Archive for the ‘Latest Insurance News’ Category
Top-down Controls Not the Solution: Response to Marmor, Oberlander, and White
July 17th, 2011
Ted Marmor and colleagues argue that the problem is not Medicare but the entire health system. We do indeed have a system-wide problem, but if we expect to solve it we have to start with Medicare. The program sets the pace for the rest of the system through its myriad regulations, instructions, and other guidance, which have tremendous influence on how health care is delivered in this country. Medicare is not only the largest individual payer, but it also has the threat of legislative, judicial, and political action to ensure that providers fall into line. Ch
Tags: Marmor, Marmor Oberlander
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Tampering with Part D Will Not Solve Our Debt Crisis
June 30th, 2011
Read the full paper as an Adobe Acrobat PDF
Given the current climate and the debate over the debt limit, reform of Medicare–which faces a significant fiscal crisis–is inevitable. Anticipating these changes, the Democratic leadership in Congress recently introduced the “Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2011″ as a means of saving $112 billion over the next decade by reducing spending on Medicare Part D-the prescription drug program for seniors. Ba
Tags: Crisis, Debt Crisis
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Feds to Biotech Firms: Shut Up
June 24th, 2011
A federal judge sentenced the former head of a biotech company to six months of home confinement this spring and fined him $20,000. His offense? Issuing a single press release about a drug.
Scott Harkonen is the former CEO of InterMune, which marketed the drug Actimmune to treat a rare and deadly lung disorder called chronic granulomatous disease. However, most of the drugs sales were to doctors who used it “off label” to treat a different fatal lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
In 2002, InterMune ran a large trial to seek Food and Drug Administration approval to sell the drug explicitly for this second disease.
Tags: Biotech, Biotech Firms
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46 Posts of Things You Should Know Before You Break Your Lease
June 23rd, 2011
Sometimes it is unavoidable to break your lease. You may have been transferred with your job or you may have to move for personal reasons. Other times you may be looking to break your lease because of issues with the home or the landlord. Before you break your lease there are a few things you should be aware of. It is not always an easy process to get out of lease. Read through these articles to find out what you should know before breaking any lease.
Tags: Break Lease, Lease
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There’s No Limit on Irresponsibility
June 13th, 2011
Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) want to make Medicare off-limits in negotiations over raising the federal governments debt limit. They argue that Medicare is too “complicated” (read: politically dangerous leading up to an election) to address when the heat is on concerning the debt. The upset victory of Kathy Hochul in upstate New York sends a clear message to politicians about the risks of leveling with the public about Medicares fiscal problems.
Harkin and Reeds statements confirm Bill Clintons fears that Democrats will take this as an excuse to sit idly by while Medicare continues to drive up the federal debt. B
Tags: Limit, No Limit
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How to Contact the Original Creditor in Collections
June 2nd, 2011
If you have a bill in collections, track down your original creditor to pay your bill and work on improving your credit. When a debt isn’t repaid, it can move from one collection agency to another while employees attempt to collect a portion of the debt. If you need to speak to the original creditor, find out their contact information and make the call. Original creditors may not be able to get the debt back from the collection agency it was sold to, but you can find out how legitimate the debt is by speaking with them.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
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- 1Check your credit report for a list of your debtors.
Tags: Contact, Contact Original
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How Do I Get a Copy of My SSI Award Letter?
May 28th, 2011
You will need your Social Security number to process your award letter request.
SSI, or supplemental security income, is income provided by the Social Security Administration for people with low income who are blind, disabled or over the age of 65. Your SSI award letter — also known as a proof of income letter — is a letter stating what your monthly SSI benefits are.
Tags: Award Letter, Letter
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Two-Way Truce Can Improve Health Care
May 23rd, 2011
Last week, 42 freshman House Members sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to stop Democrats from employing “Mediscare” tactics on them and their colleagues for their votes in support of Rep. Paul Ryans (R-Wis.) Medicare proposal and other health care policy changes.
Lots of columnists, pundits and pols hooted at this, given that most of the freshmen had run for their jobs by treating the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, as a piñata, railing against death panels and its burn-and-slash approach to Medicare, which in turn had rallied senior support to the GOP cause.
I could hoot at the hypocrisy, too, even as I wish we could tone down the rhetoric and find a way to actually have–I shudder to use the hackneyed phrase, but will–an “adult conversation” about the urgent need to find some common ground on health care reform. Som
Tags: Care
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