The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on proposals to reform Medicare at which critical issues facing the Medicare program and current and future beneficiaries were discussed. CMA, together with California Health Advocates and the Medicare Rights Center, submitted joint testimony to the Committee outlining concerns for beneficiaries and their families regarding certain proposals aimed primarily at achieving federal savings. These proposals seek to save the government money by shifting costs to beneficiaries. Among these proposals are three found in the President's budget and in other proposals: adding a co-pay to Medicare's Home Health benefit; increasing…
The U.S. EEOC issued four revised documents on protection against disability discrimination, pursuant to the goal of the agency's Strategic Plan to provide up-to-date guidance on the requirements of anti-discrimination laws. The documents address how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities. In plain, easy-to-understand language, the revised documents reflect the changes to the definition of disability made by the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) that make it easier to conclude that individuals with a wide range of impairments, including cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities, are protected by the…
On April 27, 742,497 pounds (371 tons) of prescription medications were collected from members of the public at more than 5,829 locations manned by 4,312 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration on the event. When added to the collections from DEA’s previous five Take-Back events, more than 2.8 million pounds (1,409 tons) of prescription medications have been removed from circulation. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of…
In the first re-design of the ADA website since 2002, the Department of Justice launched a redesigned ADA website, ADA.gov. The new design incorporates improved navigation and usability features making it easier to find information on ADA technical assistance, enforcement, and regulations.
When Keith Farner was 14, he made $2,000 at a summer job. Instead of buying the XBox he'd been wanting, his parents helped him open a Roth IRA. The 30-year-old, who lives in Athens, Ga., now has more than $30,000 saved. While Farner may have gotten an earlier start on retirement than most, a new study from Merrill Edge shows that Gen Y, defined by the study as those 18-34, is starting to save for retirement earlier than any other generation. Many are investing by age 22, compared with Baby Boomers who started on average at age 35. Abe Mulvihill…
Former CMS administrator Mark McClellan discussed how to spend Medicare dollars in a smarter way during an Alliance for Health Reform feature. McClellan called for a comprehensive strategy in order to achieve better health care for beneficiaries at a lower overall cost. Watch the video.
The Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) is beginning a new project at the request of the Ontario government to address how adults with developmental or mental disabilities might be better enabled to participate in the federal Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) created by the federal government without an expensive competency assessment. The RDSP is a savings vehicle to provide future support for persons with disabilities. Parents or guardians may open an RDSP for a child. However, adults with intellectual disabilities and others whose competence may be an issue may face challenges in opening or withdrawing from an RDSP without undergoing…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently launched its Patient Network Website. The site gives patients and advocates a bigger voice in medical product regulation, which includes drugs, devices and biologics. The website will: · Educate the community about FDA regulatory and policy issues, the medical product development lifecycle, mechanisms in place to provide stakeholder input, Federal Register notices, and public meetings. · Encourage patients and advocates to communicate with FDA. · Show how patient advocates can serve on FDA working groups, become Patient Representatives, speak at meetings, and more. This is one way the FDA hopes to expand inclusion…
New guidance released on April 30, 2013, by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice, reinforces the Fair Housing Act requirement that multifamily housing be designed and constructed so as to be accessible to persons with disabilities. This guidance clarifies the nature of owners’ obligations to comply with federal civil rights laws. Read the guidance document.
The Cost of Dying series, published last year in the San Jose Mercury News, revealed the nature and roots of the sometimes painful and dehumanizing treatment of dying people caught up in a high-tech medical battle against inevitable death. Examining issues raised by the emotional and financial costs of the last days of reporter Lisa M. Krieger's father, the nine-part series also opened the door on ways people can take control of how they die. Through the voices of professional caretakers, loving relatives, and courageous dying people, the stories brought home the wisdom of choosing gentler exits. Cost of Dying…
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