tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69092228509065632882024-03-14T03:54:01.895-07:00Advocacy for Patients with Chronic IllnessA blog on health care, from the perspective of a patient and patient advocates, authored by Jennifer C. Jaff, Esq.Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.comBlogger1424125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-78746532635967224702013-11-07T08:03:00.003-08:002013-11-07T08:03:58.854-08:00Our Blog Has Moved!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">It is just a little over a year since the passing of our founder and dear friend, Jennifer Jaff, who will always remain with us in spirit. To commemorate her extraordinary contributions on behalf of those with chronic illness through advocacy, education and public policy, we have changed the name of our organization to The Jennifer Jaff Center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">We are very pleased to announce that our new website, <a href="http://www.thejenniferjaffcenter.org/">www.thejenniferjaffcenter.org</a>, i</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">s now online! </span>You will find all of the detailed information you've come to expect from us as well as some updated features to make our site more user friendly. The format allows us to easily edit and update information and our blog is now incorporated directly into our website.</div>
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Our blog can be found by clicking <a href="http://www.thejenniferjaffcenter.org/blog/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Thank you!</div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-74914624499376272532013-08-14T09:06:00.001-07:002013-08-14T09:06:20.492-07:00Reminder: Get Your Guts In Gear August Rides!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fa_3Sbk5TOQ/Uguqpgea4-I/AAAAAAAAADk/lQw3tVbdm20/s1600/riders+ny+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fa_3Sbk5TOQ/Uguqpgea4-I/AAAAAAAAADk/lQw3tVbdm20/s400/riders+ny+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>GEAR UP AND RIDE WITH GET YOUR GUTS IN GEAR IN 2013!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Looking for an unforgettable event that supports a great cause? Join Get Your Guts in Gear for the 2013 Rides for Crohn’s and Colitis.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Get Your Guts in Gear, Inc. (GYGIG) was founded in 2003 to promote empowerment and awareness, and to raise funds for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ostomy advocacy. GYGIG brings together patients, family, friends, medical professionals, and cycling enthusiasts for an unforgettable and empowering experience. More than just bicycle rides, our events are the foundation upon which GYGIG has built an inspired and empowered community that carries our mission forward 365 days of the year. Whether you’re an avid cyclist looking for a great ride, a novice rider looking for a challenge, or you’re interested in spending the weekend as part of our support crew, we invite you to become part of this inspiring community.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Please visit </span><a href="http://www.ibdride.org/" style="color: #385dae; text-decoration: none;">www.ibdride.org</a><span style="color: black;"> to receive additional information on upcoming events or find us on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/getyourgutsingear" style="color: #385dae; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> to get to know us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Two Rides, Two Life-Changing Events!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>New York’s Hudson River Valley: June 7-9, 2013</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>The Midwest / Wisconsin: August 23-25, 2013</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Signature 2-Day Ride:</strong></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><strong>140 miles with an option for back-to-back century rides</strong></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Join us on Friday evening and ride with us on Saturday and Sunday. Ride 140 miles, 170 miles, or add a century loop on both days for 200 fully supported miles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>NEW: 1-Day Cycling Option:</strong></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><strong>62.5 miles with an option for a century ride</strong></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Join us on Saturday afternoon and ride with us on Sunday. You can choose 62.5 or 100 fully supported miles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In order to participate in our century option on either day, you must average more than 15mph over varied terrain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Don’t want to ride?</strong> Join our volunteer support crew from Friday evening through Sunday and become an integral part of this supportive community while providing the backbone of the event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Each of GYGIG’s fully supported Rides provides two overnight camps with indoor accommodations where participants stop to relax, build lifelong friendships, and recharge with catered meals and hot showers. GYGIG provides route support, including fully-stocked rest stops, sweep vehicles, and baggage transport.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Get Your Guts in Gear’s riders and enthusiastic volunteer crew participate – and keep coming back – because they find physical strength and emotional resolve they never knew they had, and are awarded with an accomplishment they can share with their new friends long after the Ride is over. These cycling events offer the IBD and ostomy communities a positive, life-altering experience in their journey. Participants also draw support from fellow riders, many of whom are touched in some way by inflammatory bowel disease or who have had ostomy surgery.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For the full 2- Day Ride, rider registration is $85, with a fundraising minimum of $1,250 per event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For the 1-Day cycling option, rider registration is $65, with a fundraising minimum of $650 per event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For crew members, registration is $85, and fundraising is optional, but supported and encouraged.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Fundraising supports Get Your Guts in Gear, Inc. as well as the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, the United Ostomy Associations of America, and Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc.— organizations committed to supporting patients, conducting research for inflammatory bowel disease, and raising awareness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For more information, please call GYGIG at (866) 944-6848 or email us at <a href="mailto:info@ibdride.org" style="color: #385dae; text-decoration: none;">info@ibdride.org</a>. Riders and crew 18 and over may register online. For information concerning riders and crew ages 12-17, call to obtain registration forms. For more information and answers to FAQs, please visit </span><a href="http://www.ibdride.org/" style="color: #385dae; text-decoration: none;">www.IBDride.org</a><span style="color: black;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Come find out why it’s more than a ride!</span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-68755381105472144242013-08-09T08:06:00.001-07:002013-08-09T08:06:02.339-07:00Gloria Steinem Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to Gloria Steinem and the other recipients
of the Presidential Medal of Freedom! Gloria Steinem, in addition to being a prominent
writer and civil rights activist, has long been a supporter of Advocacy for
Patients. She also was a close personal friend to our Founder, Jennifer Jaff. Her
tireless work for women’s equality and the advancement of civil rights for all
makes this recognition well-deserved. Congratulations Gloria! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See the White House announcement here: <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/08/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients">http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/08/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients</a></span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-39661285429473230322013-07-30T06:53:00.000-07:002013-07-30T06:58:10.234-07:00The YouToons Get Ready for Obamacare - Health Insurance Changes Coming Your Way Under the Affordable Care ActWe get a lot of questions from consumers about health reform and what to expect in 2014. This new video, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a great overview of the major changes in the ACA, including the way Americans will access health coverage and what it will cost.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JZkk6ueZt-U" width="560"></iframe>
"The YouToons Get Ready for Obamacare," The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed July 30, 2013, <a href="http://youtu.be/JZkk6ueZt-U">http://youtu.be/JZkk6ueZt-U</a>.<br />
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<i>If the video does not format properly, please follow the link above to watch on YouTube.</i>Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-67467472649435120312013-07-09T09:37:00.001-07:002013-07-09T09:37:31.806-07:00Traveling With Health Conditions<div style="text-align: justify;">
Check out this timely <a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/lynda-shrager-the-organized-caregiver/travel-with-health-conditions/" target="_blank">article</a> from Lynda Schrager on how to travel with a health condition. She provides great tips to organize and prepare for your trip, as well as suggestions to enhance your vacation experience!</div>
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Lynda is a<span style="font-family: inherit;"> brea</span>st cancer survivor, mother of a child with Crohn's disease, and daughter of parents who have had every disease in the book. She is the author of Otherwise Healthy<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">®: A Planner to Focus Your Thoughts on Organizing Life after Being Diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She writes a weekly health column for the Albany Times Union called The Health Organizer. It appears in newspapers throughout the country. Lynda is the only member of the National Association of Professional Organizers specializing exclusively in the area of organizing health information, presenting keynote addresses and workshops in the area of breast cancer treatment, survivor issues and health and wellness.</span></span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-15158013745332324042013-06-17T11:41:00.001-07:002013-06-17T11:41:25.383-07:00Trusting Instincts <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday was a
Sunday like any other - I was working on my Masters thesis and transferring
various loads of laundry from washer to dryer and contemplating vacuuming my
house instead of watching <i>The Golden
Girls</i><span style="font-size: small;"> marathon on tvland (</span><i>The Golden
Girls</i><span style="font-size: small;"> won, by the way) when I remembered that my dog Beckett was out of his
favorite beef-flavored treats. Since there is very little Beckett can eat
thanks to a finicky digestive system that is probably the combined result of
his slow-to-develop “runt of the litter” organs and my reliance on the most
natural (read: most expensive) foods and treats on the market, I didn't want
him to go through the week without the little freeze dried chews he looks
forward to whenever he goes into his crate. So, even though I contemplated
staying inside where it was warm and quiet, my “mommy guilt” got the best of me
as I grabbed Beckett’s harness and leash. “Wanna go to Petco?” I asked. An
unnecessary question, since I could barely get him into the car he was so
excited.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second we walked into the store,
Beckett, who has memorized the layout and is, like me, a creature of habit,
dragged me over to our regular first stop: the ferret cages. We always visit
them first, and he loves to stand on his hind legs and peer at them while they
slither around and play with each other and pretend to ignore him. He whines
and paws and seems to think they can’t see him, though I suspect they fancy
themselves better than him, as they turn their little noses up toward the
ceiling and go about the business of simply being ferrets. As usual, though,
his attention for the ferrets was short-lived yesterday, and within minutes he
was pulling me toward the bird cages. Once again, he was on his hind legs,
front paws in the air, head titling from side to side whenever the birds
tweeted at him. I can never tell whether he is happy or sad to be outside their
cages while they are locked inside, and I often wonder, when I look at him
wanting so desperately to play with his little friends, which side seems more
like captivity to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Beckett sniffed a cute little
cocker spaniel and failed to amuse an older, lethargic looking golden
retriever, I finally coaxed him into the “cookie aisle” where he enjoyed his
usual sniffing expedition of all the rawhides and meat-scented chewy things
displayed at nose level. While I searched for the correct package and
contemplated a new brand of biscuits, Beckett smelled and groaned and did his
best to lick everything his little tongue could reach. Finally, I pulled the
regular cookies off the shelf and did my best to tug Beckett toward the cash
register. As usual, I had planned on a quick in-and-out, and, as usual, Beckett
had planned on tasting everything (and everyone) he could reach.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we headed to the front of the
store, I stopped to price a package of squeaky toys hanging on the end of an
aisle. And that was when a woman who looked to be about my age approached
me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He’s
a sweet dog,” she smiled and nodded toward Beckett, who by then was frantically
pawing at the pork bones just beyond his paws.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
thanked her, always worrying that I sound immodest when I admit that I actually
do, in fact, have the sweetest dog on the planet. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Is
he good with children?” she went on. I wasn't expecting that question, so I
stuttered a bit before responding that, yes, he loves children, though he tends
to jump and lick any person short enough to serve as a potential playmate, so
perhaps not all children would agree.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“My
little boy … was wondering ...” she hesitated. “He asked if he could pet the
black doggie. So I just thought I’d see …”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh
of course he can,” I replied, saving her from what seemed to be an awkwardness
I couldn't quite understand. After all, I was dressed in my Sunday sweat pants,
unimposing pony tail, feeling relaxed and approachable and open to conversation
(which isn't always the case, I admit with some regret), so I wasn't sure where
her discomfort was coming from. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until
her son walked around the corner. He was a beautiful little boy dressed in
overalls and a turtleneck. He had a sweet, diamond-shaped face that looked too
small for his large, square glasses. And he would not – could not – look at me,
even when I said hello. He did, however, fix his gaze on Beckett while he
pointed and repeated “pet the black doggie, pet the black doggie, pet the black
doggie” over and over and over again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes,”
his mother said. “You can pet the black doggie.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then
she looked at me, seeming to struggle for words, until she was finally able to
explain that her adorable son, who is seven, was diagnosed with autism several
years ago. She and her husband had been wanting to get him a therapy dog, but
he was so terrified of dogs that he become inconsolable and often aggressive
anytime a dog was nearby. On the advice of one of the child’s counselors, the
parents had been bringing him to Petco as a way of gradually exposing him to
leashed, well-behaved dogs in a controlled environment, and so far, the mother
told me, it had been working pretty well. The little boy could now walk through
the store, could see and hear and even be in the same aisle with another dog,
and not get upset. “Most of the time,” she added with a chuckle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But
your dog is the first one he has ever wanted to pet,” she almost
whispered. She was trying not to cry,
and, in all honesty, I was fighting back some tears myself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How wonderful,” was all I could manage,
before squatting a safe distance away from the little boy so I didn't crowd
him. “His name is Beckett,” I said. “And he would love for you to pet
him.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inside
I was panicking. At seventeen months of age, Beckett is just now coming to
terms with some of his training – probably because, after fifteen months as Beckett’s
mom, I have finally learned how to train him (which first involved training
myself). Even so, he still suffers occasional lapses, particularly in public
places where he is overstimulated and more than willing to suffer the
inevitable “Time Out” later for the sheer pleasure of misbehaving now. But this
moment was critical. A lapse for Beckett could become a lifelong fear of dogs
that this little boy would always trace back to today.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As
I thought about all the things that could go wrong in this scenario, imagining
every possible negative outcome, I suddenly realized that Beckett had stopped
sniffing and pulling and begging for the bones and toys spilling out of the
rack above him. Instead, while I had been talking to the boy’s mother, Beckett
had been sitting perfectly still, staring at the little boy, the little boy
staring back at him, both of them looking away from each other now and then, but
neither of them reacting to anything outside of whatever communication they
were having. Not even when other dogs walked by.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
I did the only thing I could do. I knelt beside Beckett and said “It’s ok, buddy. Approach.” I was ready to pull his leash
tight if he started to jump, but I could see, without a doubt, that he knew. He
couldn't jump. Not this time. And he wouldn't. Instead, he approached the
little boy slowly, gently, pushing his nose toward the tiny, outstretched hand
until, eventually, child and dog touched. The little boy wiggled his fingers
and Beckett licked them. The little boy waved his arms and Beckett followed
them. The little boy crossed his legs and Beckett laid beside them. The little
boy put his hands in his lap, and Beckett rested his head on top of them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
we stayed like this, in silence, for twenty minutes. There was nothing else in
the world except a mother and me, watching a little boy stroke Beckett’s head,
his back, his tail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We've
been working on this for years,” was all she seemed able to say. Though she was
doing better than I was, as I stood there speechless, relieved, proud,
inspired.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before
we parted, I gave the mom my phone number and told her that I would be happy to
arrange get-togethers between her son and Beckett, if she thought it would
help. She thanked me and assured me that she would call. And I hope she does.
But more than anything, I hope that this beautiful little boy will now be open
to the possibility of a therapy dog, and I like to think, if he is, that maybe
Beckett had something to do with that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's
funny how, even though instinct never fails me when I pay attention to it, I often
doubt myself and others, always letting my fears interrupt the natural flow of
things. Thankfully, Beckett knew what to do yesterday. And, despite my panic, I
knew it was time to let him try. Even the mother who approached me knew that,
scary as it was, she had to let her son pet a strange dog, and she had to have
faith that he would be alright. Still, it was the little boy who taught all of
us to put away our worries and our preconceived ideas and our fears about what
may have happened in the past. To simply experience that single moment, when his
instincts told him that Beckett was safe, when his instincts told me that all I
needed to do was believe in my dog and trust that he would do the right thing. I
am so glad I listened.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Guest Post, Heather Haskins</i></span></span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-54718165378444741182013-06-11T06:58:00.002-07:002013-06-14T13:24:59.827-07:00Estimating Your Healthcare Costs Using FAIR Health® Consumer Tools <div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who have
chronic conditions, managing your health usually involves ongoing care and
treatment. And although your health is the
main focus, it’s also important to manage and plan for costs related to your
care. This has always been true for
patients without health insurance. And now, more and more insured patients
including those with chronic conditions are assuming a larger portion of their
healthcare costs, whether they’re enrolled in high deductible health plans or
in other types of plans that require greater cost-sharing through co-pays and
co-insurance. Knowing how much you may
owe for care can help you make informed healthcare decisions. Use FAIR Health’s free website at <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/">www.fairhealthconsumer.org</a> to research your out-of-pocket costs before getting
a service or procedure that’s either not covered by insurance or that is
out-of-network. The website offers cost
lookup tools that can be used to estimate out-of-pocket costs for medical and
dental services in every area of the United States. The estimates reflect common plan benefits and
can be adjusted to match specific plan provisions. The amounts estimated are based on the FAIR
Health database of billions of billed charges for medical and dental services.</span><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The website also
offers educational features, such as the <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/reimbursementseries/" target="_blank">Reimbursement
101 curriculum</a>, <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/glossary.aspx">glossaries</a>
and <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/resources.aspx">healthcare
resources</a> to help consumers learn about, and better navigate, the healthcare
system. These tools and resources are also
available in Spanish at <a href="http://www.consumidor.fairhealth.org/">www.consumidor.fairhealth.org</a>
and on a free mobile app, which you can download from <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fh-healthcare-cost-estimator/id620607493?ls=1&mt=8">iTunes</a>
and <a href="http://clicks.skem1.com/trkr/?c=11101&g=1611&p=c3a1818d5e1edca7baa39d541ade0a52&u=e0e462486b44d1e454bdfb8b21a2cdd2&q=&t=1">Googleplay</a>.
<span style="color: #3c3c3c;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We invite
you to use the FAIR Health consumer tools to estimate and plan your healthcare
expenses, to inform discussions with your healthcare providers and insurers and
to learn about the health insurance system. We also encourage you to stay in touch with us
by subscribing to our free quarterly <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/newsletter.aspx">consumer e-newsletter</a>
that offers tips on understanding and managing your healthcare costs and via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fairhealth">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fairhealth">Twitter</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FAIR
Health is an independent, not-for-profit organization created in 2009 with a
mission to bring transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance
information. Learn more about FAIR
Health’s mission <a href="http://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/dboverview.aspx">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Guest Post from FAIR Health, Inc.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-11137358211260793092013-06-10T07:41:00.001-07:002013-06-10T07:41:24.466-07:00Maintaining a Legacy<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As you are aware,
Jennifer Jaff passed away in September of 2012. As the founder of Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc., she left behind not just an agency that she created and nurtured, but a set of
ideals and practices that have become the very foundation on which the agency rests. What I have learned about Jennifer is that
her life was truly dedicated to helping others in a way that generated not only
a fierce loyalty but an incredible network of individuals who helped support
the very work she spent her all too short life devoted to doing. The types of accolades I hear about her where
things like: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“She was a
super hero for my son, he truly felt like giving up in school until she came
into his life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Jennifer was
always available and even if there was nothing she could do legally she
listened and that truly made a difference.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“If it wasn't
for Jennifer helping me with my insurance appeal I would not have the dignity
and quality of life I have now, I can never forget her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“What can you
say about a total stranger who takes the time to listen, help and truly really
care about someone they never met? Is saint too strong? Is hero inappropriate? I don’t know but she was both to me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These and so
many more wonderful things were said about Jennifer by everyone I meet who knew
her or who were in some way touched by her zeal for advocating. What an incredible legacy to leave behind,
what a life truly well lived and how powerful a statement that you were someone's
hero!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It is unfortunate
that I never had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Jaff. However, I am sure if I had, I would be
another of the multitude of individuals who were loyal and dedicated to her vision
and mission at Advocacy for Patients. Instead, I have been tasked with the Herculean mission of continuing her
legacy, and, in very real terms, of helping those who are truly vulnerable in
our society – the chronically ill who often suffer in silence and expect little
in terms of understanding from others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">By
now you must be asking yourself: Who is this person?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">So let me tell you a little about
myself.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">I, like Jennifer, have spent
most of my adult life advocating for those less fortunate or those who simply
have a harder time for one reason or another.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">I have come to Advocacy with 27 years of experience in social services
and management, dedicating many years to working with disadvantaged people as a
professional in social services and health care, as well as the law.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the late 1980’s, I left a successful
career working at a mutual fund company on Wall Street to begin my career in
social services, working for several New York City agencies dealing with concerns such as homelessness and literacy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">I had decided that this was truly my life's work – helping those in
need.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">As a result, I decided to pursue a
Master’s Degree in Education and Rehabilitation Counseling and entered the
health care field, focusing on the mentally and physically disabled.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">As Administrator on Duty at Jacobi Medical
Center, as well as Director of Rehabilitation at North Central Bronx Hospital
Center, I gained extensive experience in hospital management and patient
advocacy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">A growing desire to advocate
for disadvantaged people led me to attend law school, and I obtained my J.D.
degree from the City University of New York School of Law, whose motto spoke to
me completely: Law in the Service of Human Needs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Upon
graduating from law school, I served as a Prosecutor for the Bronx District
Attorney's Office for over three years.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">While
there, I worked in the Domestic Violence and Sex Crimes Unit, prosecuting cases
and advocating for the rights of victims.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">I continued my work with poor and indigent individuals as a legal services
professional with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV), where I handled a
diverse caseload of domestic violence, custody, housing and disability matters.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">While at LSHV, I became the Deputy Director
and program-wide Domestic Violence Coordinator.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In addition to my legal representation of clients, I was responsible for
developing a training and evaluation program for staff attorneys and other
stakeholders within the domestic violence prevention and legal field.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In 2007, I went to work at the New York State
Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, an Executive level agency on
policy, among other functions.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">At OPDV, I
was the Director of Public Policy and Administration.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">While there, I was responsible for the
development and implementation of statewide training of law enforcement, the
judiciary, advocacy agencies and other stakeholders.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">With my team, I successfully wrote a million
dollar grant to develop a one of a kind, online, web-based training for police
officers in domestic violence case handling.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In addition, I wrote policy for the State of New York in the areas of
officer-involved domestic violence, probation, parole and victim advocacy
agencies.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">In my role as the Director of
Administration, I was responsible for successfully steering the agency through
the recent fiscal crisis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What does
this all say, other than I obviously wanted to help others? It means I hold in my heart the same passion and
dedication that Jennifer Jaff had for helping others and championing those in need. It says that, in hiring me, the Board of Directors at Advocacy thought
that I could and would keep the agency and Jennifer’s legacy alive and fully
operational. I am so honored to walk in
the footsteps of someone so well respected and so highly thought of. I will do everything within my means to keep
her memory, legacy, and mission alive and well, and I invite you all to please
help us do the same in any way you know how: refer clients, spread the word
that we are here to help, and, where possible, please donate, as we count on
your support to make this all happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Eileen F. Swan, <i>Executive Director</i></span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-48068237806977306692012-09-24T11:37:00.002-07:002012-09-24T11:37:14.429-07:00NY Times Article on JenniferWe want to thank everyone for the kind and loving messages. Jennifer's impact was far greater than she ever knew. There was a touching<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/health/jennifer-jaff-legal-advocate-for-the-ill-dies-at-55.html?_r=0" target="_blank"> article</a> in the NY Times today which we wanted to share here, for all of our followers.<br />
<br />
We greatly appreciate everyone's understanding and patience during this difficult time. The daily blog posts will have to be postponed, but check back for updates about Jennifer's memorial service.<br />
<br />
Thank you!Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-27468311800542821722012-09-19T06:52:00.000-07:002012-09-19T06:52:36.256-07:00Heavy Heart<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">It is with deep sorrow that we announce
the untimely passing of Jennifer Jaff, Esq, Founder and Executive Director of
Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc. Jennifer conceived of and
founded Advocacy for Patients because of her extraordinary passion and
commitment to ensuring equal rights for those living with chronic illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She dedicated her life and career to
improving the quality of life for others based on her own experience with
Crohn’s disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Her advocacy on a personal level
with individuals, in chronic illness arenas for larger disease populations, and
in global forums for local and national health care reform was unparalleled in
its sophistication, conviction, judiciousness, and honor. Jennifer believed
fiercely that this cause was a civil rights issue, and her belief in the worth
and rights of every individual with a chronic illness set precedents and models
for equality nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her goal to
increase awareness of the need for and the power of advocacy for chronic
illness touched all of us who knew her as well as the population at large. She always
worked with amazing energy, grace, fortitude and resolve.<br />
<br />
It was Jennifer’s aim to never refuse an opportunity to help someone in need
and we know that there are many clients and companies with whom she was working
at the time of her death. We appreciate the patience of our clients, friends
and partners as the Advocacy for Patients staff works to contact those
immediately affected by this tragic and unexpected loss and to develop plans for
the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">We know that Jennifer will always
be remembered for her dedication and the actions she took in the pursuit of
justice for those with chronic illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be assured that the Board of Directors and the Staff of Advocacy for
Patients will do everything in our power to promote Jennifer’s great legacy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">We are informed by Jennifer’s
family that any funeral arrangements will be private, but we are planning a
memorial gathering for Jennifer in the next few months and we will announce the
date, time and place once those details are final.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who want to donate gifts in her
memory, please send them through our <a href="http://advocacyforpatients.org/" target="_blank">website</a>, or by mail to Advocacy for
Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc., 195 Farmington Avenue, Suite 306,
Farmington, CT 06032.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Thank you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Carol Fain Walters</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">President<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-78091410059135635242012-09-12T15:18:00.004-07:002012-09-12T15:18:35.167-07:00Mini-BreakI've waited all summer for a time when I could take a few days off. There was always something in the way -- until now. So I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging (and from life). I'll be hunkered down with the most purrrrrfect Ms. Emily, a couple of good books, a few good movies, and nothing else.<br />
<br />
But before I go, a bit of good news to leave off on -- <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/12/census-uninsured-young-adults_n_1876862.html">the number of Americans without insurance has fallen to its lowest rate since 2008</a>, all due to health reform, mostly due to coverage of people under age 26. If only the American people will let this play out to 2014, things really are going to get better. Here's the proof that it's already happening. <br />
<br />
Have a great week-end. See ya Monday! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-27581380089321998152012-09-12T04:10:00.001-07:002012-09-12T04:10:48.731-07:00Hump Day Headlines <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/health/policy/waste-and-promise-seen-in-us-health-care-system.html?ref=health">The Institute of Medicine issued a report saying there's a TON of waste and opportunity for savings in the health care system</a>. The big recommendation is payment for quality outcomes rather than for each individual service. We have to do something -- that much, we all agree on.<br />
<br />
Indeed, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/health-care-costs-at-work_n_1872027.html">health care costs nearly doubled for workers since 2002</a>. In what industry can you double your prices every 10 years without changing the product, or even cutting back on it? And you don't think we have to do something to regulate insurance companies? Indeed, increased rate regulation and tools like the medical loss ratio <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/September/11/employer-health-coverage-survey-premiums-rise-4-percent.aspx">slowed the growth in premium prices to about 4%</a> -- well below last year's increase and well below the decade's average of 8%.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-insurance/248815-overnight-health-">Figures on the number of uninsured Americans should be released today</a>. The 2010 figures were right about 50 million. Today will be the 2011 figures. There should be a reduction, at least for the young Americans on their parents' policies to age 26. We'll see.<br />
<br />
One of the delivery system reforms in the health reform law is Accountable Care Organizations -- groups of hospitals, doctors, other providers to come together to provide complete care that is coordinated and patient-centered -- and, hopefully, saves money. Previously, this was done as a pilot program, and the results will be published today. The main finding is that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/health/policy/medical-care-networks-show-savings-study-finds.html?ref=us">Accountable Care Organizations save money</a>.<br />
<br />
Last week-end, Mitt Romney said he would keep the good parts of the health reform law, like coverage of people with pre-existing conditions. However, apparently, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/us/politics/romneys-pledge-shows-repealing-health-law-to-be-complex.html?ref=politics">this only applies to people who have not had a gap in coverage</a>. If you have had a gap, or if you've never had insurance, your option would be a high risk pool. Twice as expensive, lifetime limits -- high risk pools are no answer for us. Please, people. Read and think for yourselves.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-09-11/heart-omega-3/57750182/1">Fish oil pills don't prevent cancer</a>. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2012-new-scientist-eureka-prize-for-science-photography/2012/09/10/8a18f412-fb4a-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_gallery.html">The top 10 finalists in a scientific photography contest</a> -- don't miss this. These are stunningly beautiful. <br />
<br />
And that's it for this morning. Have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-87733439876774655902012-09-11T05:25:00.000-07:002012-09-11T05:25:22.836-07:00Tuesday TidbitsThe health reform law will make it easier for individuals to shop for, and compare, insurance. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-future-of-health-insurance-20120908,0,998100.story">That has touched off a wave of marketing as companies compete for markets they never aimed at before</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81026.html?hp=l3">Mitt Romney is really struggling over health reform these days</a>. He wants to tack to the center, supporting things like coverage of pre-existing conditions, but the GOP base hates, with intense passion, anything to do with health reform. Rick Santorum always said Romney was the worst possible person to go against President Obama on health reform because of Massachusetts -- but it may be true not only for that reason, but because Mitt Romney really isn't against every aspect of health reform. But will he ever stand up to the right of his party? When they got upset about his warming towards parts of the law, he <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/romney-obamacare-repeal_n_1872667.html">immediately reaffirmed his vow to repeal health reform day one</a>. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81009.html?hp=r9">former Obama health advisers issued a report that tells us what Romney/Ryan's Medicare plan would cost us -- and they now say they were being kind to Romney</a>. And then <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/248561-kaiser-repealing-health-law-raises-medicare-costs-for-seniors-government-">there's a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation that also says it would cost seniors thousands</a>. It's fair to guess Governor Romney doesn't agree.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/science/an-epidemic-of-absence-review-seeing-hygiene-as-driver-of-disease.html?ref=health">An Epidemic of Absence</a> -- a new book on allergies and autoimmune diseases makes the case that getting rid of too much bacteria has weakened our immune systems. I tend to buy this. Why else is it that richer countries have higher incidence of Crohn's, MS, etc.? Now, if only we could be cured by rolling around in the mud!<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/health/research/ovarian-cancer-tests-are-ineffective-medical-panel-says.html?ref=health">The US Preventive Service Task Force says testing for ovarian cancer is ineffective and generates too many false positives</a>. In fact, this isn't news -- the panel has been recommending against this test for years, as has the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Hmm.<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-09-11/suicide-prevention/57731002/1?loc=interstitialskip">The government is beefing up suicide crisis lines for military and civilian</a>. Call 800-273-8255. 36,000 people die of suicide each year. The goal is to save 20,000 of them. <br />
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<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444554704577643702705179164.html">Every second counts when trying to open a blocked artery</a>. The technology is amazing, truly. <br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/health/door-to-door-in-oklahoma-city-preaching-healthy-living.html?ref=health">Local health offices are going door to door, preaching better health</a>. Some say newsletters and dropping in isn't enough -- but isn't it better than nothing?<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/early-music-lessons-have-longtime-benefits/?ref=health">When children learn a musical instrument early on, they have long-term benefits, even years after they stop taking music lessons</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/children-who-use-steroids-for-asthma-may-be-shorter-than-their-peers-as-adults/2012/09/10/5eff90b4-6a23-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html">Steroids for children may stunt their growth</a>. This includes kids who use steroids for asthma.<br />
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And that's it for this morning. Have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-50000922124773361722012-09-10T05:00:00.001-07:002012-09-10T05:00:37.484-07:00I truly do hate Mondays<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/09/mitt-romney-obamacare-_n_1868385.html">First Romney says he won't toss out all of health reform. In particular, supports coverage of pre-existing conditions. Except that his campaign staff says not to worry -- he won't cover people with pre-existing conditions</a>. Are you any clearer on where he stands now than you were before <i>Meet the Press</i>? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/us/politics/romney-adopts-softer-tone-in-critique-of-obama.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y">He says people with pre-existing conditions would get insurance -- but would it be the same insurance as everybody else, or would it be super-expensive high risk pools</a>?<br />
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Meanwhile, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/248353-obama-romney-medicare-plan-would-cost-seniors-thousands">a liberal think tank says Romney's plans for Medicare would cost WAY more for seniors and earn way more for private insurance</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/health/policy/more-young-adults-have-health-insurance-study-says.html?_r=1&hp">Due to health reform, more young adults than ever have health insurance</a>. This is likely due to eligibility of kids to age 26 on their parents' policy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-09-08/semicolon-life-changes/57653548/1">USA Today's Nashville critic is chronicling his journey through surgery and recuperation</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/story/2012/09/9/private-school-vaccine-opt-outs-rise/57720458/1">Private school vaccine opt-outs are on the rise</a>.<br />
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And that's what I've got for you this Monday morning. I'm ready to go back to bed right now. Sadly, that's not happening. So have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-17724356432494694862012-09-07T11:21:00.001-07:002012-09-07T11:24:12.633-07:00NY Times Puzzle Solved!<em>Pseudochromhidrosis. </em>Read about it <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/think-like-a-doctor-the-blue-girl-solved/?ref=health">here</a>. And if anybody asks you why Smurfs are blue, the answer is pseudochromhidrosis! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-41956163006899811942012-09-07T03:21:00.001-07:002012-09-07T03:21:54.039-07:00Finally Friday!Another really long, short week. Got some work done, but we have a docket of insurance appeals right now as long as your arm. Sort of intimidating. Just have to take them one step at a time, like life in general. Anyway, the news first.<br />
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Interestingly, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/political-conventions-get-deeply-personal/2012/09/06/83f42cee-f845-11e1-8b93-c4f4ab1c8d13_story.html">most of the talk about health care at the two conventions came in the form of personal stories of people who've been up against the system</a>. It's deeply personal. Does the deeply personal have a place in politics? I believe the distinction between personal and political is a construct, not a real distinction. Our policies are driven by our personal experience. Stories are remarkably effective tools for changing minds.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/us/health-system-waste-tallied.html?ref=health">$750 billion per year on medical waste</a>. Administrative crapola, fraud, duplication of tests, avoidable errors -- it's huge, and we should be focusing right there when we start talking about health care costs. <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/247929-iom-us-healthcare-needs-giant-overhaul">The Institute of Medicine says our system needs a complete overhaul</a>. Can you imagine going to buy a car and not asking what it will cost? Why not ask about labs, surgery, CT scans?<br />
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Our friend Nina Bernstein has written about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/health/policy/long-term-care-looms-as-rising-medicaid-cost.html?_r=1&ref=health">long-term care and the cost of Medicaid for the elderly in nursing homes</a>. The more we prolong our lives, the more some of us will need nursing home care. How to pay for it, though? Medicaid isn't all about moms and kids. And the cost of providing long-term care to the baby boomers is pretty daunting.<br />
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The great <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/the-fraying-hospital-safety-net/?ref=health">Dr. Pauline Chen writes about safety net hospitals</a>. You know -- the County hospitals that you avoid under all circumstances? The assumption is that, because they're run down, the care is awful, but it's not true. <br />
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An<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/not-a-cancer-survivor/?ref=health"> interesting essay by a woman who doesn't like the phrase "cancer survivor.</a>" Neither do the members of her support group. Maybe cancer "treatment" survivor, she says, but not "cancer survivor." Different take -- interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ctmirror.org/story/17415/hospital-merger-talks-falter-waterbury-when-womens-advocates-object-reproductive-service">What happens when a Catholic hospital merges with a non-religious one</a>? The merged entity has to follow the Catholic Directives, which means not even offering counseling on birth control. We're having a heck of a battle in Connecticut about one such merger. Thanks to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women's Teresa Younger for fighting the good fight on behalf of us all.<br />
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And that it. Check back later to the answer to yesterday's NY Times puzzle. And have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-78285804399428114462012-09-06T04:31:00.000-07:002012-09-06T04:31:12.929-07:00Thursday ThemesIt's NY Times puzzle day. <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/think-like-a-doctor-the-blue-girl/?ref=health">A 17 year old begins to turn blue</a>. What's the diagnosis? I can hardly wait for tomorrow to find out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/us-food-insecurity_n_1859206.html">About 800,000 more Americans ran out of food in 2011 than in 2010</a>. As many as 5.5% of Americans skipped a meal - or a day of meals - due to running out of food last year. And the GOP wants to cut food stamps? Really?<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/nyregion/some-medicaid-home-care-cuts-in-new-york-are-stopped-by-court.html?ref=health">A judge in New York has stopped Medicaid cuts to home care from taking effect</a>. Budget woes are not a legal basis for depriving people of services to which they have a right.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-health-costs-20120905,0,7112324.story">CalPERS -- the California teacher retirement system -- saved $27 million by coordinating medical care in a teaming of Blue Shield, a hospital group, and a large physician's group</a>. This is really interesting. One of the main ways people are suggesting we could save money would be through better care coordination to avoid duplicate tests, medication conflicts and consistent treatment plans. And lo and behold, it works!<br />
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There are bits of DNA that, before now, scientists believed was junk. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/science/far-from-junk-dna-dark-matter-proves-crucial-to-health.html?ref=health">But now it's been shown that these bits of matter serve a useful purpose</a> in how cells and organs behave.<br />
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Sorry -- that's all I have for you this morning. Unless you want to hear about Bill Clinton's speech. So have a good day and expect another slow news morning tomorrow, unless you want to hear about President Obama's speech. JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-59651710691819309792012-09-05T05:02:00.001-07:002012-09-05T05:02:39.278-07:00Hump Day HeadlinesI'm loving the fact that it's Wednesday already, although I have a lot on my plate today. So let's start with the news:<br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/04/the-night-democrats-reclaimed-obamacare/">The President's team came out swinging on health reform last night</a>. That may turn people off, but I say it's about time the President took credit for doing something that's been tried and failed for generations. I don't tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you that, if we get to 2014, we will be able to buy insurance. If that matters a lot to you, as it does to me, there's only one vote possible. As Stacy Lihn approached the podium with her little Zoey, whose life was saved because of health reform, she reminded us that A President Romney has pledged to repeal that law -- and that could mean death for her child. What could possibly matter more? <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/80707.html?hp=r13">The Dems have adopted the name Obamacare</a> -- and I say Obamacare is care for 30 million Americans. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/dnc-2012-obamacare-_n_1856240.html?utm_hp_ref=politics">It's saving lives</a>. How is that a bad thing? Only to those would say anything to beat President Obama, like the <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/politics-elections/247399-new-afp-ad-healthcare-law-like-canadas-system">super-PAC, Americans for Prosperity, which says Obama care is like care in Canada</a>. But in Canada, the country runs health care and under Obamacare, it's still in the hands of private insurance companies. When it comes to health care, the real question is whether Americans will buy whatever they're told or whether they'll actually think for themselves.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/September/04/maine-health-insurance-deregulation.aspx">Maine decided to do something drastic to bring down insurance premiums</a>. They cut mandatory coverages to make it cheaper. Not one new insurer entered the state, and while prices went down for individuals, they went up for groups -- with the highest increase for older Americans.<br />
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<a href="http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2012/09/unitedhealth-cases-show-big-cost-differences-for-same-illness/">UnitedHealthcare issued a report showing huge differences in the cost of the same care under Medicare</a> -- same patient population, same payer -- The only way this goes away is if Americans learn to comparison shop for care just as they do for other things.<br />
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Would you be healthier without email? <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-email-stress-20120901,0,2562859.story">There was an experiment in which people went 5 days without email</a>. They were more productive, relaxed -- but when they were allowed to go back to email, they did. I'd love 5 days without email. In fact, I'll take 5 hours!<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hypertension-americans-20120904,0,6431718.story">One-third of Americans have high blood pressure -- only half of them are treated</a>. Blood pressure meds are relatively inexpensive. So why don't people get tested and treated? Awful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/health/research/doctors-may-be-ending-cpr-efforts-too-soon-study-says.html?ref=us">A new study shows that prolonged efforts at CPR may have value, and it's wrong to stop too soon</a>. An extra 9 minutes saves lives.<br />
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And that's it for today. Have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-66047992085028531292012-09-04T05:26:00.001-07:002012-09-04T05:26:50.965-07:00Tuesday TidbitsStaying away from politics and conventions these days is easier said than done. Thus, the short blog posts -- we're a nonprofit and while we do try to educate about health reform and Medicare, we try to stay out of electoral politics (although I do get into that stuff on my personal Facebook page if you're interested.<br />
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New diseases -- <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/science/drug-resistant-tuberculosis-strains-show-growth-worldwide.html?ref=health">drug-resistant TB</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/health/research/new-tick-borne-heartland-virus-has-scientists-puzzled.html?ref=health">a new tick-born heartland virus</a>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/health/use-of-antibiotics-in-animals-raised-for-food-defies-scrutiny.html?ref=health">Farm use of antibiotics defies scrutiny</a>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/science/earth/study-questions-advantages-of-organic-meat-and-produce.html?ref=health"> Standford scientists question advantages of organic meat and veggies.</a> <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/relief-for-severe-asthma-at-a-high-price/?ref=health">Relief of asthma at a price</a>. <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/use-of-inhalers-may-affect-growth/?ref=health">Use of inhalers may affect growth</a>. Does any of that make any sense at all?<br />
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<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444914904577624102276332114.html">Trying a new line of attack in heart disease -- attacking inflammation</a>. This fascinates me. Think of all of the inflammatory illnesses -- and then think of a single cause. Wouldn't that be something?<br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hhs-takes-steps-toward-protecting-transgender-people-under-health-care-law/2012/08/31/83fef586-6a2c-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html">HHS has stated that it will not tolerate health discrimination in health care against transgendered.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/few-doctors-know-how-to-treat-addiction-a-new-program-aims-to-change-that/2012/08/31/d43f85bc-db27-11e1-bd1f-8f2b57de6d94_story.html">A new program teaches doctors to treat addiction</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/school-bullies-prey-on-children-with-autism/?ref=health">Kids with autism are bullies more than other kids</a>. As a fat kid, I sort of doubt kids with autism are bullied more than fat kids or Downs kids or any kids who are different. But it all sucks. Peter Paul & Mary's song Don't Laugh at Me comes to mind.<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/rare-infection-prompts-neti-pot-warning/?ref=health">A rare infection prompts neti-pot warning</a>. Think twice, folks. <br />
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That's it. Have a great day. JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-2827430319393063612012-08-31T04:01:00.001-07:002012-08-31T04:01:37.661-07:00Finally FridayAhhhh. A three-day week-end, and much needed. But first, the news:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/opinion/Krugman.html">Paul Krugman on Ryan's Medicare plan</a>.I'm not saying a word -- just read it. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/30/a-new-entitlement-we-didnt-even-ask-for/">And here's Ezra Klein on Ryan's claim that the health reform law is a "new entitlement we didn't even ask for</a>." Actually, President Obama promised it, we elected him, and so yeah, a whole lot of us did ask for it -- and it's not an entitlement program, either. It's just a different way of buying health insurance. And <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/May/04/obama-ryan-controlling-federal-medicare-spending-faq.aspx">here's a Q & A on both parties' plans for Medicare</a>.<br />
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50 million people are uninsured. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/states-uninsured-residents_n_1844346.html">The state with the largest number of uninsureds is . . . TEXAS</a>! I could have told you that. I think we get more calls from Texas than anywhere else in the country. <br />
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So the California Medical Association and some other providers sue Aetna because Aetna allegedly threatens patients who want to see out of network doctors. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aetna-doctors-feud-20120830,0,7996610.story">Then Aetna refuses to negotiate rates with these doctors, saying it's sort of hard to negotiate with people who are suing you</a>. Meanwhile, patients are stuck in the middle and may even have to change doctors if Aetna and their doctors don't come to agreement on reimbursement rates. These disputes are happening more and more. <br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/me-palliative-care-20120830,0,805852.story">California Medicaid (called Medi-Cal) has a pilot program called Partners for Children</a>, through which a child with a life-threatening illness is paired up with a liaison to manage medical care and insurance, and an assigned nurse available 24/7. How wonderful. Not only does it help the child and her family, but it also saves money. This is what insurers need to do more of.<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/giving-a-child-a-new-heart/?ref=health">A gripping tale of what it's like to do heart transplants on children</a>. Sometimes, when I'm working on a health insurance appeal that's life and death, I feel incredible pressure. But I never actually have a person's heart in my hands. The teams who do transplants -- especially on children -- are amazing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/business/fda-approves-drug-for-constipation-and-irritable-bowel-syndrome.html?_r=1&ref=health">The FDA approved a drug to ease constipation and irritable bowel syndrome</a>. So many people suffer from these ailments -- I hope this drug lives up to its promise.<br />
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<a href="http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-blumenthal-lyme-disease-panel-0831-20120830,0,3435085.story">Senators Blumenthal and Gillibrand held a hearing in Connecticut on Lyme disease yesterday</a>. Such a hard issue. The published studies don't bear out the patients' clinical experience, and yet these patients clearly are sick. But getting insurance to cover treatment exceeding 30 days of antibiotics is nearly impossible.<br />
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And that's it for today. Have a great day and a great week-end! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-70600624111385519032012-08-30T04:49:00.000-07:002012-08-30T04:49:02.943-07:00Thursday Themes<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/us/hurricane-isaac-makes-landfall.html?hp">Hurricane Isaac is battering the coast of Louisiana</a>. These folks have lived through Katrina. I can only imagine what it must feel like to watch the waters rise again and know that there is nothing you can do -- until it's over, and then you face cleaning up, again. I'm very sad for them.<br />
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<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/public-global-health/246515-study-us-tops-france-germany-uk-in-potentially-preventable-deaths">The US tops France, Germany and the UK in potentially preventable deaths</a>. The lack of timely health care is the cause of this. Yet more proof of the need for universal coverage.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/May/04/obama-ryan-controlling-federal-medicare-spending-faq.aspx">President Obama and VP candidate Paul Ryan have very similar goals when it comes to controlling Medicare spending, but they would get there in very different ways</a>. You really should read this. It's a clear choice between a voucher to help you buy health insurance, after which you're on your own, versus making cuts to reimbursement rates, more fraud investigations, eliminating waste, and so on. Paul Ryan's speech last night also talked about health care, his determination to repeal health reform (leaving people with pre-existing conditions without insurance) -- <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80428.html?">here's a run down of what he said about health care and what he didn't</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/life-interrupted-five-days-of-chemo/?ref=health">Another installment from the NY Times blogger who's been going through a bone marrow transplant</a>. She's now undergoing chemotherapy. This young woman's courage is remarkable.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-calorie-restriction-death-20120830,0,6696302.story">Calorie limits might not extend your life, but you might be healthier</a>, says a new study. I'm sort of confused -- how does being healthier NOT extend your life? Oh, well -- bottom line is that less is more when it comes to calories, at least for most of us.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-0830-adult-day-healthcare-20120830,0,6353473.story">In California, if you're on Medi-Cal (Medicaid in California), and if you want to keep attending adult day centers, you have to enroll in managed care</a>. This is sort of a "money or your life" proposition, if you ask me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-28/west-nile-virus-cases-increase/57402754/1">The number of West Nile cases is increasing</a>. This makes me nervous. Especially for those of us with suppressed immune systems, if you start feeling sick, don't wait before seeking medical attention.<br />
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And that's that for this morning. Have a great day! Jennifer<br />
<br />Advocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-66009476290539379292012-08-29T04:40:00.000-07:002012-08-29T04:40:29.625-07:00Hump Day HeadlinesSorry, but I'm constitutionally incapable of watching the GOP convention without having a major cardiac event. I probably won't watch much of the Dem convention, either. The truth is that, for me, politics is an end to a means -- we need the right people in office who won't repeal health reform so we get coverage of pre-existing conditions. <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/politics-elections/246207-gop-platform-embraces-ryan-plans-for-medicare-medicaid">And there's good reason to believe that the GOP will cut Medicare and Medicaid if given the change</a>. <a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/August/11/paul-ryan-republican-vice-president-candidate-medicare.aspx">Here's Politico's take on Paul Ryan's health care plans</a>. So sure, there are other reasons to vote or not vote for many people, but I'm a single-issue voter. So don't expect much coverage of the conventions here. Still, there's lots of other news (believe it or not).<br />
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Although you may question whether it's health-related, but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/us/hurricane-isaac-makes-landfall.html?_r=1&hp">hurricane Isaac is touching down pretty darn close to where Katrina hit</a>. I am so very sorry for the people who now have to go through this -- twice. A storm surge has already surpassed one of the levees. I can't imagine having to live through something like this twice. Or even once. Just awful. <br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-health-law-broadens-free-preventive-services-for-women-men-fare-less-well/2012/08/27/6b7beb22-6a2c-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html">The health reform law broadens preventive care for women more than men</a>. For example, there's free preventive care for women, including tubal ligation, but not for vasectomies. STD testing also is for women and not men, which makes no sense whatsoever. The justification is that women go to the doctor more -- at least annually for the gynecological exam -- and they tend to be the partner who focuses on STDs and contraception.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/health/policy/hard-to-grin-while-bearing-cuts-in-medicaid-dental-coverage.html?hp">Many states are slashing Medicaid, including dental services for adults</a>. We all don't pay enough attention to oral health. Meanwhile, when something goes wrong, it costs a mint. If I didn't have a savings account, I would be walking around with empty holes in my mouth! We should not see dental care as expendable.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-medicare-loss-risks-20120825,0,1306230.story">A Medicare Advantage plan -- a private HMO that administers Medicare for people enrolled in the plan -- has been found to have bilked Medicare of millions</a>. SCAN Health agreed to pay $3.8 million for billing people with higher risk scores so they would get more reimbursement for them. <br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0826-whooping-cough-20120826,0,4622011.story">Hundreds of families turned up at a free health fair in South LA last week-end</a>. Kids got the back-to-school immunizations -- a great event.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-new-circumcision-policy-20120827,0,4263437.story">The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out in favor of circumcision</a>. They say the benefits far outweigh the risks of the procedure.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cigarette-warnings-20120825,0,1589084.story">A federal court said the government can't force cigarette makers to post graphic photos on their packs to warn people of the harm of smoking</a>. It would violate the free speech rights of the cigarette makers. Ugh.<br />
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<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444230504577615690249123150.html">The New York Attorney General is investigating energy drinks</a> -- what's in them, do they really do as advertised? These drinks are regulated less than soda, and there's concern about what's in them and how safe they really are. Do you drink this stuff? <br />
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<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2012/08/28/big-grant-aims-to-help-patients-maintain-dignity/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_health">The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is giving $500,000 to hospitals to try to stem the tide of hospital acquired infections</a>. On their list of things to avoid? A loss of dignity. Somebody in that family has been in the hospital and gets it.<br />
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That's it for this morning. Have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-38488133342875298812012-08-28T05:59:00.000-07:002012-08-28T05:59:05.278-07:00Better Late Than NeverI made the mistake of taking yesterday off and returned to piles and piles -- hard to imagine how much could happen in one day. So I'm off to a slow start today after having listened to voicemails and dealing with the mail, writing checks,etc. So this will be a quickie today.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/us/politics/romney-camp-looks-to-head-off-storm-during-convention.html?_r=1&hp">Is it a sign that there's a hurricane disrupting the GOP convention</a>? I'm not big on signs, but it must be terribly disappointing -- not to mention hard to change plane flights, hotels, network coverage -- what a mess. It looks like Isaac will hit today right about where Katrina hit -- and that is a horrible tragedy, a region that hasn't yet been repaired and replenished yet, to take another hit -- I don't know how people will manage -- it's just too much.<br />
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More isn't always better. <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/overtreatment-is-taking-a-harmful-toll/?ref=health">Over-treatment is taking a huge toll</a>. What will that additional test tell you? What would you do if it came back positive? If the answer is nothing, then do you really need the test? It's so hard to say no to a doctor -- they feel that you're questioning their authority. But must we say yes to absolutely anything?<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/weight-implications-for-infant-antibiotics/?ref=health">Early antibiotics may result in obesity</a>. Hmmm. That could explain something in my family, for sure.<br />
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It started with a rash -- poison ivy, he thought. But it blistered and spread to his face. Super-potent medications like CellCept had no effect. Skin biopsies said psoriasis, but the treatment didn't work. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/mans-persistent-rash-seemed-ordinary-but-it-was-actually-ominous/2012/08/27/67d749a2-d71f-11e1-829d-8eedd9e3ac96_story.html?hpid=z4">It turned out to be a pancreatic tumor</a>. So too many tests are wasteful (see above), but not enough tests might have missed this rare diagnosis. What's a patient to do?<br />
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Gotta go do a school conference. Will try go get back here to finish later. Sorry. JAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-64755625968080805122012-08-24T03:45:00.000-07:002012-08-24T03:45:27.895-07:00Finally Friday!I'm particularly excited because I'm taking Monday off -- I'll have two 3-day week-ends in a row! YAY! But first, the news.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-ends-fight-against-doping-charges-losing-his-7-tour-de-france-titles.html?ref=us">Should Lance Armstrong have given up his fight to prove that he wasn't doping</a>? He'll be stripped of all titles, medals, even prize money. I want to believe that he's given up because the process was flawed, and not because he knew the evidence against him was overwhelming. He's been an inspiration to many patients. I read one opinion piece saying he'd have kept fighting if he was really innocent. Very sad, either way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/ohio-shooting-raises-questions-about-mercy-killings.html?ref=us">A man walks into a hospital and puts a gun to his ailing wife's head and pulls the trigger. Murder -- or mercy killing</a>? If it was a mercy killing, then I'm very sorry this man will spend the rest of his life in prison. Married for 48 years, I can easily see how he thought he was doing the right thing, out of love. What do you think?<br />
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The ever-wonderful <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/the-widespread-problem-of-doctor-burnout/?ref=health">Dr. Pauline Chen writes about doctor burn-out</a>. I get complaints all the time from patients whose doctors can't be bothered taking their inexplicable complaints seriously. I wonder if any of that has to do with the doctor's mental and physical status rather than simply not caring. Burn-out affects primary care providers more than specialists -- doctors on the front lines, bombarded by demands on their time. When they're burned out, they make mistakes, become detached, lose sight of why they wanted to be a doctor in the first place. But what I want to know is what's a patient to do?<br />
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There was an outbreak of a deadly bug at the NIH hospital. Six people died. Eventually, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444812704577605473262312862.html">the NIH figured out what it was and where it came from</a> -- but <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nih-should-have-notified-it-of-superbug-outbreak-montgomery-county-official-says/2012/08/23/838ddcdc-ed50-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_story.html?hpid=z5">while people were getting sick and dying, they didn't tell anybody</a>. Other patients in the hospital were exposed without their knowledge. I think that's outrageous.<br />
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With the rise of West Nile virus, you should know what signs to look for. <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/q-and-a-on-west-nile-virus/?ref=health">Here's the low down</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-tattoo-ink-infection-20120823,0,6307613.story">Tattoo ink can be hazardous to your health</a>. Apparently, tattoo ink isn't required to be sterile, and several people have come down with nasty infections from it. So if you're going to get inked, make sure it's in a shop that takes sterility seriously.<br />
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And that's it for this Friday morning. Have a great day and a great week-end. JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909222850906563288.post-50195003790204313442012-08-23T05:08:00.002-07:002012-08-23T05:08:48.404-07:00Thursday Themes<br />
In the midst of the election season, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/recession-imminent-if-fiscal-cliff-of-tax-hikes-budget-cuts-not-averted-cbo-says/2012/08/22/05727792-ec86-11e1-9ddc-340d5efb1e9c_story.html?hpid=z1">the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports that if we don't do something to avoid the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the automatic budget cuts that were put in place during the fight over raising the debt ceiling, we are headed towards a serious recession</a>. There's no chance Congress will reach an agreement on any of this, at least until after the election. That means riding this wave of uncertainty right down to the last minute.<br />
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The campaigns have been talking non-stop about Medicare, but <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/22/the-real-romney-ryan-budgets-cuts-arent-to-medicare-theyre-to-programs-for-the-poor/">Ezra Klein reminds us that the big Romney-Ryan cuts are to programs for the poor</a>, starting with Medicaid, food stamps, Pell grants -- and on and on. It's a very fundamental disagreement about the role of government. Since World War II, with the GI Bill and first time home-buyer supports and other programs, we built a middle class, later propping it up with Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. There was, in essence, a social compact, an agreement into which Americans entered to ensure that every American had an opportunity to grow and succeed. The push towards small government doesn't help the middle class; it helps the wealthy. And yet, so many middle class Americans favor the small government model. It's completely baffling, if you ask me.<br />
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"<a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-health-disparities-kids-20120822,0,4335764.story">Black and Latino children were more likely than white children to be obese, witness gun violence and ride in a car without a seat belt, according to a study released Wednesday</a>." There are widespread disparities in health status in African-American, Latino and white fifth graders in Houston, Birmingham, Alabama, and Los Angeles across many health indicators, from cigarette smoking to bike helmet use. Many of these disparities increase the risk of health problems like diabetes and heart disease. <br />
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Here in Connecticut, <a href="http://www.ctmirror.org/story/17272/three-major-insurers-seek-14-percent-rate-hike-small-business-coverage">Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and ConnectiCare have all submitted premium rate filings that would result in more than a 13% hike in premiums next year</a>. Consumers who would be affected by the rate hikes have an opportunity to comment. I know we did.<br />
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We're seeing <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-22/west-nile-spread/57220676/1">an alarming number of cases of West Nile virus this year</a>. With mosquito control district budgets being cut, we aren't really ready for this. <br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/life-interrupted-six-ways-to-cope-with-cancer/?ref=health">Six ways to cope with cancer</a>, from the NY Times blogger who's been writing throughout her bone marrow transplant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/world/europe/tony-nicklinson-who-fought-for-assisted-suicide-is-dead.html?ref=health">A British man who had "locked-in syndrome" after a stroke, and who went to court for the right to assisted suicide, has died</a>. The court ruled against him and he refused to eat after that. So sad. <br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/children-of-older-fathers-may-be-more-at-risk-of-autism-other-diseases/2012/08/22/c03e4e52-ec81-11e1-866f-60a00f604425_story.html">Children of older fathers appear to be more prone to autism, schizophrenia, as they transmit more DNA variations to their children</a>. Is this the male version of the biological clock? Maybe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-sleep-study-sacrifice-20120822,0,6937722.story">Pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam is counter-productive since sleep deprivation greatly compromises comprehension and performance</a>. Go to bed!<br />
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And that's it for this morning. Have a great day! JenniferAdvocacy for Patientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587406553911123626noreply@blogger.com0