FEMA mistakenly doles out millions, asks for it back | abc7chicago.com

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March 25, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave a west suburban woman thousands of dollars after last July's flood, but now the agency wants it back.

FEMA gave Lisa DiVito, of Elmwood Park, $3,400 after her home received thousands of dollars in flood damage last July. Now, FEMA said that payout was a mistake and the agency wants the money it gave Divito -- and thousands of others in similar situations-- back. The government admits its mistakes add up to more than half a billion dollars.
"It was bad, it was the worst I've ever seen," DiVito said of the July 2010 flooding in her Elmwood Park home. Flood water destroyed her basement and overwhelmed her pumping system with sewage. "Because the pressure built up the access panel shot off the wall and it was coming out full force like a fire hydrant."
After the July 2010 floods, FEMA organized relief for local victims and offered grants -- more than $300 million -- to help suburban homeowners rebuild.
"Disaster assistance wasn't designed to cover all your losses. Some losses that have occurred, all the money can't replace family heirlooms but it does help you begin that recovery process," Gene Romano, FEMA spokesperson, said in August 2010.
Divito applied for the program, sent FEMA information about the portion of damage her insurance company covered, and then received a FEMA check for $3,400 for more repairs. But six months later, DiVito got a letter demanding the money back -- and threatening to put her in collections if she didn't pay up.

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Doctors Threaten to Pull Out of Texas Medicaid

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Doctors Threaten to Pull Out of Texas Medicaid

about a minute ago from todaysworld

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  Cuts to the reimbursements given to doctors who treat patients covered by the state's low-income health care program are raising fears that already declining physician participation will fall even further, according to a published report.
  

  

  The health care and insurance industries fear that a 1 percent cut in Medicaid fees scheduled to take effect Sept. 1 will be the first in a series of cuts as state agencies are asked to trim their two-year budgets by 10 percent to help cover an expected $18 billion revenue shortfall, The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.
  About 3.3 million poor and disabled Texans depend on Medicaid for health care, but less than a third of the state's 48,700 practicing doctors accept patients covered by the federal program, according to Texas Health and Human Services Commission. And some doctors who do participate in the program limit the number and kind of patients they accept.
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  "They're going to try to expand the rolls of Medicaid ... and at the same time they want to reduce the reimbursement to doctors," he said. "With the (pay) trend going downwards, I don't see additional physicians signing up. It's just not going to happen."

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NO, YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR HEALTH PLAN

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clipped from www.ncpa.org President Obama guaranteed Americans that after health reform became law they could keep their insurance plans and their doctors.  It's clear that this promise cannot be kept.  Insurers and physicians are already reshaping their businesses as a result of Obama's plan, says Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a practicing internist.  The health reform law caps how much insurers can spend on expenses and take for profits, explains Gottlieb:  Starting next year, health plans will have a regulated "floor" on their medical-loss ratios, which is the amount of revenue they spend on medical claims. The spending cap is 15 percent for policies sold to large employers.  They also have higher medical costs, owing partly to selection by less healthy consumers http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315404575250264210294510.html  http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=16

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OBAMA'S TAX ON JOB CREATION

clipped from www.ncpa.org The landmark health reform law signed by President Obama (ObamaCare) will require small businesses to provide health insurance to their employees.  This burden will be offset by a tax credit for each employee covered.  However, the credit is arbitrarily reduced as firms grow, penalizing employers that hire more workers or increase their salaries.  Thus, the credit may discourage firms from hiring more workers or higher-paid workers, say Devon Herrick, a senior fellow, and Pamela Villarreal, a senior policy analyst, at the National Center for Policy Analysis.  How does the tax credit for small firms work?  From 2010 to 2014, businesses in some industries that employ 25 workers or fewer will qualify for a tax credit worth up to 35 percent of the employer's contribution to workers' health coverage.  Beginning in 2014: The credit is not available to sole proprietorships and their families.  http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba703  http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=20

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Negative impact of ObamaCare already kicking in family rates are going up $200/month"

clipped from www.informationliberation.com 48 hours had not even passed after Congress approved ObamaCare before the negative impact of its provisions began kicking in. Remember, the so-called 'benefits' of the program will not begin until 2014. But the fees, taxes, and other surcharges that are essential to the plan go into effect immediately. Remember, the so-called 'benefits' of the program will not begin until 2014. But the fees, taxes, and other surcharges that are essential to the plan go into effect immediately. So much for the "my plan will save Americans" $2500/year in Healthcare premiums. "So I just got a call from my health insurance provider. My family rates are going up $200/month ... $2400/year per employee effective April 1st. Didn't take long after signing to get this s**t going. In anticipation of these homicidal measures being implemented once ObamaCare kicks in full-steam, apparently the government is getting in some early target practice on denying care for the elderly. I'm not sure how or why The Gov tends to keep trying to tells us things that it is not. Like this.

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GOP leader calls for health care repeal, replace (OneNewsNow.com)

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• GOP leader calls for health care repeal, replace (OneNewsNow.com)

  "WASHINGTON - The U.S. health care system is in serious need of changes, but the Democratic plan to overhaul it is badly flawed and should be repealed and replaced, the Senate Republican leader says. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Saturday in the GOP radio and video address that "nobody is satisfied with the health care system as it is." Costs are out of control and "people are being squeezed out of the market," he said. But he said the health care bill signed by President Barack Obama this week doesn't solve those problems and undermines what is best about health care in this country - a wide variety of medical options and innovations. The main health care law and a companion "fix-it" measure aim to crack down on insurance industry abuses and to reduce federal deficits by an estimated $143 billion over a decade. Most Americans would be required to buy insurance for the first time or face penalties. McConnell was emphasizing a new GOP political approach opposing Democrats' health care measures that proposes "repealing and replacing" the bill rather than just repealing the new health care law. Republicans say they can push for parts of the health care overhaul without adopting elements they don't like, such as tax increases. "We can do better," he said. "We can expand access to people with pre-existing conditions. We can keep people from being kicked off their plans. We can lower costs and premiums. We can do all of these things without undermining the things we do best and without raising taxes that kill jobs in a bad economy." Republicans want to appeal to tea party supporters and other conservatives upset at the size and scope of the legislation, while acknowledging that many people, including moderate Republicans and independents, want to see changes in American health care. Obama said this week that he welcomes a political fight with Republicans over efforts to repeal the bill. Repeal is highly unlikely because Republicans are now in the minority in both houses a

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Arizona Drops Children’s Health Program

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clipped from www.nytimes.com Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children’s Health Insurance Program when Gov. Jan Brewer signed an austere budget that will leave nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage. The Arizona budget is a vivid reflection of how the fiscal crisis afflicting state governments is cutting deeply into health care. The state also will roll back Medicaid coverage for childless adults in a move that is expected to eventually drop 310,000 people from the rolls. The cuts also mean the state will forgo hundreds of millions of dollars in federal matching aid, and could lose far more if Congress passes a health bill that requires states to maintain eligibility levels for the two programs. The 12-year-old program, which enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, covers an estimated 7.7 million children whose parents typically make too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.

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Idaho first to sign law aimed at health care plan

clipped from www.google.com BOISE, Idaho — Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states. Constitutional law experts say the movement is mostly symbolic because federal laws supersede those of the states. But the state measures reflect a growing frustration with President President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The proposal would cover some 30 million uninsured people, end insurance practices such as denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, require almost all Americans to get coverage by law, and try to slow the cost of medical care nationwide. Democratic leaders hope to vote on it this weekend. "Congress is planning to force an unconstitutional mandate on the states," said Herrera, the group's health task force director.

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The People Will Love ObamaCare When Its Passed

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What is Obamacare about? Check out Positive ID, The chip implant that is the main source to the new health care.
PositiveID Corporation develops and markets healthcare and information management products through its RFID-based diagnostic devices and identification technologies, and its proprietary disease management tools. PositiveID operates in two main divisions: HealthID and ID Security. For more information on PositiveID, please visit www.PositiveIDCorp.com.

clipped from motorcitytimes.com Obamas pollster is telling him that Americans are going love Socialized Medicine once it is passed: “When it comes to health care and insurance, once reform passes, the tangible benefits Americans will realize will trump the fear-mongering rhetoric opponents are stoking today,” Benenson wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Saturday. I’m sure Americans are going to love the fact that this legislation is going to be passed by parliamentarian wrangling and not by the will of the people. Another feature of socialized  that Americans are going to love is being told NO, you can’t have this or that procedure. And you know Medicare denies more claims than private insurance (on both the total number and percentage basis).

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President Obama Pushes Congress to Pass Health Care Reform

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clipped from abcnews.go.com At a campaign-like rally in Pennsylvania today, a combative President Obama criticized insurance companies, pushed members of his own party, and called for the public's support in a final push for health care reform legislation before Congress. The White House has said it hopes to have a health care bill signed into law by March 18, but even with the president's full support, passage of the bill is far from certain. Before an enthusiastic crowd at Arcadia University outside Philadelphia, Obama called on Democratic lawmakers to pass the legislation and not worry about political consequences in the upcoming mid-term elections. "My question to them is, 'When's the right time? If not now, when? If not us, who? Is it a year from now or two years from now or five years from now or 10 years from now?' I think it's right now, and that's why you're here today," he said.

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