early as 1668, people began journeying to Bath to take the waters. Since then people have made ‘pilgrimages’ to locations all over the world to enjoy the health benefits of other climates – the fresh air of the Alps or the warm climate of the Med.

“If you asked people why they were retiring to warmer climes today – many would claim it was for health reasons,” says Nigel Ayres.

However, not everyone will end up being an expat in a ‘healthy’ location. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that air pollution contributed to 7 million deaths worldwide in 2012 – with 40% of those coming from the region dominated by China under the WHO’s classification system. Last year, 71 of 74 Chinese cities failed to meet air quality standards.

“I read a news piece last month about a US family who had relocated to Beijing,” says Nigel. “The smog there had become too much for the family, with the two young children being forced to stay indoors and friends’ children developing asthma. So, the wife and girls returned to Florida, while the husband has stayed on in China and travels home once a month to see his family. Now, many corporates are having to offer hardship packages to executives to encourage them to move there.”

World of Expats is a global community, providing advice to anyone thinking about living abroad, whatever their age and whatever their motivation for becoming an expat.

The World of Expats destination pages include information on local health issues and immunisation requirements, the local healthcare system and advice on health insurance options, as well as information on specialist medical services, pharmacies and prescriptions.

World of Expats has created a unique package of healthcare services to support those who plan to live, work or retire abroad. This draws together access to international medical insurance through leading brokers and direct providers. The healthcare package will also feature value-added services that leverage innovative technologies to ensure that individuals who are living or retiring abroad will receive the best care while living overseas.

The package includes elements brought to the package by three partners:· MED’PROFILE from Swiss MedBank – a secure international health passport accessible around the world at any time. MED’PROFILE allows you to carry your medical history with you, particularly in case of emergency and in a foreign country – accessible through the internet, on an App on a smartphone or by using a credit card-sized device with biometric security using your fingerprint, allowing access to doctors even when you are unconscious without the need for any internet access. Connection to any USB port allows doctors to access your relevant information, scans, images, drug and other medical history as well as contact details of your regular medical practitioners.
· Expat Prescription Services – an international prescription concierge for expatriates. High drug costs, exorbitant shipping fees, and customs delays make obtaining needed medications inconvenient. Expatriate Prescription Services is designed to provide expatriates convenient access to high quality, low cost prescription drugs using an efficient and reliable delivery system to over 160 countries worldwide.
· MDossier – MDossier from HTH Worldwide provides those traveling outside the United States with a personalized report of fully-vetted physicians and a comprehensive list of medical and safety resources for each destination on their itinerary. The reports are drawn from HTH’s robust global databases covering over 190 countries.

“We are delighted that MED’PROFILE is to be part of the offering from World of Expats,” says Benjamin Philippe, Managing Director of Swiss MedBank. “MED’PROFILE offers any expat peace of mind that their health details are both available and secure. Information saves time and time saves lives.”

Adds Jan Sessor, President of Universal Rx providers of Expat Prescription Services: “Moving abroad should not mean that people can no longer source their regular prescriptions or have to pay massive prices to acquire them. Expat Prescription Services provides a much-needed service to expats and we are happy to be working with World of Expats.”

“Teaming up with World of Expats to distribute MDossier is a great way for HTH Worldwide to help expats access many of the top doctors around the world,” says Alex Wood, Managing Director of HTH Worldwide. “We confirm that their availability coincides with the expats’ itinerary to add an extra layer of value.”

“I truly believe that with all these tools at their disposal, expats will make better informed decisions about their move abroad,” says Nigel. “This means that, hopefully, they are well placed to make the most of the opportunities that a move abroad can offer.”

[ends]

Notes to editors:· Launched in September 2013, World of Expats is the first destination for expats.
· The site provides a combination of destination specific guides for expats, together with information and advice covering the issues faced by expats, as well as tools and services.
· http://www.worldofexpats.com has been launched by Nigel Ayres, former co-founder of The Forum for Expatriate Management, a global community of professionals involved in managing international assignee programmes at large and medium-sized corporates. Nigel has lived and worked as an expatriate in Hong Kong, Malaysia and twice in California.
· In launching World of Expats, Nigel is partnering with Living Abroad, a leading provider of destination information and other services to the global mobility market.
· Among the services offered by World of Expats is Hot Properties – which provides links to properties from Rightmove Overseas. In addition, there are property guides from The Overseas Guides Company (OGC).
· Foreign exchange services and advice is available from an alliance with Smart Currency, while Oversea Mortgage Broker gives access to advice on financing an overseas property purchase.
· World of Expats has also announced a partnership with VisitRentals – the world’s largest online inventory of serviced apartments and aparthotels.
· Other tools and services available on the site include a job board powered by Xpat Jobs.

http://www.worldofexpats.com

For more information on this media release, please contact Angela Ward on: 01825 765617 or by email: angela(at)themarketingeye(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.

In a 2006 Saturday Night Live sketch, Chris Parnell sums up the conventional wisdom about credit card debt:

Did you know millions of Americans live with debt they can not control? That's why I've developed this unique new program for managing your debt. It's called Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford.
According to the prevailing story, debt is caused by lavish and irresponsible spending by poor and middle-class families. But like much "conventional wisdom," an increasing amount of evidence belies this point. In fact, the decline of saving and the rise of debt was an almost inevitable consequence of families trying to scrape by in the face of rising inequality. This is the corollary of French economist Thomas Piketty's now-famous observation: While capital is increasingly concentrated at the top, it turns out that debt is becoming concentrated at the bottom.

In the same SNL bit, Amy Poehler says, "There's a whole section in here about buying expensive things using money you save." This supposedly common-sense observation is mirrored elsewhere. The American Institute of CPAs runs an advertising campaign urging people to "feed the pig." One such ad depicts a responsible couple studiously saving for a house, while another eats lobster, receives massages and then complains about "never having enough to put away." Underlying both the real commercial and the satirical one is the idea that those who aren't saving could do so, but are instead spending the money. But the evidence for this story is weak.

A more compelling story is that inequality has made it harder for households at the middle and bottom to save. In fact, the decline in savings has coincide with a rise in income inequality (see chart). There is evidence that these trends are connected. -------------------- --------------------American households falling in the bottom third of income growth from 1999 to 2007 accounted for a full half of the decline in the overall saving rate over the same period,according to the IMF. Meanwhile, a 2012 Demos study finds that "40 percent of households used credit cards to pay for basic living expenses such as rent or mortgage bills, groceries, utilities or insurance, in the past year because they did not have enough money in their checking or savings account." Another 2012 study finds that "regions or periods with higher inequality are characterized not only by a more unequal distribution of saving rates but also by lower saving rates for most of the income distribution."

One of the myths of the right has been that if the rich have more money, they'll save and invest more as a result, thereby stimulating the economy. That is, more inequality will lead to more national saving. In fact, the data shows that inequality just concentrates wealth in the hands of the few. It also points to the important possibility that the increase in income inequality is what drove the savings rate down to begin with, by also increasing disparities in wealth.

Wealth serves as a buffer for an income shock, like losing a job or a medical emergency; it also constitutes a family's retirement income and the means for funding children's education. However, the rise in income inequality has been coupled with a rise in wealth inequality, meaning that wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few. Recently, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman have shown the increase of wealth inequality in the United States (source).

This rising wealth inequality means that American households don't have anything to fall back on in the case of a bout of unemployment or a health crisis. (One study finds that 62 percent of bankruptcies are medical-related.)

In a recent study, Amy Traub, a senior policy analyst at Demos, sought to test whether those with credit card debt were the profligates portrayed by popular culture. She used a national survey of 1,997 households to create two groups indistinguishable in terms of income, race, age, marital status and rate of homeownership. The only difference? One group had credit card debt, the other group didn't. Traub finds that the households without debt had more assets, and fell back on them when dealing with unexpected expenses. She finds "little evidence" that "households with credit card debt are less responsible in their spending habits than households that do not have accumulated debt." Instead, she finds that unemployment, children, lack of education, lack of health insurance and negative home equity correlate strongly with high levels of debt.

In their famous book on the subject, The Two-Income Trap, Elizabeth Warren andAmelia Warren Tyagi argue that slowing income growth, not overspending, is what's driving families into debt. In an essay on Boston Review they write that,
There is no evidence of any 'epidemic' of overspending -- certainly nothing that could explain a 255 percent increase in the foreclosure rate, a 430 percent increase in the bankruptcy rolls, and a 570 percent increase in credit-card debt.
The Warrens point to the increasing cost of education and housing. A 2000 study performed in Fresno, California, found that the most important determinant of neighborhood housing prices was school quality. The strongest evidence that the Warrens cite is that between 1984 and 2001 housing prices for those with one or more children increased at three times the rate of those without children. As families have tried to provide for the education for their children, they have increasingly been squeezed by high housing costs.

The final factor driving debt is unscrupulous practices by banking institutions.The CARD Act is saving Americans $12.6 billion a year by cutting back dodgy fees and other shady practices. But payday lenders can still prey on the poor. Traub finds that households with higher levels of credit card debt were more likely to have received financing from payday lenders. We need policies to give poor and middle-class workers more income and wealth. Increasing the minimum wage is a simple start. Incentivizing worker ownership and profit-sharing would also benefit workers. The government could give citizens a small basic income each year and it could also institute a "baby bond" policy, which would foster wealth building. On the other side, it needs to bust up concentrated and idle wealth by taxing it.

As Piketty notes in his interview with Matthew Yglesias, "My point is to increase wealth mobility and to increase access to wealth." He aims to "reduce taxation of wealth for most people, but to increase it for those who already have a lot of wealth." By spreading wealth to the middle class and poor, we could decrease the reliance on the "plastic safety net," and create a strong and sustainable middle class.

Originally published on Salon. Reported by Huffington Post 22 hours ago.

Statewide patient safety collaborative formally launches a Connecticut public-private partnership, creates board and ratifies bylaws.

North Haven, Conn. (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

The Connecticut Partnership for Patient Safety (CPPS) recently marked a major advancement by formally launching a Connecticut public-private partnership, creating its board and ratifying its bylaws. Started informally five years ago as a group of concerned executives representing a wide range of extensive healthcare experience and leadership, CPPS has since grown to 19 individuals representing healthcare providers, consumers, insurers, advocacy, professional, research, state health, and quality improvement organizations.

“CPPS is the realization of a concept long overdue,” said President-elect Judith Kunisch, faculty member at the Yale School of Nursing and a member of the original organizing group. “The group’s mission is to create a culture of patient safety across the healthcare continuum through a statewide collaboration that provides education and consultation. We want to celebrate successes and shine a light on best practices across our state to encourage dramatic improvements sorely needed in protecting patients.”

Taking lessons learned from the Massachusetts Coalition’s successful patient safety model and commissioning studies from Quinnipiac University’s School of Business/Department of Healthcare Management, CPPS is creating a solid foundation for growth. “This group is different from others in that it is laser focused on patient protection and patient safety,” said CPPS Interim President Tim Elwell, president and CEO of Qualidigm. “Using a non-punitive approach that shines a light on what works, CPPS aggressively supports the creation of a culture of trust that encourages transparency and honesty. The group hopes to attract all healthcare stakeholders, including patients, to reduce patient harm caused by the State’s healthcare delivery system,” said Elwell. CPPS will concentrate on the continuum of care for all individuals seeking healthcare in Connecticut; collaborating with and enhancing the many patient safety/quality improvement initiatives already underway.

Initially sponsored by the Connecticut State Medical Society with additional funding from individual and member groups, CPPS is now transitioning to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation to attract both grants and corporate donors to build its organization.

The board members, representing experience from a wide variety of healthcare organizations, are as follows:

Judith Kunisch, R.N., Yale University; Tim Elwell, Qualidigm; Dr. Mary Cooper, CT Hospital Association; John Lynch, ProHealth Physicians; Al Goldberg, Long-Term Care/Not-for-Profit; Dr. Peter Bowers, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield; Dr. Desmond Ebanks, Alternity Healthcare LLC; Dr. Linda Ellis, Quinnipiac University/School of Medicine; Dr. Michael Krinsky, Connecticut State Medical Society; Joseph McGee, Business Council of Fairfield County; Angela Mattie, CT Association of Healthcare Executives; Dr. Russell J. Munson, HealthyCT; Jean Rexford, CT Center for Patient Safety; Lori-Anne Russo, Community Health Center Association; Dr. Robert Scalettar, Board, CT Health Insurance Exchange; Clarence Silvia, Hospital of Central CT - retired CEO; Dr. Marie Smith, UConn School of Pharmacy; Linda Berger Spivack, R.N., CT Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition; Valerie Wyzykowski, R.N., CT Health Care Advocate.

### Reported by PRWeb 22 hours ago.

WASHINGTON -- Fresh off a six-month period in which his state defied expectations to become one of Obamacare's defining success stories, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) sees room for additional growth.

Beshear told The Huffington Post that he has had conversations with several insurance companies interested in entering Kentucky's health care exchange when open enrollment begins again this November. And though many of the 420,000 state residents who obtained insurance this past cycle were the so-called low-hanging fruit -- people either desperate for coverage or eligible for Medicaid -- Beshear's expectation is that word-of-mouth testimonials will persuade those who didn't sign up already that it's a good buy.

"Our success, I think, is going to build on itself," the governor said in an interview from his Washington, D.C., office. "The fact is that everybody in Kentucky is at least aware that we had a successful rollout of some kind of new health care, and so, as you contact these people, I think we are in an improved position in terms of convincing them that they need to do something."

To reach the universe of unconvinced, Beshear and his staff are scheming ways to make enrollment easier. Officials at Kynect, Kentucky's insurance exchange, are planning improvements to the state's small business portal. They are also ramping up multilingual outreach and implementing website fixes to enhance user experience, he said.

Perhaps because of his own experience, Beshear has some anomalistic political advice for his fellow Democrats. Forcefully associate yourself with Obamacare, he insists, if nothing else because distancing yourself will come off as politically calculating or insincere.

"Go on out there and be proud of this," he said. "Health care for all Americans is our issue and we are finally able to provide that. So while it may be unpopular because of the president's [unpopularity], in the long run it is going to be one of the best things that's happened to America in a long time. And so, we need to take it and run with it."

Asked whether he has said the same to Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky secretary of state now running to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Beshear wasn't quite so gung-ho, though he still saw the law as an asset.

"Certainly Alison is going to handle issues as she sees fit. She is running against a fella who is a very tough opponent," Beshear said. "But I think she has said that she wants to see it fixed in various ways. She doesn't want 421,000 Kentuckians to lose their health insurance. I think she is going to handle the issue OK."

It's easy perhaps to offer such advice when your experience with Obamacare has been defined not by website glitches but by enrollment successes. And Beshear certainly enjoys that privilege. During the open enrollment period, he obtained cult hero status of sorts among Obamacare advocates. His New York Times op-ed urging critics to get out of the way so he could provide insurance to his state was inspirational for this crowd. That an estimated 75 percent of those Kentuckians who signed up for health care coverage did not have insurance vindicated his embrace of the law.

Beshear's standing has been elevated so much by health care reform that he's become a trendy dark-horse candidate for higher office (think vice presidential material for Hillary Clinton). But like most Democratic pols who represent Appalachia, there are other areas of Beshear's record that complicate his standing with his own party.

His position on greenhouse gas regulations, for one, is difficult to discern. Beshear has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to rethink its proposal to clamp down on carbon dioxide output from existing coal plants. While the reasons for his opposition would seem self-evident, it is couched in language that suggests a desire for a regulatory middle ground.

"Our main concern is have they given us enough flexibility so that we can somehow meet these standards and, at the same time, preserve our manufacturing base and our jobs," Beshear said. "It is a balancing act. I think most of us share the president's goals of cleaner air and cutting down on CO2 emissions, greenhouse gas emissions. It is a matter of balance and what kind of timelines you can have to reach those goals."

More divisive for Democrats may be Beshear's reluctance to support same-sex marriage. When the state's Democratic attorney general refused to appeal a court ruling forcing the state to recognize nuptials between gay couples performed outside Kentucky, the governor chose to fund outside counsel for the task.

"What I want to make sure of is that the people of Kentucky get a final decision out of our courts that will tell us what the rules are nationwide," Beshear said. "My sole purpose as governor and my responsibility is to make sure that all of the folks get the answer they are entitled to on that issue. The only way you are going to resolve this issue is for the United States Supreme Court to [rule on it]. ... I want Kentucky to be ruled upon."

Asked for his personal position on the matter, Beshear declined to reveal whether he thought same-sex marriage should be legal.

"I have purposely avoided letting my personal feelings get involved in this," he said.

Beshear is term-limited as governor of Kentucky, and he will be out of office in January 2016. By then, he said, he expects his legacy will be secure -- not just as the governor who brought health care to the state, but as a politician who showed that Democratic ideals can thrive in a conservative-leaning state. He doesn't expect Kentucky to suddenly become blue. But he does see the landscape changing enough for not just one (Grimes) but potentially two female Democratic candidates to win statewide.

"I think [Hillary Clinton] would have a great shot at carrying Kentucky [in 2016]," said Beshear. "No guarantees but her husband, President Clinton, carried Kentucky both times that he ran. I think she would be a great candidate and a great president, and we would have a good opportunity to get Kentucky back into the Democratic column." Reported by Huffington Post 20 hours ago.

In my most recent blog, I talked about different small business structures and some of the tax implications for each, this week I will go over tax considerations, specifically, common deductions available for your small business. IRS rules and regulations regarding deductions for business may seem big and scary, but "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" There are many easy to find deductions available to help you pay less tax by reducing your taxable income - you simply need to know about them and how to track them. As soon as you start thinking about starting a business you should begin tracking your expenses - whether you use an App, a notebook or go the old school route and use shoe boxes, be sure to keep receipts and cancelled checks.

*Start-up Expenses*

Most of the costs of evaluating or investigating the creation or acquisition of your business, are considered start-up costs and you can deduct up to $5,000 in the first year and amortize the balance over five years. Allowed startup costs can include: analysis or survey of potential markets, products, labor supply, ads for the opening of the business, salaries and wages for employees in training, and their instructors, travel costs for securing prospective distributors, suppliers or customers, and salaries and fees for executives, consultants or similar professional services.

*Home Office Deduction*

"There's no place like home" and many taxpayers work from their home to take advantage of the convenience and benefits of doing so. But using the Home Office Deduction on a tax return can be tricky. IRS allows taxpayers to deduct expenses for a home office if the taxpayer and the space meet certain requirements. The taxpayer must be using the space as the primary space to do office work, visit with clients, make appointments, and handle the business of the year. In addition, the space must be solely used for business purposes. So, it can't be used as an extra bedroom, the dining room, or the kids project table as well.

*Depreciation*

New businesses generally have large expenses for tools, computers, and equipment and existing businesses often have to purchase replacement equipment and furniture. The tax code does not allow you to write off the cost of these items in full as an expense of the business; however, it does allow you to take a percentage of the cost over a pre-determined life of the asset and to an immediate deduction of up to $25,000 of the cost of the assets the first year they are used in the business. Although, the concept of depreciation is simple, selecting the correct asset type, depreciation method, and taking advantage of bonuses can be more complex. The IRS offers A Brief Overview of Depreciation on their Website.

*Licensing and Professional Fees*

You can claim a deduction for any licensing or registration fees required for your business. And professional fees you pay, such as legal, bookkeeping, tax preparation for the business, and even membership fees to professional organizations are deductible. If you pay a consultant to do an analysis of your business or to do some work for you don't forget to deduct that fee.

*Health Insurance*

Only health insurance expenses paid for non-dependent/spouse employees are allowed as a deduction directly from your business. To be eligible for the deduction neither you, nor your, wife may be eligible for employer sponsored health insurance coverage, even if you don't use it. If you receive your health insurance through your state Marketplace and are eligible for the health insurance tax credit as well, your deduction is limited to the lesser of the out-of-pocket premium paid less any credit received on the tax return. Even though your business may not deduct your personal health insurance costs, if you are self-employed, you may be able to deduct any out-of-pocket costs for health insurance for you and your family directly on your Form 1040.

*Retirement Plan*

Not only are you eligible to set up a special small business retirement plan for your employees, you may also participate in this plan. If you make contributions to a retirement plan for your employees you may deduct these contributions from your business income. If you participate in your retirement plan, you may claim the contributions you make as a deduction on your Form 1040.

*Meals and Entertainment*

You may claim fifty percent of the meal expenses you pay for your employees, yourself, or a prospective client. In addition, you may claim a deduction for fifty percent of the cost of entertainment for your clients as long as you, or an employee, is present and the entertainment is part of a business contact with a perspective or current client.

*Mileage and Travel*

Travel related to your business for you and your employees is deductible. If you are using a form of public transportation, rental cars or a plane, train, or bus, you can deduct the full travel cost. Your lodging costs are also deductible, however your meal expenses are still limited to fifty percent of the cost. If you are using your personal vehicle, you must keep a log for the full year that includes your beginning and ending mileage for the year and all tips, personal and business. You can choose to also keep track of all expenses for the year, gas, oil, maintenance, repairs, etc. and claim the business percentage of those expenses, or you can claim the standard mileage rate. There are some excellent Apps available to track auto-related expenses.

*Cell Phone and Internet*

The business percent use of your cell phone is deductible. Just like the car, you need to keep a log of your calls. We recommend keeping the detailed monthly bills with your receipts.

These are just a few of the deductions available for your business. There are many more like; education, publications, and software - to ensure you take advantage of every deduction available speak with your tax professional.

Although it is a lot of work owning and running a small business the rewards range from personal satisfaction to potentially great financial return for your efforts. To be more successful, you need every advantage you can find, like taking all of the tax deductions and benefits allowed under the law. Staying organized, tracking your expenses, and knowing where your money is being spent will allow you to keep more of your hard-earned money. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

Experts from eHealth Initiative, AHIMA, CMS and Edifecs to Discuss Results

Bellevue, Wash. (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

Edifecs, Inc., a global health information technology solutions company, will host a publicly available webinar to review the results of a national survey on ICD-10 preparedness. eHealth Initiative and AHIMA will co-host the webinar. The survey, sponsored by Edifecs and jointly conducted by eHI and AHIMA, will report data from 379 respondents.

Open to the public, the webinar will feature a panel of experts who will discuss findings from the 2014 national survey on ICD-10, and address some of the critical opportunities and challenges that the expanded code set will present.

Speakers include:·     Moderator: Jennifer Covich Bordenick, Chief Executive Officer, eHealth Initiative
·     Lynne Thomas Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, AHIMA
·     Denesecia Green, Senior Health Insurance Specialist, CMS
·     Sue Bowman, Senior Director, Coding Policy & Compliance, AHIMA
·     Deepak Sadagopan, General Manager, Clinical Solutions, Edifecs

WHAT: Webinar unveiling findings from 2014 survey on the impact of ICD-10

Participants will be able to gauge how their preparedness compares to their peers. The expert panel will also discuss anticipated pitfalls and hurdles that organizations face as they adopt the new standards, as well as benefits that savvy companies can take advantage of if they prepare correctly.

WHEN: Thursday, June 26, 1:00-2:30 PM ET

WHERE: via an online webinar; to register, please visit http://bit.ly/1waOyk7

For updates on the latest news and announcements about the webinar, be sure to follow @EdifecsToday on Twitter.

About Edifecs, Inc.
Edifecs is a leader in developing innovative, cost-cutting solutions to transform the global healthcare marketplace. Since 1996, Edifecs has provided technology that automates many administrative functions in order to trim waste and reduce costs as well as increase revenues, collaboration and operational performance. Customers who have benefited include healthcare providers, insurers, pharmacy benefit management companies, and other trading partners. More than 250 healthcare customers today use Edifecs solutions to simplify and unify financial, clinical and administrative transactions. They also use Edifecs technology to automate manual business processes (e.g., enrollment, claims and payments management) and to support compliance for HIPAA, Operating Rules and ICD-10 mandates. In addition, Edifecs develops supply chain management solutions to support worldwide customers in non-healthcare industry segments. Edifecs is based in Bellevue, WA, with operations internationally. Learn more about us at edifecs.com. Reported by PRWeb 19 hours ago.

Obamacare Customer Complaints to Health Insurance Companies Growing

As the Obama administration touts the "success" of Obamacare, industry analysts are finding that costs are rising not falling, the real number of newly insured Americans are half of what Obama claims, and as customers learn about their new, government approved policies, they are increasingly complaining to insurance companies about how unhappy they are with the coverage.

For The Daily Signal, investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson took a long look at Obamacare enrollment as it now stands and found that the whole scheme leaves much to be desired. Worse, despite Obama's rosy claims about his one big achievement in office, she found that trend lines do not look any better for the future. However, she warned that it will take years to "play out."

Attkisson also found that healthcare insurance customers don't need to wait for future events to learn how unsatisfactory Obamacare is. Citing health policy analyst Robert Laszewski, Attkisson reported that insurance companies are being hit with higher rates of complaints from customers who have discovered that their new policies are not what they had hoped.

"A lot of dissatisfaction is being communicated from consumers to insurance company call centers and their agents about the new health insurance plans, particularly compared to the plans people are used to," Laszewski told Attkisson.

Attkisson notes that this increasing rate of complaints corresponds to a recent Gallup poll that shows that "51 percent of respondents disapprove of the health care law" while only 43 percent approve.

But dismal approval ratings and falling customer satisfaction are the least of Obamacare's worries. The facts show that the law is a failure, with less than 4 million of those newly enrolled being previously uninsured. This means that very few of the "30 million" uninsured that Obama claimed he was going to help have gained insurance under Obamacre.

Obama has claimed that 8 million have become insured, one million more than the 7 million he targeted for coverage. He has also claimed that the costs have come under expected levels. Both claims appear specious.

As Attkisson points out, of that 8 million upwards to 20 percent never paid a premium, meaning they never actually got any insurance and shouldn't be counted in the tally.

"The actual number of Obamacare enrollees as of March 31 was likely between 6.4 million and 6.8 million, below both the administration’s figure of 8 million and its stated target of 7 million," she writes.

But that isn't the half of it. Obama has made it seem as if his 8 million enrollees are all first-time insurance customers. This is also untrue. "A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 43 percent of those who purchased insurance through the marketplace already had insurance; 57 percent are newly insured," Attkisson says.

The real tally is damning.

Assuming the most positive estimates--that 85 percent of the 8 million enrollees have paid their premiums and 43 percent had coverage before--the newly insured would number only about 3.9 million. By this time, CBO had projected 19 million would have been removed from the ranks of the uninsured, and CMS predicted 26 million.

3.9 million is a far cry from the 8 million of Obama's claims.

Then comes the cost. For most Americans, healthcare costs will rise, not fall as Obama has claimed.

Attkisson went on, saying, "Avalere, a health care advisory group, looked at nine states and found premium increases this year of 2.5 percent to 16 percent."

Laszewski, whose predictions have proven uncannily accurate, estimates the average cost of premiums for Americans will go up 9.9 percent next year, or just under the threshold that triggers a regulatory review under federal guidelines. He said insurers will not have adequate claims data by the time 2015 rates are due at the end of this week, so they will push rate increases to near the limit.

But more troublesome are the costs of the government subsidies and the costs of expanding Medicaid.

"CMS estimates Medicaid will get 8.6 million new enrollees in 2014, thanks to Obamacare. Twenty-six states have expanded Medicaid, but if all did, spending by states would increase 26 percent--or $952 billion--from 2013 to 2022," Attkisson reported.

With most state budgets in deficit numbers, where will all this money come from?

Still, Obama has put out a "fact sheet" claiming that Obamacare is reducing healthcare spending and leading to lower costs for the government. But the info is lacking key facts.

But what the fact sheet did not point out, as a source told The Daily Signal, was that this "remarkable situation was also the case in 2008 and 2009, before the ACA was enacted. It’s highly misleading to imply that it results from the ACA. Most experts attribute most of the slower cost growth to the Great Recession and weak economic growth since then."

And despite claims from the White House that Obamacare will decrease the deficit and lower spending, "Obamacare is estimated to increase federal spending by $1.383 trillion over 10 years," Attkisson said.

Attkisson had far more information in her long report, but it all seems to add up to a giant failure, one that will continue to get worse into the future.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com. Reported by Breitbart 16 hours ago.

Cheap Florida car insurance prices are now included inside the quotation system for motorists to review at the Quotes Pros website. Affordable plans can be reviewed at http://quotespros.com/auto-insurance.html.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

Researching vehicle insurance at the state level using the Internet will now be easier for residents in Florida. The Quotes Pros company has added cheap Florida car insurance prices delivered by top companies through its price calculator at http://quotespros.com/auto-insurance.html.

All counties in the state are represented in the statewide search system that is currently introducing the affordable plans. The exclusive rates that are provided through this system are immediately activated and locked in for any motorist who plans to complete a purchase securely online.

"PIP and other coverage add-ons can be quoted through our system to deliver a faster comparison option for car owners who are unable to call various companies by phone," said a rep at the Quotes Pros company.

The standard options for reviewing vehicle insurance this year at the QuotesPros.com website include more than personal insurance protection enabled plans. Advanced or basic plans for liability, full coverage, non owner, high risk and collector coverage are available in the calculation system.

"Any driver who utilizes our website for in-depth research can be presented with different options once a zip code has been entered and matched with the state providers available," said the rep.

The Quotes Pros company has enable a new connection with various insurers this year to broaden the coverage plans that can be accurately quoted using the company website. Policies that include life, renters, health and business insurance are available to quote at http://quotespros.com/business-insurance.html.

About QuotesPros.com

The QuotesPros.com company is one national resource offering statewide lookups for vehicle insurance coverage over the Internet. The company procedures for acquiring rates quotations have changed to an automated process this year. The QuotesPros.com company is now servicing life insurance, renters, homeowners and health insurance prices for consumers performing intelligent research using the supplied tools on the homepage. Different agencies are added in the company system for review weekly. Reported by PRWeb 16 hours ago.

Following the progress of the latest anti-labor lawsuit, Harris v. Quinn, I'm reminded of the story of a homecare worker named Evelyn. She had recently arrived in the city, but by working hard, she had secured several customers, doing housekeeping, helping with bathing and meal preparing, and picking up seamstress work on the side. It was a demanding job and the pay was barely minimum wage; some days, because all of the extra work she did, it was less than minimum wage. Evelyn earned no benefits and had no health insurance. If she got sick, she just worked her way through whatever sickness or cold she had. She had four children, ranging in age from toddler to middle-schooler. She barely had time to feed them in the morning and put them to bed at night. Her husband was a laborer, but he had a drinking problem and frequently was not around.

One day, Evelyn's oldest daughter fell sick. Since she had no insurance and couldn't afford a doctor, Evelyn tried home remedies first -- but her daughter's fever kept getting higher and higher until finally she ended up in the charity ward of the local hospital. Soon her mother ended up in the hospital, too, as well as her younger son. They had all come down with scarlet fever and were deathly ill.

By some miracle, Evelyn and her son pulled through it and the fever broke. But it was too late for her daughter. The young son and adoring little brother never got over the loss -- crying out for his big sister for months afterwards, saying her name as he drifted off to sleep.

Evelyn was my grandmother and her son was my father; Grandma taught me a lot of values that I cherish today. So, when I started organizing homecare workers 30 years ago in Chicago, it wasn't just because I felt for the plight of homecare workers denied decent wages and benefits: it was also because homecare work was in my family. I'd grown up on stories about how my grandmother and her sisters had worked so hard for other families but barely had time for their own.

I started my organizing career at a meeting in church basement with seven brave workers who voted to organize a union. It took almost two years, but we finally got our first contract in June of 1985. Now, our union is more than 92,000 members strong, the fifth-largest union in SEIU.

Wages that were once barely minimum wage -- $3.35 per hour, and in some cases, a $1 per hour -- in 1983, are now $11.85 per hour and will rise to $13 per hour by the end of this year.
And for workers at private companies, we have won paid holidays, paid vacations, travel pay, mileage, a grievance procedure, and so much more. Best of all, we now have a health fund that covers over 22,000 homecare, childcare, nursing home, and other health care workers. Worker turnover rates - which at one point were over 90 percent annually, or worse -- have now, according to all accounts, dropped significantly, a major improvement in the quality of care for seniors and people with disabilities.

But a lawsuit brought by the right-wing National Right to Work Foundation, Harris v. Quinn, has been working its way through the courts and is due to be decided in the coming weeks by the Supreme Court of the United States. By attacking workers' right to unionize, Harris v. Quinn threatens to reverse the progress homecare and childcare workers and consumers have realized in recent years. If the National Right to Work Foundation wins this suit, we could go back to the bad old days: wages and benefits could drop or be eliminated, hours of care could be drastically cut, turnover could soar, and the quality of life for the homecare workers, the seniors and people with disabilities they serve, and ultimately all of us, could suffer.

And tragedies like the one that befell my grandmother, Evelyn, would certainly happen even more. The Court must not allow that to happen.

Keith Kelleher, is a founder and President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas, and an International Vice-President of SEIU. Reported by Huffington Post 15 hours ago.

Homeowners insurance quotes are now being delivered automatically for adults who use the Quotes Pros website online. The quotations are available by zip code at http://quotespros.com/homeowners-insurance.html.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

Owners of homes throughout the U.S. who seek better coverage for protecting valuables can now search the Quotes Pros website. A homeowners insurance quotes system is now activated and can be publicly accessed to find rates from providers at http://quotespros.com/homeowners-insurance.html.

The quotation system now revised to include the home insurance policies is connected to companies that underwrite coverage plans throughout North America. A direct quote using this system is the same as calling companies by telephone; however, only zip codes are used as identifiers and not personal information.

"The insurance industry has changed over the past decade and getting access to brokers is now simpler to help provide the rates data now supplied inside of our complex tool," said a QuotesPros.com source.

The price review section of the company website now includes more than homeowner rates that are exclusive to North American companies. It is now simpler to receive health, renters or business insurance information when entering the secondary system at http://quotespros.com/health-insurance.html.

"Any user of our website can enter a zip code to immediately start the sorting process of agencies by rate or by location to select the right policy," said the source.

The Quotes Pros company has added repair insurance plans for automobile owners to compare using its main database this year. Owners of used automobiles can receive a direct quote for national repair plans when going to http://quotespros.com/car-insurance.html.

About QuotesPros.com

The QuotesPros.com company is now helping to quote different plans for insurance protection over the Internet. The company has constructed its open platform to provide any consumer with exact rates for different coverage packages. The QuotesPros.com company has emerged as a top source for reviewing multiple agencies with every search from its database online. The in-depth research and quality of information available has made the company website one of the definitive sources for American consumers to utilize. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.

The number of new enrollees in private health insurance through the state exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, continues to inch upward by about a couple hundred a day — and now stands at 137,000, officials said Tuesday. Reported by Denver Post 13 hours ago.

A fresh interactive website was created by R.V. Johnson Insurance in order to make searching for insurance easier for consumers in Florida. This intuitive website offers helpful resources that can be utilized from the comfort of home.

Stuart, Florida (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

R.V. Johnson Insurance has designed a new, interactive website to better assist customers in West Palm Beach and the surrounding cities, which you can now view at http://www.RVJohnson.com. The site was created to be easy to navigate and provides various useful capabilities in order to make insurance simple, speedy and effective.

People can now use many features, as well as request free home, auto, business, life and health insurance quotes, from the comfort of home. These resources include requesting policy updates, filing claims and browsing the informative content in the blog. The new website works to enhance R.V. Johnson Insurance’s reputation for supplying comprehensive West Palm Beach home insurance and unbeatable customer service.

“The purpose of our new website is to make selecting insurance simpler than ever, while keeping the personal flair of customer service,” said Kelly Johnson, Vice President of R.V. Johnson Insurance. “We want our customers to feel confident in their awareness of insurance subjects and their decisions when buying insurance and our team of premier agents is there to deliver support whenever possible.”

By viewing http://www.RVJohnson.com, consumers can often find the answers they seek about home insurance and other frequently asked questions without waiting for business hours. However, human collaboration cannot be substituted and skilled agents remain available to address your concerns.

All About R.V. Johnson Insurance
R.V. Johnson Insurance a family-owned and operated insurance agency, and for three generations has been assisting clients throughout Florida. R.V. Johnson Insurance assesses the needs of customers and shops for insurance policies on their behalf in order to deliver fantastic coverage and customer service. To get in touch, visit our website at http://www.RVJohnson.com. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

India Network visitor health insurance programs have been providing valuable coverage for all ages 0-99 with or without pre-existing conditions. These plans have now been oversubscribed due to the unique coverage options available to members.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

India Network Services, administrator of visitor health insurance in the USA, announced today that the comprehensive and scheduled benefit health insurance policies exceeded expectations of enrollment of elderly parents during the year. As a result of excessive enrollment of elderly parent in its flagship health insurance program covering both new problems and pre-existing conditions, India Network may be suspending new enrollments effective August 1, 2014 for the season. All community members are urged to enroll their visitors in health insurance coverage accorded by the plans before the closure of enrollment period this summer.

At this time, India Network ACE Network Plan and ACE Premier plans are the only two plans in the United States offering pre-existing condition health insurance coverage to all ages, 0 to 99 years old. In addition, these are only plans that treat pre-existing conditions on par with new problems without any conditional coverage such as sudden recurrence or acute onset conditions, etc. Unfortunately, because of their unique coverage for elderly parents with medical conditions, these plans have been over subscribed beyond anyone's expectation, particularly in the age groups 60-99 years old. More than 80% of non-US citizen seniors age 55 and older visiting the USA from India are now selecting pre-existing condition coverage for extended stays of 90 days or longer. This continues the five year annual trend line of the approximate ten percent shift from basic visitor health insurance policies to those plans that offer pre-existing condition coverage for seniors traveling to the USA.

Pre-existing condition coverage offered by India network plans protects the policy holders from any eventuality, whether a particularly hospitalization is medically determined as a result of pre-existing condition, known or unknown to the policy holder or not. One may not necessarily have pre-existing conditions to opt for these plans since typical medical conditions such as heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, etc are denied by all visitor plans under pre-existing condition exclusion clause. India Network Health Insurance is one of few plans that explicitly provide coverage for such catastrophic medical conditions when the visitor has chosen pre-existing condition coverage.

Visitor medical enrollments likewise show an increase in the recently introduced comprehensive coverage with pre-existing conditions. India Network offers negotiated rates with in-network providers and coverage for in-patient and outpatient care, emergencies related to diabetes, high blood pressure and other pre-existing issues common to Asian Indians visiting the USA. Since its introduction in January 2014, comprehensive pre-existing coverage for seniors age 55 and older now represents a significant portion of pre-existing plans chosen by this demographic group.

Dr. KV Rao, India Network Foundation founder commented, “The trend towards the selection of pre-existing condition coverage is driven in a large part by the unique plans offered through India Network that do not restrict claims based on diabetes or heart conditions, and by the reasonable cost of these pre-existing coverage plans. The Foundation is pleased to offer the Indian community an affordable choice for their visiting family members, regardless of the age of the parent. However, the Indian community has to understand that the plans survival depend on full participation of all visitors, healthy ones as well as people with pre-existing conditions.”

Consistent with the health issues expected by elderly Indians visiting children in the United States, the tendency to select pre-existing plans becomes even higher with nearly four out of five seniors age 65 and older choosing either a Fixed Coverage or Comprehensive plan with pre-existing condition coverage.

Fixed coverage plans typically offer lower premiums for visitors 60 years and older, do not require a network provider or facility, and pay based on a schedule of benefits which typically increase as the coverage amount increases. Plans start as low as $50,000 with a per incident deductible based on a $250 base. While fixed coverage plans pay above the standard Medicare payments providers receive, if the provider charges more than allowed amount, the insured is responsible for the difference.

Comprehensive coverage plans offer negotiated in-network rates, a comparable deductible to fixed plans, and a co-insurance of 20% for the insured of the medical expenses. This typically results in limited out-of-pocket expense of deductible of $250 for new problems and l $1,000 for pre-existing related problems.

About India Network Foundation
India Network Foundation, established as a US non-profit organization, has been helping the Asian Indian community in North America with programs and grants to academics from India for more than two decades. India Network Foundation sponsors visitor health insurance to tourists, students, temporary workers (H1 visa holders) and their families. All insurance products are administered by India Network Services.
For more information visit http://www.indianetwork.org

About India Network Health Insurance
India Network Services, is a US based company that administers visitor health insurance to transition residents, tourists, students, temporary workers and their families. Visitor medical plans are offered for all age groups with both fixed coverage, comprehensive coverage and with pre-existing condition coverage. Reported by PRWeb 2 hours ago.

Digital marketing agency, Nuanced Media, has become HIPAA certified in order to meet the federal requirements for working with their medical clients.

Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

Nuanced Media, a leading digital marketing agency, announced today that they are now a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) certified firm. HIPAA is the regulation standard for protecting the storage and transfer of Personal Health Information (PHI). By obtaining certification and making offered services compliant, Nuanced Media can effectively serve their medical industry clients.

The completion of HIPAA certification allows the agency to offer medical industry specific products such as websites that completely comply to federal regulations. Examples of these regulations include: transport encryption, information backup, employee authorization practices, and many more stipulations that Nuanced Media websites can now adhere to.

As a part of the HIPAA certification process, all employees within Nuanced Media received training in the HIPAA compliance regulations covering:· HIPAA and associated safety and privacy regulations
· Understanding Protected Health Information (PHI)
· Employee roles in keeping patients’ PHI secure
· Steps to protect PHI
· Detailed explanations of PHI breaches and examples
· What to do in the event of an emergency or crisis
· Procedures to follow if a PHI breach is suspected

“Our HIPAA certification shows our ongoing commitment to clients throughout all industries. Keeping up on the latest business practices and government regulations allows us to offer the highest level products and services to clients while protecting their interests and business,” said Ryan Flannigan, Nuanced Media CEO, “While we have always put a high priority on protecting our medical client information, this certification shows that our business practices and products comply with the national standard.”

About Nuanced Media
Nuanced Media is a digital marketing and graphic design firm. The company specializes in strategic, multilayer marketing campaigns and efficiently crafted, user-friendly websites. Based in Tucson, the company has a variety of clients throughout Arizona, California, and Texas. For more information, please view Nuanced Media. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

New CRM system just released for small and mid size insurance sales agencies, giving them all the tools and automation of large and highly automated insurance companies. The Lead Depot CRM (TLD CRM,) is a turn key system offering a full CRM system with office automation features only available in enterprise level systems until now.

Coral Springs FL (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

A new CRM system has just been released specifically for small and mid size insurance sales agencies giving them all the tools and automation of large and highly automated insurance companies. The Lead Depot CRM, TLD CRM, is a turn key system offering a full CRM system with an integrated VOIP (Voice Over IP) phone system, automated dialer integration, real time reports and monitoring, digital recordings of verification calls, email drip campaign/followup, and automated lead importing from top lead vendors via API.

A major benefit of this new CRM is it is browser based and does not require an onsite server or any software other than standard Internet browsers such as Chrome or Firefox.

TLD CRM includes a manual power dialer and is compatible with both the Genesis and Five 9 automated progressive dialers. The system is also compatible with major lead vendors and automatically downloads and posts leads to the dialers. This powerful call center solution delivers optimum outbound call performance with the lowest possible cost per call.

TLD CRM also offers real time reporting including phone activity, real time sales and lead transactions, and agent benchmark comparison. The integrated phone system also offers digital recording of verification phone calls.

The system includes an integrated mail campaign module which normally requires a third party service. The TLD CRM mail module automatically sends emails to both sales prospects and current clients based on status and time triggers which can be customized.

TLD CRM is now being offered to insurance sales and call centers nationwide starting at $50 per user with no minimum number of licenses and no long term contracts.

About TLD CRM
TLD CRM is a joint venture between The Benefit Depot, a health insurance sales company and broker and Esotech, Inc. CRM and web development company. The two firms complement each other in that The Benefit Depot teams bring industry experience and in depth knowledge of user requirements and the Esotech team brings cutting edge programming and user interface design to bring the vision to reality. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.

Widely underrepresented in medical and dental clinics worldwide, VisitandCare.com is partnering with exclusive dentists in Mexico who provide an initiative to address the gaps in oral health knowledge, comforting dental services and access to affordable dental care for Mexican Americans.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Hispanics embody more than 50.5 million of the U.S. population — or one out of every six individuals. Widely underrepresented in medical and dental facilities worldwide, VisitandCare.com is partnering with elite dentists in Mexico who provide an initiative to address the gaps in oral health knowledge and access to affordable dental care for Mexican Americans.

Over half of the growth in the total population of the United States between the years of 2000 and 2010 was attributed to the increase in the Hispanic population. Oral health literacy, high treatment costs, and cultural barriers exemplify the major obstacles that many Hispanics face while living in the United States.

Dentistry in Mexico beholds an intrepid visualization that oral health for Mexican Americans should be embraced by improved prevention, treatment and education, and advanced knowledge concerning leading Hispanic oral health issues.

“Many Hispanic individuals in the United States are at ease with traveling across the border for dental care. Our partnered dental clinics in Mexico are making this a comfortable transition,” states Tolga Umar, CEO and Founder of VisitandCare.com. “The alliance between VisitandCare.com and dentists in Mexico provides a prosperous opportunity relevant to the elevating U.S. dental costs and a plummeting availability of Mexican dental professionals.”

Bridging the Gap on Dental Care

Today, more and more Mexican Americans are seeking reputable oral health practices, greater access to inexpensive dental treatments and dental insurance, and most importantly — overcoming the language barrier to find U.S. dental professionals who speak Spanish. This familiarity to relate to Hispanic speaking dentists emboldens a vision for the company to provide these exact resources.

VisitandCare.com is looking to support this familiarity with one of its most Hispanic acquainted services, DentistaMexico. The site offers an educational platform with information on oral health treatments and provides a connection to dental clinics in Mexico who further support the overall commitment to offer affordable, safe and reassuring dental care to Mexican Americans.

Mexico is now the foremost dental hub for Hispanic individuals, as the company has seen a 60 percent increase in Hispanic individuals traveling back to Mexico for dental care over the last year.

Top Dental Programs in the World

Dentalia and Sani Dental Group in Mexico provide superior services to Mexican Americans who feel the lack of adequate U.S. dental care and more so the distrust of many U.S. healthcare practices. Dentalia provides comprehensive dental services to patients in 42 clinics across 12 different Mexican cities — and growing.

Not only are Mexican dentists providing security and comfort for the Hispanic communities in the United States, but also the resources to:·     Uphold oral health through improved prevention, treatment and education.
·     Provide advanced research for particular Hispanic oral health issues.
·     Offer a worldwide alternative to jarring U.S. dental services.
·     Illuminate high quality services, low costs, and compassion.

Partners of VsitandCare.com also see this as an opportunity to help individuals who are excluded from the U.S. health insurance system. While the majority of issues surrounding this matter are complex and multifaceted, it does relieve the urgency for those in vital need of dental care.

With an upsurge in the number of patients traveling back to Mexico in pursuit of affordable, no-wait dental services, dental clinics in Tijuana, Los Algodones, Cancun, Mexico City, and Playa del Carmen offer easy flights and short drives from the U.S. — and accomplished dentists who are now attracting masses of Hispanic Americans back home.

About VisitandCare.com
VisitandCare.com was created to give individuals worldwide valued direction locating a doctor, obtain free medical treatment quotes, and uncover affordable medical treatments at destinations of their choice. Improving Patients Lives |The company provides access to exclusive doctors and hospitals who specialize in infertility, plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, laser eye surgery, orthopedic surgery, hair transplantation, weight loss surgery, heart surgery and cancer care. Patients are matched with devoted multilingual patient facilitators and provided tangible connections to doctors worldwide. Promoting Your Healthcare Brand | For the ultimate connection between the healthcare industry and patients worldwide, the company delivers an unrivaled commitment to create sustained value for medical partners. Contact VisitandCare.com to see if you are eligible to become a partner of the exclusive network. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.

Industry consultants tell Atlantic Information Services’ Medicare Advantage News that the issues identified by CMS demonstrate the importance the agency places on drug-access and grievance-handling issues.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 25, 2014

Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended immediately and indefinitely Capital BlueCross marketing to and enrollment of new members in its Medicare Advantage (MA) and stand-along Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) products. The June 19 issue of Atlantic Information Services, Inc.’s Medicare Advantage News (MAN) takes a look at the impact the sanctions could have on the industry.

In a letter to Capital posted on the Part C and Part D Enforcement Actions page of CMS's website, the agency said it identified “multiple serious violations” that “pose a serious threat to the health and safety of enrollees. Many of these issues stem from a complete ineffective monitoring and oversight” of the plan’s pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), which “is responsible for Capital’s coverage determinations.” The letter added that the plan’s “lack of internal controls and of consistent procedures resulted in a breakdown in other processes with Part D redeterminations, Part C organization determinations, Part C reconsiderations and grievances.”

Industry consultants tell MAN that the Capital sanctions demonstrate the importance CMS places on drug-access and grievance-handling issues. And “for every plan sanctioned or fined with a CMP [i.e., civil monetary penalty], there are numerous plans that have immediate corrective actions required and other corrective actions required resulting from CMS audits that simply didn’t rise to the level of magnitude of the sanction or audit,” Steve Arbaugh, managing principal and CEO of ATTAC Consulting, tells MAN. “This still costs plans enormous work effort and resource commitments to correct situations that they should have identified beforehand.”

Wendy Weingart, a pharmacist who is senior vice president, managed care services at consulting firm Visante, Inc. tells MAN that “incorrect text in beneficiary transition notification letters as well as untimely retroactive claims adjustments can result from problems with internal process controls, set-up, procedural inconsistences, or staff training or resources. Disconnects between the plan and PBM and/or interdepartmentally for handoffs and communications can also result in incomplete or untimely issue resolution.”

“Managing Part D, because of the level of delegation to PBMs, requires rigorous monitoring and auditing as well as effective and strong service-level agreements and penalties within the PBM contract itself,” asserts Arbaugh. “Inappropriate application of step-therapy edits and PA [i.e., prior authorization] edits to certain drugs has impacted a number of plans and a number of PBMs. Addressing this takes routine (daily, weekly) review of denied claims from the PBM to catch it timely and correct it.”

He adds that “PBMs have a huge task to set all these formularies up and also maintain all the drugs or changes in packages that happen routinely, and the only way to catch it is to monitor it. You can’t simply leave it up to your PBM.”

Capital, which operates in Pennsylvania and is based in Harrisburg, declined to comment on the specific alleged violations, instead emphasizing its intent to satisfy CMS and members. Spokesperson Jason Kirsch tells MAN the company “is committed to administering Medicare plans that meet or exceed all requirements and expectations, and we are working diligently to resolve the identified issues as quickly as possible. As part of our remediation, we will be contacting every affected customer and all discrepancies will be addressed.”

Visit http://aishealth.com/archive/nman061914-01 to read the article in its entirety, including more on the specific violations identified by CMS.

About Medicare Advantage News
Medicare Advantage News is the health care industry’s #1 source of timely news and business strategies about Medicare Advantage plans, product design, marketing, enrollment, market expansions, CMS audits, and countless federal initiatives in this hotly contested area of health insurance. Published biweekly since 1994 (when it was Medicare+Choice), the newsletter exists to help plans boost revenues, increase enrollees, cut costs and improve outcomes in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care. Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/medicare-advantage-news for more information.

About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://AISHealth.com. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.

MVP Health Care, a Schenectady, New York health insurer, is the latest to discuss its premium rate proposals for 2015. The insurer is proposing an average increase of 17 percent for its 625,000 members. New rates could range from slight decreases for some plans to 26-percent increases for others, data from the company shows. Proposed 2015 insurance rates in New York have been trickling since the Albany Business Review first reported on the issue last week. Karla Austen, interim CFO for the insurer,… Reported by bizjournals 3 hours ago.

Texas Law Enforcement Organize for County Overrun with Migrants and Death

FALFURRIAS, Texas—Volunteer police officers and deputies from across South Texas have responded to the need for help in Brooks County, Texas. The deaths of many illegal immigrants have created a huge financial burden on this small county’s budget. The county is a choke point for the trafficking of illegal immigrants, narco-traffickers, and foreign gang members. Smugglers often leave women and the injured to die if they are unable to keep up with the group while traversing the rough, isolated terrain. The off-duty law enforcement officers are donating their personal time and even money to make sure “everyone goes home” at the end of their shifts.

On June 22, Breitbart Texas reported about the impact of the mass graves on the Brooks County government. The fallout from the cost of burial of over 120 illegal immigrants in the last year had caused the department to cut pay and health insurance from its deputies. This caused some officers to quit in search of greener pastures and left Brooks County with four patrol deputies to cover an area roughly the size of Rhode Island, about 1,000 square miles.

Because of this, law enforcement officers from across South Texas are now volunteering their off-duty time to fill the gap and make certain these deputies have backup when they are needed.

Breitbart Texas interviewed Donna Independent School District (ISD) police officer Andrew Barbosa who was in Falfurrias this week to transport a dangerous Guatemalan MS-13 gang member who was captured recently and is wanted for murder in Florida. Breitbart Texas’s Brandon Darby reported on the capture. Barbosa was assisted by another off-duty police officer who is serving Brooks County as a reserve deputy. By providing this transport on a volunteer basis, the county doesn’t have to give up its paid resources.

According to Barbosa, the volunteer program began after his boss learned about the budget crisis being caused by this humanitarian crisis. His boss, Donna ISD acting Police Chief Daniel Walden is an instructor for human trafficking classes in South Texas. During one of his training sessions he met an investigator from Brooks County.

Upon learning of the county’s problems and the risk to the lives of the county’s deputies who were working, often without backup or health coverage Walden began looking for a way to be of service. He devised a program whereby certified law enforcement officers from other departments could become deputized and volunteer to serve Brooks County. Walden saw photographs of the people who were dying in the fields of ranchers in this county and was “burdened” in his heart. He knew he had to do something to help.

Barbosa quoted Walden saying, “These are human beings. We don’t care if you’re an American citizen or not, you’re a mom, you’re a dad, you’re a kid. You’re somebody’s loved one.”

Walden began working with Brooks County Chief Deputy “Benny” Martinez to develop a plan where law enforcement officers from other organizations could volunteer their time to supplement Martinez paid compliment of four patrol deputies.

“The deputies had a three percent pay raise that was taken away from them, along with their health insurance,” Barbosa explained about the Brooks County deputies. “Half of them are on Obamacare now and they don’t like it. The other half simply do without.” The deputies are paid about $25,000 per year with no health insurance.

“They had absolutely no vests (body armor) when we showed up,” Barbosa continued. “Now they are all vested up as our organization, Texas Border Brotherhood, brought in these donations from various departments from Hidalgo, Donna and others. On top of that, we started recruiting [more volunteer officers].”

Barbosa explained his organization won’t take just any cop for this extra duty. He pointed to the example of Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino and other cops in Hidalgo County being charged with corruption. Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on the corruption in this region.

“Given the bad taste the valley police officers have left in Texas’ mouth,” Barbosa said, “with all the corruption, we’re not just bringing anybody up here who wants to come.” He explained the extensive background check that is run on their volunteers, well above and beyond the normal police applicant background check.”

The Texas Border Brotherhood now provides Brooks County with nearly 20 volunteer law enforcement officers and four more are awaiting being sworn in by the Sheriff. The volunteers get bonded and pay the bond fee out of their own pockets, Barbosa said.

“They come up here (approximately 75 miles) on their own dime to get sworn in,” he explained. The volunteers even donate money to the county for the gasoline used in the patrol units they drive because the county doesn’t have the money for fuel for the extra manpower.

“What our guys are doing up here is simply helping the County out,” he continued. “We’re mostly doing drug interdiction or even cash interdiction.” He pointed out the county gets to keep about 75 percent of the cash found by traffickers heading south.

“On top of that, it’s getting these guys home [safely],” Barbosa said emphatically. “That’s the main point. Yes, we want to come out here and stop bad guys and we want to help rescue the immigrants who might die in the ranch fields, and bring the crime rate down. All of this good stuff.”

“But, the way we see it, is if you have a badge on you,” he explained, “you’re family. It’s not fair that we’re at home, barbequing because we’re off work for the month (school district police). We have backup just a few seconds away but these guys here don’t have that luxury.”

He said that before their arrival, deputies were often at work at night by themselves with the nearest backup asleep in their beds as much as an hour away. Barbosa described the situation regarding the deaths of the illegal immigrants and why it is unique in Brooks County.

The County is already beginning to discover the rewards of having these highly trained volunteers. Barbosa described an event that happened not long ago. One of the new reserve deputies is training in cash interdiction, looking for the cash drug cartels are shipping south back to Mexico. He was working by himself one night and received a call about a suspicious vehicle in the roadside park south of Falfurrias. When he arrived and began to question the driver, he became alerted by the suspect’s answers and how his story began to fall apart. He requested permission to search the vehicle. It was granted by the suspect who thought he was clever about his hiding place. Mixed in with a lot of unrelated junk in the car was an old style television set. They back of the set had new, non-matching screws.

Upon opening the TV, he found over $450,000 in cash that is now going through the forfeiture process. These funds will certainly help this struggling county. The officer has also been sharing his interdiction training with other officers to help the county become more efficient in finding the southbound cash.

“What we are doing” Barbosa concluded, “is pushing forward. We are trying to save as many individuals as possible, try to recover as much money and dope as possible. The money for the department and the dope because our kids don’t need to be having access to that, and trying to get these boys [Brooks County Deputies] home. We want to get them home! If we’re up here, that means they have backup. It may be ten minutes away, but that is better than not coming at all if we weren’t here.”

Barbosa pointed out that the Texas Border Brotherhood is in the process of establishing its formal organizational status.

Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX. Reported by Breitbart 3 hours ago.

Op-Ed: Rick Perry's Illegal Immigration Magnets Cost Texas Big

Politicians who are given to shallow, yet colorful rhetorical flourishes and “a do as I say–not as I do” approach to political adversaries hope “We the People” are too stupid, too distracted, and/or too eager for a savior to notice the real impact of their own actions–or inaction. Hoping the people will react like political groupies and just swoon at the sound of an authoritative, finger-wagging tone, chameleon politicians have conveniently selective amnesia when it comes to their own records and policies.

The most astonishing example of this in recent days is Texas Governor Rick Perry’s rants about President Obama’s “policies that serve as a magnet to encourage illegal immigration". That’s rich coming from Perry who has been Texas governor for almost fourteen years and has amassed plenty of public statements about his own favorite magnets for illegals.

Is it just me, or do Texans have a right to be offended when reflecting upon Governor Rick Perry’s own record of supporting and promoting taxpayer-funded magnets and policies that give aid and comfort to those here illegally?

*Governor Perry’s Dream Act Magnet:*

Perry vigorously defends his DREAM Act, which gives in-state tuition breaks and taxpayer funded grants to illegals to attend Texas colleges. In this August 2001 speech to the Border Summit, Perry bragged about signing the Texas DREAM Act into law, “We must say to every Texas child learning in a Texas classroom, ‘we don’t care where you come from, but where you are going, and we are going to do everything we can to help you get there.’ And that vision must include the children of undocumented workers. That’s why *Texas took the national lead *in allowing such deserving young minds to attend a Texas college at a resident rate. Those young minds are a part of a new generation of leaders, the doors of higher education must be open to them. The message is simple: educacion es el futuro, y si se puede.”

Who can forget Perry’s statement in one of the early 2011 GOP Presidential primary debates when he said that those who disagree with him on this issue “have no heart at all”?

The Perry position, added to President Obama’s green light, spells “come on in”.

*Governor Perry’s Support for a “bi-national health insurance” Magnet: *

In the same August 2001 Border Summit speech, Perry communicated his willingness to commit Texas taxpayer assets to Mexico, “I urged legislators to pass a telemedicine pilot program that will enable, through technology, a sick border resident of limited financial means to receive care from a specialist hundreds of miles away.” Perry went on to emphasize his support for, “an important study that will look at the *feasibility of bi-national health insurance*. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border *compose one region*, and we must address health care problems throughout that region. That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could *extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.” *

The study guidelines outlined in House Bill 2498 were passed by the Texas Legislature in 2001 and *signed into law by Governor Perry*. Although the legislature never acted on the study’s findings, it is important to understand the stated purpose of this Perry-championed, Perry-signed bill: “The legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the state to find a costeffective manner of *delivering health care services through affordable health care plans to citizens **residing on both sides** of the TexasMexico border*.”

This signals a propensity to offer magnets on a grander scale…from a Perry White House, perhaps?

*Governor Perry’s Resistance to Stop the Job Magnets:*

During the January 14, 2010, gubernatorial debate, former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, challenger to Governor Perry, said, “The State of Texas does not even use the E-Verify system to determine if someone is legally in our country when they apply for a job."

To which Governor Rick Perry responded, "E-Verify would not make a hill of beans' difference when it comes to what's happening in America today.”

When bills have been filed in the Texas legislature that would crack down on the repeated and purposeful hiring of illegals in our state, the bills have been conveniently hung up in committee – never reaching the floor for debate. Governor Perry never gave any visible signs of support to these bills or to the legislators who authored them.

The job magnet serves the deep pockets of the open borders/cheap labor “Big Business” constituency. Perry’s done nothing to stop it in the fourteen years he’s been the Governor of Texas. Looks like a powerful magnet to me.

*Governor Perry Never Supported a Border Fence:*

While on the Presidential campaign trail, back in September 2011, Governor Perry told a New Hampshire crowd that a border fence is “nonsense” and sent yet another signal that many of his positions on illegal immigration mirrored those of the “open border” crowd, but his Presidential campaign position was nothing new. Back in August of 2007, speaking in Mexico, Governor Rick Perry declared the proposed construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border "idiocy” while proclaiming that he would support a "free flow of individuals between these two countries who want to work and want to be an asset to our country and to Mexico."

How could the “Welcome, come on in!” sign get any bigger?

*Governor Perry’s Opposition to the “Interior Enforcement” of the Rule of Law:*

Who can forget Governor Perry’s April 2010 “soft on illegal immigration” remarks when Arizona passed its illegal immigration enforcement law SB 1070, which would have released law enforcement to enforce the rule of law in compliance with the state’s constitutional duty to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens and legal residents? The Arizona law required state and local law enforcement officers to question legal status of an individual if an officer had reason to believe the person was in the country illegally. The law also made it a crime to lack registration documents and a state crime to be in the US illegally.

Saying he believed “it would not be the right direction for Texas,” Perry asserted, “For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe. Our focus must continue to be on the criminal elements involved with conducting criminal acts against Texans and their property. I will continue to work with the legislative leadership to develop strategies that are appropriate for Texas.”

In that context, what do you call the latest Texas Department of Public Safety surge on the border if not a major distraction for state law enforcement from its other duties? This border crisis, coming four years after Perry’s rejection of an Arizona-like interior enforcement action to untie the hands of law enforcement, puts Perry’s attempts to thread the needle on illegal immigration into a completely new perspective.

**

*Perry’s Magnets – Not Convinced the Cost to Texas is Big?*

As cited above, Governor Perry said, “Our focus must continue to be on the criminal elements involved with conducting criminal acts against Texans and their property.”

In that context, please read in entirety these two unclassified documents from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for yourself…

The 2013 Texas Public Safety Overview

2014 Texas Gang Threat Assessment

After reading these sobering reports, ask yourself, “How did Texas get here? How is it that Texas has six of the eight most dangerous drug and human trafficking cartels in the world working with transnational gangs in an elaborately established network of command and control centers all over our state? How did that happen if we were focused on “criminal elements involved with criminal acts”? Could it be that our state officials neglected to focus on keeping the criminal elements OUT of our state simply because they were too concerned with political correctness and maintaining the “welcome sign” magnets for those who willingly enter illegally?

Note: Next week, my op-ed will cover the topic of Governor Perry’s broken promise to ban sanctuary cities in Texas. The suffering, the cost of lives, and the potential risk of real terrorism are just too great to let our governor get away with shaking his fist at Washington DC, while himself making Texas vulnerable. The cost to Texas – and perhaps the entire nation – is just too big to ignore it.

JoAnn Fleming is the Executive Director of Grassroots America - We the People, and a two-term Chairman, Advisory Committee to the TEA Party Caucus of the TX Legislature. Reported by Breitbart 2 hours ago.

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Op-Ed: Rick Perry's Illegal Immigration Magnets Cost Texas Big