On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, the House voted to repeal a part of President Obama’s health care law. The basis for this vote stemmed from their allegations that the law seemed “unsustainable by his own administration.” The bill has been sent to the Senate, where Democrats have indicated that they are not ready to kill the long-term care program in question. However, over two dozen House Democrats joined Republicans in a 267-159 vote to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. This program was in fact suspended by Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary of Health and Human Services) because she claimed she could not find a way to make it pay for itself.

However, the White House does not support repealing the CLASS Act, which allows workers to pay a monthly premium during their career and collect daily cash benefits if they become disabled later on in their lifetime.

The Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized Obama’s opposition to the GOP effort, saying that his resistance to the bill is “based on his determination to win reelection in November” by blaming prior administration for the poor economic recovery.

Senator Jay Rockefeller, however, claims that the CLASS Act is critical to successfully providing long-term health care for those in need. Instead of repealing the CLASS Act all together, he proposed that everyone put their ideas on the table and debate the components of the act.

Much to the surprise of those who viewed the 2010 health care law with a negative outlook, it has been reported that Medicare Advantage premiums have dropped an average of 7% while enrollment has grown by 10%. These figures have been reported by the Department of Health and Human Services on February 1, 2012. Opponents of the health care law incorrectly predicted that premiums would rise and enrollment would decline. The Medicare Advantage plan has continually disproven the negative predictions made about it. Also, the Affordable Care Act has provided “new tools to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities are getting the best value out of their coverage” according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

HHS analysts predicted in September that premiums would fall 4%. However, since 2010 they have fallen by 16%. Spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, Robert Zirkelbach, stated that health plans are working to keep coverage innovative and affordable. This is more good news for the new law.

Below is a beautiful essay written in 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. It poetically describes her experience with having a special needs child.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

The nursing home industry is proposing its own ideas on ways to reduce uncontrolled Medicare spending in an effort to fend off significant Medicare cuts. The American Health Care Association is proposing that instead of taking a $2 billion hit, this money can be saved by ensuring that patients discharged from the hospital stay healthy.

In 2010, patients readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of discharge cost Medicare over $17 billion. The AHCA has consequently devised a plan that will provide incentives for hospitals to reduce the amount of readmissions. As a result, nursing providers will focus on providing top quality care and Medicare costs will decrease.  The AHCA Public Affairs Vice President Greg Crist was told that CMS officials were impressed that the sector was so willing to take such a bold initiative. Crist also hopes that the new proposal is favorably received by the Obama administration. The AHCA will also be urging the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp and the Senate Finance Committee to consider and ultimately accept this approach.

Each advisor will be paid $20,000 to perform this task. During the first six months of the program, the 73 members will attend seminars and spend the remaining time testing new ways to implement their proposed changes.

These 73 people were selected from over 900 applications. What are your thoughts on this decision? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Below are the top 15 reasons why every working American should have paycheck protection in case of becoming disabled:

1. At age 32, the chance of being disabled for 90 days is 6.5 times greater than the chance of death.
2. More than 51 million Americans – 18 percent of the population – are classified as disabled.
3. Almost one-third of Americans entering the workforce today – three out of 10 – will become disabled before they retire.
4. 34,017 fatal crashes occurred in 2008, the lowest rate since 1961. But what about those who survived the carnage? In 2008, 2.35 million people were injured in car accidents. Car crashes are the leading cause of acquired disability in the United States.
5. Seventy-five percent of disabilities are caused by an illness rather than an accident.
6. Seventy percent of American workers in the private sector have no long-term disability protection.
7. A Harvard University report reveals that 62 percent of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007 were due to the inability to pay for medical expenses.
8. The likelihood of being disabled for more than three months is greater than dying in any given year.
9. Accident or illness will force 1 in 5 U.S. employees to miss work for at least a year before they turn 65. Furthermore, the average long-term disability absence lasts 2 years.
10. In the past hour, almost 3,000 Americans became disabled. That’s 49 disabilities every minute.
11. Every year, 350,000 personal bankruptcies are attributed to injuries and unexpected illnesses.
12. In the first year following paraplegia, living expenses average $259,531 per person.
13. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. From 1995 to 2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7 percent and the actual number of stroke deaths declined 13.5 percent.
14. Only a small fraction – 10 percent – of disabling accidents and illnesses are work related. The other 90 percent are not, which means workers’ compensation doesn’t cover them.
15. The average monthly benefit paid by Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is $1,004 a month.

On December 28^th, 2011, the Obama administration awarded $296 million to 23 states as a bonus payment for exceeding the enrollment targets for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius praised the program, noting the benefits that health coverage provides for children and the security it provides for parents.

This money was allotted in different ways. For example, the state of Maryland received $28.3 million due to their superior performance in streamlining the children’s health coverage enrollment process by omitting the face-to-face interview requirement for applicants. Also, the state uses electronic databases as a way to verify family information which speeds up the process.

Alaska’s award amounted to $5,660,544 and North Carolina received $21.1 million as a performance bonus. New Jersey will be awarded $16.8 million for continuing to successfully enroll and keep children in Medicaid and FamilyCare. North Dakota and Idaho received $3,195,768 and over $1.3 million, respectively. Furthermore, Montana received nearly $6.5 million, which is the first time Montana has been given a bonus.

What are your thoughts on these recent bonuses given by the Obama administration? Is it a reasonable reward for high CHIP enrollments? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

Many people have heard of the 2010 health care law, but few actually realize the impact that it has made. Already, large segments of the new law have been enacted which are affecting millions of people. Don Berwick, the former administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, stated, “It’s complicated, but there are very many benefits affecting millions of people. They will not know it’s the Affordable Care Act, but it is.”

There are five major changes in health care that occurred in 2011 due to the health care law, as well as countless other smaller changes. The first one of these important changes is the recent crackdown on health care fraud. The government showed a 69% increase in cases prosecuted for health care fraud in 2011. This increase was a result of the law increasing prison terms for health fraud, an increase in strike force teams that specialize in this field, and greater funding for more advanced technology to detect suspicious patterns in claims.

The second major change is greater relief for those who are 25 years old or younger. This relief stems from the part of the law that allows those under 25 to remain on their parents’ health insurance policies. This will allow young people to take jobs they like, instead of taking jobs just for the benefits. It also prevents youth from attempting to live without health insurance because they are young and healthy and feel “invincible.” If a medical emergency does occur, they could be left in severe debt without insurance.

The health care law also benefits the opposite end of the spectrum: senior citizens. Not only has the cost of prescription drugs been reduced by half, but seniors are also eligible for annual exams and certain screenings without paying a co-pay. They can also receive free counseling if they screen positively for obesity in an effort to decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and strokes.

Next, those who are privately insured can now go for annual exams, screenings, and immunizations with no co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance. However, many plans already offered these services with the hopes that preventing problems early will help save money later.

Finally, those with pre-existing conditions who were denied insurance coverage in the past could be eligible for the government’s Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan. Those without insurance for at least 6 months can use this program. The program is now easier to join due to cheaper premiums and less strict requirements.

Believe it or not, a private school education for a child in need of special education can be cheaper than a public school education.

Another challenge facing the 2010 health-care overhaul was overcome recently, giving the Obama administration more momentum before the Supreme Court sets out to determine the  law’s constitutionality. The challenge was directed towards “the law’s requirement that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a penalty” and was unanimously rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Judge Laurence H. Silberman issued a 37-page opinion, citing that the law is “part of the fundamental tension between individual liberty and legislative power.” However, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh stated that the courts do not have jurisdiction until 2015 when the law’s tax penalties come into effect. This split increases the likelihood that the Supreme Court will ultimately hear the case.

Stephanie Cutter, who is an advisor to president, applauded the decision, saying that those “who claim that the ‘individual responsibility’ provision exceeds Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce are simply wrong,”

USA Today clarified the gravity of the case’s decision.  ”The stakes are huge going into the case,” said law professor Pamela Karlan of Stanford University. “The case will determine how much power the federal government has to deal with life in the 21st century, health care being among the most important issues.”