The results show that the growth rate in health care spending is not sustainable. While Congress wrestles with how to combine the Senate and House health care reform bills into one single bill that can pass both chambers, the business community and others continue to try to persuade Congress that health care reform needs to include a long-term strategy, currently missing, to reduce the growth of health care costs.

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1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has ten Regional Offices (ROs) reorganized in a Consortia structure based on the Agency’s key lines of business: Medicare health plans, Medicare financial management, Medicare fee for service operations, Medicaid and children’s health, survey & certification and quality improvement. The intent of this structure is to improve [...]...
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8. Will Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Survive Understanding the Largest Federal Assistance Program Social Security is the federal government’s largest single program. Created in 1935, the program now consists of two parts: Old-Age and Survivors Insurance pays benefits to retired workers and to their dependents and survivors. Disability Insurance (DI) makes payments to disabled workers who are younger than the normal retirement [...]...
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12. Authorized development and testing of voluntary chronic care improvement programs Section 721 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) authorized development and testing of voluntary chronic care improvement programs, now called Medicare Health Support,...
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15. CMS Home, Medicare, Medicare Contracting Reform, Overview CMS' mission is to ensure health care security for beneficiaries. A major component in achieving this mission is the successful administration of Original Medicare, or Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare. Medicare Contracting Reform (or section 911 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, ...

• Serious complications from the flu include pneumonia, ear and sinus infections, dehydration, or even death.
• If you have a chronic medical condition, during a flu outbreak you should:
  

  Get a written record of the kind of chronic disease(s) you have and the treatment you are receiving. Keep this information with you at all times.

  Prepare a typed or printed list of all medications usually taken and the times of day they are taken. Also include necessary medical supplies or equipment such as syringes, strips, lancets if you have diabetes, or oxygen if you have COPD

  Keep the name, phone number, and office address of your doctor or health care provider with you at all times.

  If you use medications for your condition, continue taking those medications even if you become sick with the flu, unless your doctor or health care provider says otherwise

  Be alert to changes in your breathing, especially if you have heart failure, congestive heart disease or COPD. Promptly report changes to your doctor or health care provider

  Inform family members or close friends of your medical condition.

If you have a chronic medical condition, do the following to prevent from getting sick:

Take time to get vaccinated. Get the Seasonal Flu Vaccine: The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the three most common flu viruses. The Seasonal Flu Vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses or it can make your illness milder if you get a flu virus that is related to those in the vaccine. Get the H1N1 (Swine) Flu Vaccine: Use our Flu Shot Locator to get vaccinated where you live.

Take everyday preventive actions. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way. Avoid close contact with sick people.

If you do get the flu:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze to keep from spreading flu viruses to others. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

Stay home if you are sick until at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100°F or 37.8°C) or signs of a fever (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®). Read detailed information about how long to stay away from others.

Take antiviral drugs if your doctor recommends them. Antiviral drugs may be especially important for people who are sick and have a health condition that places them at greater risk of flu complications. For maximum effectiveness, antiviral drugs should be taken as soon as possible after symptoms begin.

Source: http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/healthconditions/index.html

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8. Medicare – Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act The Balanced Budget Act of 1997, as amended by the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (OCESAA) of 1999, called for the development and implementation of a prospective payment system (PPS) for Medicare home health services. The BBA put in place the interim payment system (IPS) until the PPS could be implemented. Effective October 1, 2000, the home health PPS (HH PPS) replaced the IPS for all home health agencies (HHAs). ...
9. MEDICARE – CMS LAUNCHES FIFTH ANNUAL MEDICARE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SATISFACTION SURVEY The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the fifth annual health care provider satisfaction survey of the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) contractors that process and pay more than $370 billion in Medicare claims each year....
10. How to Use Your Medicare Card Show your card whenever you get medical care. This will assure that a claim for payment is sent to Medicare. Make sure to use your exact name and claim number. ...
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14. Medicare – Occasional Forgetfulness Chances are you’ve walked into a room and forgotten why you went there. And misplaced your keys or eyeglasses at least a few times. Many people worry about these memory lapses. They fear they’re heading toward a serious condition like Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible brain illness....
15. Medicare and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which delayed the phase-out of the hospice wage index budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF) for FY 2009. Therefore we are posting a revised copy of the FY 2009 wage index (see Downloads section below), which includes a full (unreduced) BNAF. Please also see CR 6418 (Transmittal 1701, dated March 13, 2009 ) (see Downloads section below) for more information on the revision to the FY 2009 wage index....

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10. Medicare Plan Choices Medicare covers many of your health care needs. Today’s Medicare is working with private companies approved by Medicare that provide different ways to get your health care and prescription drug coverage in the Medicare Program. The Medicare plan that you choose affects many things like cost, benefits, doctor choice, convenience, and quality....
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