Immunization

A recent ruling by a Texas federal judge insisting the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—otherwise known as Obamacare—is unconstitutional is potentially bad news for millions of small businesses, the national advocacy group Small Business Majority maintains. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor agreed with an alliance of 20 states that a change in tax law last year eliminating a penalty for not having health insurance nullified the overall ACA . ‘Obamacare’ will continue to remain in effect for now. The case could be appealed and possibly reach the U.S. Supreme Court, observers say. They say that process could take months or even years. The ruling occurred a day before the deadline for Americans to sign up for coverage in the federal insurance exchange created under the ACA. Roughly 11.8 million U.S. consumers enrolled in 2018 healthcare exchange plans, the federal agency Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported. The ruling has “no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2...

New laws in Maryland will require insurers to provide benefits for patients with certain health conditions, including high blood sugar levels that pose a risk for diabetes as well as a particular kind of chronic swelling. One law taking effect Tuesday expands coverage for equipment, supplies and self-management training to apply to elevated or impaired glucose levels caused by prediabetes. That's a condition when blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The new mandate also will apply to treating impaired glucose levels induced by pregnancy. About 1.6 million adults in Maryland have prediabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. It is usually treated with dietary changes, exercise and weight loss. The new law also allows reimbursement for services from a licensed dietitian or nutritionist for the treatment of prediabetes and obesity. Another new law will require health insurers to cover treatment of a chronic swelling, often...

Health insurance in Massachusetts. (MGN) More people are signing up for insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Officials at the agency say 274,783 people enrolled for coverage beginning in January. Last year at this time, 251,949 people had enrolled for January coverage. That’s more than a 9 percent year-to-year increase. An additional 10,000 people have picked a plan, but haven’t paid to complete their enrollment. People can still apply and enroll for coverage starting in February. The deadline for open enrollment for February goes until Jan. 23. Since 2006, Massachusetts has had a state individual mandate and requires adults have health coverage or face a tax penalty. Of the people who have paid and are enrolled for January coverage, more than 41,000 did not have Health Connector coverage at the start of the open enrollment period. http://bit.ly/2EZcF3d

Michael Fishman’s marriage is over — but he’s staying with her for health insurance purposes. “The Conners” star told TMZ that his wife Jennifer Briner filed for legal separation and not divorce so that she can remain on his benefits, saying: “Among the reasons for not getting a regular divorce is the shared desire to keep Jenny covered by my health insurance, and allow to slowly unfold our 20 years together in a way mutually beneficial for our family, particularly on behalf of our children.” Briner filed papers to end her marriage to Fishman, 37, last week. They tied the knot in 1997 and have two teenage children together, Aaron and Isabelle. Share this: https://pge.sx/2EWUc6w

As a new year approaches, new laws will take effect in Minnesota and nationwide starting Jan. 1.  Health care A new federal ruling requires hospitals to post prices online for medical procedures.  "What it's still not going to provide for patients is exactly how much you're going to be on the hook for after your insurance covers everything. It's going to tell us, generally... what a procedure costs," said David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University.  Schultz said it's aimed at addressing the issue of what's called surprise medical bills.  "The new federal law will require transparency in terms of these self-insured or self-financed health insurance plans that are regulated by what's called ERISA," Schultz said. "That's going to require more transparency for about half of the health care insurance plans in the United States. The Minnesota plan really covers the remainder." The Minnesota plan Schultz ...

Public health officials in New Jersey and New York are fighting a measles outbreak that has sickened dozens of people since November, most of them unvaccinated members of orthodox Jewish communities. The virus was traced to travelers from Israel, which is dealing with its own measles outbreak at the moment So far, the outbreak has been relatively small because, despite gaps in what's known as community immunity, the overall national vaccination remains high enough to prevent wide-scale epidemics such as the one that raged through parts of Europe this year. But Americans should be alarmed, nevertheless. The next measles outbreak — and there will be one — could be much worse. That's because immunization rates among U.S. school-age children are — incredibly — declining in certain states, thanks to unreasonably permissive immunization rules. All but three states allow parents to opt out of vaccination requirements on religious grounds, and 18 of them allow exemptions based on wha...

Kentucky dropped three spots in the latest America's Health Rankings, to 45th from 42nd last year. It marked the third straight year that the state showed a significant increase in the number of years of potential life lost, a broad measure of overall health and life expectancy. The United States as a whole also had increases the last three years, but not as significant as Kentucky's. The state was 42nd in health determinants, which is the measure of health-related behaviors, such as smoking; community and environmental influences; clinical care, and public policy; and 45th in outcomes, such as the rate of death from cancer, which continues to be the nation's worst. One measure that showed a significantly worse outcome was low-birthweight babies; Kentucky dropped from 38th to 42nd among the states. Several measures of determinants showed significant declines, including: adults engaging in physical activity other than their regular work in the previous month (from 46th ...

By Don C. Brunell One of the consequences of Venezuela’s economic ruin is infectious diseases are reaching epidemic proportions and spreading to neighboring Latin American countries. Venezuela, a country of 30 million people, sits on large oil reserves. But when global crude prices plunged, its economy was clobbered and inflation skyrocketed. The International Monetary Fund forecasts an inflation rate of 2,350 percent for 2018. The breakdown of Venezuela’s health system has turned what was once Latin America’s richest nation into an incubator for malaria, yellow fever, diphtheria, dengue and tuberculosis, medical officials in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela told The Wall Street Journal. Venezuela’s economy, which has shrunk to about half what it was in 2013, has resulted in widespread hunger, power blackouts and a dearth of basic services like water delivery. The country has seen its public health care system deteriorate to the point where hospitals are unable to provide basic servi...

New laws in Maryland will require insurers to provide benefits for patients with certain health conditions, including high blood sugar levels that pose a risk for diabetes as well as a particular kind of chronic swelling. One law taking effect Tuesday expands coverage for equipment, supplies and self-management training to apply to elevated or impaired glucose levels caused by prediabetes. That's a condition when blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The new mandate also will apply to treating impaired glucose levels induced by pregnancy. About 1.6 million adults in Maryland have prediabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. It is usually treated with dietary changes, exercise and weight loss. The new law also allows reimbursement for services from a licensed dietitian or nutritionist for the treatment of prediabetes and obesity. Another new law will require health insurers to cover treatment of a chronic swelling, often...

Sexual health services are being “cut to the bone”, according to research which has triggered warnings that more sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies will follow. Analysis by the King’s Fund has found that efforts to promote safe sex among groups most at risk, including young people and gay men, have been hardest hit as local councils in England have spent less as ministers slash their public health grants. Spending on sexual health, advice and promotion fell by 35% to £47m a year between 2013/14 and 2017/18, found Ruth Robertson, a senior policy fellow at the thinktank. Those budgets pay for initiatives to encourage use of condoms , including pop-up stalls in colleges, nightclubs and shopping centres that give out free contraceptives and STI testing kits. “The biggest cuts are to upstream, primary prevention services that work to promote safe sexual behaviour. Sexual health prevention services can be the first port of call for commissioners who need to impl...

Lunch and learn will discuss insurance, health care options The Park City Chamber/Bureau is set to host a lunch and learn event on Jan. 15. According to the Chamber/Bureau's website, the event will focus on health care and insurance options businesses can offer to their employees. Michael Kagen, a doctor who owns a medical practice in town, is set to present. He is expected to talk about how direct primary care and concierge practice models might be a supplement or alternative to health insurance offerings. The event is set to take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Park City Hospital. Salt Lake Chamber to host economic outlook summit The Salt Lake Chamber is scheduled to host its Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit on Jan. 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. According to the Chamber's Facebook page, the event helps businesses gain insights about the future of Utah's economy and policy priorities for the legislative...

ARTICLE OPTIONS MASSENA — Village of Massena officials say they expect to see significant savings by switching their health insurance coverage from the New York State Health Insurance Program’s Empire Plan to Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Treasurer Kevin Felt said, based on the program’s current enrollment for health coverage, officials were “anticipating and hoping” that the switch would result in a net savings of about $454,430 in the coming year. He said rates will decrease 15.7 percent for individual coverage (from $1,014.98 to $856.10) and increase 3.8 percent for family coverage ($2,348.15 to $2,439.89) for 2019. The new plan will offer a “Subscriber and Spouse Plan,” as well as a “Subscriber and Children Plan” that was not offered with NYSHIP. “They offer more plans than what NYSHIP did, so there are a few extra categories,” Mr. Felt said. “These rates will be $1,712.20 and $1,455.37, respectively.” The Prescription and Medicare Supplement Plan for employees, retiree...

Earlier this month, Pat Kelly, the executive director of Your Health Idaho , offered a simple message to people waiting until the last minute to sign up for health insurance through the state exchange. "Our message is 'don't wait,'" he said. In the last days of 2018, the numbers from Your Health Idaho showed people heeded his advice. More than 103,000 people signed up for health insurance plans that will go into effect starting on Tuesday, Jan. 1, using the exchange. Eighty-three percent of those people were renewing their plans—a sign Kelly, writing in a press release, said pointed to the value of the exchange as a way for people to obtain insurance. "We attribute this success to Idahoans understanding the vital role the exchange plays and our ability to offer individuals and families a robust number of insurance plans with a variety of options in coverage," he wrote. In 2016, approximately 106,000 people obtained insurance through Your Health Idah...

The public comments period ended Friday for a proposed federal rule  that would allow more employers to use health reimbursement arrangements — untaxed funds that employers could set aside for employees to use on health care expenses. Most employers are currently prohibited from using the arrangements, which are also known as HRAs. Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman was among those who filed public comments  on the planned law change, called “Health reimbursement arrangements and other account-based group health plans.” “Certain aspects of the HRA proposed rule are to be commended,” Altman said in the comments. Parts of the rule would “safeguard against the risks of discrimination based on health status or other characteristics” and would help to keep the health insurance market stable. However, she said another part of the planned policy change would do the opposite–potentially harming consumers and shaking the market. In a recent interview, Altma...

Please enable Javascript to watch this video CHICAGO – A handful of Chicago restaurants will be adding a surcharge to customer’s bills to help pay for employees’ health insurance. Fat Rice is among four small Logan Square eateries that will attempt to create more financial equity for their entire staff. Fat Rice has 30 full time employees and 20 part-time. Most of the staff does not have health insurance. Next week, Fat Rice will add 4 percent to the check that will pay for not only 50 percent of their health insurance but increase wages for the back of the house. “We feel that this 4 percent increase is a way of us raising prices that’s very transparent to the customer and shows exactly where that money is going,” fat Rice co-owner and executive chef Abraham Conlon said. Customers can opt out of the surcharge is they choose too. The owners are hoping customers will continue to come here and be supportive of the change. 41.931942 -87.702370 http://bit.ly/2LIykNO

Tammy Fox wanted to help, after a friend took ill with a rare and difficult-to-diagnose autoimmune disorder that required many trips to the Mayo Clinic. While Fox couldn’t do anything medically, she knew there was a way to ease some of the burden of medical bills and costs associated with doctor visits. She turned to the website GoFundMe and set up a site for her friend. “You’ve got meals; you’ve got hotel stays,” she says. “And gas. So that all needed to be covered.” Contributions came in from strangers, notes Fox, who lives in suburban Minneapolis. “It’s crazy cool how awesome people are and what they’re willing to give. People, when they come together, can just move mountains — and I think that’s awesome to see.” GoFundMe, the largest online, crowdsourced fundraising platform, says contributors have raised more than $5 billion, all told, from 50 million donations in the eight years it has been in business. Setting up a GoFundMe page has also become a go – to way for people in n...

THUNDER BAY -- Two additional flu clinics specifically for children and their families will run in the coming weeks with the district health unit reporting an increased number of influenza cases in kids. The Thunder Bay District Health Unit on Friday said the clinics will be held at their Balmoral Street building on Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 for children between the ages of six months and 17 years old and their families. "We have added these extra clinics to increase access to the flu shot for families, especially those with children under the age of 5 as they have fewer options and can only be immunized by a health care provider. Anyone 5 and older can be immunized at a pharmacy," said health unit manager of infectious diseases Diana Gowanlock. Gowanlock said this year's dominant flu strain - H1N1 - is typically associated with a higher illness burden for children than adults. "It's not too late for children to be immunized as the flu season can last into January,...

CAIRO – 29 December 2018: Egypt’s Giza Zoo launched an Immunization campaign for animals on Friday, December 28. According to a Friday statement, this periodic vaccination is part of Egypt's Ministry of Agriculture, General Authority for Veterinary Services to protect animals from common diseases such as Ovine rinderpest, which considers being contagious and common among goats and sheep. Giza Zoo head, Mohamed Raga’ei, said that these kinds of campaigns usually take place during the Zoo weekly off day, with the participation of workers and veterinarians. Giza Zoo is Egypt's most famous and historic zoo, it also considers to be the biggest animal park in the Middle East, and it was opened for the public in 1891 during the rule of Khedive Tawfiq. Many kinds of rare and endangered animals and birds live in the park and have successfully bred there. http://bit.ly/2SmzjFI

Sonoma County officials have begun exploring the possibility of crafting a ballot measure that would generate tax revenue for mental health and homeless services. The move comes at a time when the county’s homeless population is again on the rise and as health services officials grapple with significant financial strains that federal and state funds can’t resolve. “We know there is significant need and that need continues to outpace the funding available,” said Barbie Robinson, the county’s director of health services. “Our goal is to educate the community on what the need is and how to address that need. Part of the strategy is bringing in more revenue.” The county’s Health Services Department is among the largest local government agencies, with an annual budget of $232 million. The division overseeing mental health and drug abuse treatment accounts for about 40 percent of the spending. Most of the division is funded through Medi-Cal, the state agency that oversees health benefits ...

A year after Fulton County outsourced its mental health and addiction services , local leaders say they want to further expand resources by securing more state support. They are working to get the state legislature on board, in the hopes that an influx of cash from government coffers could help them expand access to resources. Now, the state gives less than $20,000 to Fulton County for core mental health and addiction services, said Anna Roach, the county’s chief operating officer. The county’s goal is to be named an official safety net provider by the state. With that designation, Fulton can get access to millions of dollars more and can coordinate care across the criminal justice system and with other service providers. County officials also want to target mental and behavioral health issues among the homeless population . Currently, the county invests $10 million into those behavioral health services. Leaders want the state to contribute an additional $12 million to $15 million...

Alongside the sports stars and celebrities dozens of people from the NHS, healthcare, and medical research are recognised in the 2019 New Year Honours list. NHS England Chair, Lord Prior, said in a statement about the NHS recipients: "These are remarkable people doing extraordinary things for their fellow citizens. The NHS is a unique organisation which has won the hearts and minds of all of us for over 70 years, but its success depends wholly on the people who work in it. Those who have been honoured for their service this year honour us all. Many, many congratulations to them." Anyone can nominate people for honours – from members of the public to politicians – but the final list is scrutinised by an independent body.   Honours Forty-three awards went to those involved in the response to the major terrorist incidents of 2017, including an OBE for services to healthcare for Dr Malik Ramadhan, consultant and divisional director in emergency care, Barts Health NHS Trust ...

MEMBERS of the public are invited to attend the next Local Health Matters meetings which are taking place across Colchester and Tendring. These public meetings, which are arranged by the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group’s Health Forum, include presentations that relate to local health and care issues. A meeting will be held at the CVST in Rosemary Road, Clacton, on January 9. It will take place from 2pm until 4pm. Another meeting will be held at the Stillwaters Centre in Whitehall Road, Colchester, on January 23. It will take place from 2pm until 4pm. There will be presentations on improving community health services, St Helena Hospice in Tendring, Psychiatric liaison in Colchester, health and wellbeing services, and coping with winter pressures at Colchester Hospital . To view the agendas visit your parish council, library or www.neessexccg.nhs.uk. http://bit.ly/2Td28nW

Businesses lose as much as $33 billion each year in productivity because their workers are caring for an elderly or disabled loved one, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. Fairview Health Services, one of the state’s largest employers and medical care organizations, also considers caregiver strain to be a growing burden on the health care system, particularly as society ages. For the past year, the Minneapolis-based company has been testing a new caregiver-support service with its own employees as well as with workers at two of its other companies, health care insurer PreferredOne and senior housing provider Ebenezer. Known as Caregiver Assurance, the service connects family caregivers with a licensed social worker who can help them find support services and provide counseling to reduce stressors that put caregivers at higher risk of depression, heart attacks and other health conditions. Fairview Health plans to begin actively marketing the service to consumers and ...

321   2 Posted on Dec 28, 2018, 6 p.m. The CDC would appear to some to be a vaccine company as it owns patents to 56 vaccines, which should  be seen as a grave conflict of interest. Recent events have put a spot light on a $30 billion a year industry. 1) The President announced a plan to establish a commission chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr to investigate vaccine safety and its scientific integrity; and 2) RFK and Robert De Niro announced a $100,000 reward to any one who could scientifically and conclusively prove the safety of thimerosal mercury in vaccines. These events have fueled a veritable storm from the mainstream media who have labelled them as vaccine skeptics or anti-vaccine despite their repeated objections and insistence that they are pro-vaccine and have had their own children vaccinated. Their very specific concern revolves around the volume of vaccines being added to the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule and the presence of mercury in many of these va...