May 24th, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: ACA, ACEP News, Affordable Care Act, Ambiguity, Consumer Protection, ED, Emergency Care, Emergency Coverage, Emergency Department, Emergency Medicine, Emergency Room, Emergency Services, Emergency Treatment, ER, Health Insurance, Health Insurance Rates, Health Plans, Healthcare Consumers, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Law, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, In-network, Insurance Companies, Insurance Regulations, Kaiser Health News, Loophole, Non-Emergent Use, Out of network, Prior Authorization, Prudent Layperson
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There’s just so much hidden and buried in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that it’s like trying the find all the goodies in an Easter egg hunt. ACEP News pointed out one hidden goodie, nicely illustrated in this article from Kaiser Health News:
Under the new health law, insurance companies must extend several new protections to patients who receive emergency care. One of the biggest guarantees: Patients who need emergency treatment will have their costs covered at the same rate, regardless of whether they are treated at “in-network” or “out-of-network” hospitals.
The law also bars health plans from requiring prior authorization for emergency services. And it mandates that plans follow the “prudent layperson” rule. For example, if a person goes to the ER with chest pain, but ends up being diagnosed with indigestion, the claim has to be covered because going to the hospital under those circumstances made sense.
The provisions go into effect for every health plan issued after Sept. 23 – six months after the law was enacted — that offers emergency coverage.
This is potentially quite significant. As with so many things, the devil is in the details, and the implementation is not yet actualized. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
May 24th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Antiarrhythmic Drugs, Beta Blocker, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure, Drug Extinction, Drug Manufacturers, Family Medicine, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Marketplace, Mexilentine, New Drugs, Niche Drugs, Older Drugs, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacies, Pharmacology, Primary Care, Procainamide, Quinaglute, Unavailable Medications
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Doctors are all-familiar with marketing efforts to promote new drugs, but once the new drugs displace older drugs in the medical marketplace, who serves as advocates for the continued manufacturing of older FDA-approved drugs?
In a short answer: No one.
For those of us dealing in cardiac arrhythmia management, this presents difficult challenges for patient care if people are unable to take the newer drugs due to side effects. These patients no longer have a fall-back option to turn to for medical therapy when the older drugs have become extinct on the marketplace. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
May 23rd, 2010 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Child Psychology, Child's Voice, Childhood Development, Children's Health, Defined By Numbers, Family Medicine, Fun, General Medicine, Good Grades, Happiness In Life, Healthy Adults, Inner Passion, kids, Life Direction, Life Path, Parenting Behavior, Pediatrics, Personal Achievement, Predictors Of Success, Primary Care, puberty, Quality Childhood, School Testing, Self-Acceptance, Test Scores
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Spring and standardized school testing become synonymous in many areas of the country for many public school students, including for my own children attending schools in Massachusetts.
As this annual rite of passage rolls around, I’m reminded of how important it is to help our kids remember that they’re so much more than the sum of their grades, test scores, and project results. Think back on your childhood: What do you remember? Is it the grades, the teachers, the homework amount? Did you have standardized tests and, if so, do you remember the results?
I recall blips of taking tests and filling out scantron sheets for all sorts of tests throughout my educational life. I recall being in class when graded papers, projects and tests were handed back to us. But the moments I recall the most were the times I overcame a challenge or a hurdle that seemed insurmountable at the time — and grew from it in unimaginable ways. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Gwenn Is In*
May 23rd, 2010 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Attract And Retain Talent, Compensation Package, Competitive Edge, Congress, Cost Center, Drop Coverage, Dump Healthcare Coverage, Employee Benefits, Employee Health, Employees, Fortune Magazine, Health Plans, Healthcare Misconceptions, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Healthcare Reform Law, Large Companies, Large Employers, Penalties, Penalty Fees, Productive Workforce, Regulatory Changes
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Fortune magazine has made some news recently about the impact of healthcare reform on large employers:
Internal documents recently reviewed by Fortune, originally requested by Congress, show what the bill’s critics predicted, and what its champions dreaded: many large companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the healthcare coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government.
The only trouble? There’s no way these employers are seriously thinking about doing this.
I can understand why the employers would do the math. According to healthcare reform law, penalties for failing to provide health coverage are a small fraction of the cost of that coverage. But as with most everything else in healthcare, there’s much more to it than just a simple math equation. Here’s what I mean. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
May 23rd, 2010 by Joseph Scherger, M.D. in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, Health Tips, Humor, Opinion
Tags: An Eater's Manual, Balanced Diet, Diet and Nutrition, Dietetics, Dietitian, Eater's Guide To Food, Family Medicine, Food and Nutrition, Food Rules, General Medicine, Global Health, Health Of The Planet, Healthy Diet, Human Nutrition, Internal Medicine, Michael Pollan, Primary Care, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Weight Management
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Michael Pollan has become one of our most important writers about human nutrition. His book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006), spelled out why the almost eight billion humans on this planet had better balance what we eat — for our own health and the health of the planet.
He published a small book in 2009 (Penguin Books) called Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. His rules are around seven words in three brief statements: “Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants.” How simple and wise is that?
These three statements make up the three parts of this small book, with lots of practical “rules.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at eDocAmerica*
