Health
- Details
- Written by: Office of Congressman Mike Thompson
These provisions seek to end insurance company abuses, and put consumers and their doctors back in control of their health care.
“When I voted for this health care legislation, it was to make sure that all Americans had access to quality affordable health care,” said Congressman Thompson.
As of Thursday, young Californians will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until their 26th birthday, which Thompson said is very important, because young people are the biggest group of uninsured Americans.
Also, people will no longer be subject to lifetime caps on what health insurance will pay, or risk losing their coverage when they get sick, he said. “This will also make a big difference, because over 60 percent of people who declared bankruptcy in 2007 did so because of medical costs.”
As of Thursday all privately-insured Americans will have the following protections:
Health coverage cannot be arbitrarily canceled if you become sick.
Children cannot be denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition.
Children up to age 26 can stay on their parents’ health plan.
Health insurance giants cannot put a lifetime limit on health coverage.
Beginning Thursday, consumers purchasing new plans will have the following additional protections:
Preventive services will be available without deductible or co-payments.
Patients have the right to both an internal and external appeal of insurers’ coverage decisions.
Patients have the right to access out-of-network emergency room care at in-network cost-sharing rates.
Thompson also sent a letter to the California Insurance Commissioner Thursday, asking him to look into ways to recoup money for insurance clients who may have been overcharged.
In North Carolina, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin was able to return nearly $156 million to more than 215,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield policyholders. That’s equivalent to more than 1.5 months of premiums.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
- Details
- Written by: Editor
SAN FRANCISCO – Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation has appointed Bill Black, MD, PhD as associate chief medical officer.
Black, an internal medicine specialist, will assist the foundation in the areas of physician relations and clinic operations, including medical practice oversight, physician recruitment and physician contracting.
“Dr. Black has been associated with Sutter Health for over 13 years and brings an impressive breadth and depth of experience as a health care leader,” said Morris Flaum, MD, MBA, CEO of Sutter Pacific.
Most recently, Black served as division head of the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, San Mateo County, where he oversaw a variety of functions, including clinical operations, enterprise integration, capital planning, and quality.
He also has served as medical director for a number of Palo Alto Medical Foundation areas, including medical campus planning and design, the pioneering patient/physician web portal PAMFOnline, and new clinical services development. He is president of the San Mateo County Medical Association.
A resident of San Francisco, Black holds a medical degree in internal medicine from Stanford University and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill).
For more information or to find a doctor near you, visit www.sutterpacific.org or call 1-888-699-DOCS (3627).
- Details
- Written by: Alcohol and Other Drug Services
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While Lake County is experiencing affects from the economic crunch, visible in everything from unemployment rates to homelessness, youth serving organizations continue trucking along doing their best to serve youth and their families.
Lake County Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) prevention component annually offers the community the opportunity to apply for Friday Night Live mini-grants.
The Friday Night Live program engages youth to build partnerships for positive and healthy youth development which engage youth as active leaders and resources in their communities. The purpose of these clubs is building youth leadership skills; while maintaining a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle.
Youth development philosophy states that children and teens, provided with consistent and sound positive messages, are capable of making the choice to avoid risky behaviors altogether, especially if they are empowered by strong family, school and community connections.
Youth development is the process through which teens acquire the cognitive, social, and emotional skills and abilities required to navigate life.
The experience of adolescence varies for every youth due to culture, gender, and socioeconomic class which all have an impact on development. This development occurs in formal and informal settings such as home, church, or school; and similar relationships, such as peer friendships, work, parenting, teaching or mentoring. Although youth development is a natural process, it cannot be left to chance.
The elements or needs essential for the healthy development of young people, particularly adolescents, have been described by Konopka (1973) and Pittman (1991). To grow and learn to optimum capacity in healthy ways and to function successfully in the adult world, young people benefit from opportunities to:
feel a sense of safety and structure;
experience active participation, group membership and belonging;
develop self-worth achieved through meaningful contribution;
experiment to discover self, gain independence, and gain control over one's life;
develop significant relationships with peers and adults;
discuss conflicting values and formulate their own;
feel the pride and accountability that come with mastery;
expand the capacity to enjoy life and know that success is possible.
Youth development, then, is a combination of all of the people, places, supports, opportunities and services that teens need to be happy, healthy and successful.
Lake County Division of Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) would also like to thank all of the community partners who work with the agency on addressing the diverse needs of the youth in our community: Team DUI, Lake county Community Action Agency, Lake Family Resource Center, Department of Mental Health, School Districts, Sober Grad, Every 15 Minutes, Challenge Days, Friday Night Live Chapters, our Courts and Hilltop Recovery.
If you would like more information about this topic please contact Linda at 707-263-8162.