Fact sheet highlighting the latest emergency preparedness information available from the Ready Campaign for older Americans and people with disabilities. Ready is a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign produced by The Advertising Council for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. This link opens a PDF document.

Two years ago in March, President Barack Obama signed into law a historic piece of health care reform, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). Since then, despite the heated political debates, much action and transformation in the health care arena has taken place, especially in California.

Some of the statewide changes include setting up a health care “Exchange” to provide low-cost health insurance to millions more people by 2014. Policymakers are currently choosing the “essential” benefits to be covered in these plans. Another change is setting up Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to help doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers better coordinate care for Medicare patients across various health care settings. The idea is to reduce costs and increase wellness. ACOs that lower their growth in costs while meeting performance standards on quality of care and putting patients first will be rewarded through Medicare’s Shared Savings Program.

Read the rest of this entry »

The California Antipsychotic Drug Collaborative recently investigated 24 nursing homes and found 147 violations of state rules regarding the use of antipsychotics on residents. Their investigations confirm the disturbing and rampant misuse of antipsychotics in California nursing homes and call attention to a situation that deserves immediate remedial action. Read the rest of this entry »

Heart disease is the number one cause of death here in the U.S., with 1 in 3 Americans developing the disease in their lifetime and over 2 million Americans suffering from a heart attack or stroke each year. While some people’s first “wake-up call” on their heart health ranges from a mild or fatal heart attack, most people’s heart health begins deteriorating years before such an event. The most common attributing factors to heart disease are a diet high in fat and sugar and low in nutrients, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and stress. Some or all of these factors overtime clog and harden people’s arteries, increase people’s cholesterol, cause weight gain and generally wear people’s health – their bodies, minds and spirits – down.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last week an 82 year old grandmother caught her doctor committing fraud. With a hidden camera, Doris Ace of Texas, filmed her doctor’s visit where she clearly articulates that she is healthy and active. Despite some hypertension and arthritis, she is in good health and feeling great.

Yet, contrary to her relatively clean bill of health, she was diagnosed as homebound, having a whole host of ailments that she does not have, including Type 2 diabetes. Such diagnosis opens the door for her providers to potentially bill Medicare for tens of thousands of dollars in home health care services, supplies and equipment she does not need.

Read the rest of this entry »

We recently received an alert from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the  telemarketing of medical alert services. Marketers making unsolicited phone calls are attempting to pressure elderly consumers into buying medical alert services. The services supposedly allow consumers to receive help during emergencies by pushing a button on a pendant.

Read the rest of this entry »

As of January 1st of this year, all beneficiaries who are denied coverage for a drug are entitled to receive a standardized written notice from the pharmacy explaining their Part D appeal rights.  This change is due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Prior to this year, pharmacies could either hand out this information or just post a notice in the pharmacy without specifically alerting an affected beneficiary to their appeal rights. In addition, prior to this year none of these appeals rights forms were standardized. The new rule from the ACA requires pharmacies to use a new standardized form, Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and Your Rights (instructions and form can be downloaded here). A Spanish version will also be posted soon.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen the documentary film, The Good News in American Medicine? You may think that statement is a contradiction in itself, BUT this 52 minute film interviews groups of innovative doctors and clinics around the country that are successfully demonstrating effective ways to provide quality health care to all their local residents at a fraction of the cost of neighboring communities. This film exposes the strategies, generosity, leadership and out-of-the box thinking used by these various communities across the nation.

Washington Post

On health-care hearing’s last day, court weighs severability, Medicaid expansion [SCOTUS, health-care law] — N.C. Aizenman and Robert Barnes report on the third and final day of arguments about the health-care law in front of the Supreme Court; today’s topic: will the entire law fall apart if just aspects of it are found unconstitutional?

Read the rest of this entry »

Two elder women share their stories via Youtube about a 90% rate increase for their long-term care (LTC) insurance policy premiums with John Hancock Financial. They are demanding that Congress put a cap on the amount that premiums can be raised for policyholders over a certain age. Both women are retired and on limited incomes. They both bought a LTC policy well over a decade ago to protect their assets and ensure that they don’t have to rely on the goverment to pay for their LTC costs.

Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has signed a final rule extending the date for compliance with sections 242 and 1009 of the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. The rule requires accessible access to existing swimming pools, wading pools, and spas for a period of 60 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Another Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was also issued for public comment on extending period to 180 days to allow pool owners and operators to meet compliance obligations. Comments on the NPRM must be submitted on or before April 4, 2012.

Advocates for nursing home residents  applaud the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s .  Advocates for nursing home residents have been working for many years to eliminate all misuse of antipsychotic drugs for nursing home residents.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s new national initiative to address the drugging epidemic.

Read the rest of this entry »

President’s budget proposal contains some significant Medicare changes. Below are some excerpts regarding these changes, including higher income-related premiums under Medicare Parts B and D, a new Part B premium surcharge for new beneficiaries who purchase first dollar coverage with a Medigap plan, a modified Part B deductible for new beneficiaries, and a home health care co-payment for new beneficiaries.

Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and the White House will host a Champions of Change event to highlight individuals, organizations, schools, or companies that are making a positive impact in STEM for people with disabilities in the areas of employment and education. Examples include hiring people with disabilities in STEM fields; making STEM materials accessible to people with disabilities; and advancing educational opportunities for people with disabilities in STEM. Deadline for nominations submissions is midnight on April 7, 2012.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has just released new recommendations on the quantity and quality of exercise for adults, definitively answering the age-old question of how much exercise is actually enough. The position stand, titled “Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise,” reflects current scientific evidence on physical activity and includes recommendations on aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility.

Read the rest of this entry »

The energy density of food and drink, portion size, and the number of meals and snacks per day have all been linked to increases in the average daily total energy intake of US adults over the past 30 years, but increases in the number of eating occasions and in portion size have accounted for most of this increase: energy density of food consumed may have actually slightly decreased.

Read the rest of this entry »