Frederick, MD 
301-663-92302013 HHS Poverty Guidelines
The Annual Update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines was recently published in the Federal Register.
The Annual Update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines was recently published in the Federal Register.
Long-awaited details on how insurers can structure health benefits and premiums for policies that will cover tens of millions of Americans starting in 2014 were released by the Obama administration. The three proposed rules reaffirm key elements of the 2010 federal health law, including its requirement that insurers accept all applicants, even those with health conditions, and not charge higher rates based on health, gender or occupation. But the proposals add additional details on how premiums can vary based on age and tobacco use, including allowing tobacco users who enroll in programs aimed at helping them quit to be exempted…
The Department of Health and Human Services recently released additional Affordable Care Act proposed regulations. The proposal aimed to clarify the market rules for insurance plans and advance the process of defining essential health benefit plans. The proposal announced that the cost of running federal exchanges would be funded by a monthly fee (3.5 percent of monthly premiums) on participating insurance companies.
The American Psychiatric Association has announced changes to the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, DSM-5. One of the most hotly argued changes was how to define the various ranges of autism. Some advocates opposed the idea of dropping the specific diagnosis for Asperger's disorder. People with that disorder often have high intelligence and vast knowledge on narrow subjects, but lack social skills. Some who have the condition embrace their quirkiness and vow to continue to use the label. And some Asperger's families opposed any change, fearing their kids would lose a diagnosis and no longer be eligible for special services….
Financial scams abound around the holidays, and it's long been known that the elderly are more vulnerable. Now, scientists are learning why: New research suggests age-related changes in the brain make it harder to detect suspicious body language and other warning signs that people may be untrustworthy. The prevalence of the crime has already reached epidemic proportions, according to Sandy Markwood, CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and will continue to grow as the Baby Boomers age. Financial exploitation of the elderly — from telemarketing scams to identity theft, fake check scams, and home repair fraud…
Maryland has received conditional approval by the federal government to operate a state-based health insurance exchange in 2014, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown announced. Maryland is among the first six states to get the approval. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has certified the Maryland Health Connection to operate for the first plan year in 2014. The agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for overseeing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the nation's largest health insurance programs. "Our progress has been the result of insurance producers, carriers, third-party administrators, health care providers, advocates, and consumers…
Now that the votes are counted and President Obama has a second term, what does it mean for seniors? While President Obama's re-election means Medicare and Medicaid as we know them will likely be preserved at least for the next four years, many challenges are still ahead. One of the biggest outcomes of the election is that the Affordable Care Act (ACA – a.k.a. "Obamacare"), which candidate Mitt Romney had promised to repeal, will almost certainly remain as law and be fully implemented. The law is already beginning to close the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage known as the…
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For too long, too many hard working Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies and put barriers between patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act gives hard-working families the security they deserve. The new health care law forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of an annual or lifetime limit, or, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition. And it includes substantial new benefits for Americans living with disabilities.If you’re living with a disability, private health…
While President Obama's re-election means Medicare and Medicaid as we know them will likely be preserved at least for the next four years, many challenges are still ahead. One of the biggest outcomes of the election is that the Affordable Care Act (ACA – a.k.a. "Obamacare"), which candidate Mitt Romney had promised to repeal, will almost certainly remain as law and be fully implemented. The law is already beginning to close the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage known as the "doughnut hole," as well as providing free preventative care for Medicare recipients. The ACA also included a number…
