Government program lowers insurance premiums and relaxes eligibility standards for Americans with pre-existing health conditions
posted on June 3, 2011 - 3:26pm
In hopes of attracting more enrollees, the U.S. government is lowering premiums and easing eligibility requirements for its Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP).
posted on January 1, 2011 - 3:29pm
Like it or not, some members of the MDA community will soon be trying out Medicare’s competitive acquisition program for “durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies” (DMEPOS). The controversial program goes into effect in nine regions of the country this month.
Competitive bidding for durable medical equipment starts Jan. 1 despite criticism of the program; MDA is urging action and seeking feedback from those affected
posted on December 3, 2010 - 4:25pm
Competitive bidding among Medicare providers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) is set to begin January 1 in nine regions of the country, despite sharp criticism of the plan by lawmakers, economists, patient advocates and others.
Under the new procedures, DMEPOS providers must go through a competitive bidding process to win the right to serve Medicare...
The new health care reform law has many provisions of particular interest to people with disabilities
posted on March 23, 2010 - 1:08pm
The newly signed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a dramatic reform of the health care system, contains numerous benefits for families living with neuromuscular disease.
The legislation, approved this week by both Houses of Congress, has features taking effect over the next several months that have implications for people with disabilities. These include expansion of insurance...
A new National Institutes of Health questionnaire seeks public input to improve the agency’s information services
posted on October 10, 2009 - 10:55am
Important questions for Americans: What health care issues are important to you? Where do you get most of your health care information? If a loved one were sick with cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, where would you go for information?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) wants to know.
A new NIH program seeks to obtain information from a wide cross-section of America that the agency hopes will...
posted on October 1, 2009 - 3:34pm
An ambitious proposal from the Obama Administration seeks to provide an electronic health record (EHR) for all Americans by 2014. It’s a proposal with far-reaching implications for anyone who receives professional health care, and it has both supporters and detractors.
posted on October 1, 2009 - 3:11pm
Very few existing EHR systems function well, complicating plans to implement a nationwide electronic health records system. But the Department of Veteran Affairs’ VistA system is a notable exception.
VistA connects thousands of VA doctors, 170 VA hospitals and 900 clinics across the country, and contains more than five billion documents and images.
A New England Journal of Medicine study found...
