RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

PM - Thursday, 29 September , 2005 18:25:56
Reporter: Daniel Hoare
MARK COLVIN: The Victorian Government is calling for a relaxation of national laws to allow for more research into stem cell cloning.

The Victorian Treasurer John Brumby says current laws, which only commit the use of spare IVF embryos for stem cell research, are stalling the development of important areas of research. Read the rest of this entry »

By CANDICE CHOI
Associated Press Writer
September 21, 2005, 12:06 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. — The state Department of Health is asking nursing homes this month to seek certification that would allow them to provide less costly care for healthier residents in an effort to trim waste in Medicaid funding.

Currently, nursing homes in New York state are only certified to provide a single level of care that covers a broad range of medical services. Read the rest of this entry »

Reuters

Sep 23, 2005 — By Lisa Richwine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nine companies have won U.S. government approval to offer Medicare prescription drug benefits to seniors across the nation starting in January, health officials said on Friday.

Several firms and organizations also will offer other options regionally. Residents of states such as Alaska will have at least 11 options, while up to 20 choices may be offered in larger states such as New York, officials Read the rest of this entry »

By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 - The Bush administration announced on Friday that the basic Medicare premium would shoot up next year 13 percent, to $88.50 a month, mainly because of the increased use of doctors’ services. Read the rest of this entry »

Two new PowerPoint educational products are available on http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/drugcoverage.asp for health care professionals and others who want to learn more details about the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage program. These PowerPoint slides are available in two versions: Read the rest of this entry »

With the November 15 start of the initial enrollment period for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit rapidly approaching, employees and retirees are becoming increasingly aware of the new Medicare coverage and the choices they will have. It is very important that employer and union sponsors of prescription drug coverage: Read the rest of this entry »

August 30, 2005

BY KRISTEN HALLAM Advertisement

WASHINGTON — Medicare, the U.S. government health-insurance program for the elderly and disabled, said its drug coverage that starts in January will include at least one plan for $20 or less a month in every region of the United States except Alaska. Read the rest of this entry »

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDayNews) — Low-income seniors will see dramatic savings on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs under the incoming Medicare prescription drug plan, and most other seniors will benefit as well.
Read the rest of this entry »

Thu Aug 25, 2005 9:00 AM ET

By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Most older Americans say they still do not understand how Medicare’s new prescription drug coverage will work and they are split over whether it will be worthwhile, a study released on Thursday found. Read the rest of this entry »

By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 - The Bush administration clashed with doctors on Wednesday over the merits of a proposal to charge higher co-payments to Medicaid recipients, with doctors warning that the fees could deter some poor people from seeking necessary medical care. Read the rest of this entry »

July 26, 2002

Susan Dentzer reports on one man’s struggle to gain benefits for the disabled.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE NEWSHOUR SEGMENT IN STREAMING VIDEO

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NEWSHOUR SEGMENT IN REALAUDIO

SUSAN DENTZER: Like many patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis– also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease– 41- year-old David Jayne sometimes feels imprisoned in a useless body. He describes the sensation as he speaks through a high-tech speech synthesizer, which he controls by raising his eyebrows.
DAVID JAYNE: This hideous disease has progressed to the point that I can only move two fingers, and they are failing, turn my head, and slightly move my left knee. It requires two people, two hours to get me out of bed, showered, and dressed for the day. Read the rest of this entry »

by Julie Rovner

Morning Edition, August 17, 2005 · South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia are exploring proposals to save money for their Medicaid programs by giving patients a set amount of money to purchase private insurance or fund their own care. Backers say making patients more responsible will lower overuse of services. But patient advocates say the sickest people will quickly run out of money and be left even worse off than before.

Sunday, August 14, 2005 - It is past time that the truth be made known about stem-cell research and the president’s part in it. Stem-cell research is legal and has been and will be funded in both the private and public sectors. California voters have voted billions for stem-cell research. It is my hope that most of that is spent on adult stem- cell research if possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Disability Must Be Defined Before Debated
by Wendy McElroy, ifeminists.com
14 April 2005

The controversy regarding Janeal Lee, Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin, has raised the question, What does it mean to be disabled? Read the rest of this entry »

Aug 10, 2005 By News Staff

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently selected six states to participate in a policy academy that will assist governors and their policy advisors improve the lives of young adults with disabilities. Read the rest of this entry »