VoicesForCare™ – Editorials & Advocacy: Proposals For Reform

Nominations Open for 2013 Nursing Distinction Awards - Palm Healthcare Foundation

By Editor, on December 19th, 2012

The Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. has announced that nominations are now open for the 2013 Nursing Distinction Awards, sponsored by the Foundation and the Palm Beach Post. According to the Foundation, “The Palm Healthcare Foundation Nursing Distinction Awards is . . . → Read More: Nominations Open for 2013 Nursing Distinction Awards – Palm Healthcare Foundation

Avoid Unnecessary Medical Tests That Involve Exposure to Radiation

By Senior Editor, on November 28th, 2012

Originally published January 6, 2011; Updated November 28, 2012 A study funded by the National Institute of Aging and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that 66% of Americans underwent medical testing involving exposure to radiation . . . → Read More: Avoid Unnecessary Medical Tests That Involve Exposure to Radiation

US and UK Healthcare Systems Should Learn From Each Other, Experts Conclude

By Editor, on October 19th, 2012

In a health policy paper published on October 11, 2012 in The Lancet medical journal, US and UK experts on healthcare policy who co-authored the article conclude that, even though the US and UK healthcare systems are often thought . . . → Read More: US and UK Healthcare Systems Should Learn From Each Other, Experts Conclude

In Debate, Obama and Romney Clarify Positions on Medicare, Medicaid & Healthcare

By Editor, on October 5th, 2012

So far, much of the punditry and commentary following the first U.S. Presidential Debate, which took place Wednesday, October 3 in Denver, has focused on the style, optics, and mannerisms of the candidates — not on the substance of . . . → Read More: In Debate, Obama and Romney Clarify Positions on Medicare, Medicaid & Healthcare

Paul Ryan Takes Surprising Positions Against Women's Health & Reproductive Rights

By Editor, on August 19th, 2012

Family caregivers — the vast majority of whom are women — may be surprised at the positions Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s choice for his running mate, has consistently taken on women’s health and reproductive rights issues. Recent news . . . → Read More: Paul Ryan Takes Surprising Positions Against Women’s Health & Reproductive Rights

Ryan-Romney Budget Proposals Would End Medicare as We Know It & Cut or Eliminate Programs for Poor, Elderly & Vulnerable

By Editor, on August 16th, 2012

By selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate, former Governor and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has taken action that backs up and gives teeth to his previous endorsements of the Ryan Budget Plan and his promise to sign it . . . → Read More: Ryan-Romney Budget Proposals Would End Medicare as We Know It & Cut or Eliminate Programs for Poor, Elderly & Vulnerable

People on Medicare Report Significantly Better Coverage than Those with Private Health Insurance, Study Finds

By Editor, on August 13th, 2012

A recent study published in the journal HealthAffairs found that people on Medicare were substantially happier with their coverage and reported significantly fewer cost and access-related problems than those with private employer-sponsored health insurance or “Medicare Advantage” plans offered . . . → Read More: People on Medicare Report Significantly Better Coverage than Those with Private Health Insurance, Study Finds

Future of Medicine Summit VI to be Held in West Palm Beach September 27-28, 2012

By Editor, on August 5th, 2012

The Palm Beach County Medical Society, along with the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center and MAGEC, will sponsor the sixth annual Future of Medicine Summit on September 27-28, 2012. The nationally attended event, to be held in the . . . → Read More: Future of Medicine Summit VI to be Held in West Palm Beach September 27-28, 2012

2012 Future of Medicine Summit to Focus on Mental Health, Heart Disease and Diabetes

By Editor, on June 23rd, 2012

The Palm Beach County Medical Society announced that it will hold its sixth annual Future of Medicine Summit on September 27-28, 2012. A number of notable national and regional health care experts will speak at the Summit, which will . . . → Read More: 2012 Future of Medicine Summit to Focus on Mental Health, Heart Disease and Diabetes

Consumers to Receive $1.1 Billion of Premium Rebates from Health Insurers under Affordable Care Act, HHS Announces

By Editor, on June 22nd, 2012

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced yesterday that due to the Affordable Care Act (which some call “Obamacare”), 12.8 million Americans will receive rebates from insurance companies this Summer, totaling $1.1 Billion. The insurance companies . . . → Read More: Consumers to Receive $1.1 Billion of Premium Rebates from Health Insurers under Affordable Care Act, HHS Announces

Health Affairs Conference Focused on the Care Span for Elderly & Disabled

By Editor, on June 18th, 2012

At a June 5 conference sponsored by the journal Health Affairs, in Washington D.C., experts in care for the elderly and disabled presented findings on how better coordination of care across the “Care Span” for the elderly and disabled . . . → Read More: Health Affairs Conference Focused on the Care Span for Elderly & Disabled

American College of Physicians Urges Politicians to Stop Unwise Health Care Cuts, Provides Alternative Proposals

By Editor, on May 31st, 2012

The American College of Physicians (ACP), a nationwide nonprofit organization of doctors of internal medicine, issued a comprehensive report, entitled “The State of the Nation’s Health Care 2012: How Bad Budget Choices and Broken Politics Are Undermining Progress in . . . → Read More: American College of Physicians Urges Politicians to Stop Unwise Health Care Cuts, Provides Alternative Proposals

President Obama Delivers a Message of Hope & Inspiration to Women as Commencement Speaker at Barnard College

By Editor, on May 15th, 2012

President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at Barnard College, the women’s college affiliated with Columbia University, on Monday, May 14. His address focused on issues of particular importance to women, and he then challenged the women to “stand . . . → Read More: President Obama Delivers a Message of Hope & Inspiration to Women as Commencement Speaker at Barnard College

15.8 Million Americans to Receive $1.3 Billion in Rebates from Insurers Due to Affordable Care Act, HHS Announces

By Editor, on May 11th, 2012

In a blog post today, U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, announced that due to the Affordable Care Act (President Obama’s Health Reform Law, which some call “Obamacare”), about 15.8 Million Americans will receive an estimated . . . → Read More: 15.8 Million Americans to Receive $1.3 Billion in Rebates from Insurers Due to Affordable Care Act, HHS Announces

New HBO Documentary, The Weight of The Nation, Explores Causes, Costs of Obesity

By Editor, on May 4th, 2012

A new HBO documentary, The Weight of The Nation, produced by John Hoffman in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), explores the costs and causes of the well-publicized obesity epidemic that is plaguing America and its health . . . → Read More: New HBO Documentary, The Weight of The Nation, Explores Causes, Costs of Obesity

New Reports Document High Costs of Obesity in America

By Editor, on May 1st, 2012

Several new studies and reports have been published recently documenting the high costs of obesity to America and Americans. According to these new research findings, obesity adds $190 Billion per year to health care costs, which is over 20% . . . → Read More: New Reports Document High Costs of Obesity in America

The WHO Issues Wake-up Call: Dementia Cases Will Triple by 2050, More Family Caregiver Support Needed

By Editor, on April 12th, 2012

The World Health Organization (WHO) on April 11 issued a substantial new report showing that, with populations aging, cases of dementia are expected to more than triple worldwide by 2050. The report calls upon nations to address this pandemic-size . . . → Read More: The WHO Issues Wake-up Call: Dementia Cases Will Triple by 2050, More Family Caregiver Support Needed

New Reports Highlight Harm to Women if Supreme Court Strikes Down Health Care Law

By Editor, on April 6th, 2012

In Supreme Court arguments last week and in the press, the debate over the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (“Affordable Care Act”), which some call “Obamacare,” has centered around legal arguments whether the individual insurance mandate in the . . . → Read More: New Reports Highlight Harm to Women if Supreme Court Strikes Down Health Care Law

For Women's History Month, Govt Focuses on Women's Health & Education

By Editor, on March 7th, 2012

March is Women’s History Month, as declared by Congress since 1987 and by Presidential Proclamation since 1995. In honoring Women’s History Month, Secretary of Health & Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, has issued a Statement focusing on promoting women’s health . . . → Read More: For Women’s History Month, Govt Focuses on Women’s Health & Education

National Home Care & Hospice March on Washington & Law Symposium, March 25-28, 2012

By Editor, on February 24th, 2012

website. “Connect with your members of Congress and make them understand your patients’ needs. Tell them how home care can cut costs and right a health care system that’s run off the tracks. A train wreck will occur if . . . → Read More: National Home Care & Hospice March on Washington & Law Symposium, March 25-28, 2012

High Deductible Health Insurance Plans Linked to Delayed or Foregone Care

By Editor, on January 29th, 2012

A new study by a team of Harvard researchers published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has found that families and individuals enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans report delaying or foregoing health care for chronic conditions at . . . → Read More: High Deductible Health Insurance Plans Linked to Delayed or Foregone Care

NFCA Calls for Family Caregivers to Help Support the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation under the Affordable Care Act

By Editor, on November 25th, 2011

In its Fall, 2011 newsletter, Take Care!, the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), a non-profit association working to support family caregivers, has published a thoughtful editorial entitled: “Family Caregivers and the Affordable Care Act: Where the Action Is.” In . . . → Read More: NFCA Calls for Family Caregivers to Help Support the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation under the Affordable Care Act

In Your Opinion, Should the Supreme Court Strike Down the Health Care Law?

By Editor, on November 15th, 2011

Please take this short, Yes or No, survey. In your opinion, Should the Supreme Court strike down the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (the Health Reform Law of 2010)? Yes or No? Click here to take survey We . . . → Read More: In Your Opinion, Should the Supreme Court Strike Down the Health Care Law?

Improving Your Health Literacy May Help You Improve Your Health, Survey Suggests

By Editor, on October 20th, 2011

A new survey published on October 19 found that while almost eight in ten people who reported having a recent blood test claim they understood the results, in fact 48 percent did not know their cholesterol level, and 65 . . . → Read More: Improving Your Health Literacy May Help You Improve Your Health, Survey Suggests

Is Money in Politics Harmful to Health & the Real Enemy of Meaningful Health Care Reform?

By Editor, on October 15th, 2011

Professor Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School has written a seminal new book entitled, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress–and a Plan to Stop It, recently published by Hachette Book Group. In it he argues that the root of . . . → Read More: Is Money in Politics Harmful to Health & the Real Enemy of Meaningful Health Care Reform?

FDA Offers Webinar on Prescription Drug Shortages

By Editor, on September 29th, 2011

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “in 2010 there were a record number of shortages of prescription drugs, and … in 2011, FDA continues to see an increasing number of shortages, especially those involving older sterile . . . → Read More: FDA Offers Webinar on Prescription Drug Shortages

New AHRQ Initiative: Questions are the Answer For Better Doctor-Patient Communication

By Editor, on September 21st, 2011

On Tuesday, September 20, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), along with the Ad Council, a non-profit organization, launched a new Questions are the Answer initiative . . . → Read More: New AHRQ Initiative: Questions are the Answer For Better Doctor-Patient Communication

How Do People Lose Weight & What Can Be Done About the Obesity Epidemic?

By Editor, on August 28th, 2011

In this second in a two-part series, HelpingYouCare™ reports on two new scientific papers published in The Lancet medical journal, which focus on solving the global obesity epidemic. One of these new studies clarifies our understanding of how people . . . → Read More: How Do People Lose Weight & What Can Be Done About the Obesity Epidemic?

S&P Downgrade of US Credit Rating Cites Political Brinksmanship, Looming Deficit from Rising Health Care Costs

By Editor, on August 6th, 2011

actual S&P Research Update of August 5, 2011, downgrading the U.S. credit rating, was published by S&P on their website. It is entitled, “United States of America Long-Term Rating Lowered To ‘AA+’ On Political Risks And Rising Debt Burden; . . . → Read More: S&P Downgrade of US Credit Rating Cites Political Brinksmanship, Looming Deficit from Rising Health Care Costs

How to Fix Medicare & Medicaid? 6 Hospital CEO's Weigh In

By Editor, on August 1st, 2011

Here is food for thought: six CEO’s of Hospitals around the country have given their responses to the question: “How Would You Fix Medicare and Medicaid? These responses highlight issues that are not commonly covered in the public debate . . . → Read More: How to Fix Medicare & Medicaid? 6 Hospital CEO’s Weigh In

Follow-Up Programs Help Prevent Hospital Readmission, But Hospitals Have Financial Incentive Not to Implement Them

By Editor, on July 25th, 2011

Two new studies published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine give hope that readmission to hospitals within 30 days after discharge can be reduced significantly by programs that include coaching of the patient at the time of discharge, . . . → Read More: Follow-Up Programs Help Prevent Hospital Readmission, But Hospitals Have Financial Incentive Not to Implement Them

States Slash Home Health Care & Adult Day Care Services for the Neediest; Likely to Increase Costs

By Editor, on July 17th, 2011

Several reports recently have noted that across the nation, U.S. states are slashing Medicaid dollars for home health care services and adult day care services that help keep the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes. State lawmakers cite . . . → Read More: States Slash Home Health Care & Adult Day Care Services for the Neediest; Likely to Increase Costs

Telemedicine Allows Parkinson's Patients to Visit Their Doctors by Video Conference

By Editor, on June 29th, 2011

A new telemedicine program at the University of Rochester Movement Disorders Clinic in Rochester, New York, supported in part by funding from the National Parkinson Foundation, is allowing patients with Parkinson’s Disease to see their doctors remotely via video-conference. . . . → Read More: Telemedicine Allows Parkinson’s Patients to Visit Their Doctors by Video Conference

Which State Provides the Best Health Care?

By Editor, on June 23rd, 2011

A study by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the 50 U.S. States as to the quality of their health care in 2009. [See Image At Left] Recently, U.S. States have signaled increasingly divergent approaches to health care, moving in opposite . . . → Read More: Which State Provides the Best Health Care?

Top 5 Recommendations for Improving Primary Care Issued Today by National Physicians Alliance

By Editor, on May 23rd, 2011

The National Physicians Alliance (NPA), an organization of 22,000 physicians in the U.S., has developed and issued today, three lists of “Top 5″ recommended changes in common clinical practices in primary medicine. They say, based on scientific literature and . . . → Read More: Top 5 Recommendations for Improving Primary Care Issued Today by National Physicians Alliance

Health Insurers Report Record Profits, Yet Raise Premiums, While People Postpone Care

By Editor, on May 14th, 2011

Kaiser Health News, which provides a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations, is reporting from several sources that health insurance companies have realized record profits for the third year in a row, enhanced even . . . → Read More: Health Insurers Report Record Profits, Yet Raise Premiums, While People Postpone Care

Alarming Trend: Medical Errors Have Increased in the U.S.

By Editor, on April 16th, 2011

A new editorial in The Lancet medical journal cites staggering statistics that medical errors now occur in as many one-third of all U.S. hospitalizations. The editors present other attention-getting statistics from several scientific studies establishing that medical errors remain . . . → Read More: Alarming Trend: Medical Errors Have Increased in the U.S.

Survey Finds 9 of 10 Health Care Leaders Support Affordable Care Act; 7 of 10 Favor Implementing the Law with Little or No Change

By Editor, on March 19th, 2011

A recent survey of leaders in health care and health care policy found that 9 of 10 Health Care Leaders agree that the general direction set by the Affordable Care Act is appropriate, and 7 out of 10 favor . . . → Read More: Survey Finds 9 of 10 Health Care Leaders Support Affordable Care Act; 7 of 10 Favor Implementing the Law with Little or No Change

Doctors Try New Direct-Pay Models for Primary Care; Leaving Health Insurers Out

By Editor, on March 10th, 2011

Much has been written about how our current insurance model encourages doctors to perform procedures and tests rather than for time spent with patients. The role of the insurance companies, intervening between doctors and their patients, displeases both doctors . . . → Read More: Doctors Try New Direct-Pay Models for Primary Care; Leaving Health Insurers Out

The Individual Mandate & Health Care Reform

By Senior Editor, on February 19th, 2011

The future survival of the health-care law may rest with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. For the how and why of health-care reform, a clear account of the bi-partisan history of the individual mandate, and a discussion of where . . . → Read More: The Individual Mandate & Health Care Reform

AMA Favors Some Changes to Health Care Law; 92% of Poll Respondents Oppose Tossing Out Health Care Law, but 50% Do Favor Changes

By Editor, on February 18th, 2011

An online chat on benefits and changes under the Health Care Law conducted by the Los Angeles Times Thursday, February 17 discussed changes to the new Health Care Law advocated by the American Medical Association (AMA), and featured the results . . . → Read More: AMA Favors Some Changes to Health Care Law; 92% of Poll Respondents Oppose Tossing Out Health Care Law, but 50% Do Favor Changes

Radiation Risks from CT Scans

By Senior Editor, on January 6th, 2011

Enlightening Video: Radiation exposure from CT Scans can vary up to six fold between different CT Scan providers. Up to now CT Scan radiation has not been regulated. Watch video . . . → Read More: Radiation Risks from CT Scans

The Medicare Advocacy Project

By Editor, on October 1st, 2010

The Medicare Advocacy Project By the American Bar Association, Commission on Law & Aging The Medicare Advocacy Project collaborates with the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging to respond to Alzheimer’s-related Medicare inquiries . . . → Read More: The Medicare Advocacy Project

The New Landscape – Preparing to Care for an Aging Population

By Editor, on August 15th, 2010

Our health care system clearly lacks sufficient geriatric doctors and nurses as our population ages. With the anticipated explosive growth in the numbers of high-risk elderly patients coming as the Baby Boomers age, and under pressure from Medicare, hospitals, doctors . . . → Read More: The New Landscape – Preparing to Care for an Aging Population

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