Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency has released its Open Government plan. The plan, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/open, reflects the agency’s commitment to increase transparency, expand opportunities for citizen participation and collaboration, and make open government sustainable at Social Security.
After more than two and half years of sharing all sorts of government information with you, I’m sorry to say that this will be GovGab’s last post. We’re all going to be sad to see GovGab go, but we hope you’ll continue to find all the government information you need through our websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
If you are a parent of a college-bound senior, your life is probably consumed these days with talk of college. First, there is the drama of your child deciding on which college(s) to apply to for admission.
A new study found that models for assessing breast cancer risk perform only slightly better when they include common inherited genetic variants recently linked to the disease. For now, recommendations for breast cancer screening or treatments that are based on such models will remain unchanged for most women.
People who scored high on a test that measures impulsive and antisocial traits had exaggerated brain responses to certain “rewards,” like winning money or taking stimulant drugs. The new study provides evidence that a dysfunctional brain reward system may underlie vulnerability to a personality disorder known as psychopathy.
Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.
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.
The National Institutes of Health announced today that it is creating a public database that researchers, consumers, health care providers, and others can search for information submitted voluntarily by genetic test providers. The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) aims to enhance access to information about the availability, validity, and usefulness of genetic tests.
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.
In the spirit of trying to undo the damage over three feet of snow causes, I’m using National Nutrition Month as a kickoff for making better food choices.
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.