Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Presidential Candidate Donald Trump On Autism, Vaccines, And Mental Health

By Emily Willingham

Donald Trump is leading the GOP field in polls of Republican voters. This fact has some grabbing the popcorn, others tearing out their hair, and still others shaking their heads at the state of U.S. politics today. But if you’re among the one in four adults in the US with a mental health condition, if you have an interest in children’s health, or if you love an autistic person, then you might view Trump as more troubling than bemusing or amusing.

First, there’s his willingness to apply mental illness as an epithet. Using Twitter, his favorite online tool, he has called into question Obama’s mental health, calling the president’s decision not to block flights from West Africa during the 2014 Ebola scare “psycho.” He doubled down on those comments later, stating in an interview that “there’s something wrong” with Obama, implying that the POTUS just isn’t quite right in head because his policies don’t align with The Donald’s. Of course, that scare ended without realization of the fears that motivated Trump’s outburst.

Trump also appears to believe that mental illness, rather than guns or other deadly weapons, kills people, saying about the Louisiana movie theater killings:
Well, these are sick people.  I mean, these are very, very sick people.  This has nothing to do with guns.  This has to do with the mentality of these people.
And then there’s his belief about autism. Eight years ago, Trump was evidently convinced that vaccines cause autism—or at least, vaccines as administered according to the recommended schedule. He decided in 2007, he said at the time, to have his son administered “one shot at a time” in what he described as “a very slow process.” He also said that his “theory is the shots” are responsible for autism.
Trump seemed to have been under the impression that a child gets a dozen or more vaccines at once, perhaps from a quart-sized syringe with a pump on it, given his comments at a 2007 press conference...

Read the full story at Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/08/05/presidential-candidate-donald-trump-on-autism-vaccines-and-mental-health/
Autism

Independence Day For Americans With Disabilities

By Linton Weeks
On July 4, America will celebrate 239 years of independence.
Later in the month, our country will mark another historic moment: the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law passed on July 26, 1990, that guarantees certain rights — and increased independence — to our compatriots with physical and intellectual disabilities.
In this era of ramps and lifts and other hallmarks of accessible design, it's sometimes hard to remember that not too long ago inaccessibility was the norm. And barriers abounded.
"At the time of the late 1980s, too many people with disabilities were out of sight and out of the minds of the general public," says Katy Neas of Easter Seals, a century-old, Chicago-based nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities.
As an outspoken advocate for the ADA, Easter Seals created a series of powerful posters that illustrated the dilemmas — and desires — of disabled Americans and helped the country understand the reasons for, and responsibilities resulting from, the anti-discrimination legislation.
Via the visuals, Neas says, "Easter Seals was working to reposition what it meant to be a person with a disability — what was possible, what was necessary, what barriers existed."...
Get the full story at NPR.
http://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/06/19/415436391/independence-day-for-americans-with-disabilities
accessible

The Medical Bill Mystery

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

 I CONFESS I filed this column several weeks late in large part because I had hoped first to figure out a medical bill whose serial iterations have been arriving monthly like clockwork for half a year.

 As medical bills go, it’s not very big: $225, from a laboratory. But I don’t really want to pay it until I understand what it’s for. It’s not that the bill contains no information — there is lots of it. Test codes: 105, 127, 164, to name a few. CPT codes: 87481, 87491, 87798 and others. It tells me I’m being billed $29.90 for each of nine things, but there is an “adjustment” to one of $14.20.

 At first, I left messages on the lab’s billing office voice mail asking for an explanation. A few months ago, when someone finally called back, she said she could not tell me what the codes were for because that would violate patient privacy. After I pointed out that I was the patient in question, she said, politely: “I’m sorry, this is what I’m told, and I don’t want to lose my job.”

 I have spent the last two and a half years reporting and writing about medical costs, and during that time I have pored over hundreds of patients’ bills. And while I’ve become pretty adept at medical bill exegesis, I continue to be baffled by how we’ve come to tolerate the Kafkaesque stream of nonexplanations that follow health encounters

 Bills variously use CPT, HCPCS or ICD-9 codes (more about those later). Some have abbreviations and scientific terms that you need a medical dictionary or a graduate degree to comprehend. Some have no information at all. Heather Pearce of Seattle told me how she’d recently received a $45,000 hospital bill with the explanation “miscellaneous.”

 Are there no standards or regulations governing medical billing? Even my receipts from the dry cleaner say things like “sweater blue — $7.” The supermarket tells me I’ve paid $2 for 1.3 pounds of gala apples.

 “Medical bills and explanation of benefits are undecipherable and incomprehensible even for experts to understand, and the law is very forgiving about that,” said Mark Hall, a professor of health law at Wake Forest University. “We’ve not seen a lot of pressure to standardize medical billing, but there’s certainly a need.”

 Hospitals and medical clinics, for their part, often counter by saying that detailed bills are simply too complicated for patients and that they provide the information required by insurers. But with rising copays and deductibles, patients are shouldering an increasing burden. And if providers of Lasik and plastic surgeons can come up with clear prices and payment terms, why can’t others in medicine?

 In other industries, lawmakers have swooped in to end unscrupulous practices. The 1968 Truth in Lending Act required clearer terms in writing loans and offering credit. After the housing crisis, the 2009 Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act demanded that lenders provide clear and consistent information to home buyers. The idea was to protect buyers from being seduced by low-interest teaser rates that would jump dramatically a few years later, for example.

 But, Mr. Hall said, such legislation applies only to specific sectors: “There is no general law that says bills must be clear and there are no rules about which can be reported to credit agencies. I think bills are transparent at the grocery not because there’s a law, but because that’s what customers expect.”

 Christina LaMontagne, vice president in charge of health at NerdWallet, a consumer financial services company that offers medical bill audits, educational tools and experts to talk patients through their bills, said, “The idea that consumers want user-friendly explanations is exactly the issue.”...

 Get the full story at The New York Times.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/sunday-review/the-medical-bill-mystery.html?ref=topics
health care

Nevada GOP congressman: My kids ‘will not be a drain on society’ like disabled children




By David Edwards at Raw Story

Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-NV) said recently at a Libertarian Party event that he hoped his children would never be a “drain on society” like people who were disabled.
In audio published this week by the Nevada State Democratic Party, Hardy can be heard speaking to attendees at the Libertarian Political Expo in Las Vegas.
“I have three children,” Hardy explains. “One of them is summa cum laude and two were magna cum laude. The other one, he didn’t need an education. He works for Raytheon, smarter than all the rest. He works hard, he builds things that are genius. Some people have that ability.”
“But they all work hard. They are raising their own families,” he continued. “They will not be a drain on society, the best they can. Hopefully they will never have some disability that causes them to have to utilize that.”...
Read the full article and access the audio at Raw Story.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/nevada-gop-congressman-my-kids-will-not-be-a-drain-on-society-like-disabled-children/
news

12 facts you should know about disability insurance


BY 
APRIL 30, 2014 •



Most working Americans’ greatest assets are not their homes, nor their pensions, nor even their health and fitness, it is their human capital; their ability to work and produce an income over their lifetimes. When family breadwinners die (prematurely), their families are left to fend for themselves without the breadwinners’ financial support, unless of course, the families havelife insurance policies on the lives of the breadwinners that will pay death benefits sufficient to replace the lost incomes.
As bad as an early death of a breadwinner may be to a family, it actually can get much worse, at least in financial terms. When breadwinners suffer serious long-term or permanent disabilities, their families not only lose their breadwinners’ income streams, but also, in contrast with when the breadwinners’ die, they continue to incur the direct and indirect costs of feeding, clothing, housing, and caring for (which often involves additional uninsured medical expense) the disabled breadwinner. Although the problem is less severe, even single workers must worry about how they will support themselves in the event they suffer a serious disability. Basically, disability is a double-whammy risk that has led some in the insurance industry to describe such serious long-term or permanent disabilities as a living death.
Disability Income (DI) insurance is living death insurance designed to provide benefit payments (salary replacement) when the insured individual is unable to work due to a disability. Disability may result from either an injury or an illness. DI policies have an elimination period, or waiting period, until benefits commence after the insured becomes disabled. The waiting period is often 90 days, but policyowners usually can elect shorter or longer waiting periods with corresponding changes to premium charges. Insurers usually limit the benefit payments to an amount less than 100 percent of the individual’s salary, typically about 60 percent to 65 percent of income.
Individuals may acquire their disability income benefits through agroup insurance plan provided by their employer or they may purchase it as an individual policy. Although disability income policies offered by different insurers have similarities, they also differ in substantial ways from one policy to the next. Disability income policies are contracts and the provisions within may vary. Before purchasing a disability income policy, the potential policyowner should carefully review and understand the policy’s provisions.
Q: What definition of disability does the government use to determine one’s eligibility for disability benefits under Social Security?
A: Disability for Social Security purposes is defined as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a period of at least 12 months or longer. This is a fairly difficult definition to meet because it requires that disabled individuals be so severely disabled that they not only be unable to work at their previous occupations or professions but be unable to engage in any kind of gainful employment at all.
Q: What is the regular care and attendance of a physician requirement?
A: Generally, an element of meeting the definition of disability under a disability income policy is that the insured person must be under the care of a qualified physician in order to continue to receive disability income benefit payments.
Q: Are disability income benefit payments subject to FICA and FUTA tax?
A: Payments made to disabled employees by either an employer or an insurer are subject to social security tax (FICA) and federal unemployment tax (FUTA) for the first six months after the last month in which the employees worked for their employers. After six months, such payments are exempt from Social Security and federal unemployment tax. However, if the employees contributed to the plans that pay the benefit payments, the portion of such payments attributable to the employees’ contributions is not subject to Social Security tax...
Read the full article at Life Health Pro 
http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2014/04/30/12-facts-you-should-know-about-disability-insuranc
insurance

By the numbers: Mental illness behind bars

BY SARAH VARNEY, KAISER HEALTH NEWS  May 15, 2014 at 6:39 PM EDT
prison and barbed wire
Uninsured former inmates stand to gain health care under Medicaid expansion. Screen grab by PBS NewsHour Weekend
Psychological disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder and trauma-related disorders, are rampant among inmates, and mental illness itself is a risk factor for landing in jail.

“We’ve, frankly, criminalized the mentally ill, and used local jails as de facto mental health institutions,” said Alex Briscoe, the health director for Alameda County in northern California.
The statistics paint a stark picture, with mental illness affecting a greater percentage of jailed women than men:
  • In state prisons, 73 percent of women and 55 of men have at least one mental health problem
  • In federal prisons, 61 percent of women and 44 percent of men
  • In local jails, 75 percent of women and 63 percent of men

The Affordable Care Act — and its expansion of Medicaid — is expected to connect previously uninsured ex-offenders with medical care and mental health treatment.

But in the short term, jails and prisons remain the places where those with severe psychosis are housed: There are now three times more people with serious mental illness incarcerated in the United States than in hospitals, and the types of behavioral and mental health problems among inmates are becoming more severe.

 Read the full article at PBS 

(http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/numbers-mental-illness-behind-bars/)

mental health

Iain Duncan Smith used false statistics to justify disability benefit cuts

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) repeatedly made false claims about the numbers of people living on disability benefits, the official statistics watchdog has found.
Ministers at the DWP repeatedly claimed that the majority of people on disability living allowance (DLA) were given benefits for life without any supporting medical evidence.
According to press releases sent out by the department: "more than 50% of decisions on entitlement are made on the basis of the claim form alone, without any additional corroborating medical evidence."
However, the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) found that the real percentage of claims passed without supporting medical evidence was just 10%.
The DWP also claimed that "under the current system of DLA, 71% of claimants get indefinite awards without systematic reassessments."
However the UKSA found that in the last two years of the DLA, just 23% and 24% of claimants were given indefinite awards.
The DWP accept that their claims were "ambiguous" and "had not been rechecked by the Department's analysts as is the usual practice."
The findings, uncovered by Channel Four News and seen in full by Politics.co.uk, followed a complaint by the charity Parkinson's UK.
"The Department of Work and Pensions has a long track record of misusing statistics when it comes to the benefits system, and it’s clear this was a tactic to vindicate further welfare cuts," Parkinson's UK policy advisor Donna O'Brien said.
"People with Parkinson's who claimed DLA have told us supporting medical evidence was crucial due to a woeful knowledge of the condition amongst assessors, and it is absurd that the Government was trying to imply that anyone going through the system had an easy ride."
Read the full article at Politics 
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/05/16/iain-duncan-smith-used-false-statistics-to-justify-disabilit
politics

Financial impact of disability lost on Americans

BY 
MAY 15, 2014

A financial plan can significantly ease financial stress for the 56.7 million Americans who have a disability, according to a new report from BMO Wealth Institute.
The report reveals that, as the population ages, the percentage of Americans who will become disabled will rise. Currently, 70.5 percent of Americans 80 years old or older identify themselves as having a disability, with hearing loss, mobility issues and memory loss being among the most prevalent.
“Given that the chances of someone becoming disabled increase as one gets older, it's important that individuals are aware of the potential challenges they can face," says Stephen Williams, vice president, U.S. Financial Planning Strategy, BMO Private Bank. "Specifically, Americans should understand how disability can affect one's personal and financial situation. Planning for the possibility of a disability should be a consideration in any financial plan to help safeguard individuals and their families from the unexpected."


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ead the full article at LifeHealth Pro  




(http://www.lifehealthpro.com/2014/05/15/financial-impact-of-disability-lost-on-americans)
physically disabled

Disability And Finances: How To Be Financially Stable

by Lura Peterson on May 17th, 2014 
Most of us are struggling to make ends meet. The economy has slowed down, lay-offs are becoming a norm of sorts, and salaries are taking a hit. Financial security is a priority for everybody. Having a disability may seem like a hurdle in making economic progress, but with a few smart moves and concrete planning and research, those with disabilities can also lead a financially secure and satisfying life.
Disability And Finances: How To Be Financially Stable

Take Assistance of College Financial Aid Programs

A college degree sharpens your skills and gives you better employment opportunities. However, not everybody can afford a college education, especially those who are disabled and are already spending a large amount of money on medical aid and support.
It is then a good idea to take assistance from the various supplementary financial aids for your college education. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that everybody should get equal access to educational opportunities and vocational rehabilitation. Most colleges have financial assistance programs for students with disabilities. The type of aid provided may vary from state to state, but there will always be scholarships, grants and loans available for disabled students.
You should research and apply for these as soon as possible as they will be in high demand and may get exhausted soon. Discrimination at workplace due to disability may be prohibited but is still present in many organizations. A college education or a specialization can give you an advantage in such cases and may cement your position strongly in the organization.
Similarly, vocational rehabilitation ensures various financial aid and facilities for the disabled to help them obtain better employment opportunities.  This would include paid training for specific jobs, job-placements, commuting and transportation facilities, special equipment required for the job and regular follow-up of the individual’s growth and progress in the job.
Talk to your financial consultant or family member who looks after your finances and contact your state agency or financial aid office at school to know what resources and grants are available to you...
Read the full article at Tweak Your Biz 
(http://tweakyourbiz.com/finance/2014/05/17/disability-finances-financially-stable/)
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Reassessing disability support is 'ludicrous', says advocate


May 14, 2014


Changing the requirements for those on the disability support pension, as announced in the federal budget, is "completely ludicrous", says disabilities advocate Stella Young.

"The reassessment of people on the disability support pension is always going to be a problem," Ms Young said. "It doesn't necessarily create jobs in the labour market, it doesn't create opportunities."
Under the changes, an estimated 28,000 people on the disability support pension who are able to work more than eight hours a week, will be reassessed to potentially move over to the lower Newstart allowance. They will have to actively search for work, take part in training, or work for the dole.

Ms Young, an ABC presenter who has a disability, says forcing disabled Australians under the age of 35 to meet the same criteria as other jobseekers is not the way to go about it.

"You're going to put people in situations where they might have to apply for jobs that they will never get because they're just not accessible for them," she said.

Effort should instead be put into developing employment opportunities for disabled Australians, she said.

"There's people sitting around, who are not reaching their full potential, who are at home watching Oprah all day. They don't necessarily want to be, it's no good for your self-esteem" she said.
Ms Young used the example of a lawyer friend, who is now deemed ineligible for the disability support pension because she's been previously employed, but had to recently turn down a job because the law firm did not have any wheelchair-accessible offices.

"Until we fix those things, how can we be denying people the income support that they need ... while they find an accessible employer?" she said.

Speaking to ABC radio ahead of the budget, Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said the welfare rules of recent years had been "less rigorous".

"If people are capable of working let's encourage them to work rather than sitting on welfare - that’s a council of despair," he said.

In another budget cut close to Ms Young's heart, the federal government will slice off one per cent of the ABC's budget over the next four years, amounting to more than $40 million.

As part of the cuts, it's expected that ABC Ramp Up - a website that provides relevant news for those in the disabilities community, run by Ms Young - will be shut down.

"I think people are pretty disappointed at losing such an important voice and platform for people with disabilities," Ms Young said.

"The irony is that Ramp Up provides opportunities for young writers, employment opportunities, skills development and all that. Diminishing those opportunities is not serving the government's aim to get people off the support pension."

Read the full article and view the attached video at SMH

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