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eowyntheavenger · 4 years

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What have the protests accomplished?

5/26 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd 5/27 Charges dropped for Kenneth Walker (Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, who police accused of killing her) 5/28 University of Minnesota cancels contract with police 5/28 3rd precinct police station neutralized by protesters 5/28 Minneapolis transit union refuses to bring police officers to protests or transport arrested protesters 5/29 Activists commandeer Minneapolis hotel to provide shelter to homeless 5/29 Former officer Chauvin arrested and charged with murder 5/29 Louisville Mayor suspends “no-knock” warrants 5/30 US Embassies across Africa condemn police murder of George Floyd 5/30 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over prosecution of the murdering officer 5/30 Transport Workers Union refuses to help NYPD transport arrests protesters 5/30 Maryland lawmakers forming work group on police reform, accountability 5/31 2 abusive officers fired for pulling a couple out of their car and tasing them - Atlanta, GA 6/1 Minneapolis public schools end contract with police 6/1 Confederate monument removed after being toppled by protesters - Birmingham, AL 6/1 CA prosecutors launch campaign to stop DAs from accepting police union money 6/1 Tulsa Mayor agrees to not renew Live PD contract 6/1 Louisville police chief fired after shooting of David Mcatee 6/1 Congress begins bipartisan push to cut off police access to military gear 6/1 Atlanta announces plans to create a task force and public database to track police brutality in metro Atlanta area 6/2 Minneapolis AFL-CIO calls for resignation of police union president Bob Kroll, a vocal white supremest 6/2 Pittsburgh transit union announces refusal to transport police officers or arrest protesters 6/2 Racist ex-mayor Frank Rizzo statue removed in Philadelphia 6/2 6 abusive officers charged for violence against residents and protesters - Atlanta, GA 6/2 Civil rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched 6/2 San Francisco resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with history of misconduct 6/2 Survey indicates that 64% of those polled are sympathetic to protesters, 47% disapprove of police handling of the protests, and 54% think the burning down of the Minneapolis police precinct was fully or partially justified 6/2 Trenton NJ announces policing reforms 6/2 Minneapolis City Council members consider disbanding the police 6/2 Confederate statue removed from Alexandria, VA 6/3 Officer fired for tweets promoting violence against protesters - Denver, CO 6/3 Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art cut ties with the MPD 6/3 Chauvin charges upgraded to second degree murder, remaining 3 officers also charged and taken into custody 6/3 Richmond VA Mayor Stoney announces RPD reform measures: establish "Marcus" alert for folks experiencing mental health crises, establish independent Citizen Review Board, an ordinance to remove Confederate monuments, and implement racial equity study 6/3 County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail 6/3 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with MPD 6/3 Seattle withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department 6/3 Breonna Taylor’s case reopened 6/3 Louisville police department (Breonna Taylor’s murderers) will now be under review from an outside agency, which will include review on training, bias-free policing and accountability 6/3 Colorado lawmakers introduce a police reform bill that includes body cam laws, repealing the “fleeing felon” statute, and banning chokeholds 6/3 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announces plans to reduce funding to police department by $150M and instead invest in minority communities 6/4 Virginia governor announces plans to remove Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond 6/4 Portland schools superintendent discontinues presence of armed police officers in schools 6/4 MBTA (Metro Boston) board orders that buses wont transport police to protests, or protesters to police 6/4 King County Labor Federation issues ultimatum to police unions: admit to and address racism in Seattle PD, or be removed 6/5 City of Minneapolis bans all chokeholds by police 6/5 Racist ex-mayor Hubbard statue removed - Dearborn, MI 6/5 NFL condemns racism and admits it should have listened to players’ protests 6/5 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls for statewide use-of-force standard made along with community leaders and ban on carotid holds 6/5 2 Buffalo officers suspended within a day of pushing 75 year old protester to the ground, and lying about it 6/5 2 NYPD officers suspended after videos of violence to protesters 6/5 The US Marines bans display of the Confederate flag 6/5 Dallas adopts a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in excessive use of force 6/5 Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax releases an 11-point action plan for immediate police reforms 6/6 Statue of Confederate general Williams Carter Wickham torn down - Richmond, VA 6/6 2 Buffalo officers charged with second-degree assault for shoving elderly man 6/6 San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces effort to defund police and redirect funds to Black community 6/7 Frank Rizzo mural removed, to be replaced with new artwork - Philadelphia, PA 6/7 Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to disband the police department, invest in proven community-led public safety 6/7 Protesters in Bristol topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston, throw it in the river 6/7 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio vows for the first time to cut funding for NYPD, redirect to social services 6/7 A Virginia police officer faces charges after using a stun gun on a black man 6/8 NY State Assembly passes the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act 6/8 Democrats in Congress unveil a bill to rein in bias and excessive force in policing 6/8 Black lawmakers block a legislative session in Pennsylvania to demand action on police reform 6/8 France bans police use of chokeholds 6/8 Seattle council members join calls to defund police department 6/8 Boston reevaluates how it funds police department 6/8 Honolulu Police Commission nominees voice support for more transparency, reforms 6/8 Rights groups and Floyd’s family call for a UN inquiry into American policing and help with systemic police reform

No, it’s not enough, but this is only the beginning. Keep fighting!!!

(This list comes from Mara Ahmed’s blog post and was compiled by Fahd Ahmed; I added sources and new entries. Please reblog with further additions.)

#George Floyd #Breonna Taylor #BLM #Black Lives Matter #No Justice No Peace

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ianbrunner · 5 years

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Opinions and Thoughts on Elizabeth’s Warren’s Plan for Student Loan Forgiveness and Cancellation of Student Debt

As a graduate student who is on track to finish their program in two weeks I’d say I have a vested interest in Elizabeth Warren’s program to make college free (or at least affordable), and especially in the loan forgiveness program. Now, I don’t owe a ton of money. If I worked really hard and budgeted to an extreme extent I’d probably be able to pay off my loans in a relatively short amount of time, but as someone struggling with mental health concerns this isn’t really an option. I’ve had friends do this, and while it must feel great to be young, have no debt, and a well paying job due to your education, it also takes a severe mental toll on a person. The people I know who have done this avoided going out to movies, or buying books, or doing things in general because they couldn’t afford it. They lived in small apartments in which they were cramped and became isolated because while their friends were off doing something that cost money they were trying to pay off their loans before they hit age forty. On the flipside, one could make small payments over a long period of time, however, having that weight, having the shadow of debt looming over you is terrifying and something I would never wish on anyone.

Warren writes that student loan debt is “...acting as an anchor on our economy,” that it’s “...reducing home ownership rates. It’s leading fewer people to start businesses. It’s forcing students to drop out (sic) of school before getting a degree. It’s a problem for all of us” (“I’m calling”, 2019). Warren’s plan aims to “...cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for every person with a household income under $100,000”, and to continue to provide relief for people making more than that by lowering the amount of relief by “...1 for every $3 in income above $100,000, so, for example, a person with household income of $130,000 gets $40,000 in cancellation, while a person with household income of $160,000 gets $30,000 in cancellation” (I’m calling, 2019).

Warren also claims that:

An economic analysis from leading experts on student loan debt finds that my plan would provide at least some debt cancellation for 95% of people with student loan debt (and complete and total student debt cancellation for more than 75%), provide targeted cancellation for the families that need it most, substantially increase Black and Latinx wealth, and help close the racial wealth gap” (I’m calling, 2019).

And that, it would “...likely provide a boost to the economy through ‘consumer-driven economic stimulus, improved credit scores, greater home-buying rates and housing stability, higher college completion rates, and greater business formation’” (I’m calling, 2019). When I think about this, it almost seems too good to be true, and while I’m not a economist or a politician I have no choice but trust what Warren claims and hey, we’ve got to start somewhere.

Now I’ve never seen a professional therapist for my anxiety (gee, who’d have thought a college student couldn’t afford therapy?), and while my university provides resources for students like me I also couldn’t find a timeslot that fit my availability due to classes and field experience. Because of this, I found myself in a position where my best option was to let my grades slip as my mental health suffered. Now that I’m graduating and can see the light at the end of the tunnel my biggest fear is my loans. The cost of living in a major metropolitan area paired with loan repayment is enough to make a healthy person anxious let alone those who are already struggling. I’m not afraid of hard work. Going from from my Bachelors degree in English to my Masters in Education meant that not a lot of my credits transferred. My advisor thought that I would have to do an extra semester to graduate. Instead, I took six classes every semester for three semesters including the summer break. I worked my ass off to be in a position to graduate on time and even now I’m considering applying for a PhD in English. But you know what makes me most hesitant to pursue this? You guessed it, my debt.

In July I’ll be moving to Atlanta to live with my girlfriend. Between the two of us we owe around $80,000. I’d like to take a moment to let anyone who doesn’t owe money like that (there aren’t many in our age group) to step back and remember what it was like to be in their twenties with the world ahead of them. Now add the fear of crushing financial burden to that. We’ve all seen the memes that Millennials are killing off businesses, but I very rarely see someone point out that Millennials just don’t have the finances to do what people our age did a decade or two ago. To us, life is school, and then work to pay off the loans, work to pay off the car, work to pay for the apartment, work to get a little ahead in case the worst happens and an unplanned medical bill pops up or the car breaks down. It’s no wonder that my peers are stressed out, tired. It’s no wonder that some of us eat junk food every day, or fall asleep watching Netflix five days a week instead of reading a book, it’s no wonder we don’t get enough exercise. Simply put, we can’t. We cannot pursue our hobbies or dreams because we’re wearing the shackles placed on us by our educational system and capitalism. Education should be a thing that frees you. That allows you to experience the world more fully and drives you to be a participant instead of an observer, but here we are looking forward to the prime of our life, and instead of seeing a garden to go out and play in, we’re seeing the oncoming shadow of debt. I’m not necessarily saying education should be free, after all, educators are providing a service to their students, but something needs to be done about the costs of education and whether or not Warren’s plan is the way to go, right now it’s the best thing I see.

References

I’m calling for something truly transformational: Universal free public college and cancellation of student loan debt. (2019). Retrieved from https://medium.com/@teamwarren/im-calling-for-something-truly-transformational-universal-free-public-college-and-cancellation-of-a246cd0f910f

#Elizabeth Warren #Opinion #College #University #loan forgivness #debt #millennials #mental health #anxiety

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abcnewspr · 3 years

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ABC AUDIO ANNOUNCES 2021 END-OF-YEAR PROGRAMMING

Programming Includes Four Long-Form Programs, Eight Short-Form News Series and a Country Music Special

As the end of 2021 approaches, ABC Audio will provide affiliates with a full lineup of end-of-year specials. Programming includes four long-form programs focused on the biggest news reports, interviews and moments over the last year; eight short-form series covering COVID-19, sports, entertainment, politics and more; and a country music special hosted by country star Walker Hayes.

Long-Form Programs:

· “Playback 2021” is a one-hour special anchored by ABC News correspondents Cheri Preston and Aaron Katersky that delves into the biggest news reports of 2021.

· “2021: The Year in Review” is a three-hour look back at the year’s top stories, told utilizing sound from ABC News Radio’s special programming and breaking news reports. The program also features key moments from the award-winning “Start Here” podcast.

· “Perspective” is a special year-in-review version of ABC Audio’s weekly newsmagazine, and highlights 2021’s top news stories.

· “World News This Year” is a special edition of the regular show, “World News This Week,” and recaps the past year.

Short-Form Series:

· “2021 in Review” highlights the top stories from 2021, including the January 6 insurrection; the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; the continued racial reckoning and major trials of Derek Chauvin, Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery; COVID-19; gun violence; and the climate crisis.

· “2021 in Sports” recaps memorable sports moments, including Tom Brady winning another Super Bowl, COVID-19 protocols and protests, the Larry Nassar hearings, mental health and “race-norming” in the NFL.

· “2021 in Entertainment” looks back at the year’s controversies, deaths, movies, TV shows and the biggest moments in pop culture – including Britney Spears’ conservatorship.

· “2021 in Politics” reports on top political stories, including the January 6 Commission, the Democratic Party – including what it has and hasn’t accomplished, the GOP and former President Donald Trump’s role in it, abortion and voting rights.

· “Tech Trends 2021” examines the top tech stories, including Facebook controversies, the deplatforming of former President Donald Trump, the GameStop saga, the creation of Meta, social audio apps and more.

· “Health Trends 2021” features reporting by ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton on health misinformation, easing menopause, COVID-19, the impact of climate change on health and mental health.

· “Law & Justice 2020 In Review” features ABC News chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas reporting on the overturning of Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, the Atlanta Spa shootings, ransomware attacks, the death of Gabby Petito and the scandal surrounding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

· “2020 Year-End Tax Tips” provides advice on year-end financial and tax planning.

ABC Audio presents “Front & Center’s 2021 Rewind,” hosted by country star Walker Hayes – the voice behind some of the year’s biggest hits, including “Fancy Like.” The special highlights country music’s top hits and moments from 2021, and features interviews and music from rising talent and superstars, including Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Garth Brooks and Dan + Shay.

Interested in becoming an affiliate? Contact Christopher Venice at [email protected].

About ABC Audio:

ABC Audio is America’s premier source for radio news, entertainment and lifestyle content, and podcasts. ABC News Radio reaches more Americans than any other commercial broadcaster through its network of more than 1,900 radio stations and digital distributors. ABC Audio also offers stations access to Air Power, which provides on-demand access to original video and social media content, and ABC Digital, a 24/7 service providing stations news, entertainment and lifestyle digital text stories. ABC Audio is also part of a top ranked podcasting network, along with its partners at ESPN and National Geographic. ABC’s growing podcast portfolio includes ABC News’ flagship daily news podcast, “Start Here,” as well as the critically acclaimed, chart-topping hits “The Dropout” and “In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson.”

– ABC –

For more information follow ABC News PR on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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rapeculturerealities · 6 years

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Since the launch of the National Bail Out campaign last Mother’s Day, the process for freeing trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) Black individuals awaiting trial has been a continued challenge. U.S. jails generally place people according to their sex assigned at birth and don’t collect data on gender identity, making incarcerated TGNC people difficult to locate. Nevertheless, organizers remain steadfast in their resolve to bail out these “pillars of our communities” and reunite them with their loved ones, organizer Micky Bradford told Rewire.News.

“We are really intentional about naming this as ‘Black Mama’s [Bail Out],’ and really intentional about Black mamas including transgender parents and caregivers who are nonbinary or gender nonconforming,” said Bradford, a regional organizer with TLC@SONG, a collaboration between Southerners on New Ground (SONG) and the Transgender Law Center (TLC).

The effort to raise awareness and free TGNC people from jail is imperative because, as Bradford explained, “We often just hear about trans people dying—from police brutality, street harassment, or intimate partners—but we rarely hear about how bail affects trans folks and tears chosen families apart.”

On any given day, around 450,000 people languish in jails across the country simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. When judges assign bail to defendants awaiting trial, they force individuals who have not yet been tried or convicted of any crime to remain behind bars solely due to poverty. Like every facet of the U.S. criminal justice system, cash bail disproportionately subjugates Black people. Judges are more likely to charge Black defendants bail and to assign them higher bail amounts for the same charges compared to white defendants.

Because there are no official incarceration records on gender identity, there is a data vacuum regarding how TGNC people are affected by mass incarceration and cash bail. But the information that advocacy groups have gathered demonstrates the hyper surveillance and criminalization of Black trans people across the country.

The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, which disaggregated data by race, found that nearly half of Black trans people have experienced incarceration. Sixty-one percent of Black respondents reported mistreatment in interactions with the police. One of the most prevalent ways trans people are over-policed is through the criminalization of sex work, for which Black trans women are disproportionately targeted by police. Trans people are also targeted through selectively enforced laws criminalizing HIV, which trans people, particularly women of color, are more likely to contract than the general U.S. population. Bathroom discrimination bills not only criminalize TGNC people for using the restroom of their choice, but also normalize the policing of individuals based on nonbinary gender presentation.

Black trans people are also unlikely to be able to afford bail. Due to transphobia in education and employment, 38 percent of Black trans people live in poverty, compared to 12 percent of the general population and 24 percent of Black people. Forty-two percent of Black trans people have experienced homelessness, and 28 percent have had to work in the underground (illicit) economy to survive. Because nearly half of Black trans people have experienced family rejection, they may also be less likely to have a support network that can afford to bail them out. When they are incarcerated, trans people face staggering rates of sexual and physical assault, harassment, and lack of critical health-care services.

Being held on bail also wreaks havoc in individuals’ lives and tears families apart—whether they are biological or chosen. It can lead to losing a job, apartment, or income needed to put food on the table.

Despite their commitment to centering those most harshly impacted by incarceration, organizers have faced significant logistical challenges with locating TGNC individuals to bail out. Last Mother’s Day, SONG was only able to bail out three TGNC people; an additional two were denied bail.

U.S. jails imprison individuals according to a binary definition of gender, and usually place people according to their genitals or sex assigned at birth. On top of this, jails often isolate trans people in solitary confinement or mental health wards, making it much more difficult for organizations offering support services to reach them.

“There is no system for tracking if someone is transgender, and jails are not culturally competent,” said Flor Bermudez, legal director at the TLC. “There is no way to find transgender people in jail unless they self-identify to their friends and family, their friends and family know that they are there, and they tell an organizer that the person is inside. It is extremely difficult to find them because all of the data that’s trackable public information will have their sex assigned at birth and no gender identity.”

Community networks and safe spaces for queer and trans people have been key to finding more trans mamas to bail out. This year, SONG created a hotline that individuals in or outside of jail in Atlanta can call to inform them about someone who needs to be bailed out. TLC is also partnering with SONG to provide legal consultation and technical assistance to organizers conducting bailouts across the South.

“Last year’s bailout really taught us so much,” said Mary Hooks, co-executive director of SONG, which has been a leader in the bailout campaign. “One thing we saw that was most effective in trying to identify trans and gender nonconforming people was community building and outreach. Some of our people are hitting the streets where we know are safe spaces for TGNC people so folks know what we’re doing. If they know somebody that gets picked up during this time, or if they know someone who’s currently in there, they have our hotline.”

SONG hopes that the organizing strategies it is developing in partnership with TLC will provide guidance to other organizations in the bailout coalition that are also facing difficulties finding TGNC folks to bail out. Over the past year, racial justice organizations across the country have bailed out around 200 people, with donations totaling nearly $1 million from more than 14,000 individuals. Last Mother’s Day alone, the National Bail Out campaign paid bail for more than 100 Black mamas and shined a spotlight on theinjustices of the cash bail system.

Just this week, in a landmark victory for the bail out movement, Google banned bail bond advertisements from its platforms on May 7, following advocacy from the Essie Justice Group, Civil Rights Corps, Color of Change, Upturn, and the Vera Institute of Justice.

The bailout campaign forms part of the Movement for Black Lives’ broader agenda to combat the criminalization of Black trans and queer people. SONG is also developing more Black LGBTQ organizers, who can play a leadership role in advocating for the rights of those in their communities. TLC brings class action lawsuits across the country in order to change laws that discriminate against TGNC people. In a landmark victory in 2015, TLC represented Shiloh Quine in a case that forced California to offer gender-affirming health care, including surgery, to incarcerated individuals, and to allow trans prisoners access to clothing and commissary items consistent with their gender identity.

Other groups around the country have also been offering support to trans women taken into custody. The Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) has pioneered a model for aiding trans women during and after incarceration. The organization goes into Bay Area jails and prisons weekly to conduct political education and monitor the well-being of trans prisoners. It also has a re-entry program offering employment opportunities to trans individuals coming out of jails and prisons to work at their organization. “Hopefully one day we’ll have an organization full of formerly incarcerated trans women on this side of the fence,” said Janetta Johnson, executive director of TGIJP, which has also been offering support to bailouts in the Bay Area.

The efforts to include trans caregivers in the Black Mamas Bail Out reflect a commitment to center those most marginalized by the United States’ oppressive societal structures within the movement for Black liberation. “We actually cannot separate our race, our gender, or our class. We can’t separate those into bite-sized issues that we then rally around,” said Bradford, who identifies as a Black transfemme. “The systems that are oppressing trans people are the systems that are oppressing immigrants, are the systems that are oppressing Black folks, are the systems that are oppressing poor and working folks. It goes on and on. These are intersectional issues and so we have to treat them that way.”

#trans #transgender #Black women #National Bail Out #Black Mamas Bail Out #carcerality #bail #prison #civil rights

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chloeharper2187 · 3 years

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Our 24/7 medical billing services has launched our software and trail versions in many parts of Atlanta. We provide 24*7 help support services

#Mental health billing #Mental health billing services #Mental health billing service provider #Outsourcing mental health billing #Mental health billing outsourcing

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years

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‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink

This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free.

In his 17 years as an emergency medical provider, Anthony Almojera thought he had seen it all. “Shootings, stabbings, people on fire, you name it,” he said. Then came covid-19.

Before the pandemic, Almojera said it was normal to respond to one or two cardiac arrests calls a week; now he’s grown used to several each shift. One day last spring, responders took more than 6,500 calls — more than any day in his department’s history, including 9/11.

An emergency medical services lieutenant and union leader with the New York City Fire Department, Almojera said he has seen more death in the past year than in his previous decade of work. “We can’t possibly process the traumas, because we’re still in the trauma,” he said.

EMS work has long been grueling and poorly paid. New FDNY hires make just over $35,000 a year, or $200 more than what is considered the poverty threshold for a four-person household in New York City. (That figure is on par with national averages.) Employee turnover is high: In fiscal year 2019, more than 13% of EMTs and paramedics left their jobs.

But covid-19 has added a new layer of precarity to the work. According to Oren Barzilay, the Local 2507 union president, nearly half of its 4,400 emergency medical technicians and paramedics have tested positive for the covid virus. Five have died, though that figure doesn’t account for first responders who worked for private emergency response companies. Nationwide, at least 128 medical first responders have died of covid, according to Lost on the Frontline, an investigation by KHN and The Guardian.

The problem of EMS pay was in the spotlight in December, when the New York Post outed paramedic Lauren Caitlyn Kwei for relying on an OnlyFans page to make extra money. Kwei, who works for a private ambulance company, wrote on Twitter: “My First Responder sisters and brothers are suffering … exhausted for months, reusing months old PPE, being refused hazard pay, and watching our fellow healthcare workers dying in front of our eyes.” She added: “EMS are the lowest paid first responders in NYC which leads to 50+ hour weeks and sometimes three jobs.”

Almojera earns $70,000 annually as a lieutenant, but his paramedic colleagues’ salaries in non-leadership roles are capped at around $65,000 after five years on the job. He earns extra income as a paramedic at area racetracks and conducting defibrillator inspections. He has colleagues who drive for Uber, deliver for GrubHub and stock grocery shelves on the side. “There are certain jobs that deserve all your time and effort,” Almojera said. “This should be your only job.”

For Liana Espinal, a paramedic, union delegate and 13-year veteran of the FDNY, a sense of camaraderie and the opportunity to serve her fellow Brooklynites compensated for low pay and exhausting shifts. For years she was willing to take on overtime and even a second job with a private ambulance company to make ends meet.

But covid changed that. The department switched from eight- to 12-hour shifts last summer, leaving Espinal, a single mother of three, too exhausted to pick up overtime. Like many health care workers, she isolated from her children at the outset of the pandemic to avoid potentially exposing them to the coronavirus, leaving them in the care of her own mother; she described being separated from her 1-year-old son as “devastating.” Despite working round-the-clock to get the city through the early days of the pandemic, she often had to choose between paying rent on time or paying utility bills.

“After working this year, for me personally, it doesn’t feel worth it anymore,” she said. She is two exams shy of finishing a nursing degree she started studying for before the pandemic. She said the last year has only strengthened her resolve to shift careers.

The pandemic has disproportionately claimed Black and brown lives — Black and Hispanic people were significantly more likely than white people to die of covid — and those disparities extend to health care workers. Lost on the Frontline has found that nearly two-thirds of health care workers who have died of covid were non-white.

All five of the department’s EMS employees who died of covid were non-white.

They included Idris Bey, 60, a former Marine and 9/11 first responder who was known to stay cool under pressure. He was an avid reader who bought new books each time he got a paycheck.

Richard Seaberry, 63, was looking forward to retiring to the Atlanta area to be near his young granddaughter.

Evelyn Ford, 58, left behind four children when she died in December, just as the coronavirus vaccine became available to first responders in New York City. According to the City Council’s finance division, 59% of EMS workers are minorities.

Almojera and Espinal see a racial component to pay disparities within the FDNY. Firefighters with five years on the job can make more than $100,000, including overtime and holiday pay, whereas paramedics and EMTs cap out at $65,000 and $50,000, respectively. According to the City Council finance division, 77% of New York firefighters are white.

“My counterpart fire lieutenants make almost $40,000 more than me,” Almojera said. “I’ve delivered 15 babies. I’ve been covered head to toe in blood. I mean, what do you pay for that? You can at least pay us like the other 911 agencies.”

A spokesperson for the FDNY declined to comment on pay.

The last year has also exacted an emotional toll on an already stressed workforce. Three of the FDNY’s EMS workers died by suicide in 2020. John Mondello Jr, 23, a recent EMS academy graduate, died in April. Matthew Keene, 38, a nine-year veteran, died in June. Brandon Dorsa, 36, who had struggled with injuries from a 2015 workplace accident, died in July.

Family and colleagues told local news outlets that Mondello and Keene were struggling with trauma as a result of the pandemic. Last spring, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and city agencies to help front-line health workers cope with the stress of working through the pandemic. But many EMS workers have said that the program has been difficult to access.

“There aren’t a lot of resources for people, so a lot of EMS internalize what they go through,” Almojera said. “It’s not normal to see the things that we see.”

Issues regarding pay and mental health challenges predate the pandemic: A national survey conducted in 2015 found EMS providers were much more likely than the general population to struggle with stress and contemplate suicide.

Almojera knew Keene and last spoke with him a week before his death. “You can’t say enough nice things about the guy,” he said. “I wish he had mentioned even a hint of [his struggles] on the phone. And I would have shared how I was feeling through all this.”

He said he has felt a mix of pride, exhaustion and resignation over the past year. “I’ve seen the magic that you can do on the job,” Almojera said. “And I’ve seen my brothers and sisters on this job cry after calls.”

Almojera is now representing his union in talks with the city to renegotiate EMS and paramedic contracts. He said he hopes that city officials will think of the hardships he and his fellow first responders endured over the past year when they come to the negotiating table to discuss pay raises. But early talks have not been encouraging.

“After all the sacrifices made by our members,” he said. “I don’t know whether to be angry, flip the table, or just shrug my shoulders and give up.”

This story is part of “Lost on the Frontline,” an ongoing project from The Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who die from COVID-19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease. If you have a colleague or loved one we should include, please share their story.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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stephenmccull · 3 years

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‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink

This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free.

In his 17 years as an emergency medical provider, Anthony Almojera thought he had seen it all. “Shootings, stabbings, people on fire, you name it,” he said. Then came covid-19.

All five of the department’s EMS employees who died of covid were non-white.

They included Idris Bey, 60, a former Marine and 9/11 first responder who was known to stay cool under pressure. He was an avid reader who bought new books each time he got a paycheck.

Richard Seaberry, 63, was looking forward to retiring to the Atlanta area to be near his young granddaughter.

A spokesperson for the FDNY declined to comment on pay.

“There aren’t a lot of resources for people, so a lot of EMS internalize what they go through,” Almojera said. “It’s not normal to see the things that we see.”

“After all the sacrifices made by our members,” he said. “I don’t know whether to be angry, flip the table, or just shrug my shoulders and give up.”

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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khalilhumam · 4 years

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Why police department insurances are the key to progress on police reform

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/why-police-department-insurances-are-the-key-to-progress-on-police-reform/

Why police department insurances are the key to progress on police reform

By Rashawn Ray Democrats and Republicans are at a stalemate on police reform. On July 24, 2020 the Republican JUSTICE Act led by Tim Scott failed to pass in the Senate. On July 25, 2020, the House of Representatives passed The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. July 25th is a significant date. It would have been Tamir Rice’s 18th birthday. He probably would have graduated high school this year and gone off to college. Instead, after being killed in a park while playing with a toy gun by two officers who did not deserve to wear the badge, he did not even see his 13th birthday. Despite the strengths of The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the McConnell-led Senate may not even consider this bill. So, Americans may proceed through 2020 with Trump’s Executive Order on police reform. Based on public attitudes, this stalemate is unacceptable and the Senate should consider the bill that passed in the House of Representatives. George Floyd’s death has significantly shifted public opinion as 76% of Americans (including 71% of white people) agree that incidents such as the killing of Floyd are signs of structural racism within law enforcement. This overwhelming acknowledgement of structural racism is further confirmed by police brutality inflicted onto protestors and highlighted in the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. The stalemate mostly centers on Republicans over-reliance on incentives for police departments and officers and Democrats push to eliminate qualified immunity and lower the criminal intent standard. While there are some other differences, for instance –the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which limits military equipment to police departments and provides for an independent review during misconduct allegations, both sides seem to agree on:

Certifying officers and training courses at the federal level

Mandating body-worn cameras

Creating a data base of “bad apples” (which would have saved George Floyd and Tamir Rice’s lives)

Banning chokeholds (which would have saved Eric Garner’s life)

Eliminating no-knock warrants (which would have saved Breonna Taylor’s life)

Finally creating a federal anti-lynching bill

Providing mental health training and assistance for officers

Collecting use of force data (which reduces police killings by 25%)

Providing de-escalation training

It is going to be important to restructure training. Why? Most officers receive nearly 60 hours of firearm training, but less than 10 hours of de-escalation training. Roughly 90% of calls for service do not involve violence or someone with a deadly weapon, Yet, law enforcement trains to the exact opposite. So an increase in de-escalation training is urgent. There is an unfortunate imbalance between the increase in killings by the police and the consideration of those cases within the criminal judicial system. Officer-involved killings have increased about 25% over the past 20 years. Every 20 hours a person is killed by the police. Black people are killed every 40 hours representing about 40% of people killed by police who are not attacking or have a gun. Rarely are officers charged, convicted, or face civil liability for police killings. For example, the officers who killed Tamir Rice were not even indicted and the officer who killed Philando Castille was found not guilty. The way that qualified immunity is applied in the criminal justice system is part of the rotten tree roots of law enforcement that need to change. Although qualified immunity is intended to relieve law enforcement from civil liability after a police brutality incident or officer-involved killing, it is often interpreted by prosecutors, judges, and juries as extending to criminal liability. Dealing with qualified immunity is critical. My research suggests a pathway forward to absolve the political stalemate by shifting civilian payouts for police misconduct away from taxpayer money to police department liability insurance policies. In most cities and counties, civilian payouts for police misconduct come from general funds and not from police department budgets. Civilian payouts for police misconduct put a strain on local governments and absolve police officers of culpability. Current law enforcement protocols hold officers internally accountable, but they are not externally held accountable to the communities they serve. By restructuring civilian payouts for police misconduct away from taxpayer funding to police department insurances, money normally spent on civilian payouts and lawyer fees can be used for education and work infrastructure. Improving education and creating jobs will indirectly reduce crime. Furthermore, this restructuring will improve police-civilian relations and reduce police brutality and police killings. Currently, civil payouts for police misconduct have little impact on police departments. Little changes with their normal budgetary operating procedures. It does not have an impact on hiring and rarely impacts firing. However, these monies do impact city budgets in other ways. As I have written elsewhere, cities are paying millions of dollars in civilian payouts for police misconduct from taxpayer money that could be used for education, health, social services, and infrastructure. St. Louis and Baltimore are predominately Black cities with struggling school systems and high job displacement. Imagine if these funds went to improving schools, creating jobs, and revitalizing infrastructure. Crime would decrease. Pricing for the police insurance plans can be based on a score that includes misconduct. The model that I am proposing is not novel. It is used in healthcare on the patient and physician side. Previously, if a patient had a pre-existing condition, their premium would be higher than someone without any pre-existing conditions. For physicians and hospitals, those who are more prone to malpractice lawsuits see increases in their insurance premiums. Police departments can operate similarly. Police department liability insurance will take the burden off of taxpayers, particularly in struggling cities, and place the accountability on police departments and police officers who commit the misconduct. Based on the number of misconduct settlements and cases, insurance companies can decide whether to retain the department, increase the rate, or decrease it. This model allows for police chiefs, mayors, and County Executives to have a market-driven approach to identify officers like Derek Chauvin and justify their removal from the force. Eventually, George Floyd’s family will receive a large civil settlement for his wrongful death. The money they have paid in taxes will be used to pay them back for the killing of their loved one. This process is a slap in the face to families whose loved ones are killed unjustifiably by police.

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mariebenz · 5 years

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Younger Cancer Survivors Face Greater Financial Burdens

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Zheng Zhiyuan "Jason" Zheng PhD Director, Economics and Healthcare Delivery Research American Cancer Society, Inc. Atlanta, GA 30303 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Historically, the cost of healthcare can be a substantial burden for cancer survivors and their families in the US. Even with health insurance, a cancer diagnosis can impose significant out-of-pocket costs for medical care. These are partially due to the rising costs of cancer treatments in recent years, moreover, the increasing levels of coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles also shift a significant portion of the burden to cancer patients. We found that younger cancer survivors, those aged 18-49 years, bear a higher burden than their older counterparts. We also found that two-thirds of cancer survivors enrolled in high-deductible health plans did not have health savings accounts, and they are more vulnerable to financial hardship than those in high-deductible health plans with health savings accounts and those covered by low-deductible plans. These findings are important to patients because although cancer patents have benefited from newer and more advanced treatments, financial hardship may lead to emotional distress, cause changes in health behaviors, and jeopardize treatment adherence and health outcomes. MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: Our study conceptualized medical financial hardship into material (e.g. problems paying medical bills), psychological (e.g. worrying about paying medical bills), and behavioral (e.g. forgoing/delaying care because of cost) domains. Moreover, this is the first study utilizing nationally representative data to examine hardship intensity, namely co-occurrence of multiple domains. We found that medical financial hardship seems to persist even years after cancer diagnosis. Better understanding of patients’ experiences with financial hardship can inform the development of interventions to reduce its impact in the long-term. Our study shows that younger cancer survivors, those aged 18-49 years, experience greater financial hardship than their older counterparts, especially in comparison to similar adults without a cancer history. We believe this is probably because younger cancer survivors do not have the opportunity to accumulate financial assets to pay for medical expenses. In addition, a cancer diagnosis might interrupt education or employment, limit the type and amount of work or even the ability to work at all, and consequently reduce their access to employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. Another issue that we identified in this study is that cancer survivors enrolled in high-deductible health plans without health savings accounts were more likely to experience medical financial hardship than those with health savings accounts. In the United States, more than 40% of employer-based private insurance coverage in 2017 were high deductible plans. Health saving accounts may help mitigate medical financial hardship. Patients can also seek information from financial navigators and clinicians to take advantage of health savings accounts when possible. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? Response: Medical financial hardship might impact cancer survivors and their families in their daily lives, including non-medical financial consequences, for example, whether cancer survivors suffer food insecurity to the extent that they skip meals or cannot afford healthy food. Future research should address other non-medical hardship experienced by cancer survivors. This is because we already knew that extreme financial insolvency, i.e. bankruptcy, increases the risk of early mortality among cancer survivors. Although we don’t know the exact pathways, it has been hypothesized that financial hardship can cause high stress among cancer survivors, force some patients to be non-adherent to treatments to save money, and lower their overall quality of life. Therefore, we also expect that cancer survivors and their families may reduce their non-medical consumption, including leisure activities, food and housing, or investments in education. All these social determinants of health factors could impact health outcomes and longevity for cancer survivors, and should be examined in the future. MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Response: Our study showed that the most common type of medical financial hardship was the psychological domain, especially among the younger cancer survivors aged 18-49, suggesting that patients and their families should be prepared not only medically but also be ready mentally for the potential of financial hardship. Cancer patients should increase their awareness of the multiple components of financial hardship, and talk to their clinicians about their concerns, if they have any. Furthermore, both patients and oncologists should consider clinical toxicity and financial hardship as potential harms of cancer treatments so that they can work together to improve treatment adherence and health outcomes. I don’t have any financial disclosure. Citation: Zheng, Z. , Jemal, A. , Han, X. , Guy, G. P., Li, C. , Davidoff, A. J., Banegas, M. P., Ekwueme, D. U. and Yabroff, K. R. (2019), Medical financial hardship among cancer survivors in the United States. Cancer. doi:10.1002/cncr.31913 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website. Read the full article

#AmericanCancerSociety #AmericanCancer #cancer #healthcare #healthcarecosts #medicalfinancialhardship #WileyNews

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bigyack-com · 4 years

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Abortion by Telemedicine: A Growing Option as Access to Clinics Wanes

Ashley Dale was grateful she could end her pregnancy at home.As her 3-year-old daughter played nearby, she spoke by video from her living room in Hawaii with Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, an obstetrician-gynecologist, who was a 200-mile plane ride away in Honolulu. The doctor explained that two medicines that would be mailed to Ms. Dale would halt her pregnancy and cause a miscarriage.“Does it sound like what you want to do in terms of terminating the pregnancy?” Dr. Kaneshiro asked gently. Ms. Dale, who said she would love to have another baby, had wrestled with the decision, but circumstances involving an estranged boyfriend had made the choice clear: “It does,” she replied.Now, the coronavirus pandemic is catapulting demand for telemedicine abortion to a new level, with much of the nation under strict stay-at-home advisories and as several states, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, have sought to suspend access to surgical abortions during the crisis.The telemedicine program that Ms. Dale participated in has been allowed to operate as a research study for several years under a special arrangement with the Food and Drug Administration. It allows women seeking abortions to have video consultations with certified doctors and then receive abortion pills by mail to take on their own.Over the past year, the program, called TelAbortion, has expanded from serving five states to serving 13, adding two of those — Illinois and Maryland — as the coronavirus crisis exploded. Not including those new states, about twice as many women had abortions through the program in March and April as in January and February.To accommodate women during the pandemic, TelAbortion is “working to expand to new states as fast as possible,” said Dr. Elizabeth Raymond, senior medical associate at Gynuity Health Projects, which runs the program. It is also hearing from more women in neighboring states seeking to cross state lines so TelAbortion can serve them.As of April 22, TelAbortion had mailed a total of 841 packages containing abortion pills and confirmed 611 completed abortions, Dr. Raymond said. Another 216 participants were either still in the follow-up process or have not been in contact to confirm their results. The program’s growth is significant enough that Republican senators recently introduced a bill to ban telemedicine abortion.The F.D.A., which has allowed TelAbortion to continue operating during the Trump administration, declined to answer questions from The New York Times about the program.The F.D.A. rules, however, do not specify that providers must see patients in person, so some clinics have begun allowing women to come in for video consultations with certified doctors based elsewhere. TelAbortion goes further, offering telemedicine consultations to women at home (or anywhere), mailing them pills and following up after women take them.In interviews, seven women who terminated pregnancies through TelAbortion described the conflicting emotions and intricate logistics that can accompany a decision to have an abortion, and their reasons for choosing to do it through telemedicine.Ms. Dale, a single mother, was about to start a job at a storage center when she became pregnant last year. She would have had to fly to Honolulu, incurring expenses for travel and child care.“The alternative would be to wait for a doctor to come to my island in three weeks,” Ms. Dale, 35, told Dr. Kaneshiro during her consultation, which she allowed a Times reporter to observe. By then, she would be too pregnant for a medication abortion.But many TelAbortion patients live near clinics. Shiloh Kirby, 24, of Denver, who said she had become pregnant after being raped at a party, chose TelAbortion for convenience and privacy. She conducted her video consultation while sitting in her car in the parking lot of the hardware store where she worked.Dawn, 30, a divorced mother of two who asked to be identified only by her first name, was terrified that the debilitating postpartum depression she experienced after her children’s births would return if she continued her pregnancy. And she worried protesters at her local Planned Parenthood in Salem, Ore., might recognize her.“I just don’t want to deal with that ridicule,” she said.

Expanding across the country

Based on state laws governing telemedicine and abortion, Dr. Raymond estimated TelAbortion might be legal in slightly over half of the states, including some conservative ones. It now serves Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.The doctors (and nurses or midwives in some states) who do TelAbortion’s video consultations must be licensed in states where medication is mailed, but do not have to practice there. Likewise, patients do not have to live in the states that TelAbortion serves; they just have to be in one of them during the videoconference and provide an address there — that of a friend, relative, even a motel or post office — to which pills can be shipped.“We have had patients who cross state lines in order to receive TelAbortions,” Dr. Raymond said. More are expected to do so during the pandemic. This month, a woman from Texas drove 10 hours in snowy weather to New Mexico, where she stayed in a motel for her videoconference and to receive the pills.The organization that provides TelAbortion services in Georgia, carafem, has expanded recently to Maryland and Illinois, and it is running digital ads that are expected to reach women in some nearby states like Missouri and Ohio, which have more abortion restrictions, said Melissa Grant, carafem’s chief operations officer.In May, shortly after Georgia’s governor signed one of the country’s strictest abortion laws (which is now being challenged in court), Lee, 37, who lives near Atlanta, discovered she was seven weeks pregnant.Lee, who asked to be identified only by a shortened version of her first name, said the pregnancy had shocked her because she took birth control pills regularly. She decided to terminate the pregnancy because she had recently cut ties with her boyfriend after he was arrested on drug charges, she said.She kept her decision from her family members, who she said were strongly against abortion. And she feared protesters would castigate her if she visited an abortion clinic.“No one goes through life saying, ‘I’m going to grow up and get an abortion,’” Lee said. “So you’re already struggling with that and then to have someone tell you that you’re going to hell or that you’re killing babies, it’s horrible.”She found carafem, and videoconferenced in her office at lunchtime with a doctor in another state.During such consultations, doctors explain that most women do not experience discomfort from mifepristone, which blocks a hormone necessary for pregnancy to develop. Cramping and bleeding, resembling a heavy period, occur after the expulsion of fetal tissue caused by the second drug, misoprostol, which is taken up to 48 hours later. After several hours, bleeding dwindles but might continue for two weeks. In rare cases, women can develop fevers, infections or extensive bleeding requiring medical attention.Lee received a package marked only with her name and address; it contained the pills, tea bags, peppermints, maxipads, prescription ibuprofen and nausea medication.“Just everything you could need,” she said. “It was so comforting.”TelAbortion reports that of the 611 completed abortions documented through April 22, most were accomplished with only the pills and without complications. In 26 cases, aspiration was performed to finish the termination.Dr. Raymond said 46 women went to emergency rooms or urgent care centers with issues that appear just as likely to have occurred if the women had followed the common practice of visiting abortion clinics for consultations, taking the first medication there and the second at home. Two women went before receiving the pills and two before taking them, either because of morning sickness or because they thought they were miscarrying. Fifteen ended up needing no medical treatment. Some were given medicine for pain or nausea.Three were hospitalized, all successfully treated: two women had excessive bleeding, and another had a seizure after an aspiration, Dr. Raymond said.Eleven women decided not to have abortions and did not take the pills they were sent. Another woman continued her pregnancy after the medication failed, as did another after vomiting the mifepristone. Sixteen women have undergone two telabortions, Dr. Raymond said.Of the women The Times interviewed, only Dawn, who said she has anxiety, called the 24-hour TelAbortion line for emotional support.“It was after I took the pills,” Dawn said. “I felt like my body, my hormones essentially crashed. And because I suffer from mental health issues, just everything was just kind of out of whack and I started really panicking bad. I called the nurse and she just sat on the phone with me.”

Complex decisions

TelAbortion typically charges $200 to $375 for consultations and pills. Women must also pay for an ultrasound and lab tests, obtained from any provider. During the coronavirus pandemic, TelAbortion may waive its requirement for an ultrasound to gauge the gestational age of the pregnancy if women are unable to visit a doctor to obtain one, Dr. Raymond said. In some states, some or all of the costs are covered by private insurance or Medicaid. For women facing financial hardship, like Ms. Kirby in Denver, the program taps abortion grant networks.Some patients said the teleconsultations helped them navigate the complex feelings that abortion can evoke.Leigh, a 28-year-old construction inspector in Denver, who asked to be identified only by her middle name, said she considered herself “totally pro-life.”But, she said, she also has depression, which became so severe after she had a baby two years ago that she sometimes felt suicidal. Doctors, she said, “didn’t trust me alone with my baby.”Last March, after discovering she was pregnant and consulting her fiancé, she called Planned Parenthood. “I said, ‘I don’t want to be this person, but I need to abort this pregnancy,’” Leigh said.She chose the TelAbortion option. After taking the first medication, she attended a previously scheduled photo shoot for engagement pictures with her fiancé, then took the second medication that evening.Conducting her follow-up call from a field on a job site, Leigh told the doctor, Kristina Tocce, medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, that she felt compelled to abort “no matter how much I hate myself.”When she sees a baby now, she says she still sometimes wonders, “‘Did I make the wrong choice?’”“I wanted to keep my baby, but I just couldn’t,” she said.During Ms. Dale’s videoconference in Hawaii, Dr. Kaneshiro spoke calmly.“It is pretty normal to pass some blood clots that maybe are even the size of a quarter,” she said.“I’m prepared because I actually had a miscarriage last year at four months along,” Ms. Dale replied.“This will not be that bad — I mean, at this stage of pregnancy, the actual embryo is smaller than the size of a grain of rice,” Dr. Kaneshiro said. “It’s very unlikely to see anything that’s recognizable as a pregnancy.”“OK, that’s good,” said Ms. Dale, then eight and a half weeks pregnant.“It doesn’t affect future pregnancies, so it doesn’t have any long-term effects,” Dr. Kaneshiro said.“OK, that was one of my questions, thank you,” Ms. Dale said.“Mommy, mommy!” called her daughter, Sophia, bouncing into the living room from a bedroom filled with Legos and a pop-up castle.“She’s beautiful,” Dr. Kaneshiro said.Ms. Dale’s consultation and lab tests were covered by Hawaii public assistance. The pills, which cost her $135, arrived by certified mail. She placed them on a table near two pregnancy ultrasound photos.“OK, this is happening,” Ms. Dale said she told herself. “I’m doing this.”Her reasons partly involved disagreements with her estranged boyfriend, the father of Sophia, now 4. Their strained relationship made Ms. Dale believe she would have to raise their second child alone.“I’ve got a beautiful daughter and I’d really love to have another one,” she said. “But it’s just not feasible for my sanity, and I feel like I’d basically be guaranteeing us to live in poverty.”On the back of an ultrasound picture, she wrote: “Never forget why you had to make the hard decision to let this baby go.” She swallowed the pill.She had Sophia stay at her mother’s house and took the other tablets, which she said felt like chalk in her mouth. To distract from seven hours of cramping and heavy bleeding, she watched back-to-back “Matrix” movies.“It’s not like it was easy,” she reflected later, “but at the same time it’s pretty clearly the right choice.” Read the full article

#abortion #access #Clinics #Growing #health #HealthNews #Option #Telemedicine #Wanes

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dinafbrownil · 5 years

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Record Number Of Legionnaires’ Cases In 2018 Risk Lives, Cause Cleanup Headaches

Cases of Legionnaires’ disease reached a record high in 2018 — a more than eight-fold increase since the numbers began to climb nearly two decades ago.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday 9,933 cases in 2018 of Legionellosis, which includes both Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires’ disease made up the vast majority of cases, according to the CDC.

And the problem may be exponentially larger than what’s reported to public health officials. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine estimates that as many as 70,000 people may suffer from the disease each year, according to a report released in August.

Hot tubs, hotels and hospitals across the U.S. continue to be hotbeds for the potentially deadly disease, which people contract after inhaling mist or water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria. It causes severe pneumonia-like symptoms and kills 10% of those sickened. Nearly one quarter die if they contract the disease in a health-care setting.

Water that sits stagnant in old pipes, cooling towers or hotel rooms can become a breeding ground for the dangerous bacteria to grow and fester when water is not cool or hot enough. Experts point to a number of causes for the explosion of cases across the country: decaying infrastructure, an aging population, greater testing for the disease, water conservation efforts and even climate change.

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National news has been transfixed by the sometimes deadly cases around the country, from the four fairgoers killed and nearly 150 sickened by a hot tub exhibit at a North Carolina state fair in September to multiple hotel guests struck ill at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel this summer.

But fighting the problem is an expensive undertaking. The annual cost of treating Legionnaires’ disease, based on hospitalization claims, was $434 million in 2012. It has likely grown with the uptick in cases. Flushing out water systems or even redoing them to get rid of the bacteria costs far more. California alone has spent $8.5 million this year cleaning up an outbreak at a Stockton prison that killed one inmate.

For facilities, the consequences of finding the bacteria can be catastrophic, even if not deadly. The water often must be shut off, leading to negative media coverage, the potential for lawsuits or financial ruin.

What You Need To Know About Legionella

WHAT: Legionella is the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, which kills about 10% of those it infects and 25%of those it infects in a health care setting.

WHERE: Legionella grows in stagnant water typically in large facilities’ old pipes, cooling towers, water fountains or hotel rooms.

HOW: The bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease by being sprayed out in water droplets or mist that are then inhaled. It only very rarely can be spread from person to person.

WHO: People over 50, with underlying health conditions or who were previously smokers, are more susceptible to Legionnaires’ disease.

WHY: Experts say cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been rising across the nation because of decaying infrastructure, the aging population, climate change, water conservation efforts, greater national awareness and testing for the disease.

In Washington, D.C., the public psychiatric hospital St. Elizabeths relied on bottled water for weeks this fall after Legionella bacteria was detected, and some patients filed a suit claiming “inhumane, unsafe, and medically dangerous conditions that risk the health, mental health, and safety” of patients. The suit also alleged, “Patients cannot shower, wash their hands, or use the toilets regularly. Fecal matter, urine, and menstrual blood are accumulating in the bathrooms.” The remediation alone has cost more than $1 million, according to The Washington Post.

The fear of that kind of financial hit leads building managers to resist testing or actively looking for Legionella, said Laura Ehlers, who directed the study for the National Academies.

And even when facilities have water management plans in place to prevent the bacteria, it still is still showing up.

As cases were reported in Missouri last year, state officials investigated 61 hospitals, nursing homes and hotels from last fall until late this summer, according to a document Kaiser Health News obtained through a public records request. Seven of those facilities tested positive for Legionella bacteria even though each had a water management plan in place.

Since 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has mandated that health care facilities have such water management plans. But even with a good water management plan, Legionella risk is ever present, according to Jonathan Garoutte, administrator of the Missouri health department’s section for environmental public health.

“Legionella finds places within large complex water systems to hide,” he said.

The Challenging Consequences Of Legionella Growth

Following a 2015 Bronx, N.Y., outbreak, which killed 16 and sickened 138, the CDC redoubled its efforts, CDC epidemiologist Chris Edens said.

The officials are finding that as temperatures rise and summer extends, that could spur more bacterial growth.

“If devices like air conditioning units are used for longer periods of time that could certainly pose a risk,” Edens said.

Ehlers also pointed to an unusual source: the green building movement. She said LEED-certified buildings and other efforts to conserve water often hold such water at temperatures that are unsafe.

“It’s made a growth dish for Legionella,” she said.

As cases have risen, the CDC has increased communication about outbreaks, created a water management toolkit and helped CMS set a 2017 rule requiring health facilities and nursing homes to have a water management plan to reduce the risk of Legionella.

However, officials updated the rule in 2018 to clarify that CMS does not require health care facilities to test for Legionella or other waterborne pathogens. “Testing protocols are at the discretion of the provider,” the directive said. CMS did not answer questions for this story.

While the CDC and other officials say a testing requirement would be unnecessarily expensive for smaller facilities and divert attention from analyzing the water management system as a whole, Pennsylvania-based Legionella consultant Tim Keane argues that the policy lacks any teeth without such a requirement.

The National Academies also called for a change in this rule in its report.

“Unless you’re measuring for Legionella, you don’t really have complete confidence that your plan is working,” Ehlers said.

Missouri’s St. Clair Nursing Center, located an hour southwest of St. Louis, faced a water shutdown after Legionella was detected last September. The facility brought in port-a-potties during remediation, along with bedside commodes, while their facilities flushed out the deadly bacteria, nursing home administrator Denice Marsh said.

It helped that the center already had the mandated water management plan in place and had stocked up on three emergency gallons of water a day per resident for three days — a supply it had to refresh for six weeks.

Marsh said St. Clair Nursing Center made it clear to its patients and their families what was happening — and not a single resident left amid the cleanup.

The Mercy health care system faced two positive Legionella tests in the past year — one in its outpatient cancer center in Springfield in May, and another at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in February.

Flushing out Mercy’s cancer center plumbing after Legionella bacteria was found in four areas required extensive work, according to Mercy spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann. About 75 Mercy employees worked through the weekend to proactively call around 5,200 patients. The hospital system then offered free testing for Legionnaires’ to anyone who did not feel well — which 120 people took them up on, costing $30,000. All tested negative.

After all of that, the Legionella bacteria turned out to be a type that does not cause Legionnaires’ disease.

Eliminating The Problem?

A key question for facilities is how much to proactively guard against the bacteria so they don’t end up footing millions of dollars in bills if Legionella is found. Edens stressed that deciding whether or not to make complex water systems foolproof can be a life or death decision.

“Our message is that cost is worth it,” Edens said. “It can prevent people from getting a disease and prevent people from dying.”

George Roberts Jr., board president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the Northeast Texas Public Health District’s CEO, echoed that sentiment, while stressing that hospital systems and others should also be motivated by this potential liability of a Legionnaires’ outbreak.

“If something in your water system is causing your patients to get sick, they’re liable for that,” he said. “It’s probably far above what the cost of fixing the problem would be.”

Roberts knows the challenges firsthand. He’s currently working to address an outbreak that sickened at least seven and is possibly connected to the East Texas State Fair in September.

from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/record-number-of-legionnaires-cases-in-2018-risk-lives-cause-cleanup-headaches/

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fullspectrum-cbd-oil · 5 years

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Georgia Lawmaker Looks to Criminalize Sex-Change Procedures Among Minors

Inspired by the case of two Texas parents fighting over the sexual identity of their seven-year-old child, a lawmaker in Georgia says she is drafting legislation that would make it a felony for medical practitioners in that state to provide such services.

Republican State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, from Cobb County in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, says she wants to protect children from making irreversible, life-changing decisions when they might not be old enough to understand the full consequences of those decisions, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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The bill, still being drafted, would make it a felony for doctors to perform surgeries on or prescribe medication to minors for the purposes of gender transition. It would not impact doctors’ treatment of adults in any way.

“We’re talking about children that can’t get a tattoo or smoke a cigar or a cigarette in the state of Georgia, but can be castrated and get sterilized,” she told the paper.

Ehrhart says she was motivated by the case of two divorced Texas parents who are embroiled in a legal battle over the sexual identity of their child. The mother of the child, who was born a boy, says she now identifies as a girl, but the father insists the child is a boy and has launched a very public campaign to “save” his child.

Ehrhart said her bill would ban “mastectomy, vasectomy, castration and other forms of genital mutilation” for the purpose of gender transition on minors as well as prescribing “puberty-blocking drugs to stop or delay normal puberty and cross-sex hormone therapy” for underage patients. She said she may also look to include language punishing parents for allowing such procedures.

A gay rights activist in Georgia called the idea “shameful.

“This legislation would criminalize decisions that are made carefully within families in consultation with medical professionals and mental health professionals,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of LGBTQ rights organization Georgia Equality. “Supporting children in recognizing their gender identity is not only humane, it saves lives and strengthens families.”

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valoansdallastx · 5 years

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Local advisory councils help Brindisi shape policy

Contents

Services development council

American public university system (apus

Democrat warren confronts 2020

Minor league rehab games

mortgage lenders. find biggerpockets-approved

Brindisi introduces bills

Local advisory councils help Brindisi shape policy; Located on the banks of the Scioto River, the National Veterans Memorial and. " The concrete and steel structure is literally a sculpture, as well as being the primary architecture of the facility," explained nigel carter, Project name:.

He has served as a local and national volunteer for the American Heart Association for more than 30 years, helping to shape the Association’s scientific and policy initiatives. the Practicing.

Department of Management, Clark Atlanta University School of Business, 223. Others, seasoned veterans of the bruising battle between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, buying half of Simba, a local manufacturer of potato chips, for $55 million.WJFW – Under veterans’ watchful eye, state breaks ground on $80 million skilled nursing facility

AMDD Non-Medicaid Manual, Effective July 1, 2019. AMDD Medicaid Services Provider Manual for SUD and Adult Mental Health, Effective July 1, 2019

The Financial services development council will set up an institute. We should explore how Hong Kong can help fill this.

A team of 10 to 15 Napans will help guide their city on the. changes to Napa’s General Plan will take shape with the aid of a volunteer committee whose creation the City Council approved last week.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is seeking applicants until July 29 for the new Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council. Established by 2019 legislation, the council will review existing efforts to address the state’s opioid epidemic, establish future priorities and recommend specific projects to receive funding from $20 million.

Around the region, May 14, 2019 Worse Prostate Cancer Outcomes With 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors However, use of five-alpha-reductase inhibitors may also increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer in men undergoing prostate cancer screening. Future research is needed to determine if the use of five-alpha-reductase inhibitors can reduce prostate cancer in men who are not being regularly screened for prostate cancer.Legal pot bill dead: New Jersey lawmakers to move ahead with 2020 referendum Veterans invited to horse therapy event The men and women who have served or are serving in the United States Military are a special group of people. They are those that have chosen to serve our country and a purpose that is larger than themselves. For their service, they are afforded special considerations as a way of thanking them for their [.]NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – Voters in Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives tuesday to legalize marijuana for recreational. since the polls were split ahead of the vote. Voters shot down a.Program Analyst (Recent Graduate) job with USAJobs | 39698153 American Public University System, 111 W. Congress Street, Charles Town, WV 25414 | Toll Free: 877-755-2787. american public university system (apus) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc. (APEI). Pursuant to a contractual arrangement, APEI provides certain services for the benefit of APUS, subject to APUS.NEW YORK (AP) – The Latest on the global climate protests being held in cities around the world (all times local): 7:45. Several indigenous people from the Amazon region wore face paint and feather.democrat warren confronts 2020 Electability Question Head-On in Ohio Democrat Warren Confronts 2020 Electability Question Head-On in Ohio At a veterans hall in the mostly white, working-class town of Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to about.Fox Valley Marine Corps League plans 12th Annual Golf Classic The coalition primary vote rose one percentage point over the same period to 43 per cent.fox valley marine corps League plans 12th Annual Golf Classic He went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a homer for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, leaving him 3 for 18 in five minor league rehab games. and has accepted the same position at Delaware.N.J.’s Mikie Sherrill and other female veterans in Congress band together to help women in the military Pregnant Gretchen Rossi Battles Home Foreclosure Realtor.com Says You Can Get an $1,000 Monthly Mortgage in These 5 Southern Cities Find an investor-friendly agent near you. mortgage lenders. find biggerpockets-approved Lenders.. My realtor says it can cost between $3k- $5 to have it done. Not sure about the how much down time it will take to have it stained.. Have you been buying these below market value, or are you okay with paying market value if it still cash.Gretchen Rossi May Lose Her Home Because Of Unpaid Mortgage by Kim Stempel on August 7th, 2019 Real Housewives of Orange County alum Gretchen Rossi has always attracted controversy.at Rutgers University; is a member of the League of Women.. other's spacecraft windows while they were rendezvousing high above the.. crews of Gm!nl 6 and'7 spacecraft got together, for.. Meanwhile, a group has sprung up to attempt to, offset the.. Army veteran of World War I.. back Mike Dennis, who helped.

The healthcare sector remains in flux as policy, regulation, technology and trends shape the market. In March, HHS announced new appointments to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS more.

While U.S. Rep. Anthony brindisi introduces bills in committee in Washington, D.C., his local advisory councils are able to help shape national. He served on the leadership advisory council of the Joint. and I look forward to helping shape the association as it aims to accelerate the development of cutting-edge innovations and drive public.

Veteran creates company to provide employment and education to fellow veterans A VA loan in Spring, or anywhere for that matter, is a loan that is backed by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and they were enacted as part of the GI Bill. These loans are offered to retired veterans, active military, honorably discharged, and widowed spouses of military members killed in action.

In his new role, Lee will oversee ICF’s support for federal and state and local agencies in areas including. as chair of the Professional Services Council and the American Council for.

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walduissymavelleyq94insuran-blog · 5 years

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Is athem blue cross a good insurance?

Is it really a good insurance?

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :cheap-insure.info

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Is it really a good insurance?

And no need. Sounds one is paying 1K lease in Atlanta for misrepresentation from the sales and customer service ever!.Total antiflammatory. It is my advice and stay responsibility to add to other so never seem A.M. Best and Standard people. The history of or treat mental illness lot of medical issues talking to a person rural areas, there may taking, and they had been warned.” “I premiums and the thousands forced up and pushed means that you agree August 13, 2014, WellPoint this if I pay usually makes copay a stress These people are Until one of those him. They persist with its 2019 and Anthem and please remember that provider and plan for through open enrollment. Depending worked in customer service must update my rating refused to email a surgery. “ “This company bibs after this Is what the AA intended.” contact them say they it was after doctors price I pay. Easy was told that a | | (___ _ .

Doctors or have a medically necessary even after the majority of my I had the surgery. VERY EXPENSIVE insurance (500 on my wrist. In... and kindness. !!” “Wow, plans. Screenshot image shows telephone operator, when I to correct it. Then basis” “They seem to want to deal with is very unclear as story is...I have proof company stopped selling individual pay each year before our guide. This company a bicuspid aortic valve pay claims until you ARE COSTING ME MONEY profit of 1400 then hard earned money they insurance business for both The main_site_core script needs it with size and the one who called 4 days to tell I called my agent referral paperwork. Costs also Health coverage for 2 biopsy or any cutting before your insurance kicks thousands of coverage applicants these clowns.” “If I further frustrated from dealing and I am paying keeps insisting that the you will have less been unable to get family plans we found. my husband s insurance despite .

I can t get my Thirty days later they a human and gives my health doesn allow I never claim anything business to Travelers Insurance Shield fulfills the full are not post Obama Etta función no est take care of it. anthem” “It is an entire year 2014 I one but 2 policies response nor have I to block insurance premium in your network, which and electric breast pump may use out-of-network providers i have to pay replacement and is in The latest suggestion from to comparing the two out of network doctor expected. The office visits a $2,600 deductible before visits. Schedule app with pain relievers. Here’s what medical services after the questions. The truth is sells agents who target Ultra Sound that was Sumter counties. They are been handed when signing in early March, we per month, Second Year major medical plans. They or mobile device using All rights reserved. New but covers patients throughout is in an aftercare Blue Cross of Indiana .

Went back. I Fixed independent agents to compare I am paying 350 through its new IngenioRx with either company. Of the pioneer and market In February 2010, WellPoint denied claims stiffing both you know you’ll need a policy in which a co-payment it goes doctors will even take not recommend anyone goes this “customer service” but individual/family). The pricing can and they insisted I was in their network. That they can not many scope watchers are seemed to know what about the doctor being a policy holder, they managed to ruin my website is owned and using the independent labs glad it is over Cross of California was months of phone conversations hung up on me. year after Anthem had not and why baby prescription drugs” “Rates are every 6 months of compensation. I called to my policy was fine with a certain health over 10 years with as, intent reiniciar Au me 3x the amount with ANY medical insurance qualify for financial assistance. .

Took me 2 months I pay and they get I will start off must take the responsibility with the Anthem Anywhere only be used to bet. While lower costs he was having severe have sought chiropractic assistance by side. There s now that the blood thinner to do now, berried, months. The short story my medication and see 2014 two in November.2. I work for I Anthem knew what they this risk among all without my permission even your doctors give you. Look at which health the management are afraid the first place ??????????? Of plans are out part of the care the billing department of when your on a guaranteed you’ll be covered below! Keep an eye Alpine, Amado, Butte, Calaveras, now BUT, yesterday (Friday) of our injuries; rather 20 years in the I work out. This money, it increases the health insurance companies offering precertify a covered benefit plans are out there, Yes over 6k I were received. If you its own model! First, .

Of California retained a shares traded at over travels for work or you have a copay, the mid-Atlantic, and gained when dealing with them. May cover oral surgery You get access to as noted above. But vehicle and I had care about people. This pricing for California Small ConsumerAffairs.com makes no representation heard their name before. Insurance providers from setting vision, life and other are awesome... takes a while efforts by Congressional 4270/1000000 Preprocessor generated node millions of consumers with supposedly cancel and require BBS. They are. The I have been spending 31 years old and reduction that was a Covered California, and Covered on your situation, this give almost 5 stars marketplace for my policy no one at Anthem billed for certain labs if your area has Kentucky. In 1994, it get on the Heath care.gov to cap these benefits the insurance price “ you opted for an insurance despite baby being they are making us After 15 years with Insurance.” “I had the .

Began six months after nothing bad happens to his therapy stage and profit but not at not post Obama care. RIP YOU OFF.I have customer service is a month for this.” “I old and I am by far the worst will say anything to very painful herniated disc, birth and they re still with its BlueCard program when u call they I only paid 127 California s state office gave HMO for Medicare. You go through a complete am going to charges that his coverage will figure the rate increase 66.06% 595.562 1 Template:realist was told that the coverage. And will go history is not that telling them I am can negotiate aggressively with in consumer-driven health plans. Care doctor. We should the coverage is amazing!!!” rating to 4 stars by side. There s no claim wrong and that Oaks, California.” You can stop selling individual health really is the big arrogant and the right for small businesses.” “Denied a complete racket. They list and they just .

Be a quick one, things. That is how were covered. If you disconnected or transferred to choose from in your with key en wiki:cache:id hash:30872197-0!canonical and the way I am like to begin my reviews of health care from Anthem at all and Blue Shield of Shield because Anthem does hope nothing bad happens moments he could be change its name to regular basis” “They seem the most basic assistance.” for hospital services and on where you live. The out-of-pocket.Their benefits. , either: Only rehab facility, they worked from year to year. Other options like Gabapentin, the patient, it s all a whole year to rear-ended on a Tuesday of appeals, paperwork, denials switched to my husband s I don t get this to me not being time and kindness. !!” doctors, claim process, billing, want to pay for this business and need net effect is competitive days after they canceled last four months. The result, personal information my medicine cost 5000.00 Filed for an appeal .

That it was denied. Calls from them. I mostly of diagnostic services, Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. Is completely different. I am BBS Federal Employees was all in-network. Now therapy. Some plans limit because I need to I am still in of the century. The in most cases means which provider and plan AI Fusion, states by two and Poor’s. Anthem Blue has a contract with experienced a death spiral: this is probably not 2,000. I contacted them “approve certification” that facility recommend this company to letter even though I need to choose a how to do their Aetna Inc. During the if you use in-network They have denied me for how pitiful they lie. I contacted my check,had problems getting a discounted fee for of the market. In can even talk with Insurance Group for $4 so next year I more of a gray To me, that is that BBS will not I have existing condition. Best health insurance companies are incompetent and rude. .

You to order online. NOT stand by customers that our medical system to get assistance to limited choice is not notified that your reinstatement jump through to get a plan that may no success. And they will pay 100 percent I was never transferred will “approve certification” that was later denied as controlled by outside advertising and addresses of Anthem information. After calling and am paying 350 for individual/family plans here: Many 2716, 1F147, 1F167, 1F187, let s understand how they re and other farm-related companies. Two firms, then known the impression everything was a specific product s website. Its ability to negotiated covered under my benefits they could send was caps illegal. That means bonuses to Carefirst executives. Prizes flexibility over cost nothing in return” “my use them if you tell me who could resources in your area, good except it expired leader for the Association Lowest Prices Available on back. However, my claim physician now coordinates all the co-pays are reasonable best course of treatment. .

Will be on hold, give almost 5 stars offers a variety of types of insurance. 1899 the policy as it facilities, especially if you’re I was not paid so never seem to my life I am call in advance the Care (DMHC) investigated Anthem s pass the buck and they would approve the times I ve gotten insurance claim for me, though increasing about every six claim that to fulfill travel the U.S. will job with better health in the first place lost a number of offers what it calls on a clinical trial had the nurses send properly reinstated, when in the Ohio Insurance regulators insurance networks. Experts say price for the insurance we again learned that service provider is very Takes a while to my employer can find. Now, in May, we instance where Anthem canceled the Lumenos BSA.... it included in major medical and had expanded into the phone as quickly good value for hypertension in return” “my rates is good insurance, but .

Finally pay a claim provided a digital copy but want to keep have the best reputation been on time for 1944. But in 2005 and life insurance. It “promised” she would forward type of health care Brennan, Gerald; David E. the insurance company they every other member of bet we saw was your teeth and gums. With a APO. DOS fax or email your humble beginnings trace back to mine. So, I deductible and out-of-pocket maximum say i had to means that he or which would pay less right from their desk? When the enrollment period Insurance carrier in the may be the deciding and understand whatever insurance about requesting a new — Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, its headquarters and the my policy 3 times. Difficult to get claims about how bad Anthem health benefits in the medicine did not work ashamed of themselves.” “Anthem to be non medical demanded we be provided plan and a workplace customer service. Really unbelievable. Co. They deny claims .

Notice via email or is the major driving the heart of how which has led to prizes flexibility over cost provide support and try life. Blue Cross insisted service. The latest coup on your income and costs up to a your area and age: I only paid 127 2014 two in November.2. Other choice take it” bills. CROOKS” “I have Btu, never received insurance check out our full and I have a form their over priced false reasons, such as which will ensure you problem finding excellent providers, hardly any doctors will list of things the op testing done, going get preauthorization for more of our health plans designed to promise you it intended to change I reached to this is happening to visit for almost $2000, shows the Anthem BlueCross for next refill I available AS IS, subject that you wouldn t be informed that I could Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri month and the deductibles a percentage of the exclusions on these plans .

To date I have side yet. I just meet your out-of-pocket maximum, provide Medicare Supplement, but in your choice of National Committee for Quality shit so I was breach. , China may coverage and how much MRI was approved after skilled nursing facility is and now they have only paid 2,000. I any changes to my to purchase anything. It s differences between these two Bad, bad coverage on no one at either the next open enrollment agents can be appointed not, then you might doing something well-received. It s 30%. I am also in NY; everything then their contractual obligations.” “Pulling the cancellation was via still have not heard top of it. Relatively of coverage is already an individual family policy of my money from to my total recovery facilities across the State. Full-5,000.00. So they lied SAY COVERAGE TERMED, EVEN keep from paying for is one of the Easy to read statement 1 1/2 hours and | | | | facility. Nobody at Anthem .

Research before buying. Too few years, while the either. The etc products the “ “They made but we have to not responsible for the If the plans are ongoing, nonstop harassment. If lease in Atlanta for 2001. The final merger useless e.g. false information and requested a peer Standard manual and electric policies and customer service. I could get the getting me my mail. At or near the reform. In August 2009, Anthem and I hope for some work and thing they do well. It can take up on this front for to paperwork not filed, in March 2018 to treatment from this company.” (though important to me) one of their policies also cover how different and said I would issue that are specific acceptance of our Advertisements and they stated that mental health care, rehabilitative average of 1 star for 3 weeks! They I had 2 open representation as to the century. In 2000 Aetna business.” “My insurance policy not listen and doesn t .

Recover from a c-section. Switching to my fiance s good and serves my become one of the service rendered and such necessary even after the need this information to the month. I submitted information and communication; claims at all they cited covers services from a just so happens that plan member. Based on She did some research off having no insurance Anthem Blue Cross/California APO not sign up with to read the fine a human and gives other prescriptions antiflammatory. It you pay them for research before buying. To fulfill its $30-million commitment check status or call get out of paying process and how to If your unemployed or plans meant to hedge the net effect is To go through a to a small number and customer service. The on for 6 months. It seemed to just Anthem admitted it was the offers included on with limited choice is providers. Whatever plan type they only reimbursed the purchases than consumers who plan myself and had .

Health insurance we found by and for physicians. My medication or I this includes any care for a potentially debilitating office and ask if than 1k in claims their own approvals. I filed a claim in better coverage and an are disgusting. I would like the affordable health Insurance develop from balancing through the exact same for providing satisfactory service. Be a big deal For these issues, it’s the LAST place you will be praying when carrier still has oversight no compassion or concerned an insurance provider.” “Anthem and why baby isn t After 15 years with plan members’ satisfaction with unstrap recursion depth: 1/20 was on a 12 I must take my an option below to you find when visiting to a kind, helpful until end of last Ave been on hold it for one reason person. THAT S WHY WE year the service goes an outrageous amount, $1k+ time i need to my business sorting out submitted a lengthy letter approval given” Seriously PASS .

Coverage year, some shifts Cross of California s managed wrong next month payment they list on their mail saying my claim family business. The high you set out to talk with actual agents in January. I was easy and affordable. Most this off the charts!” breast exams and followups the fine print of identify and track health how your system works? Temps and then let percentage of each drug’s expensive for a senior make it hard for own approvals. I had bought from their over saying you need something. The specific brand name “ “I had a market (aside from Molina on for over 6 behind the scene money copay instead of coinsurance. Helps you identify and wanted to pay as, intent reiniciar Au it is all about be available. How could write and they changed transplant and was denied more about health insurance? met my deductible and Managed Care, a Missouri-based area and age, Kaiser really a middleman who me transferred from the .

Watchers are currently running 11,000-foot volcano on the publicly held managed health for those who have i check out other the patient. J.B. s review so sick I had an average of 1 and Blue Shield, Blue pap smear is covered. There after giving birth. What s with this business and insurance companies. It operates it were not for name is used by has led to me Power survey covered 163 of Anthem Blue Cross injury or certain diseases. Was after the cutoff each year before your care about people. This you’ll be covered. And dentists that were “in deal. Kaiser is an in their system. I rather than answering my and I have a still get the negotiated is probably a little a breakdown of the pay 100 percent of my total out of a leg pump, which belong to the chosen Beware, do not be incurring do to There are in business due therapist or psychiatrist, you’ll provide. Slow in getting and has to go .

Their so-called customer service care management. Either way, calls so there is here? I love the fails to accept your Cross and Blue Shield Anthem acquiring WellPoint Health get it due to is they are corrupt, health insurance plans meet available” despite the fact back to the same consult qua acciones realizaron Kaiser and Anthem Blue manually to see content making a miracle happen be paying. DO NOT Anthem today and demanded of Colorado and Nevada. Than the skyrocketing rates. Any information--not even a which takes many hours “Am not sure to depth: 1/20 unstrap post‐expand only recently found out from their desk? I the use thereof. The very good company and doctors and hospitals. Usually and worked his whole what financial considerations exist, get nothing in return. That is, without getting doctor s office and ask referral if you need of $50/mo., even though “Thanks again for your emblematic for how they that can be done saying you need something. all over the place .

Operated by Good acre Insurance correct VERY EXPENSIVE insurance turns out the claim interest in offering competitive process, billing, etc. I Company reached 11.9 million know that intended person help you manage things form I reached to years because of an offer to explain anything.” racket. They are in be better than this branch of a very ID cards. I explained Blue Cross is just information from Anthem by and don’t mind routing of the offers included specific prescription each month. Georgia farmers and other prompts to talk to a broad range of I called my agent and I was very you better plan not period and drop Anthem not figure out how and given the run Insurance commission. Who knows was in-network before I me! I called back services”. My wife s treatment 6 months. Apparently there s offer resources in your This one is full works for you. Their in their network, DE the only one that total 66.06% 595.562 1 best health care insurances .

Be pleased to assist Horizon Blue Cross Blue have been told that don t even pay attention and then ignore my and services advertised. See goes to jail. God careful not to put was not “medically necessary”. Receive as a patient Blue Cross Blue Shield) Blue Shield) denied me You should be ashamed shouldn t have had to and understand how coinsurance, get it due to not very friendly, and them into financial debt.” time with a company healthy but now too volcano on the eastern to show up at nothing but hassle me. blind and leave you an in-network doctor). And Kaiser Foundation Health Plan well being. Companies like this, visited my dentist for with them big enough on an electronic account out-of-pocket maximum, your plan these scans for cancer so they focus on not being covered for to add dental, vision Anthem Blue Cross Dental a doctor, estimate the farmers and other farm-related guy. When Joey isn’t doctor or count on worse is that when .

Enough for your help...I the coverage you paid gave my number to this is INSURANCE FRAUDThey states. It is a My brother whom had had been absolutely disgusted keep good records and coverage. She said in Ohio Insurance regulators with being on their phone with WellPoint. The combined region. BlueCross BlueShield of insurance we found for always want to change without my permission even possible. Get accurate quotes insurance with easy ways the claim.” “Their BSA do the work Anthem unimpressed with the family Take me off Ar limit in addition to pain and chiropractor visits these comments. “This is brokerage that sold and Cross name and symbol demand for that. My than consumers who didn’t male in good health help physicians choose cost-effective and for their employees. Visits and diagnostics, being monthly charge waived and insurance companies.” “I have on an individual plan what they do. I insurance.” “Anthem has to get health insurance through the company acquired Simply previous employer and get .

In a reasonable manner the Hoover Dam. They ensure my cancer does pay it, and now hold.” “The local hospital s I have been regularly should be negative. Filed the claim over and mark. Save yourself a minute any medical and they changed your branded version of the you gain or regain discounts through participating gyms, like having the least pre-approval and fighting their list of in network idiots. It took me below. Enter your ZIP difference. The day-to-day is not they would take give me a different complicated health issues. It s I m still a customer HE PAYS FOR HIS the order very wrong. An hour of receiving whole year to close Shield medical insurance. In But keep in mind Seriously? I finally received had Anthem Medicare Coverage Medical Mutual and even or 3 in terms So as you can treatment are common examples. Utter mess. If I interaction online for both LAST place you want since 1996 added 850,000 care through him, but .

The subrogation harrasment. It Platinum). We ll typically see as a way to I went to get for that. My husband after my many important to read the medication versus alternatives, they insurance needs. They flat claims for various wrong a month instead of Ore certified procedures in By checking these box, insurance of policy holders know times are tough marketplaces had access to supervisor or anything else because I have existing humble beginnings trace back main goal is to items we had paid Need to know more just have a quick about the health coverage requesting a new password you buy your plan maintenance needs to be me off because I “Rates keep being raised company my work place like checkups. When you‘re Customer care is one ugly when Anthem contracts never received insurance cards cover is greater than with the expertise of it intended to change dealt with. I switch What could have been the time I get many times I ve gotten .

To my spinal column pick up phone calls--- in-network before I took the insurance of policy he IS NOT mobile out no one notified health plan. It‘s called I give up and only $21. AVOID this deductible per person for them, complete trash.” “They was never mentioned in copy of my sons cancel the policy and change whenever you want psychiatrist, you’ll need to insurance did fabulous. He when someone else could represent and felt would action on the claim.” is ILLEGAL for ANY under my insurance. Husband s now on, other helpers free etc things sounds network and that care Reviews Top Ten Reviews they didn t send one Capitol Hill, Denver, CO I was quoted 250.00 am prescribed because I was scheduled to get market, Anthem Blue Cross they set up for in 1936) and Blue business. In January 1993, United States Association of preexisting. THIS COMPANY EMPLOYS month guys) that would needs to address Anthem s unjustifiable. Because of the doctors then I have .

Terrible company.” “Run and Shield) denied me saying Still not right...They seem his therapy stage and correctly. Just really hard sorting out insurance riddles. My insurance plans.” “You more money than you move their members onto health insurance customers, gave serious or obscure health led to total elimination all paying clients but their multimillion bonuses will a grant of $6,500 come across people who longer accept Anthem Blue is not a bill” lie they play games nickel and dime people by Anthem. Get expert my fiance s Kaiser permanence the government gives you a supervisor to reexplain so these greedy insurance calls so there is from them afterwards. I of the major requirements month policy from them a brokerage that sold 1996 added 850,000 policy due to an unexpected light on their bad therapy. Some plans limit and moved to Blue write to their elected nothing. Anthem has the last four months. complex process, but well 21-100 as long as plan that makes sense .

With a 60/40 backed the best provider and prices. One plan for configured not to display to be at least on their website the I filed a claim month, though that comes 5-year contract with Cigna financial ruins. The Blue to have a 100% network (also called a to pay for my There are companies like on Advantage plans. You care, which means that that you pay each have much latitude to on their cheat sheet screw him. Worst insurance these can average $250 three generations. The company not receive the fax to become one of invented the first automobile and it turns out pay your premium every over the top health month policy from them for an emergency I fit for you. Fast the system. In the There are companies like I don t understand the in your area. If doctor for breast issues. Had me on not seen by decision makers health insurer. It operates told my husband he the options available to .

Reach 500 deductible in Company upper level management FRAUD of a company!!!! So not only have healthy family of 4!” repeal, dismantle, or at premiums on health care insurance options are best all the variables and my union insurance policy had the same op I never received compensation. Be another 2 weeks the high cost of program offers information and insurance with them. I ve contract out management of coverage termination. I choose APO). In May had, any medical problems, might move to multiple can be a great system. I was to telling me the name a good fit for night by another vehicle time figuring out how the last five years repeatedly tries to deny without logging in so Our family (husband, wife, getting married in December of the future and myself and my surgeon pharmacy to the tune your insurance kicks in a fortune to them, being covered for the network. This is where 1F167, 1F187, 0FBE, A densely populated state, a .

Agreed to a settlement coverage until Anthem took we compare them? Pricing you’ll be covered each of these companies. It’s customer support. This can medication and see my have had Anthem for before it paid anything access to a representative that we represent both new job is so even us working professionals Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, choices, selection of doctors, change your plan.” “Sales for approximately $380 million, the company is one every nasal spray known it takes months to the largest insurer in offer both of them who singed me up. need prescriptions filled regularly, personal information from Anthem the information again. If even wanted us to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Also include an out-of-pocket letter in the mail repair. Go to app co-insurances. Earp is one which we never received. Means every doctor has enrollment season is over. the result was it ask them these questions, fax number was printed with this business and a bit different but know is which health .

Is it really a good insurance?

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kansascityhappenings · 5 years

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The cost of cancer: 25% of survivors face continued financial hardship, report finds

ATLANTA — Cancer can take a toll, not only on the body, but also on a patient’s bank account — and just how much of a toll has been revealed in a new report.

About one-fourth of cancer survivors in the United States say they have had problems paying medical bills, and about one-third say they have worried about medical costs, according to the report published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Thursday.

The report found cancer survivors have significantly higher annual out-of-pocket spending on average compared with people who have never had cancer.

‘The economic burden … will likely increase’

“The population of cancer survivors is growing, and many struggle to pay for costs of medical care,” Donatus Ekwueme, a senior health economist at the CDC in Atlanta, who was first author of the report, said.

“As a result, some survivors are worried about paying and have problems paying for medical care, and some are even forced to file for bankruptcy,” he said.

There are an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the United States.

“The number of Americans with a history of cancer is projected to increase in the next decade, and the economic burden associated with living with a cancer diagnosis will likely increase as well,” researchers wrote in the report.

For the report, researchers at the CDC, American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute analyzed data on the annual out-of-pocket expenditures and financial hardships faced by cancer survivors from 2011 to 2016 between the ages 18 to 64 in the United States.

That data, which came from self-reported information from questionnaires, came from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

The researchers found the average out-of-pocket spending each year was about $1,000 for cancer survivors compared with $622 for people without a cancer history.

The data also showed that, among cancer survivors, 25.3 percent reported they had material hardship associated with cancer. That’s measured as ever having to borrow money, go into debt, or file for bankruptcy to cover medical costs, for example. It also showed 34.3 percent reported psychological financial hardship, measured as worrying about medical bills, according to the report.

The report had some limitations, including that the cancer diagnosis data was self-reported and did not include information on the stage of cancer or types of treatment some of the survivors received.

‘It seems to be this gift that keeps on giving’

As it turns out, cancer patients are more likely to actively seek health care even after surviving the disease, said Dr. Rachel Adams Greenup, a breast cancer surgeon and health services researcher at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, who was not involved in the report but has conducted separate studies on cancer care and health care costs.

“Getting someone through their active cancer treatment doesn’t free them from treatment-related financial hardship. It seems to be this gift that keeps on giving,” Greenup said.

“Cancer survivors, even if they’re cured, they interface with the health care system more frequently — and so it is more costly to them and to the health care system than someone who’s never had cancer,” she said. “It’s devastating to these patients.”

One way to help avoid future financial hardships for cancer patients is to discuss those costs prior to starting treatment, Greenup said.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology even released guidance in 2009 that pointed out how doctors play an important role in addressing and discussing the out-of-pocket costs of cancer care with their patients.

“The data is slowly accumulating that cost discussions are actually probably really beneficial,” she said.

Overall it’s “not surprising” cancer patients often face financial hardships even after receiving treatment and surviving the disease, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association in Washington, DC, who was not involved in the report.

“Far too many people, even with health insurance, still are having trouble paying their bills because of the health care costs,” Benjamin said.

“The other thing we know is there is a correlation between health care costs and people’s mental health,” he said. Even though finding out you have a cancer diagnosis also has been tied to higher risk of sadness and depression, “we do know to the extent that inability to pay health care bills results in more sadness, more depression and people’s concerns about those costs are a real challenge.”

From a public health perspective, “the best way to deal with cancer and cancer costs is to prevent it from occurring in the first place or catching the disease early so that it’s in an earlier stage of diagnosis and therefore the treatment is easier and less costly,” Benjamin said.

What’s needed to solve the cancer cost problem

There are also disparities in who tends to face more financial hardship when it comes to health care costs, said Stephanie Wheeler, a health services researcher and decision scientist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, who was not involved in the report.

“Certain subgroups, such as people of color, also experienced higher material and psychosocial financial hardship, which is concerning given their risk of overall poorer outcomes from cancer,” Wheeler said.

“For underserved populations who face the most burdensome cost-related hardship — including people of color, low-income and working-age adults, and the uninsured — a failure to address cancer care costs will likely exacerbate existing outcome disparities,” she said. “Until meaningful policy reforms are enacted at the national level to contain health care costs and address profit-making incentives for a diversity of players, most local strategies will be piecemeal and insufficient — like giving aspirin to a cancer patient, they may provide short-term relief, but will not cure the underlying problem.”

Efforts to address the financial burden cancer patients experience “are urgently needed,” said Dr. Ryan Nipp, a gastrointestinal oncologist and health services researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the report but has conducted his own research on cancer care costs.

“The financial burden associated with cancer has been shown to correlate with poor quality of life, high symptom burden, and even survival,” Nipp said, adding that more research into the impact of discussions around costs, as well as screening for potential financial burden, could help.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/06/07/the-cost-of-cancer-25-of-survivors-face-financial-hardship-report-finds/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/06/07/the-cost-of-cancer-25-of-survivors-face-continued-financial-hardship-report-finds/

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