Posts Tagged ‘legislation’
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) March 21, 2012
Cost-sharing practices that limit access to vital medications for West Virginians with serious health conditions may soon be alleviated thanks to a bill just introduced in Congress. The bi-partisan legislation, supported by the American College of Rheumatology, the Arthritis Foundation and other medical and patient groups, has been introduced by Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.).
The Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2012 (H.R.4209) would limit co-payment, co-insurance or other cost-sharing requirements that insurance plans require for so-called specialty medications. Medications placed on a specialty tier require enrollees to pay a percent of the cost as opposed to a traditional co-pay. By reducing out-of-pocket costs, this legislation would make access to innovative and necessary medications more available to West Virginians with chronic, disabling or life-threatening conditions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States, affecting more than 50 million Americans. In 2007, 36 percent of adults in West Virginia reported being diagnosed with arthritis. Many of these patients are prescribed biologics or specialty drugs to help treat arthritis and other serious health conditions.
This legislation is a clear solution for my patients with rheumatic diseases, says Dr. Shelly Kafka, ACR member and practicing rheumatologist in Clarksburg, W.Va. Currently there is no cure for inflammatory rheumatic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis but biologics have been proven to decrease or eliminate debilitating symptoms. I support the Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2012 because it ensures that patients in West Virginia and across the nation will have access to much needed therapies.
Insurance plans are increasingly adopting a tiered prescription drug system that puts the most expensive medications into a higher specialty tier. As a result, patients out-of-pocket costs could run from several hundred to thousands of dollars a month for a single medication. These practices are placing necessary treatments out of reach of insured Americans with chronic disease and contributing to disability and rising healthcare costs.
Excessive cost sharing that prevents insured patients from accessing the medications they need is simply unacceptable, says Dr. James O’Dell, American College of Rheumatology president and rheumatology professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Omaha Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Omaha, Neb. We applaud the leadership of Reps. McKinley and Capps for their commitment to making sure more people can access the specialty medications that can prevent them from becoming disabled, seriously ill or dying. Their efforts today will help to reduce unnecessary surgeries, hospital and ER visits, as well as the high costs of long-term care for people whose health conditions worsen because they are not able to receive proper treatment.
The Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology have partnered together representing both patients and health care providers to raise awareness of the detrimental impacts of excessive cost sharing practice that has become a barrier to improved health for people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis and other chronic conditions that are impacted by these practices. The affected class of medications, known as biologic drugs, is used to prevent joint destruction and disability associated with certain forms of inflammatory arthritis. Similar medications are used to treat conditions including multiple sclerosis, lupus, Crohns disease, hemophilia, some forms of cancer, and other conditions.
High patient cost-sharing compromises access to needed medications, such as biologic therapies that have proved to reduce disability and maintain function for certain inflammatory forms of arthritis, says President and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation Dr. John H. Klippel. While arguably the most significant treatment advancement of this era for arthritis, the costs for these medications can exceed $ 20,000 annually, making the drug unaffordable. As a result, people tend to delay or stop taking medications, which in turn, costs our economy millions of dollars each year in additional health care costs and lost wages.
If passed, the Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2012 will place necessary treatments in the reach of insured Americans with chronic disease and help to eliminate disability and rising health care costs. More than six out of every 10 West Virginia residents aged 65 and older will be affected by arthritis by 2025 and the CDC estimates that nearly $ 750 million was expended in West Virginia in 1997 on arthritis-related conditions.
Millions of Americans–too many–currently suffer from chronic and disabling diseases and are unable to afford critical treatments to relieve their pain and prolong their lives, said Rep. McKinley. Over 300,000 children nationwide suffer from juvenile arthritis alone. The Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2012 will allow access for millions of insured Americans to these critical treatments that can save their lives, help them function in daily life, or prevent them from becoming totally disabled.
People concerned about lower costs for medications can take a simple step: Ask Congress to Co-Sponsor the Patients’ Access to Treatments Act of 2012 (H.R.4209). Reach lawmakers through http://www.arthritis.org/high_costsharing.php or http://www.rheumatology.org/advocacy/actioncenter.asp.
About the American College of Rheumatology
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., the American College of Rheumatology is an international professional medical society that represents more than 8,500 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals. Rheumatologists are internists or pediatricians who are qualified by training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles and bones. Over 50 million Americans including nearly 300,000 children suffer from the painful, disabling and sometimes fatal effects of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The ACR’s mission is to advance rheumatology. Learn more by visiting http://www.rheumatology.org or follow ACR on Twitter at twitter.com/acrheum.
About the Arthritis Foundation
Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nations leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (http://www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the unacceptable impact of this serious and painful disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information.
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Clackamas, Oregon (PRWEB) January 05, 2012
Devastating physical and financial blows have been felt for years from both sides of the hospital curtain due to the alarming rate of healthcare workforce injuries. According to the American Nurses Association, more than one-third of back injuries among nurses and other caregivers have been associated with the handling of patients and the frequency with which caregivers are required to move them. It is estimated that the cost to the nation in 2008 was 7.4 billion dollars in direct and indirect costs for workers compensation claims, medical bills, and staff replacements for health care workers (U.S. Senate, 2010; UMass, 2011).
As a result of the staggering statistics regarding occupational healthcare injuries, nine states have mandated legislation that requires powered lifts and transfer devices in lieu of manual lifting. California now follows suit with the Hospital Patient and Health Care Worker Injury Protection Act (AB 1136), which became law on January 1, 2012. Acute care hospitals in California will now be responsible to implement Safe Patient Handling (SPH) policies to mitigate injury and protect caregivers and patients.
Working to minimize risk for caregivers, patients and healthcare facilities alike, Oregons WyEast Medical, has been designing and manufacturing mobility solutions for safe patient handling for over 20 years. In fact, WyEast helps to move patients in one out of three hospitals in the United States. The companys TotaLift-II Transfer Chair, an innovative stretcher that converts to a chair, is currently being used in thousands of healthcare facilities around the world and offers a simple option to manual lifting. The patented design provides for a transfer pad that actually moves the patient from bed to stretcher and back again with absolutely no lifting on the part of the caregiver.
The proper use of patient transfer systems results in a dramatic reduction in injury to caregivers and patients. Many organizations have seen the benefits where they matter most on the bottom line, said Eric Race, president and founder of Atlas Lift Tech, a company that provides safe patient handling programs and services for the medical industry. These results are measured in terms that most organizations notice: fewer claims and a marked reduction in lost days away from work (DAW). We have found the WyEast TotaLift-II to help us accomplish just that.
Improper lift procedures are virtually negated by the simple transfer process of the TotaLift-II. And the equipment is appropriate in almost any care environment, from ICU to cardiac care to orthopedics, burn units and more. All processes are either hydraulic or mechanical, eliminating the need for a power source. WyEasts patient transfer systems are flexible, ergonomically sound and designed for varying bed heights and tight spaces. As a rule, they are manufactured in accordance with the highest manufacturing standards.
“I have used the WyEast TotaLift chairs in critical care and step-down units for the past ten years — it is one of the most useful assistive devices available on the market, says Pat Henry, RN, MS, Nurse Manager, ICU/TCU, San Francisco, California. The chair is practical, simple to use and ergonomically correct. And according to our patients, it is comfortable and secure.
WyEast patient transfer solutions offer:
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Shumlin administration unveils health care “exchange” legislation
While health care reform in Vermont is moving ahead, some things are still up in the air. A Supreme Court case could overturn the so-called individual mandate in the federal health care law that everyone have health insurance and possibly overturn the …
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Truth Squad: Does distrust in feds equal health care repeal?
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, on the Obama administration's signature health-care law. Americans generally "distrust Washington," according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted in September. Only 2% of Americans said they could "just …
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Ohio fights, champions health law at same time
“ Given the divergent paths taken by Taylor and Moody, McGee and other health care advocates in Ohio said it's hard to characterize the Kasich administration's approach to the law. Moody said some tools and extra funding available under health reform …
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ALEC Adopts Health Care Compact as Model Legislation
By Health Care Compact Alliance ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Health Care Compact Alliance today announced the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation's largest nonpartisan individual membership …
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Survey finds Afghans living longer, fewer infants dying as health care improves
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghans are living longer, fewer infants are dying and more women are surviving childbirth because health care has dramatically improved around the country in the past decade, according to a national survey released Wednesday. …
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Million Grant Helps Vermont Create Health Care Exchange
MONTPELIER, VT (WAMC) – Under the national Affordable Care Act, health insurance exchanges must be created by each state by 2014. On Tuesday the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that 13 states would receive a total of $ 220 million …
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Healthcare reform legislation: How Ohio can fight back
U.S District Judge Roger Vinson recently ruled that the federal health reform law was unconstitutional. Eventually, the Supreme Court will have to deliver the final verdict on the law. The measure has been unpopular with Buckeye State voters for some time; more than 60 percent favored repeal in a Rasmussen poll taken just before the midterm elections. Fortunately, Ohio can help defeat this top …
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Wednesday Videos: Conyers, Sebelius, Daniels
I’ve decided that you and I both need a brief respite from all of my statistics-dense writing on Med
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Forum leans toward single-payer health care
Monday March 14, 2011 BENNINGTON — Dozens of Vermonters offered thoughts on health care reform in Vermont to members of the House and Senate Health Care Committees during a statewide interactive hearing Monday. The meeting, held at 15 Vermont Interactive Television sites across the state, was largely dominated by supporters of a single-payer health care system that would provide coverage
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Zack Space voted against the health care reform legislation passed late last year by Congress.
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There are an increasing number of job opportunities in health care as the industry moves to digitize health records and implement the federal health care reform legislation, but there aren’t enough qualified candidates. Health care information technology leaders said Thursday at the Maryland Economic Development Association’s fall conference on health care and bioscience that they [...]
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Job opportunities abound in health IT
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I just read the following article, apparently written yesterday (Feb. 22) in which the White House has evidently claimed that if GOP fillabusters the healthcare reform, that they (Dems) will still pass it anyway via reconciliation as stated in a conference call: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-if-gop-filibusters-well-pass-health-reform-via-reconciliation/
yet based on this article, I have to assume that the Dems have had within them the capacity to pass the bill on their own this entire time, whether it be through reconciliation or other means, that is unless something happened recently that just suddenly gave them this ability (of that I am not aware). So I am just wondering why after all this time only just NOW would Dems force a vote or intigate their own passage of the bill in the event of a fillabuster, when evidently they could have done this the entire time. Perhaps it was that they were still attempting to reach an agreement with the GOP up until now and have finally given up that effort, but in the meantime hundereds if not thousands of people have likely perished due to inadequate or no healthcare. You know I really hate to be critical, but the fact is the Bill is such a disaster now because Republicans voted ONE HUNDRED PERCENT against it in its original form, fought, blocked, fillibustered, and then VOTED AGAINST IT ANYWAY even after private co-ops WHICH WAS THEIR IDEA was included! The Bill is a shambles because Republicans made it that way! The original bill was perfectly fine – and they can talk to St. Peter later about the thousands of people who died because of their greed and stubbornness.
Also, does this article mean that we will see healthcare reform at the hands of the Dems, whether the GOP likes it or not, and how long will this process take, e.g. at what date from today would the GOP (have to) fillabuster vs. the subsequent passage of the liberal legislation? As with most conservative issues, I have learned that I need a timeline to have so much as even a hope of expecting anything.
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The first of a long and occasionally complex series of changes to your health care coverage became law last week as, six months after its fractious passage, the federal government’s health care reform legislation began to kick in. What do you need to know?
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Five Things You Should Know About Health Care Reform
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In a letter mailed to employees late last week, Chicago-based aerospace giant Boeing said the law overhauling health care is part of the reason it is asking some 90,000 nonunion workers to pay significantly more for their health plan next year.”The newly enacted health-care reform legislation, while intended to expand access to care for millions of uninsured Americans, is also adding cost …
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Citing health-care law, Boeing asks nonunion workers to pay a lot more