tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10796734321155173052024-03-13T11:32:59.166-04:00Aging and Disability in America<blockquote>This blog tracks aging and disability news. Legislative information is provided via <b>GovTrack.us</b>. <br><br>In the right sidebar and at the page bottom, bills in the categories of Aging, Disability, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are tracked.<br><br>Clicking on the bill title will connect to GovTrack updated bill status.</blockquote>James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.comBlogger4689125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-29724913861351957692011-05-24T08:44:00.000-04:002011-05-24T08:44:31.092-04:00ACOs: The Last Best Hope to Retain PluralismJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-72233218661129244542011-05-24T08:37:00.001-04:002011-05-24T08:38:40.867-04:00The Free Webinar: Affordable Care Act and Prevention | June 16, 2011 | 1 p.m. Eastern Time
This webinar, intended for consumers, providers, and state officials, will provide basic information about the prevention provisions and activities that are included in the Affordable Care Act.
Register for the Affordable Care Act and Prevention Webinar June 16, 2011, 1 p.m. EasternJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-87099757860460152502011-05-24T08:30:00.000-04:002011-05-24T08:30:12.519-04:00Free Webinar: How To Comment on Regulations
SAMHSA's Partners for Recovery Initiative invites you to a free webinar on the public comment process for Federal regulations.
How To Comment on Regulations
May 26, 2011
1 p.m. Eastern Time
This webinar, designed for consumers and members of the recovery community, will provide guidance on the Federal regulatory process and the proper procedure and best practices for submitting comments onJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-82634765975845950402011-05-20T10:53:00.000-04:002011-05-20T10:53:51.227-04:00Connecting Generations Video Challenge: Public Voting Begins
The submission period for the “Connecting Generations Video Challenge” has ended and the judges have made their selections. Now it is up to you to select the winners. Cast your vote for the best submission by logging on to http://challenge.gov/challenges/142/submissions and selecting the video you think best reflects the Older Americans Month 2011 theme—Older Americans: Connecting the CommunityJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-8432787544490492312011-05-20T10:46:00.000-04:002011-05-20T10:46:19.439-04:00Statement by Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker on the Release of the Medicare Trustees Report
The release of the Medicare Trustees Report today makes clear the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the solvency of the Medicare trust fund. The ACA provides added support to Medicare as the economy recovers and contributions to the trust fund begin to increase.
We must remember that preserving Medicare means not only maintaining the solvency of the trust fund, but also James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-44733385293228756812011-05-20T10:41:00.000-04:002011-05-20T10:41:38.526-04:00Trustees Report Shows Medicare Remains Viable, But Challenges Remain
The Medicare Trustees Report released today shows that while Medicare remains solvent longer than expected prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, challenges remain for securing the long term financial health of the Medicare program. Expenditures for the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund were lower than expected this year. The Trustees annual report says that Medicare’s James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-1720649208379297192011-05-20T10:17:00.000-04:002011-05-20T10:17:25.991-04:00HHS to Insurers: Double-Digit Rate Hikes Will Prompt Review
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a final rule that will allow states to scrutinize insurance companies if they propose excessive increases in insurance premiums.
The final rule, published Thursday, would give states the authority beginning in September to issue a review of any insurer that raises premiums for small or individual health insurance plans by more thanJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-92129742565375053082011-05-17T12:34:00.001-04:002011-05-17T12:34:03.427-04:00MedPage Today ArticleI thought you would like to read the attached article: Tai Chi Helps Prevent Falls, Aids Mental Health (CME/CE) - http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatrics/GeneralGeriatrics/26509 Sign up for your FREE, once-daily, Medical News Daily Headlines Email at https://www.medpagetoday.com/register.cfm. MedPage Today(R) provides physicians and 'expert patients' real-time coverage of breaking medicalJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-54366141888757353462011-05-13T15:18:00.000-04:002011-05-13T15:18:08.163-04:00Chicago Police Station Converted to LGBT Senior HomeA former police station on the North Side of Chicago that once symbolized discrimination will be incorporated into a housing development for LGBT seniors in the Boystown neighborhood.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, “For $1, the city will sell the old Town Hall District station, 3600 N. Halsted, to Heartland Housing Inc., sources said. The nonprofit developer will incorporate the old James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-66565211268304951552011-05-13T14:22:00.000-04:002011-05-13T14:22:34.795-04:00Weight-Loss Surgery for Seniors Still Iffy
By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Surgeons should continue to exercise caution in considering bariatric surgery for patients older than 65, a researcher said here.
Although age over 65 was not a significant predictor of 30-day mortality after open bariatric surgery, there was a trend in that direction compared with patients ages 50 to 64 (OR 3.3, 95% CI 0.8 to 14.3), according to James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-31082465563374402372011-05-13T14:11:00.000-04:002011-05-13T14:11:50.896-04:00Seniors, Guns and MoneyOP-ED by Paul Krugman in the New York Times
This has to be one of the funniest political stories of recent weeks: On Tuesday, 42 freshmen Republican members of Congress sent a letter urging President Obama to stop Democrats from engaging in “Mediscare” tactics — that is, to stop saying that the Republican budget plan released early last month, which would end Medicare as we know it, is a plan toJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-51406447329699078992011-05-12T08:54:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:44:24.121-04:00Walk to End Alzheimer's
Join the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's™ and unite in a movement to reclaim the future for millions. Since 1989, the Alzheimer's Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk®; now, they ask you to register for Walk to End Alzheimer's, the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-76452798739648079212011-05-11T10:36:00.000-04:002011-05-11T10:36:11.235-04:00Public comment on Home and Community Based ServicesThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would revise the regulations implementing Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act. There are several proposed changes including the following:
· Requirement for person-centered planning
· Characteristics of home and community based James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-89315394088213086742011-05-11T10:24:00.000-04:002011-05-11T10:24:14.547-04:00Budget Chief Wants Plan with 50-50 Split Between Spending Cuts and Tax Hikes
By Alexander Bolton
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) on Tuesday presented a budget proposal to Senate Democrats that calls for an even balance — 50 percent to 50 percent — of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit.
More
James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-63836275348400446012011-05-11T10:15:00.000-04:002011-05-11T10:15:22.463-04:00Governor Rips Nursing-home Lobby, Says Tax Cut Possible in '12By Joe Vardon - THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
In a suburban Cincinnati facility where tooling for engines used by the military is made, Gov. John Kasich unleashed a volley of verbal missiles at Ohio's nursing-home lobby yesterday.
Kasich, whose speech was scheduled as an event to stump for his two-year, $55.6 billion budget proposal, also said that if the state holds the line on spending this year, "James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-15016569748095237232011-05-11T09:08:00.000-04:002011-05-11T09:08:02.461-04:00Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity
The conservative Heritage Foundation released a budget plan Tuesday that balances the federal budget far sooner than the House 2012 budget resolution, in part by cutting benefits for current seniors.
MoreJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-7430372702627880992011-05-11T08:55:00.000-04:002011-05-11T08:55:37.592-04:00National Council On Disability Board MeetingThe board meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2011, 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m., ET, and Friday, May 20, 2011, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,ET.
The board meeting will occur at the Access Board Conference Room, 1331 F Street, NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC.
Parts of this meeting will be open to the public. The rest of the meeting will be closed to the public.
The agenda for the board meeting includes:
a James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-59638330302128289022011-05-11T08:27:00.000-04:002011-05-11T08:27:29.964-04:00Upcoming Webinar Addressing Behavioral Health Services in the Affordable Care ActWednesday, May 18, 2011
3 p.m. Eastern Time
What does health reform mean for people in recovery from addiction, consumers of mental health services, and their families? The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, Faces & Voices of Recovery, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness jointly present a series of five webinars sponsored by SAMHSA to provide information on the James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-91235421051536656582011-05-11T07:28:00.000-04:002011-05-11T07:28:18.670-04:00Colonoscopy: Who Gets Treated Where and How Effective is that Treatment?James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-35095336774641766772011-05-11T07:22:00.000-04:002011-05-11T07:22:12.955-04:00Phone-Based Tests Can ID Cognitive Problems
By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Telephone-based assessments can reliably identify dementia in an ethnically diverse, older population, researchers found.
Two phone-based measures were able to discriminate demented from nondemented individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment from those with dementia, according to Jennifer Manly, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-76128539248129396862011-05-11T07:06:00.000-04:002011-05-11T07:06:09.873-04:00Study Finds CV Risk Even With Short-Term NSAID Use
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
There is no "safe" duration for NSAID use in patients with a history of myocardial infarction, according to an analysis of data from more than 83,000 patients -- use of NSAIDs after MI increased the relative risk of death or second MI by as much as 45%.
Moreover, the common NSAID diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam) was associated with a 3.52 HR forJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-13070106266549929142011-05-11T06:57:00.000-04:002011-05-11T06:57:55.854-04:00Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease and DiabetesJames Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-15628163825358733852011-05-09T06:58:00.001-04:002011-05-09T07:28:36.253-04:00Generation Alzheimer'sThe good news is that death rates for many major diseases - HIV, stroke, heart disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer - are declining. Sadly, the same can't yet be said about Alzheimer's. This year, the first of the Boomer Generation turns 65. To bring urgently-needed attention to the risk facing the Boomers, Alzheimer's Association recently released a groundbreaking study James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-74135431469185490362011-05-04T12:30:00.000-04:002011-05-04T12:30:06.049-04:00World Report on DisabilityThe WHO/World Bank is launching its first World report on Disability (See description below) in the U.S. on September 12 & 13 . DoubleTree Hotel Crystal City, Arlington , VA. September 12 & 13, 2011. (The international launch is at the UN on June 9 when the Report will be released.) The September 12-13 U.S. launch/symposium is free but you must register. For registration, please go to James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1079673432115517305.post-16654487306823261272011-05-04T12:12:00.001-04:002011-05-04T12:14:29.588-04:00WHO Warns of Enormous Burden of Chronic Disease
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) Apr 27 - Chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes have reached global epidemic proportions and now cause more deaths than all other diseases combined, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
In its first worldwide report on so-called non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, the United Nations health body said the conditions caused James Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12190707578059283787noreply@blogger.com0