HHS Updates

Mounting Disability Claims – Social Security Help

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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 Plan Choices

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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.

3 Million Disability Applicants Each Year For Social Security

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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.

FEDERAL MATCHING FUNDS FOR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD INCENTIVES PROGRAM

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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.

Vaccinating Children against Flu Helps Protect Wider Community

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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.

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.

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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.

MEDICARE ENDS CONTRACT WITH FOX INSURANCE COMPANY DRUG PLAN

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today terminated its contract with Fox Insurance Company. After an onsite review of the plan and its services, CMS determined that the plan’s significant deficiencies – not meeting Medicare’s requirements to provide enrollees with prescription drugs according to recognized standards of care – jeopardized the health and safety of Fox enrollees.

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.

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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.

Medicare – Hearing this week to examine the activities of the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance

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CALIFORNIA: The Accountability and Administrative Review Committee chaired by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre is holding a hearing this week to examine the activities of the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance.

Medicare – Prohibiting pre-existing condition and pregnancy exclusions in individual policies have been referred to two separate committees, increasing the likelihood that they will not move forward

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ARIZONA: Bills prohibiting pre-existing condition and pregnancy exclusions in individual policies have been referred to two separate committees, increasing the likelihood that they will not move forward.

Study of Health Outcomes in Autistic Children and Their Families

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The goal of this initiative is to describe the health and health care trajectories of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, and to evaluate the feasibility of using a large population-based database for research on risk factors for ASD. The most recent prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that one in 110 children have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), an increase of 57 percent between 2002 and 2006

MedicareCard.com – Development of a Clinically Useful Classification of Mental Disorders for Global Primary Care

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This initiative aims to consider whether correspondence can be created between a clinically useful classification of mental disorders for global primary care and the overarching typologies of mental disorders that have already been described and will continue to emerge from NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project.