When you think of Washington, DC, does your mind summon images of politicians debating in senate/house chambers, judges ruling on national legal matters, or the president going about the business of running our country?
There has been a lot in the news in the last several months about food recalls and the resulting illnesses from eating those foods. By paying attention to the news or signing up for recall alerts, we can make sure we’re all aware of what products we should avoid.
I know it’s officially spring, but I wanted to remind you that H1N1 flu (also known as swine flu) is still a risk and you should take steps to stay healthy. Even though the H1N1 outbreak in the U.S. was mild over the winter, the World Health Organization still considers H1N1 a pandemic. Luckily for us, … Read more
“Who would want to be 100 years old?” “Anyone who is 99,” goes the joke. I can’t tell you how happy I’ll be in a few weeks. My family and I will gather in Chicago to celebrate my second cousin’s 100th birthday. Hattie is going strong—doesn’t take any medication and can still belt out a hymn like nobody’s business.
A sad story appeared in my inbox last week. It was an email from a woman, let’s call her Rosemary, who met an attractive and attentive widower, let’s call him Albert, on a popular online dating site. Here’s how the story goes.
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency’s first Extended Service Team (EST) is open for business in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock EST will make disability decisions for state Disability Determinations Services (DDSs) that are most adversely affected by the flood of new initial disability claims resulting from the economic downturn and from counterproductive furloughs of employees at the state level
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.
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is providing helpful health care information and website links to the more than three million individuals who apply each year for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits.
In another key step to further states’ role in developing a robust U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that Vermont’s Medicaid program will receive federal matching funds for state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Vermont will receive approximately $294,000 in federal matching funds.
Spring starts Saturday and I realize some of you might be thinking about spring cleaning/organizing. For those of you who are looking at cleaning out the basement, I encourage you to look into recycling that old junk.
It’s one of those parenting nightmares – you find your baby sitting on the floor with an open bottle of medicine. My story went something like that, but instead of medicine, my 1 year old got her hands on a bottle of cleaning solution for our CD’s.
I may be a good friend, but that doesn’t mean I’m not bitter. So, because it was 4am, and because I’m not a morning person, and because I’m insanely jealous, as I dropped my pal off I told him I hoped he was seated in-between two teething infants on the flight.
OHIO: Governor Ted Strickland has signed into law a bill providing temporary extensions of Ohio continuation (mini-COBRA) coverage from 12 months to 15 months
The other night, I was awake the whole night. I haven’t had a night like that in a long time, but it reminded me of my past issues with insomnia.
Results of a clinical trial conducted in a largely self-contained religious community during the 2008-09 influenza season show that immunizing children against seasonal influenza can significantly protect unvaccinated community members against influenza as well. The study was conducted to determine if immunized children could act as a barrier to limit the spread of influenza to the wider, unvaccinated community, a concept known as herd immunity.
CONNECTICUT: The Human Services Committee is giving strong consideration to two measures that would go a long way toward lowering health care costs and improving health care quality.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The D.C. Council approved an emergency version of the “Reasonable Health Insurance Premium Increase Emergency Act of 2010.” The Act applies retroactively to rate filings after January 1, 2009.